The Final Week!

The past week in Evanston has been spent saying goodbye to good friends and celebrating many exciting things to come. This is going to be a photo-heavy post!

David and I started the goodbyes off by having dinner last Wednesday at a new Chicago restaurant GEB (Graham Elliot Bistro) with our good friends Ellie and Ken. Ellie just wrapped up her first year of business school and is off to Los Angeles to intern for the summer. As always, we enjoyed the great food and great company.

The GEB menus printed on vintage records

Ellie and I heading downtown

On Thursday David took a day trip to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin for a final bike ride with some of his cycling friends. They enjoyed the good weather and challenging hills--a nice change from the flat Chicagoland roads.

Action shot!

On Saturday I ran in my first half marathon. It was a hot, muggy day. But despite that, I finished in a decent time and I can proudly say I ran the entire 13.1 miles without stopping to walk! I am glad I did it, I can check it off the bucket list. But...my feet hate me right now.

After the race we continued the graduation celebrations. We had arranged a graduation party at The Southern for David and his two friends Sean and Dave. The three guys all graduated from Miami together in 2005, and tomorrow they will all graduate from Kellogg together together as well. We had a fun night and had a chance to say goodbye to about 20 close friends from Miami.

Sean, Dave, and David
(AKA Bres, Couch, and Hona)

Although we typically spend our Sunday nights sitting on the sofa, eating Thai take-out, this Sunday was a quite different. For several months we have had reservations at Alinea, a restaurant that David has been dreaming about eating at since long before we even moved to the Chicago area. With graduation approaching, it seemed like the perfect spot for a celebration dinner. It did not disappoint and was unlike anything we have experienced before. Who knew mixing science and cooking could be so fun and delicious. Here are a few photos of some of our favorite dishes.

The Ocean: Drift wood marinated in ocean water and wrapped with fresh seaweed. When they put it in front of us, it immediately smelled like we were transported to the ocean. Besides the creative presentation, the food on top was amazing. 

The Balloon: A taffy balloon filled with a dried apple string. The whole thing was edible, and this picture was followed by David inhaling the helium and speaking in a squeaky little voice.

The Grand Dessert: Chef Grant Achatz came out and broke a pinata-style globe on our table with these goodies inside. Yes, we finished it all.

Enough about food. We spent Monday recovering from the huge, amazing dinner and put the finishing touches on packing. Tuesday morning we moved all of our belongings to a facility that is transporting them across the country. David not-so-conveniently threw out his back in the first ten minutes. But we managed to get it all done and we are one step closer to making the big move. 

Wednesday morning I wrapped up the volunteer work I have been doing for the past several months with the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston. They were very sweet to have a little send off party for me and present me with some small gifts. I very much enjoyed my time there and look forward to getting involved with a new organization in Texas.

Last night was the final Kellogg event, a gala at the Lyric Opera in downtown Chicago. The venue was beautiful, and we again saw many close friends and spent a great night together before we part ways very soon.

Starting the night out, lots of Kellogg-purple lights

David with good friends Brett and Carlos

Denaye and Diana

David and I have often make the joke that we feel like we have been celebrating non-stop for years. The past two years in particular have been full of exciting personal, educational, and career milestones. We are truly blessed.