"Love and Marriage" in Chicago and Madison

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Mark and I just spent our One year wedding anniversary in Chicago. We had a wonderful time when we were there. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year.
We arrived to Chicago on Wednesday, June 20th. After we checked into the Whitehall Hotel we spent the day wondering around and relaxing. We decided to get dressed up and headed off to Fonterra’s, a Mexican restaurant that was highly recommended. Apparently everybody else in Chicago wanted to go there and we were welcomed with a two hour wait. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. We ended up finding a little Italian restaurant where we were seated immediately and were able to sit outside.
On Thursday, we decided the best way to see as much of the city was to take a bus tour. We had a lot of fun on the tour. We stopped at all the major attractions, the sears tower (I had a slight anxiety attack at the top), Garrett’s popcorn, Navy Pier, and all the shopping on the Magnificent Mile. (Unfortunately, Mark found more clothes then I did.) After the tour, we were both sunburned and stuffed with popcorn. After a long nap at the hotel, we decided to go out for a drink.
On Friday we headed up to Madison, Wisconsin. We checked into the Concourse Hotel and met up with my Aunt Marthe and Uncle Rex. We went for dinner and had a nice walk down to the University of Wisconsin’s Student Union. I heard many stories about my dad growing up. Those I won’t tell, but now I think I know where some of my wildness comes from.
On Saturday, Mark and I went to the farmer’s market, where I couldn’t help but to pig out on all the cheese samples. YUM, there is nothing better than fresh Colby cheese. I took Mark to see my old neighborhood. It brought back a lot of great memories. We went to lunch at Ella’s Deli. It is a tacky deli that is filled with old mechanical toys. It is a sight, but another memory of mine. My Uncle Rex is a pilot and took Mark and I for a bird’s eye view of Madison. It was so awesome to see where I grew up and how the city has changed from above. After the flight, we went to Piasans, an Italian restaurant the whole family would go to. Mmm, a day full of great food and great company.
On Sunday, Mark and I drove back to Chicago where we spent our anniversary. We had a nice day and went to a nice steakhouse for dinner. Mark and I stayed that night at the Renaissance. It was a nice hotel in the loop area. We spent our last day relaxing in Millennium Park.
We had a wonderful trip and hope to get back to Chicago and Madison soon.

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