I totally forgot to post about my upcoming travels. Trip #1: Chicago!
A friend of mine has to be out there for 2 weeks for work, so her company is paying for her hotel over the weekend in between. When she initially invited me for the weekend, I was hesitant since I’m trying to start up a savings account again. Luckily my boss gave me (another) free plane ticket anywhere in the US this year for the holidays! Free flight + free lodging = recipe for a wonderful girls trip in the Windy City!
One hitch: We’re going in February, which is notoriously frigid in Chicago. Keep in mind also that I am a cold-blooded creature, and require constant heating. I mean seriously, 55 degrees is COLD. 45 – well it might as well just snow. So looking at the weather forecast indicating temps in the high 20′s/low 30′s minus windchill, I’d bet a 30% chance I would freeze to death.
Thankfully Gap and Target exist. After scavenging eBay for days and losing on a few parkas, I decided to check gap.com. Excellent choice cuz I found this gem:
Of course the one I ordered is no longer available, but add some length to this and it’s my brand new perfect parka 
On sale too! It’s so cozy, and goes to my knees. It arrived yesterday, and I can only imagine what they thought when they shipped this item to my house. Or maybe they thought nothing of it cuz I live in an obscure small town. It’s not like I live in Key West, FL and ordered a parka. But whatever. Between the parka and my knee-high boots my outer layer is set!
My coworker, who is from Chicago, recommended silk long underwear. Apparently it traps moisture away from your skin so that when you sweat you don’t get cold. What a great idea. I couldn’t find inexpensive silk ones, so I went with a blend. Polyester and spandex maybe? LOL I kinda look like I should be a speed-skater, and the only long john pants available in my size were blue (+ the black top), but if they’re going to keep me warm under my clothes, who cares!!
I also stocked up on warm/tall socks, new gloves, and of course had to get myself a new hat. We all know how much I love my funky winter beanies/caps. Well I got a knit one with earflaps to add to the collection. REI.com was the lifesaver for that one!
I don’t know what exactly I’m going to do while I’m there, but I bought a guide book to hopefully help me out. My friend has been there before and has scouted out numerous places that we need to eat. Chicago deep-dish pizza? Check. Authentic Chicago hot dogs? Of course. I’m sure we’ll stop and get LOTS of other goodies along the way.
I’m super excited!!
