Feel the Love

Well, I was right about Intelligentsia and The Four Seasons...and they were both a grand slam for the hubby! He did a great job planning a special day for us in the city. He said, knowing what a hard year I've had, he wanted to make it perfect. And it really was perfect.

We woke up around 9:30, got cleaned up, and headed straight for Chicago. We arrived at Intelligentsia by noon. We enjoyed some coffee there for an hour or so (well, he had coffee and I had an iced chai latte). Before leaving, Matt bought two bags of their whole bean coffee for us to take home.

We had to leave the coffee shop by 1:30 because he had made a reservation for 2:00. We hopped back in the car and Matt drove us to The Four Seasons - he had booked a mani/pedi for me at their spa! He walked around Michigan Ave while I was getting my treatment. It was soooo relaxing. First, they gave me a robe and slippers to change into. Then they had me wait in this elegant room with soft music and lighting. I read an issue of Self magazine while I waited for my nail tech to come get me. She came into the room a little after 2:00 and brought me into the nail salon. The pedi was heavenly. She used this exfoliating brush that felt soooo good on my legs and feet. The mani was excellent as well. I love the lotion she used; it smelled like lavender and made me really relaxed and sleepy.

I met Matt in the lobby at 4:00. He was waiting with a little brown bag from Bloomie's in his hand...he had bought me a pair of drop earrings while I was in the spa!

After The Four Seasons, we walked around Michigan Ave until 5:30, before heading to Gene & Georgetti's for dinner. That place is so cool. It's long and narrow when you walk in, with a bar at the front. The lighting is dim and the walls are covered in photos and paintings of the Italian countryside. The servers are all Italian - another nice touch. We arrived just before a mad rush of people, so we were seated right away. They whisked us to the dining area upstairs and handed me two boxes of chocolate on the way up.

Their menu is awesome. They have Italian food, but they also specialize in steak. I ordered the large filet mignon with a blue cheese peppercorn crust; my steak came with fries and a side salad. Needless to say, I was only able to eat the salad and my steak. It was delicious! I still think The Chicago Firehouse was the best steak I've ever had, but this was a close second or third. The ambience and service were so wonderful, I'd say the overall experience was just as good and would recommend it as highly as the Firehouse.

The fourth surprise was supposed to be Tavern at the Park (near Millenium Park), but we were both exhausted and decided to head home to catch the end of the Hawks game.

All in all, it has been an amazing birthday/V-Day weekend. Yesterday was definitely one of my favorite days with Matt so far. I feel so lucky to have him in my life. He's my favorite person! He amazes me to no end and motivates me to be the best person I can be, simply by being who he is.

This weekend is the happiest I have been in a long time. I am feeling optimistic and believe this is an indication of things to come. I think 2010 is going to be a good year after all.