What a Weekend!

As an introvert, I knew that this weekend was going to really stretch me. Starting Thursday night, I had a social engagement planned for each day through Sunday. Yikes! I'm pretty drained right now, but I had quite a bit of fun over the last few days.

Some of my coworkers and I decided to spoil ourselves by going to The Cheesecake Factory on Thursday after work. I will never say no to a chance to have a slice of Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake. (And the company wasn't so bad, either. Ha!)

I realized on Friday just how much I enjoy putting on special events. A group of us planned and hosted a baby shower for my work friend Sarah. I had so much fun working with my coworkers to put this baby shower together. There's something about the adrenaline rush I get when it's time to put our plans into action and have a party.

The planning committee with our guest of honor, Sarah

On Saturday, I was able to attend the wedding of a childhood friend, Jen. My family has been friends with Jen's family for as long as I can remember. My mom used to watch Jen when she was just a two-year-old, and now she's married! Because there is some universal law that states Dave must have another obligation when we're invited to a wedding (really, this was the third wedding I've attended solo because he's either had to work or take teacher certification tests), I went to the wedding with my parents and Nate and Kim. Jen and her husband Matt are really involved in a church on the west side of Chicago, so the wedding was in the city. It was a very nice ceremony and reception, and it incorporated a lot of their personality, which I love to see at weddings.

Jen and Matt love Chicago, so the tables at the reception had themes based on different neighborhoods in the city. We sat at the Chinatown table and had these cute fortune cookies as our favors.

The reception was in a really old building with these wooden trusses instead of the newer steel beams. I loved this "retro" design.

I love this picture of Kim and Nate!

Mom and Dad at the reception

Today was the final extroverted event of the weekend: teaching Sunday school! It was my first week leading a small group after observing for a couple of Sundays. The kids must have gotten the memo that I was really tired because they ran me ragged. Hehe! I was so happy to have a quiet afternoon and evening to recover from this crazy-busy weekend.