In Which We Go to Dinner

Oh my dear people. Grab coffee. Sit back. This is a tale and a half.

So yesterday I left you after we'd visited the Willis Tower and the observation deck. We needed to get down toward the Magnificent Mile for our dinner reservation and in any other season, we would have just scurried right over on foot, but it was SO COLD, so Ryan was a darling and got us a cab to get the mile or so over that way.

{The Shaffers in a cab.}

Remember these? Nik Wallenda walked the tightrope between them, blindfolded. My main observation was that if I had to back my car into those spots, well, things would really not go well. {All those lower floors are parking, if you can't see.}

We made it to the Magnificent Mile and began window-shopping.

Literally.

That, my friends, is my husband sitting in the window display in Crate and Barrel, right there in downtown Chicago.

Not kidding.

It was SO COLD, so we walked for a bit and then ducked into a store to warm up and then back out into the cold we went and then into another store...you get the idea.

By this point in the day, I was NOT feeling well at all. I realize that this may not be a big deal to YOU, but when my eating and sleeping schedules get off kilter, I just start to feel really sick. And we we had been keeping a weird schedule, and then in and out of the extreme warm and extreme cold - I felt so sick to my stomach and just wanted to go home! But we had dinner reservations, so that was not going to work.

Ryan felt so bad for me that he called the restaurant to see if we could move the reservations up at all. They could take us at 6:30, so we stopped and got me some medicine and then decided to head toward the restaurant so we could take our time.

We braced against the bitter wind and headed into it, walking through the city. We passed a park, and Ryan asked if I wanted to stop for a photo shoot.

No. 

WHAT?!?!?!?

That's when he knew I was serious about not feeling well. But as we passed the park, I happened to catch a little glimpse of something that looked familiar to me.

The bean!!!

It's actually called Coud Gate, but I think more people call it the bean. {Obviously. I mean, look at it!}

It was really cool to be there right when we were, because not many other people were milling about, and the nighttime view in the thing was spectacular! More pics:

After we got done with this, Ryan and I continued on our merry way, so we could get to dinner, which by this point was just a half hour away. I was so cold, I couldn't even feel my right thumb, and only TRUSTED it was still in my glove.

And that was when....we discovered we had been walking the wrong direction the entire time. We were now a mile and a half in the wrong direction with 30 minutes until dinner.

I. Am. Not. Even. Kidding.

So there we were, the hicks from the sticks, tearing through the streets of Chicago, power-walking and full-on running around people, zooming through flashing red hands at intersections, and doing our best to make it in the freezing cold to our building by 6:30.

We made it.

Know where the building was?

NEXT DOOR TO WHERE WE STARTED WALKING THE WRONG WAY.

I. Am. Not. Even. Kidding.

Our reservations were at a place called The Signature Room,and it's on the 95th floor of its building.

I should back up and tell you that when I found out we had reservations, I asked Ryan about the attire we should wear. I didn't want to dress up to walk around the city in December - but neither did I want to haul around a bag with a change of clothes! He said we could wear nice jeans and dress shirts, so that's what we'd done. And we wore walking shoes. :)

So we arrived at the building and got put on an elevator to go up 95 floors with 234289347298347923 other people. Our gigantic noses were bright red and running, we couldn't feel any fingers or toes, and I had hat hair.

We tumbled out of the elevator and the woman who greeted us invited us to check our coats around the corner.

Yeah, well, that cost a dollar a coat, so we, the cheapies, kept our coats! They led us to our table, and we traipsed past all the ladies in their cocktail dresses in stilettos, still wearing our coats, draped in our tour-the-city-cinch sacks, and padding along in our walking shoes and jeans.

Classy, party of two.

They seated us by the window, and y'all, check OUT THE VIEW!!!!!! {Oh yes. I whipped out the old phone-aroonie and started taking pictures.}

 The city {above} and the lake shore {below}. STUNNING.

ALMOST like the beach of two years prior...except not really.

