These two faces made it difficult to leave for Chicago…but Kyle managed to get me into the car anyway. He didn’t even have to twist my arm, but he did have to dry a few tears.

The first thing we did upon our arrival was drink wine. There is no better start to a vacay than a glass of some fancy sounding spanish red.

That glass was followed by another one…then we went back to Britt and Marc’s ab-fab apartment and prepped for an evening on the town. We were heading to Avec (thanks to Chef’s Widow for securing us a table at the nearly impossible to get into hotspot) but we had some time to kill so we stopped at Sepia for a drink. When I saw this dish on the menu I immediately fell in love and decided we needed an appetizer.

Heaven on a plate folks…my two favorite things…seared scallops and pork belly. Who could ask for anything more?

Evidently we could, because there was a hell of a lot more to follow at Avec. Like this little number…

which had to be one of the most wonderfully surprising things I have ever tasted. This chorizo stuffed date was sweet and spicy and complex and left me wanting more. The atmosphere was vibrant and fun, the service was awesome, and we got to catch up with my sister and brother-in-law, which was the best part of the night.

We went to a club, then a bar, then a balcony where I apparently smoked a cigar, and woke up the next day with a headache and a promise to “never do that again” (the drinking part…not the eating part…I would give anything to do that again.)

Somehow we all managed to get ready and made it to Lolla. It was hot and I was feeling pretty shitty, but Yeasayer is a great cure for a hangover. There weren’t many chick bands, but the ones that were there totally rocked. CSS was so much fun. It was a total performance and it left me wanting more. I’m a complete Black Kids groupie now and MGMT came through with my favorite song…”Electric Feel.” The highlight of the entire three days though was the Black Keys performance. Their haunting sound came across even better live. I cannot wait to go to another one of their shows (hint, hint…Kyle).

I won’t bore you with details of each of the three days (Kyle has a good synopsis on his site), but despite the trials and tribulations of diabetes and throwing in a Saturday morning 16-miler, this was one of the most memorable weekends of my life. Here’s why:

Spending four days with three of the most important people in my life was something I will never forget. I cannot thank you enough, Kyle, Britt, and Marc, for this unbelievable experience. Here’s to next year…