This is Kelley Larsen, me, and Kristen Wood. The worst thing that could have ever happened to our wonderful group of Chicago friends was Kelley leaving us. I don't think I can put it into words, but Kelley is one of the most incredible people you'll ever meet. She lights up every room she enters and makes everyone feel loved. When I heard the Larsens were moving to Guam, I was pretty devastated. And I determined to spend as much time with Kelley as possible before she left!
This was a girls' night at Mindy's Hot Chocolate with many of the ladies who are huge fans of Kelley's (and who happen to love Chicago, rich dessert, and hot chocolate).
Another group picture that is pretty much horrible of all of us except for Kelley - glowing right there in the middle. :)
We also had a family going-away party for the Larsens at Gillson Park/Beach. It was a really fun night. My favorite was that Will (Kelley's husband) and his fellow musicians brought their gig to the park and entertained us with the most hip music ever that set the mood perfectly and made everyone else at the park jealous that they aren't as cool as us.
The day after that party began another few days of savoring time with amazing friends. Shug, Brittany, and Jacob (our lifelong friends, as you probably know) were all able to swing it and be here in Chicago for a handful of days. Shug was expecting her third child...so we all wanted to get a visit in before her life would change drastically! I felt badly that I couldn't meet them at a more unique destination, but I had already been indulgent enough with the Newport trip, and for our family's sanity, I couldn't go anywhere. So these amazingly flexible friends were able to come to me!
Brittany was the instigator, and I love her for it, because time together is exactly what we all needed!
These pics were taken on our Chicago River architectural boat tour. I was just so happy that the weather was good enough to do something so lovely and outdoors. I believe we even got hot on this ride.
Of course, I didn't take nearly enough pictures of this trip because we were so busy having a good time that I didn't even think about pictures. Actually, we spent a lot of time (as we always do) having very good and important conversations. One poignant topic was "What on earth will happen if Donald Trump actually becomes president of the United States?" Some of us were pretty worried about that. I wasn't that worried, because obviously, there is NO WAY that could possible happen. Right?!?
Okay, it's really lame that I don't have any more pictures. But I was SO grateful that Brittany and Shug were willing to fly out, and that Jacob drove out to visit as well. It's amazing how good friends have a way of staying connected no matter what.
