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Full circle

two dollsWe sparkled.

The Chicago winter night tried to bite but reconsidered. Three lovely ladies made their way to the American Girl Place for a show in the theater and dinner in the cafe. Two of the ladies held gloved hands. One anticipated her homecoming.

The glow from the door spilled out onto the sidewalk and it was in this light Aidan held up Samantha and tenderly told her “you are home…” I always note my full-circle moments but never entertained the idea Aidan thought of the trip in such a manner. I tried to stiffle my giggle at her delicious sincerity—it was hard not to melt at that moment. We entered.

The first stop on our night-on-the-block was the theater, where we enjoyed The American Girsl Revue. It was excellent and moved me to tears several times. The lighting, the intimate setting, the sparse stage, music, and the astonishing talent of the girls in the cast surprised me. I wondered how a theater housed in a store could be decent, but it was top-notch and I highly recommend seeing the show to anyone who visits.

After the show was over we moved upstairs to the cafe. At 7:30 the staff opened two sets of double doors to the dining room and we were ushered to our table. A special little chair was provided for Samantha, along with her own plate and cup. The decor was entirely done in black, white, and bright pink. Lamps above the tables lining the windows overlooking Chicago Avenue were covered in flowers. The giant Christmas tree still stood, covered in gold and pink ornaments. Our waiter, Andrew, was very friendly and sprung right into action, bringing mini warm cinnamon rolls to our table as a greeting. We perused the menu and had a difficult time settling on our entree choices. I went with the Tilapia Florentine and Aidan ordered the Chicken Pot Pie. what do dolls eat

In between courses we played with the game on our table. It was a little box full of slips of paper with printed questions, like “would you rather swim at a lake, ocean, or pool?” We took turns asking each other about our best memories, dreams, likes and dislikes, and opinions. One of the slips of paper prompted her to ask me to describe myself in one word. I thought about it for a long time until she got impatient, so I settled on the very-trusty “Nice!” and she laughed.

“No, mom. I think the word to describe you is complicated.” I almost choked on my mousse.

We finished our dinner and begrudgingly left the store. It was closing for the night.

Walking back to our hotel, the wind tried to bite, but couldn’t.

10 comments to Full circle

  • Mom-of-mopsy

    The memories you two have will last a lifetime. I’m so glad you had the chance to go.

  • Oh! Her complicated comment made me giggle. What a delightful evening!

  • “Complicated” heehee that is too funny!
    It sounds like a wonderful evening, and what a beautiful picture of Aidan!

  • how fun my daughter would love to experiece a night like that. She is also the only girl in our family of 3 brothers her dad and a grandpa how she prays every night for a little sister hopefull one day God will answer her prayers.

  • Awwww. That is such a sweet story. One you and she will always cherish. It makes me wish my little tomboy liked dolls. I always loved The American Girls when I was younger! (I always wanted one of the dolls too…I would drool over the catalogs!)

    I’m glad you are sharing your stories. Such a lovely trip! It makes my mothers heart swell and a tear trickle from my eye…

  • Kathy

    I have very much enjoyed reading about your trip! It sounds heavenly! I’m excited for both you and Aidan that you shared this extraordinary experience.
    Thanks for sharing it with us!

  • Kelly

    Complicated!!! That is too funny!! Sounds like a great night – loved the “you are home” comment – sweet!!

  • Sounds like you and Aiden made some wonderful memories together!

  • Complicated–so funny!

  • I have never experienced cold like Chicago in January. The one time I was there it was bitter!

    I love the “conversation starters” at the table. What a wonderful way to get to converse with your daughter as a friend and she with you. I look forward to a mother-daughter trip one day! I’ll have to take each of my girls separately.

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