The waiter brought our menu and I opened mine....

YOU GUYS!!! He had it personalized for me!! I cried. No one has EVER done anything like this for me before. I felt SO SPOILED and SO LOVED!!!!!

So this place was pretty much out of our price range, but we enjoyed the chicken we ordered. So good.

I so cherished this time with him. It was lovely. {And for the record, a guy came in after we did, pulling a suitcase. So I started feeling better about our little backpacks and our coats!!}

I couldn't eat very much because I still didn't feel well, but Ryan took care of our dinners, and right about the time I asked for some coffee, the waiter appeared with my second surprise of the night:

AAAHHHHH!! How is he so good to me?????

It was white chocolate mousse cake.

Y.U.M.

So it may have been the dinner with so many comedic moments, but oh my word, what a treasured memory. I was in awe of Ryan's sweet display of love that night. He treated me like a princess, and I did not take it for granted. I appreciated the sacrifices he made to make this sort of thing possible for us. Probably won't get to do anything like this again for a really long time, but what a treasure it was!!

After dinner, we took a cab back to Union Station. We'd run enough for one day.

 Made it back to Schaumburg without incident!!!

And that was our anniversary!!!

Happy Anniversary to Us!!

So...we decided to spend our actual anniversary IN the city. And this time, we were takin' the train, baby!

Please do bear in mind that neither of us had ever ridden trains before {well, I rode one with my parents when I was in junior high, but I mean in the adult life, we'd not done this thing}. And may I again reiterate HOW MANY episodes of Law and Order SVU I've watched in my day. Too many to make for comfortable train riding...that's for blessed sure!!

We went to the train station in Schaumburg and bought our tickets - and then we waited for our little train. Choo choo!!!

What we did NOT know was that it stops in every single little burg between there and Chicago - and they are numerous. So we had about an hour to sit on that train. Ryan relaxed. I perused every single person who climbed aboard as a potential murderer.

BUT - in the end, we did arrive safely, and unkilled, in Union Station in the heart of Chicago. We wanted to get some lunch, so we asked Siri for a pizza shop. Her completely uncooperative answer SHOULD have told us something about her behavior for the day. Alas, it did not. Basically everything was "pretty far from us" - except, you know, the pizza shop I spied with my little eye across the street. Good night, nurse.

So we scurried over and had lunch, and then we headed toward our first tourist-y destination of the day: The Willis Tower.

It was so. stinking. cold. so we hurried over there and ran inside to look for the observation deck.

Just FYI, if you ever go there, the entrance to the SkyDeck is actually OUTSIDE in a whole separate area. You really can't get much of anywhere INSIDE the Willis Tower, other than Starbucks, without some serious badges. So after we ran around the side and got in the RIGHT part of the building, we went through security and mazes and all sorts of stuff just to make our way up to the 103rd floor.

The worst part was the elevator ride up. It only lasts one minute,but a whole lot of anxiety passed through me in that 60 seconds. Especially when the recording that plays all the way up starts telling you what earthly landmarks you're sailing past as you shoot up into the sky. LA LA LA LA LA!!!!

The day was kinda cloudy, so we couldn't see too terribly far, but it's still so stinkin' cool to see so much of the city from up there!

Check out the souvenirs we WANTED to get, but couldn't afford:

Yeah those were seventy bucks EACH. But I mean, seriously!?!?!?!!? Could there be a more perfect coffee cup?

There was the one thing I wanted to do...so badly...but I was so afraid.

You've heard about the ledges, right? They have four ledges that stick out from the side of the building and are glass all the way around. You can look straight down and see ground. My hands have gone cold and sweaty just TYPING this to you.

Ryan, of course, was all about the ledge.

And then there was me.

 

You guys, I was so scared! I mean if that bottom falls out - it's Bye Bye Bekah!!!! The worst part was that {much like in the grocery store} people were pushing their way out for their turn and I'm standing there wondering how much weight this thing actually holds!! WAIT FOR YOUR TURN, PEOPLE!

