PLEASANTVILLE

Since I was a bit lagging in my posts last week (I was completely distracted by the phenomenal surroundings of Naperville) I'm catching up today!
Griffin, Owen, Lauren and Deirdra opened their door to us so graciously and really gave us a great week!!

On Thursday, while Griffy was at school, Lauren, Owen, Matthew, Declan and I went to a playgroup in their neighborhood. It was fun meeting some of the moms Lauren interacts with! They were so nice and very welcoming to us! Once Griffy got home, we played at the Fergusons and simply enjoyed catching up since the holidays. That night Deirdra headed up from the city. Once the kids got into bed, we caught up on our Hollywood gossip and drank some yummy wine!

On Friday, we woke up and did the typical Hickel thing: partook in our morning coffee ritual - a simplistic action that is incredibly rewarding. Yes, as some of you already know, we Hickels take our coffee seriously. Its hysterical how we all agree (minus Logan, Gerry and Mo: the "anti-drinkers") that coffee in the morning is the best treat of all. I realize that what I'm about to say may identify how pathetic I am, but I must admit, my morning coffee honestly makes me excited! I look forward to it all night long. One of the last things I think about before going to bed is "awww ... my coffee is only 8 hours away!" Sad, I know.

Anyways, after our beloved coffee fix, Deirdra, Lauren and the boys (minus Declan) went to the library while I stayed at the house to work a bit. Once they returned and lunch was done, Deirdra and I managed to escape to go shopping for a few hours! We went to Nona Jo's - an adorable, ecclectic shop with some of the cutest items ever! I bought a couple of headbands ... so cute :) After that shop, we headed to downtown Naperville for more shopping and stumbled upon a true miracle: A GOING-OUT-OF-BUSINESS-ADDITIONAL-70% OFF-SHOE-SALE! We played our cards right let me tell you. Deirge managed to buy a pair of fantastic boots and flats for a whopping $35 total!! Desperate as I was to find something, I admit my luck (at first) was not so great. Deirdra was determined that I would not leave without anything, so she and I searched and searched only to find a pair of awesome COMBAT boots! Originally merchandised at $175, I got a pair for $35!! Heck, they were so great that we went ahead and purchased a pair for Lauren (since she wasn't able to join in the elation of the sale).

That night we watched the Golden Globes that Lauren DVRed, drank wine, read gossip magazines and attempted to find some Dopplegangers for our family and friends in the mags. Long story ...

Saturday morning we headed down to the city to visit Deirdra's apartment and see John and the Bacheys. We went out to lunch with Katie and Margo and had a nice visit. I can't believe how big Margo is!! She's such a doll and sooo sweet! Afterwards, we went back to Aunt D's apartment to hang out for awhile. We went ahead and left once the boys accidentally broke a gorgeous (non-replaceable) vase that John brought back from Costa Rica for her. Whoops! Sorry Deirge!! I suppose kids will be kids ...

By Saturday night, Lauren and I were exhausted so we just hung out and chit-chatted while the boys went to sleep. Unfortunately, my boys chose not to sleep well throughout the night, so we left early Sunday morning. We made it home safe despite all our exhaustion!

It was sooo much fun! Thanks to Lauren and Deirge for a great weekend!