Mmmmm... peppermint (ice cream, that is)...

We’re back from our quick weekend trip to Chicago. It never seems like we have enough time up there to do everything we’d like to do. There are just too many great places to eat, and cool things to see, and museums to explore, and coffee shops to visit. In fact, we almost missed our chance for ice cream at Ghirardelli, but managed to squeeze it in on our last night. And even with the temperature in the 20-degree range, the ice cream shop was completely packed. Apparently the only time their business REALLY slows down is when it’s snowing. And then, if you can pull on some warm boots and trudge through the drifts to Ice Cream Mecca, you are rewarded with the same delectable hot fudge sundaes AND plenty of empty tables to choose from. Which is unlike what we encountered Saturday night, when we had to stand in line behind a dozen other patrons and then split up to sit at two different tables (because there were no four-person tables available). Actually, we were lucky to get ANY table… sheesh… you’d think people wouldn’t have such a craving for ice cream when it’s below freezing outside…

And I was so glad we did decide to brave the cold and the crowds of people, because Ghirardelli had a peppermint hot fudge sundae on the menu – which is a seasonal thing. They don’t usually have it. And peppermint ice cream is one of my absolute FAVORITE ice cream flavors. It’s really weird, because I hate peppermint candy – like if you handed me a candy cane, I’d just toss it aside somewhere and forget about it. But give me peppermint ice cream or a peppermint milkshake, and I am in ice cream heaven. And peppermint ice cream covered with Ghirardelli hot fudge? That’s just perfection on top of deliciousness… :)

While we were there, we went out to Home Depot and helped Eric pick out a carpet for his living room. Eric’s condo is starting to look so good – like someone actually LIVES there. When he first moved in, I think he had a bed, a couch, a TV and computer. And that was about it. You had to sit on the floor if you wanted to use his computer. His “coffee table” was a little wooden cat. It was a very minimalist lifestyle. :) But over the last couple years, he has acquired a desk for the computer, a dining room table, a nice big TV table, and a coffee table. And since his condo has all hardwood floors, the new carpet in the living room is a nice addition. It’s a little bit more “homey” now.

We also went out looking for condos of our own on Saturday, and found one we REALLY liked a lot. And then we discovered yesterday that it’s already been rented. Oh sure, there are places that have been on the market for MONTHS, but this one only took about two weeks to go off the market. I guess it really was THAT nice. Oh well… at least now I have an excuse to fly back up to Chicago and look at more condos.

And now I’m off to work out, since I haven’t been on the treadmill since we got back (and all those peppermint hot fudge sundae calories aren’t going to work themSELVES off…).