Girls Weekend in Chicago.  Recently, I went to Chicago for a blogger retreat/girls weekend.  It was an amazing weekend full of sight seeing, great food, fabulous friends, and time spent working on making our blogs and social media better for our readers.  

We all arrived in Chicago on Thursday mid-day, and my roomie and new friend, Savory Experiments, made arrangements with Mazda for a new CX-9 for us to use for the weekend.  It was perfect for getting all of us from the Le Meridian in the ‘burbs to the city.  We spent Thursday exploring just a fraction of what Chicago had to offer, including Giordano’s Pizza, The Bean, Wills Tower (thanks to our Chicago CityPASS card), The Magnificent Mile and Garrett Popcorn, my first Uber Rides, and dinner at Earls Lincoln Park.  I have never had so much delicious food placed in front of me in my whole life!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Le Meridien was amazing!  They were so gracious, the rooms were comfortable and stylish.  It was so nice to stay at a more “adult friendly” hotel…I have become very familiar with “family friendly resorts” and I forgot how nice a hotel can be without cartoon characters in the rooms.  Their guest lounge was absolutely amazing as well.  We pretty much commandeered the room all day Friday to work on our blogs  and give each other tips and tricks.  I seriously filled a notepad from Shutterfly with notes, and came away from the weekend full of knowledge and empowerment, as well as a tiny bit overwhelmed.  I am thrilled to share I have already carried out several suggestions, and I am working on more each day.  One is SUPER exciting and I cannot wait to share all the details with you.  Friday was a brain drain and exhausting day, so rather than head back into the city, we chose to eat at one of the near by restaurants.  It was so energizing to spend the evening with like minded friends!  

 

By Saturday we were all equal parts exhausted, excited, energized, and ready to get back to our families and our blogs!  

I cannot wait to fully implement all of the things I learned at Lift Retreat, and I am already looking forward to going back again next year. 

Many thanks to the sponsors for our weekend; Le Meridien Chicago – Oakbrook Center, Mazda, Shutterfly, Consumer Crafts, Veetee, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Illinois Board of Tourism, and Prismacolor.  

Thank you also, to the ladies that helped make this weekend at Lift Blog Retreat so amazing for me; Inspiration Made Simple, Savory Experiments, Sugarbee Crafts, Made to be a Momma, NOVA Housewives, and My Suburban Kitchen