I was most grateful to get an email from Michelle H.'s mom the week before our trip. She wanted to make sure I knew that Michelle was having a birthday today! We were able to work everything out with our hotel to make sure that when we met as a group tonight to discuss the day and our plan for tomorrow, Michelle would have a birthday cake to celebrate. (Thanks, Ms. H.! It was delicious.)
The group decided just before we went into American Girl that they would like to eat dinner all together at The Cheesecake Factory across the street. With 22 of us in total, we are a slightly intimidating group (especially when we choose to get on your bus!). But our excellent and forward-thinking chaperones made a reservation before we headed into American Girl.
The group decided just before we went into American Girl that they would like to eat dinner all together at The Cheesecake Factory across the street. With 22 of us in total, we are a slightly intimidating group (especially when we choose to get on your bus!). But our excellent and forward-thinking chaperones made a reservation before we headed into American Girl.
Throughout dinner, no less than 2 of our trip participants pulled me aside confidentially to see if I knew today was Michelle's birthday. I reassured them that indeed we did know and would be celebrating later. However, being in the The Cheesecake Factory gave us an opportunity to celebrate a bit early. The photo above is Michelle being presented with her birthday sundae from the restaurant. The servers came over to sing and we all joined in to wish her a happy birthday.
Back at our meeting later that night, we ALL enjoyed a ridiculously rich and delicious chocolate cake, courtesy of Michelle's mom. Here's our birthday girl:
And here's what the "in room" party looked like. We are one fun bunch, and this picture pretty much sums that up.
Tomorrow we have a very early morning, our earliest yet, as we have to be checked out of our rooms and on our way to Ernst & Young by 8:00am. Ouch!
We will meet with Laura Spingola, a Kelley alumn and president of Trade Resources LTD in the early afternoon at our hotel. We'll then load the bus and head back to Btown, stopping along the way for dinner. I have no doubt that our group will be catching up on their sleep on the way back to campus.
We'll then have an IUBeginnings all-trip reunion on Wednesday, August 25, at 3:00pm in Fine Arts 015 (the building to the left as you face the IU Auditorium). As we have been very close for the previous 5 days, I'm sure that we'll all be feeling a little separation anxiety. The Wednesday celebration will give us a great chance to reconnect.
I'll try to post tomorrow before we leave Chicago, but if not...we'll see you back in Btown!
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