The huns + Chicago

dates: 8/23/19 - 8/25/19
​total distance: 50 miles, in my ride, in my town 

people: Jennie + Keira + Zoe (aka the 'huns')

Chicago Riverwalk, 2019

Keira (aka Key-a-da)
One day during 10th grade Chemistry class, Keira turned around and whispered that my mom was taking a “Building a Small Business” class from her dad. This parental coincidence sparked a friendship that grew quickly in high school and endured many decades beyond.

It is naïve to say that I never cared about color, and that my friendships are based on human connection which makes details – like skin color - irrelevant. Through my friendship with Keira I learned how much color matters, as her stories about racist experiences fractured my heart and some of my faith in human beings. She shares these stories casually in conversation, a matter of fact, in the same way I would talk about picking someone up at the airport.

​While Keira takes the high road, remaining kind, tolerant and forgiving, I am ever enraged on her behalf.​

Keira’s Catholic mom taught her that “What someone says/thinks says more about them than it does about you."

Keira is:

• Creatively brilliant and wickedly funny, and when I say wicked, I mean schadenfreude
• Intuitive, she connects to energy – had a quick chat with my unconscious father before he died
• Loving and tolerant of everyone, even racist assholes who don’t deserve it!

Jennie (aka Jen-Jen or Yoda)
Moving to Harrisburg in 8th grade was socially destructive and required me to make new friends. My mother suggested “any friend is better than no friends”, and I fundamentally disagreed. Jennie was the first person who I was excited to hangout with, and we quickly pushed the limits of teenage behavior – without becoming full-fledged delinquents! Jennie’s German genetics require her to excel at process, discipline, and tough love.
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Don’t be fooled by her self-contained façade, Jennie is always:

• searching for fun: first to jump in a pool “starkers” & last to stop dancing when the party is over
• a secret student, eager to learn in museums, tours, activities – not in a classroom  
• strong and unflappable, she can overcome anything with sheer willpower

The mystery of Jennie is how this dizzy-busty-blonde-bombshell evolved into the wisest in our group!? ​

I call Jennie when I need advice, and am guaranteed to receive:

• A shock to adjust my mindset – a literal wakeup call
• Tough love - she never learned how to sugar coat
• An actual answer – typically a very good one

​Zoe has her own post Zoe + Australia.

While we have grown out of:

• overly sprayed and gelled hair styles
• 80’s fashion - praise the lord
• our high school hobbies – the typical - sex, drugs, rock & roll stuff

80's high school girls... or legit Hair Band?

Getting together still spurs endless giggles, non-stop talking and clearly defined roles:

• Zoe is the comedian
• Jennie operates on a finely tuned schedule, which requires special accommodation
• Keira remains the fashion-plated prom queen, who will always laugh at someone falling and say how feel badly she feels for enjoying it
• I am the boss, though no one ever listens

place: Chicago, aka my kinda town

As I tried to plan the perfect girls' weekend, I shared a unique Groupon. The replies came quickly - see below!! I was simply taunting Jennie, knowing she would vehemently object!

our adventure begins:

As tourists in my favorite-city Chicago, we hit some highlights:

• Enjoyed lunch on the beautifully-secluded patio at the Bongo Room
• Strolled the Riverwalk + shopped for 36G-sized bras on Michigan Avenue
• Popped into Doc B’s - a chain restaurant – which has great food and an even better happy hour

While I can't share who wears a 36G bra, I can confirm that it is very large!?

Like a gremlin, Jennie has strict feeding rules - to avoid dire consequences.  We woke up early to feed her breakfast at the Meli Café before our 30-minute Weekday Meal cooking class.

​Stuffed from breakfast, we rolled into the Chopping Block, surprised to learn we would be eating everything we cooked… ugh.

​This cooking class was newly developed and unstructured, as the chef dropped a somewhat-random potpourri of culinary knowledge on us, including:

• knife skills
• the basics of the science behind cooking
• interesting ways to substitute ingredients with whatever is in your fridge – truly mind boggling!

We learned that if your meat is smoking, the pan isn’t hot enough or your meat is too crowded….

​After class, we stimulated the economy at the Bucktown Art Fest, before a relaxing dinner on the patio at Crosby Kitchen.  Woke up early to feed our gremlin, Jennie, at the Breakfast House, before returning home to shower and pack.

The last day with “the huns” often devolves into checking Facebook and reconnecting to social media. I’m not a fan - which understates my disdain. Snapchat videos were the featured pre-flight entertainment, and I asked not to be recorded. Zoe listens to no one, and recorded a snap-chat video of me, which caused me to SNAP! Mad that she didn’t respect my request, I couldn’t wait to drop her at the airport!
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It was our first fight in decades, and to be honest I can’t remember ever fighting with Zoe. We fixed our friendship, and it reinforced how quickly social media can easily drive people apart vs. pulling them together.

I am grateful and amazed at the quality friendships I have maintained with these women - soulful and supportive, hilarious and unbreakable. We have survived the test of time from our overly-hair sprayed bangs and shoulder-pad-protected teenage years through 35 years of life changes into the modern era.
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I was the first to lose a parent, and this weekend was planned as a better alternative than getting together at a funeral. These women were probably my fathers’ favorite children - and certainly the most obedient.  The “huns” have helped me through many life stages, they bring joy, laughter, and the necessary support to get through anything.