A really sweet lady who was apparently there by herself offered to take our picture for us:

 She asked if we would take her picture, so I was only too happy to grab her phone and scamper OFF this thing to return the favor. Once she handed it to me, though, she started to be attacked by nerves, and she wasn't sure she could do it. Ever the helper girl, I said, "Oh HE will help you!!! Ryan took her arm and helped her out onto the glass. She was SO CUTE!! She was so proud of herself for being brave, and I took her picture.

Yeah this is the down-view. SHIVER.

 With the city!!!!

 It's our anniversary. You can't escape kissing pictures. Sorry. But not.

 Getting braver!!

 After we felt we'd stayed long enough to get our money's-worth, we headed back down the elevator. Pretty excited to have it to ourselves! The TV with all its announcements was far less obnoxious on the way back down!

After successfully touring the really tall observation deck, we rewarded ourselves with some Starbucks, baby!!!

Next up...we had to figure out what to do with the rest of our day until our mystery dinner reservation. It was close to 4 p.m. by this point, and our reservations were not until 7 p.m. Ryan had arranged them and all I knew was the time. Everything else was a surprise for me.

This may be our best adventure OF THE ENTIRE TRIP. You are going to seriously love it. It is so Shaffer.

Come back tomorrow. And please love us.

IKEA, Baby!!!

Okay so I'm not sure if we were the last people {in our age bracket} on the planet to visit IKEA or not, but yes, you have to endure an entire post on our maiden voyage to this store!!

We found out there was an IKEA right there in Schaumburg, where our hotel was, so we decided to set apart the entire day on Monday and go explore.

Ta daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

We got inside and just started taking pictures of our whole experience. I present to you the photo essay of our day:

My favorite part of the store? The way they had their merchandise displayed AS actual rooms. I loved this one - a studio apartment, fully equipped with everything. If I HAD a studio that looked like this, I might not ever leave it. Especially if THIS guy was included!!

 Riding the escalator. Yeah the store is three HUGE floors. There's a lot of escalator-ing.

 Any store with its own restaurant? Yes please.

 What happens when you forget to take a picture BEFORE he starts eating:

 Found a little piggly wiggly!! They had some pretty cute stuffed animals. Won't lie about that!!

 We checked out their office furniture. Ryan decided to do a little work while he was there....

 It's an Eastern Comet couch!!! {Our high school colors were green and gold.}

 So we were walking through the store and saw this adorable {older} couple sitting on a couch in one of the living room displays. I told them they looked so cute sitting there, and they asked us to sit with them and talk to them for a while. So we went over to "their house" and sat on the couch and swapped love stories with them.

Turns out they had met exactly one year before, and they spent the day at IKEA on their first date. They had come back to recreate and relive the memories. How much did we love THAT?!?!!?!?!? They were so sweet and offered to take our picture before we parted ways.

 I thought it looked like a salon hair dryer.

 This is about the size of work luggage I need....

 We bought this little guy. Meet Albert.

 Trying to get a view outside, but our halos were being overactive, apparently...HA!!

 We "joined the IKEA family" - so we could get free coffee in the afternoon!!

 One of our favorite things - the cart escalator! They actually have a separate ones just for carts. Ryan wanted to ride IN the cart for this. I well imagine this is why there is a sign that says NO RIDING IN THE CART.

 And then...our crowning glory...THIS couch.

 We fell so in love. Look! It becomes a bed!!!

We WILL own this. We came home and put our own furniture up for sale right away to make room for this bad boy.

Sweet couch, we're comin' back to get you! Just as soon as we can!!!

And that, my friends, is how we fell in love with IKEA.

