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Back to the Chicago trip.

Despite having a splitting headache, sore throat and heavy chest, I really enjoyed the concert. I couldn't yell, or sing, or go "woot", but I could listen and smile.

After the concert, B went to get out coats while I went to the merch table to get a Jiggs cap for T. After I bought it and walked out to the lobby to find B, I realized that Josh had come out to the merch table. Much as I wanted to go back in for a hug, I really didn't feel up to it. We decided to splurge and take a taxi back to the hotel instead of waiting for a bus in the cold.

I was feeling pretty bad by this time, so went straight to bed. My chest was so congested and I felt that if I could only cough, I'd feel better. Sometime during the night, I woke up as I coughed, and, okay this is graphic and gross, but a wad of phlegm came up from my lungs and lodged in my windpipe and I couldn't breathe. I was having to struggle to get even a little air. It occured to me that I could pass out and die and no one would know, so I manage to whisper B's name. She had told me she could sleep through anything so I was afraid she hadn't heard me struggling to breathe. Turns out she had, and watched with concern as I sat up and continued to work to pull in air. In a few moments, the blockage subsided and I was able to breathe again. Propped up on extra pillows and managed to get back to sleep.

Monday morning we knew we had to head out to the airport, but first we set out in lovely snowfall to find the Belgian waffle restaurant we had spotted our first night in town. We knew what street it was on, just a few blocks north of the hotel, so we walked up that way. Couldn't find it. Decided it might be on another street, walked over and down: couldn't find it. Damn. No Belgian zucker waffles for us. We went back to the hotel in defeat and ate donuts instead.

Clever girls that we are, we checked out and took the bus to the train station, then took the train back out to the airport. Discovered that our flight was showing "delayed", said delay stretched into two hours. We had gotten to the airport early anyway, so were there for a very long time. Shared a plate of bbq wings with carrots and celery. B had a nice Long Island iced tea. Finally boarded, flew home uneventfully, were picked up by T and taken home. Poor B then had to drive back to her place, so she didn't get home til 11 p.m.

Overall, an A+ trip with the exception of me becoming ill. If I had felt better, it would have been totally excellent.