Not What We Planned But Still Incredible

Friday, we were up very, very early to catch a 7:50 flight to Chicago to celebrate Easter with my sister:

We had been planning for a couple of months, and the tickets were already procured and paid for when she was diagnosed with covid last week. We knew we wouldn't get to hang out with her as planned, but we decided to go and enjoy Chicago. We stayed right on the river:

And we decided since Shannon couldn't join us we we would take Flat Shannley everywhere we went. We put her picture in our pictures and sent her the play by play through out the weekend. The first stop was Brightwok for lunch:

It's one of our very favorites because it is 100% gluten free and customizable. We all love it!

From there, we walked to the Water Tower for some shopping. Evan lovely the Lego store:

Issa found some much-needed spring dresses. We went back to the hotel for a swim and then had gluten-free deep dish delivered:

This is the best Flat Shannley picture:

Saturday, our big activity was the Shedd Aquarium:

The eel was looking right at us:

We got lucky and got to see the dolphin spotlight:

And I got very excited about the penguins:

But the highlight was our beluga whale experience:

We actually go to get in the tank with a trainer and four whales. This is Bella:

We got to rub her nose:

And give her a high five:

Then we got to meet her baby, Atlas:

He was a big fan of pats:

And jumping:

And eating fish right from our hands:

Our trainer has been with Atlas since his birth, and they have such a cool relationship:

It was amazing to hear how the study these animals to help those in the wild:

It was absolutely one of those once in a lifetime experiences. They are such gentle, loud whales, and it was so cool to spend an hour in the tank learning about them and their care.

We went for tapas for dinner:

Their dates are one of our very favorite small plates, and we were very happy to return there! We ended our day with another hotel swim!

Sunday we woke up for a very non-traditional Easter:

We ordered brunch to the room, and then we went to see Six:

Issa and I think the Chicago cast was even stronger than the Broadway cast, and we all loved it! 

We went to an Italian dinner:

Yesterday, we enjoyed one last swim before we headed home:

We are all so sad Shannon couldn't join us, but we did have a great time in Chicago!