Sweet Home Chicago

I actually didn't take this picture (I found it on the web). All my pics were taken in various watering holes around the city. But I thought I had better put one up that fit with the Chicago theme...

I left Luxembourg at 6.25am on Good Friday (in Chicago, that's 11.25pm Thursday night). After a layover in Amsterdam, I arrived in Chicago at noon on Good Friday (that's 7pm on Good Friday in Luxembourg). Pete Stratil picked me up at the airport (thanks Pete!) and we headed to the downtown Boston Blackies for a couple of big, juicy burgers (we both forgot that it was Good Friday and consequentially are now in trouble with God). Then Pete dropped me off at Agnes' work, where I met a lot of her co-workers. They prob weren't too impressed, as I was lookin pretty rough by that point (15 hours or so of travel, and you don't feel too "fresh"). After that, Agnes and I made our way home, I took a shower and then we were off to Halligan's for a couple beers. I have to say that sitting in a bar with all the windows open and facing a busy Lincoln Ave, the sun just starting to go down, people out walking around, nice weather, drinking some Budweiser, baseball on TV and everyone around me speaking English was a damn nice feeling. Later that night, Pete and Steph came over and we watched a movie, had some wine and cheese and other snacks, and basically hung out and talked.

Saturday morning, Agnes and I went out for our respective jogs. I was getting a bit emotional running my old route on the lakefront path! It was so nice, to say the least. After the workout, we went to run errands at Target and Home Depot. However, we didn't have time for Bed Bath & Beyond (works cite: Frank the Tank). I was buying all the things that either I can't find in Luxembourg or are so expensive here that it is worth it to wait and buy them in Chicago. Then around 3pm, Agnes surprised me with a "couples massage" at the Lincoln Park Massage & Spa. Needless to say, I was a bit jet lagged and basically fell asleep during the thing. It felt good nonetheless!

Saturday evening we met Pete & Steph at the Kerryman (a newer pub/restaurant downtown) and had dinner, some drinks and laughs. We had told a lot of our other friends, and some of my friends from work, to meet us there around 8pm for a night out. Surprisingly (for Easter weekend) pretty much everyone showed up. So it turned into a really fun night and a lot of drinks and stories and catching up. You'll note that most of my pictures (click the link above) are from that night. We stayed there all night and then just headed home in a cab.

Sunday morning, we woke up and went to 10am at St. Vincent's. Afterwards, Agnes and I, Darren and Nicole Ludwig (good friends of mine from Iowa), and Jimmy and Kristen Baker (Agnes' cousin and her husband, also good friends of ours) went over to Pete and Steph's for Easter brunch. It was more like a Thanksgiving feast! There was appetizers (cheese and crackers, taco salad dip, etc), a huge turkey, sausage stuffing, a mushroom casserole, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, chocolates, and a raspberry creme brulee dessert. It was a serious meal. After dinner we hung around and played cards, watched TV and played a a "battle of the sexes" board game (in which the ladies got hockeyed). Everyone left around 5 or 6pm, but me and Agnes stayed and watched a movie. Five minutes into it I fell asleep. That shouldn't surprise anyone, though.

Monday we woke up, Agnes went to work and then I went out for a long run. Again, it was so nice to run in my city! After my run, I met up with Fr. Don from St. Vincent's for lunch. He's leaving the parish in July and I got to know him through attending mass and lectoring there for the past few years. He's a really great priest and all around good guy, so it was nice to catch up with him. After lunch, I headed down to the office to meet with my E&Y Chicago counsellor and the partner that sponsored me to come to Luxembourg. It was very nice to catch up with them as well. I saw some of the other guys and girls that I worked with a lot and it was really nice to see them!

After the office visit, I headed over to Darren and Nicole's so that Nicole could give my hair a trim. She's a certified hair dresser, and my hair was getting pretty shaggy and curly, so she trimmed me up just a bit. Apparently, I had a lot of split ends, so I was grateful that she could get me back on track!

From Darren and Nicole's, I headed home to find that several of our friends who couldn't make it on Saturday (Emily and Nimesh, Allison and Justin, etc) were over to have some Chicago pizza and beer. Was a great time to see them. I got to talk to Nimesh and Justin about baseball, squwak at Emily, and hang out with Pete and Steph again. It was just like old times.

Tuesday morning we woke up, I went out for a run while Agnes packed a bunch of her clothes into some extra bags I brought along with me, and then Aggie took me to the airport around 2pm. My flight took off around 4.45pm and I was back in Luxembourg Wednesday and at work around lunchtime.

It was a great trip home and I was so happy to see all of my great great friends. Thanks to all of them for making an effort to see me while I was there for such a short trip...