Old Friends and New Adventures

Gen, Caro, and Court were three of the first people I met when I started college - and they certainly were my first college friends. These were the girls that really helped define my college experience and some of my fondest memories of Lawrence University include them.

Eleven years, six post-secondary degree programs, four continents, and two marriages later, we no longer live within 20 feet of each other, but we have always managed to stay in touch. So last September when Matt, Court's amazing husband, reached out to Caro, Gen, and me with the idea to surprise Court for her 30th birthday with a girls' weekend in Chicago, we checked our schedules and turned our weekend over to Matt's logistical genius.

The agenda was fairly simple, surprise Court on her doorstep on Friday night and then venture into Chicago to spend the rest of the weekend catching up and hanging out. So Friday night, Gen, Caro, and I convened at a Starbucks in Naperville and then headed to Court's. Per Matt's instructions, we stood hidden while we buzzed Court's apartment, traipsed up the stairs, knocked on Court's door, and SURPRISE!! After lots of hugging and creative swearing (good work, Court) - we dove into our weekend. Over a dinner of incredible homemade chili, Gen, Caro, Court and I started to refine our plans for the weekend. Matt had booked us a hotel on the Mag Mile and had made dinner reservations for a Saturday seating at Vermilion (more about this later). The rest of the time was open and ours to fill with whatever we chose.

What I think was so amazing about the weekend is that we chose to spend most of our time simply spending time together and while the conversations have changed as we have gotten older, our rapport has not. Over a bottle of 2006 Gamache Reserve Malbec, Gen, Court and I talked late into Friday night - catching up on personal lives, school, jobs, and travels. Saturday morning we slept late and then, after some consideration, headed to XOCO to meet Caro for brunch. Over ahogada, wood-roasted chicken pozole, and woodland mushroom tortas, conversation picked back up - with a familiarity as sweet as the Mexican chocolate we were sipping.

After brunch, Court went to rehearsal for the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Caro went back to the hotel to take a nap in an effort to overcome her med school-induced flu, and Gen and I went to the movies. Once Court was done with rehearsal, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. As we got dressed for dinner, we snacked on herb-crusted artisan cheese and gluten-free crackers and listened to the newest album by Andy Hackbarth, one of our neighbors in college. Decked out in skirts, dresses, and Chicago winter-appropriate footwear, we headed to dinner at Vermilion - a restaurant that serves contemporary Indian and Latin American fusion cuisine. Five courses and two bottles of dry red wine later we were all sitting on one side of the table, laughing and talking like we had so many times at Lawrence. The night ended at The Purple Pig for a more wine and talking.

From beginning to end, this weekend was absolutely perfect. And while I am so proud of myself for managing to keep our surprise plans a secret (everyone knows I am terrible at secret-keeping), what I love most is by making a goal to reclaim myself, I am also beginning to reclaim old friendships. I realized throughout this amazing weekend that even though time passes and people move, with a little effort and maintenance, friendships can last. The venue was different and the food and wine were certainly better, but the four girls from 301 Sage are still around - our friendship strong and intact.