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday morning, we set out on our mini-getaway for anniversary #2!! We headed north toward Chicago, stopping just outside in the little burg of Willowbrook for lunch at Dell Rhea's, which we learned about on the Duggar show. GOOD chicken! We continued to Schaumburg, which was our home for the duration, and then that evening, we drove right to the heart of Chicago, to Lincoln Park Zoo, to tour the Zoo Lights...even got to witness a proposal! Minus a frustrating end to the day {always has to be some drama...} it was a GREAT start to a getaway!

* Monday morning, we slept in a little and then we set out on our next great adventure: IKEA, baby!! We had never been to IKEA before, and we were so excited. We went in with a completely open mind and were absolutely in love before we even got out of the first floor. We fell most in love with a couch that we have ever intention of purchasing if and when our house in Greentown ever sells. We also enjoyed eating lunch there in the store - and the free coffee in the afternoon. Let's move into IKEA!!!

* Tuesday was our actual anniversary, and it was a lovely day. We took the train into Chicago and went up to the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower to check out the observation deck, and then we trekked up and down the Magnificent Mile in the freezing cold. Did photo opps with the Bean and then we ended up at Ryan's surprise for me...dinner on the 95th floor at the Signature Room. GORGEOUS views - and so many surprises for me!!

* We left Chicago to come home on Wednesday - BOOOOOO - via a Christmas tree farm in DeMotte, Indiana, where we picked out our newest tree. We named her Penelope! We came home to find sparkling grape juice waiting on us, courtesy of our house-and-Braeya-sitters, and we enjoyed decorating Penelope and getting unpacked after our trip!

* Thursday was back-to-work day for both of us - and a busy day it was at our jobs!! I had a lot to catch up on, though Lynne did a marvelous job of keeping up on everything while I was gone. When we got home, we worked on a craft project, which Braeya insisted upon helping with. :) And we had our sparkling grape juice date. A good night at home after a week away!!

* Friday was Jim Barron's birthday, and he brought some of the tastiest cucpcakes to work! They did crack me up though, because I thought they looked a little like they had chives on top. Nope! Just green chocolate curls!!  Our Friday night was a little bit crazy...we had to scurry to get our Christmas cards addressed!! I was so thankful Ryan was willing to help with that project, because I would STILL be working on it if it weren't for him!!

* Ryan worked Saturday morning, and we did something we NEVER do - we overslept! He turned his alarm off and apparently mine had never been turned back on from the vacation weekend before. WHOOPSIE! Fortunately, unlike me, he naturally wakes up early, so he didn't end up late to work. As soon as he got home, we headed to Fort Wayne so I could work the Gaither Christmas concert. Even got to go on stage with Phil to make announcements for the station. Scared me out of my skull, but  it was still a fun night!!!

The Saturday Six

One.

Ryan and I have struggled this week with the waiting game. While we were on our getaway for our anniversary, we heard that the people that looked at our Marion house last weekend are not going to buy it. Then we learned that the sale on the Greentown house was still in question. It was so discouraging!!! We took an evening at our hotel and just prayed for help and wisdom. Later that evening - my brother-in-law shared this blog post on waiting - so timely. Choosing to trust.

Two.

Source

Don't know how many of you are Sound of Music fans {I sure am!!!}, but one of my friends posted this list of random trivia from the original movie...FASCINATING. Check it out!! 

Three.

For my sister, as promised, the book Mom gave us for our anniversary. It's called  Devotions for the Beach...and Days You Wish You Were There. We started reading it on our anniversary trip and have really enjoyed it so far! Great pictures inside, too!!

Four.

Source

You all know I'm a HUGE Little House fan...and I've visited {as a child} a fair number of the actual locations of Laura Ingalls Wilder's homes...but I loved this list that puts them all in one place. So if you need a Little House inspired vacation...here you go!

Five.

 In case you've missed random videos from Shafferland...here's a little montage from our recent trip. Hope you ENJOY!!!!

Six.

I'm not even going to put this picture here because it will spoil the joy of you opening it here. FAVORITE Instagram picture of the week, HANDS DOWN. Still laughing over this one.