Christmas in Chicago.

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am lucky enough to get to spend Christmas with my wonderful family in Chicago! If you are a new reader, you may not know that Chicago is my favorite city in the whole entire world. I love the busy energy in the city, the kindness of strangers, and the warm feeling of "just being yourself" that you get when you spend time in the midwest. (Or, maybe that's just me.) 

I lived near Chicago (in Naperville) when I was much younger, and now that my parents live here again, it's been fun to revisit the same places that I used to love. I actually spent much of my time here this past summer just driving around and reliving old memories -- visiting my old acting studio, walking around in the park, exploring along the river like I used to do during family outings, and taking the train into downtown Chicago for an adventure. 

So far, my holiday visit has been filled with dentist visits, primarily. I found a little cavity last week and because I don't have a dentist in Tallahassee yet, I begged my mom to beg her dentist to fit me in to the schedule. However, they've been really great and accommodating, because I'm not exactly wonderful when it comes to shots and Novocain. (Ugh.) 

I took this photo after my second dental visit, earlier today. (One when I didn't get a cavity filled.) As you can see, it seems that Santa came a bit early this year, because I'm wearing my gorgeous new bow headband by Lindsi of People Webs. Isn't it super darling? I'm in love with it. Plus, I get to cross a gift off my wish list a tad bit early, which is awesome for someone who is in super-gift mode. 

Aside from the dentist, I've enjoyed spending time with my family and catching up on my Christmas card writing. I have really enjoyed waking up and sitting in the living room while everyone warms up for the day, half asleep. This morning I made myself some tea I've been wanting to try for awhile, and yesterday morning I flipped through my grandmother's old memoirs about growing up in "Old Country." She and my grandfather were married in Hungary and she grew up in Croatia. They moved to the United States in 1956, when my dad was born. I like getting to flip through my family history during this break. It's given me so much to be thankful for. 

Tonight we took a family trip downtown to eat dinner at a delicious restaurant and do a little shopping. There's something really magical about riding the train into the city. It's always been a favorite moment for me. While we were there I snagged a couple of my favorite teas from Argo Tea and a cute ring from H&M.

  

Do you have a favorite city you grew up in? 

K