The rest of the year...

There's a lot to look forward to between now and the end of the year, and I just wanted to put together a list of what I'm looking forward to most. We know next year is going to be a crazy year and we might not get to travel much, so we are trying to cram as much into the rest of this year as we can. Here's a quick rundown...

TRIP TO ORLANDO, FL:
this, as you can imagine is a multiple "looking-forward to" list which includes the following events:
• Seeing Coldplay's "Viva La Vida Tour" at the Amway Arena
• Epcot's Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World (LINK)
• Visiting Universal Orlando with Jen (her first trip there) and having lunch with my old co-workers at Finnegan's Bar & Grill (LINK)
• Taking Jen to Celebration, the Disney-designed community near Kissimmee. If she loves Lenox Village, she'll go crazy over this (LINK)
• Dining: Girodano's Pizza (LINK), Yak & Yeti (LINK), California Grille (LINK) and Casey's Corner (LINK)
• Riding: Toy Story Midway Mania (LINK), the renovated Spaceship Earth (LINK), the Simpsons Ride (LINK)
• Shopping: since we're renting a car, I hope to hit IKEA (LINK), Crate & Barrel, Urban Outfitters, etc. Although I love Nashville, there's a few key stores that are missing from our city. This is especially true as we're trying to get things for our house right now, so these shops will be a lot of fun to visit.

TRIP TO CHICAGO:
Seeing as I've never been to Chicago, and this is my first trip I've taken with my folks since I moved out years ago, I'm anticipating having a great time spending Thanksgiving in the Windy City! Here's what I'm looking forward to:
• Staying at the Allerton Hotel (LINK)
• Shopping, dining and exploring along the Magnificent Mile (LINK)
• Seeing "Wicked: The Musical" at the Ford Center (LINK)
• Dining: Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co. (LINK) and Rosebud (LINK)
• ...and just exploring one of the only major cities in the US I've never been to before!

PLUS:
• Trip to Lincoln for Christmas! Hoping to see snow, just not while we're driving. Unless airline ticket prices drop like a stone, this will be me and Jen's first bona fide "road trip" together. I'm a little nervous about the possibility of snow while we travel, but I'm sure it will be a nice drive and we'll have a good time. Plus, it's CHRISTMAS, my favorite time of year. Won't be long until I bust out the Christmas music (you can start pitying Jen right now).

• A true "winter" experience. Between the Lincoln and Chicago trips, these will be the only trips I've taken out of the South in the winter, so I'm expecting colder temperatures than I've ever experienced before. Note to self: convince everyone to spend next Christmas in Cancun...

-chad