Chicago

For Regan's birthday this year, we struggled to find just the right gift for our new teenager. We thought and asked and finally decided on an "experience"....

fitting that I opened this dark chocolate wrapper while we were on our trip. 

My mom and I decide to book flights and take her to the Windy City for a long weekend. Our real reasoning was to see Hamilton (something she has been begging for since last year). 

But we did a lot of exploring and had some fun along the way. 

We put on 5-6 miles/day on foot, walking all over the city. While the river was no longer bright green from St. Patrick's Day, the Riverwalk was a lot of fun and the architecture was incredible. 

Sunday morning was the Shamrock Shuffle. All of the streets were closed down as runners came flying by. Regan was wishing we knew in advance of this race so she couldn't joined :) My little runner, so proud of her. 

Instead we stopped at every Starbucks she could find, cupcake shops and popcorn shops. 

Navy Pier 

Millennial Park

The famous bean

Tricks on the bean

After hours and hours of walking and eating and exploring, we finally got what we came for: Hamilton. 

I suspect all 3 of us are going to be singing those lyrics for weeks to come. It sure didn't disappoint (and this was my second go-around, and I loved it just as much the second time!). I'm so grateful for my mom for sharing this experience with us, we sure made some great memories!