Chicago....and IKEA!!!

Sean and I took a mini-trip up to Chicago. We had an absolute blast! Sean and I are big fans of road trips (three to Destin, one to Oklahoma, one to Orlando, and now one to Chicago) - we don't get much time to be alone with each other, and 5 1/2 hours of driving is a perfect time to reconnect, especially after a spring like this one. My two jobs is really taking a toll on both of us, so it was nice to get away.

We were there mostly to visit Christine and Brian, as Christine's a maid and desperately needed a dress. Plus, it was good fun to torture in pretty girl things. We got in Saturday evening (I had to work that morning), and promptly went to experience Chicago's famous deep dish pizza at Giordano's. It was...interesting. Honestly, I wasn't a big fan. There was too much sauce, and I'm definitely a cheesy kinda gal. I can at least honestly say that StL style is the best though. What can I say? I like my pizza on a cracker.

On Sunday, we were off to eat breakfast (er, brunch) at a delicious Swedish restaurant, Svea. Their food was delicious, and kind of reminded me of the Broadway Diner - family owned, small, and adored by all. We got a TON of food for the price we paid, and my bacon and cheese omelet was phenomenal. Plus, they had coffee for me - I've become way too addicted as of late.

After our delicious brunch, we were off to David's Bridal. Christine tried on one (and only one) dress, and we were done. My girls really like to take the challenge out of wedding planning (unless of course, you're trying to get them together to do something).Later in the afternoon, we walked over to Lake Michigan (they live about 1/2 mile away) to do some rather chilly rock-skipping (which I fail at). The weekend ended with freshly baked cookies - rather successful I might say.

On our way home, we decided to pop into IKEA. IKEA (this time it's the wiki page) is like, the wonder of wonders. It's virtually two Sam's Clubs stacked on top of each other - they sell furniture and other household items. The novelty is the cost though - it's so cheap!! Nothing comes pre-assembled (which is great for us, who still had to haul it 550 miles), so the cost is kept way down. You walk through the second floor first - it has model showrooms, and essentially every furniture item they sell, assembled. You get to see everything, and you can decide what you'd like purchase. From there, you head down to the first floor. There are shelves and shelves of boxes of items - all warehouse style. You load your item into your cart (there's a computer system to help you find its location), and check out - it's SO cool. Also - there's a full restaurant inside, complete with Swedish goodies, as well as a baby-sitting service.

IKEA has 1 major sale a month, and a small sale each week. Each sale is 30-50% off its original price, and we were lucky enough that one of the items we purchased was on sale - score!We decided going in that we were going to look at bedroom furniture (neither of our sets is of good quality - in fact, they're falling apart!). Here's what we left with:

(Kullen, 5 drawer chest)

(Kullen, 3 drawer chest - we got 2 of these)

(Texture lamp - this one's mine!)

The 5 drawer chest was on sale for only $60, and the 3 drawer chests were $40 a piece. It'll be a beast to put them together once we move, but they're decent pieces of furniture for a great price. We weren't looking for a bedroom set, but we did need a place for us to put our clothes. As for the lamp...well, it's just cool. 

The worst part about IKEA is that you can't order much online - and the IKEA store in Chicago is the closest location to the StL area. Ah well. It's probably better in the long run. I'm addicting to clean lines and modern design, which makes up most of the IKEA stores - I'd spend way too much money there.

All in all, the weekend was a total success. I really needed the time away, and it was incredibly laid back. I would have liked to do a bit more, but were only there for about 36 hours, and it's probably better we didn't. 

Now if only we can get a chance for a mini-Florida vacation as well this year...