After reading Part One, I’m sure you are thinking how can this birthday/anniversary get any better. My husband truly made that day incredible. However, it really does get better…
On Tuesday morning, I woke up a little before Chris and ordered room service for us for breakfast. When it arrived, it was set up beautifully in the living room area. Chris emerged from the bedroom and the first thing out of his mouth was, “this feels like a Bachelor fantasy suite date.” Haha. (He loves the Bachelor franchise.) I mean, he was right though. It definitely felt like that.
As our day progressed, I learned that Chris planned this entire hotel stay based around his quest for “the best spa in Chicago” which happened to be the spa at The Peninsula. We made our way up to the spa where we were to be exfoliated with a salt scrub and then massaged for 90 minutes. It was heaven. We’ve had several couples massages in the past and this was my favorite because of the actual room we were in. It had a full bathroom inside of our room. Also, the woman who performed my massage provided me with some very helpful tips post massage for my super tight calves. (I’ll take any and all advice on that topic.)
Post massage, Chris and I relaxed in the spa’s lounge where we noshed on snacks and flavored water for a few minutes. We were on our way back to the locker rooms when we got distracted by the beautiful indoor pool. We sat by the pool relaxing for a little longer before deciding officially to go back up to our room.
We only had a little bit of time before we needed to start getting ready. I was really excited about my cute outfit I scooped up from White House Black Market the day prior.
Can I just say… those heels look like they would be complete and utter torture to wear, but they are made with memory foam! They felt great the entire night. Swear.
Chris made a dinner reservation for 5:15 pm at Maple and Ash. He was told by a close friend that it was swanky and I would love it. His friend was 100% correct. In fact, I’d like to know why it took so long for us to check this place out! It was really cool on the inside and had a vibrant atmosphere that could even be felt when we were the very first people there. Haha. The service was phenomenal as well.
We were greeted with welcome cocktails – um, awesome. And then… we decided to order as if we were eating our last meal. We started with oysters and the Maple and Ash wedge. I love oysters and Chris eats them for me – or should I say… chokes them down. Haha. The wedge was split for us. Don’t you just love it when restaurants do that?! Moments later our second round of appetizers came out. We got the dry aged prime beef meatballs and wood grilled Spanish octopus. The meatballs were definitely better than RPM’s. I didn’t love the octopus, but Chris thought it was incredible. For our entrées, I ordered the classic steak frites and Chris ordered the roasted wild striped bass. Both of our meals were technically complete meals, but don’t worry – Chris ordered us sides of asparagus with orange, almond, and mint and mac and cheese with smoked bacon. [Shakes head] Ridiculous, I know, but delicious nonetheless.
At this point, we were starting to get nervous about time. It was 6:40 pm when we were eating our main course and we had a VERY important place to be before 7:30. Clearly, we had no time to waste and no room for dessert, so we wrapped up quickly and headed out.
I got us tickets to the opening night of HAMILTON in Chicago! It was so, so, so fun. When we arrived to the Private Bank Theater, there were news crews lining the street and people everywhere. There was even a group of people belting out songs from the show in front of the theater. The energy was wild! I held off on listening to the soundtrack until I was able to see the show live. I had no idea what was in store. Live theater mesmerizes me every single time I see it, but Hamilton was another level. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a straight up genius. I was 1% disappointed in the show because I had seen him interviewed all week on the local news. He slightly hinted at jumping in on a performance, but he didn’t end up doing it. With that said, the cast in Chicago was INCREDIBLE. I cried twice. I’ve also downloaded the soundtrack that night and have been listening to it nonstop. The ticket price was worth every single penny.
After the show, it was impossible to get a cab, so we ducked into the bar across the street to let the chaos die down. Guys, they had a Hamil-tini on the menu. How fun is that?! Their Hamil-tini was just a dirty martini, but that’s conveniently my favorite cocktail. Obviously I ordered one. Heyyyyy.
I failed to mention in Part One that I gifted Chris (and sort of myself) with our wedding album. I collaborated with our photographer and spent days analyzing every photo so it would be perfect. Chris is a very sentimental guy (if you didn’t pick up on that already…) and I knew he would really appreciate it. I also got him these sphere ice cube molds to be able to make fancy Old Fashioned cocktails at home. Cool, right?!
The only thing missing this year was that special annual phone call I would get from my dad wishing me a happy birthday. Although he left this world nine months ago, I know he was with me in spirit. Chris and I listened to all the old voicemails my dad left me on my cell phone. Although it wasn’t the real thing, it was still special to hear his voice.
That basically concludes our amazing birthday/anniversary experience! My husband rocks. Love you, Chris!
XO,
Lauren
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