"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. Once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it.” Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love
January and February kicked the year off to a wonderful start. From bringing in 2011 with family and friends in Florida, to traveling to DC for work and visiting someone special, the first 2 months of this year have brought me wonderful experiences.
After the first couple of months of winter, I came to realize that the promise of a “snow day” was a mere myth that Hollywood used for movie plots, and a tool the news channels used to up their viewership when bad weather hit.
I pouted every morning on my way to work when it was gusty and snowing, wondering to myself when the city would grant its citizens the fabled day of no work and all play. Little did I know that my wishes would soon become a historical reality. The silly little Floridian who took pictures of snow out of her window at work asked for a blizzard, and she got one... for her birthday.
Cook County, Chicago was declared a national state of emergency Wednesday morning, February 2, 2011, after 2 feet of snow and 60 mph winds immobilized the city. After getting word that there would be no work, I thanked Mother Nature for giving me two of my birthday wishes: a day off from work, and a true northern blizzard.
This was the first time I had a chance to fully experience heavy snowfall outside of my commute to and from work. After froclking around the barren streets of Lincoln Park during the day, my lovely friends braved the un-shoveled streets and CTA reroutes to have a birthday dinner with me. Cheesecake Factory’s Pasta Divinci and Red Velvet Cheesecake were well worth the half hour commute and salt-ridden boots. Although my ‘fuggs’ are completely ruined from the blizzard, I am highly flattered that the City of Chicago took its first snow day in years to help me celebrate my 23rd birthday :)
Speaking of birthdays, what would they be without the company of good friends and strong drinks? A trip to Duffy's happy hour was the perfect end to a long and snow-filled week. After celebrating, the night ended with a trip to the classiest of food establishments, The Weiner Circle. Just our luck, a young man who had one too many cocktails earlier happened to order a "chocolate milkshake” to go with his cheeseburger. For my Floridian friends who are unfamiliar with this and would like a good laugh, google it. To the Chicagoans who know what this means, I assume you will join me in agreeing that it was an interesting end to a fabulous night.
Needless to say, I had a wonderful birthday and truly appreciate all of the love and warm wishes from friends and family back home and across the country.
Cheers to another wonderful year!
AG
