Birthday Weekend…

I had an awesome birthday! I was feeling a little down about not having a legal position yet and the demise of my relationship that when people asked about my birthday plans, I didn’t have an answer. I just wasn’t excited. Well…my sister and brother-in-law changed all of that.

My sister asked me to promise to give her my full cooperation and so I did…reluctantly. She said to be ready at 10 am on Saturday and to dress warm. Those of you who are familiar with Chicago are aware that the weather can be unpredictable. Saturday was no exception. It ended up snowing and raining and everything settled into a sheet of ice. So, my sister picked me up promptly at 10 am and we were off. I did pretty good…I made it halfway into the city before I asked her where we were going. Of course she wouldn’t tell me but she pulled out a red envelope which to my delight was what she called “Chitown Mail” like “Tyra Mail” on America’s Next Top Model. Too Cute!!! On the card was a clue to our destination that I could not guess for the life of me. She just laughed at me and told me to relax. The rest of the day unfolded with 4 more surprises, each accompanied with a card containing clues to each destination. I was so tickled. Nobody has every done something so special for me.

All in all, I left the house on Saturday and returned home after midnight. The day included lunch, a four hour trip to the spa, shopping, dinner where my parents and brother-in-law surprised me by showing up and hiding behind their menus, and a trip to a jazz club. For the most part, my sister wanted everything to be something I never did before and I had an absolute blast.

During our time on Saturday, I told my sister that my best friend forgot about my birthday and was actually scheduling my birthday on her crackberry (blackberry) while we were at lunch. Well, I ate my words when my sister told me to be dressed and ready to go on Sunday at noon. I was waiting in my condo foyer when who drives up…my best friend. Can you say, EAT MY WORDS!!! I was so delighted. She also wouldn’t tell me where we were going so I immediately knew she was in cahoots with my sister. We work about a block away from each other and often meet for lunch so when we started heading downtown on Sunday, I was thinking…We can’t be going downtown for lunch!!!! We made small talk in the car but I wanted to know so badly where we were going but I knew if I asked, I wouldn't get a peep out of her. So, when we got downtown and drove by the crazy Bears Fans tailgating at Soldier Field, my mind was racing trying to think of what we were going to do. When we turned onto Randolph Street and passed Macy’s (Marshall Fields) on State, I blurted out…ARE WE GOING TO SEE WICKED????? Then my best friend handed me my clue complete with a red envelope and my tickets to WICKED!!! I was sooo excited!!! I wanted to see it so bad but never really had anyone to go with or for that matter, the time…can you say BAR EXAM!!! Anyway, the play was awesome, so witty and funny and nothing like what I expected since I didn’t read the book.

Then my birthday ended in traditional fashion. A homemade dinner, surrounded by family and my favorite, CHEESECAKE!!!

I am 30 and I am going to love it!!!

*** Funny note. My sister is so cute but she has a terrible sense of direction. Therefore, I often had to help her navigate downtown. Oh but she is a smart cookie and a teacher too…she made sure she didn’t leave any identifying information on each of the Mapquest sheets. A smart cookie indeed and since everything was new to me, I didn’t have a clue where we were going. My brother-in-law did a lot of the planning with my sister. He is very outgoing which is refreshing. I have the best sister and brother-in-law!!!!