Great Time In Chicago! (Post 1 of 3)

Chicago was really fantastic! I'd had a ton going on in my personal life and at work right before the trip, and I was really not sure that I wanted to go because I remembered how overwhelming last year was (in a good way, but it was a lot to take in)! Then I looked at the "cheat sheet" of everyone coming, saw so many familiar faces, and decided to go. -- And I'm so glad I did!!

I got in a little late on Friday -- the party had been going on for a while -- so I went right up to my room to quickly drop off my bag. But -- guess who I saw in the hall as I got to my room?! Joey and Gilly, two of my favorite bandsters! It was so fantastic to bump into them... and we got to hang out (and have a little wine -- thanks, ladies!) while I put down my bag and freshened up a little!

Joey and Nicole at the meet & greet!

With Tessie Rose, who had a fantastic new hair style!I have to hand it to the organizers. The conference was put together so well, everything went so seamlessly. The gift bags were AMAZING, thanks to their efforts to find sponsors and put together really great treats for us (I've already worn my blue pashmina twice)! Also, they put together door prizes and awarded them on Friday night, which was a lot of fun! I won an awesome Hydros water bottle, which not only filters water -- but part of the profits go to sustainable water projects and to provide clean water to people who need it most.

I was so happy to see my favorite old bandster friends -- everyone I'd met last year, and others who I've met in New York through the year, like Tina and Justine.

Here is a photo of me with Kristen, who I really loved meeting! She told me that something I wrote motivated her into blogging again and getting back in action with her band -- and she's lost 50 pounds since then! We were both standing there crying when she told me! It was one of the best moments of the whole trip for me because it just made me so happy to hear this.

Check out these bandster beauties I'm posing with!! Lynda, Jessica and Amanda! (Amanda, can you comment with a link to your blog? I need to start following you!)

With Tina at the Friday night meet & greet!

With Justine, who had done so amazingly well with her band since I last saw her that I couldn't spot her at the meet & greet at first! One thing that I really noticed was how people had physically changed since last year! A few of us older bandsters hadn't changed much since last year (which is great!) but some of the newbies had done so incredibly!! I want to give a big shout out on that front to Maria (down over 100 pounds!!), Jessica (who looks like a model, see above -- I love that striped dress!) and Justine! I'll also include Fluffy (she is six years out -- looks AMAZING) in that too, even though I hadn't seen her before! She's so tiny, trim and fit that she said that she would send me my First Ever (!!!) Sisterhood package! I know I've sent out a ton of them, but since I'm nearly three years post-op, I've never been able to receive one! I'm totally psyched! (Er, but no pressure Fluff, if you can't find anything!!) :) :)

On Saturday morning, the awesomely motivated and fun Beth got a group of us together at 8:45 A.M. (yes, a.m.!) and we went and did a Jazzercise class together!! It was Beth, me, Dawnya, Debi, and Becky -- what a great group of women! The most awesome part of that was that we actually got up and did it. Actually, during the workout, I started thiking about how amazing it was that we'd all changed so much that we actually were the kind of people who would get up for an 8:45 workout on a trip -- and I totally got choked up.... right in the middle of some move where I had to skip back and forth toward the instructor. AWKWARD!! (But kind of wonderful .. er, and I just pretended to have allergies...!) LOL

After that, I joined Joey, Nicole and Susan for brunch at this great restaurant near Millennium Park, which was awesome. I love those girls!! We did a little shopping after that, then headed back to the hotel for a little R&R before dinner!

Brunch pics!

Walking to the shops!

More on the rest of the weekend soon!!