katy is a geek

In case you haven’t seen the four million, seven hundred and thirty five thousand, six hundred and two pictures I’ve posted of her, I have the cutest, sweetest, smartest and funniest goddaughter ever created. She’s a gem. And, because she can’t stand the idea of me being best friends with her mother and not her, Lily previously decided that we are “secret besties.” Basically that means I take her out from time to time, buy her a bunch of stuff and let her eat as much sugar as she wants before I send her back to her parents. Best. Thing. Ever.

Seeing as it’s Christmas, I promised Lily a Secret Bestie Day Christmas Edition. It’s been awhile since I’ve really spoiled her rotten and I figured that Christmas was just the time to do that. So, we headed into Chicago for a fun filled day. And despite the rain, the cold and all the walking we had a GREAT day.

Lily loves the train. Thank goodness, because I get panicked whenever I drive her anywhere. If the train crashes it’s not my fault. Because I’m sure that’s reassuring to her mother.  First on our stop was a trip to the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. Lily is currently in love with mummies and ancient Egypt. It’s a small museum which is good because her attention span only lasts so long. And aside from the ONE security guard who told me to watch her before we were five feet into the museum, we had a great time. (Seriously, she’s very well behaved. Don’t tell me to watch my niece when she’s not even doing anything wrong, assface.)

I asked Lily what she wanted for lunch. First she agreed to pizza and then, like a jerk, she voted for Chinese. Luckily I love Chinese. So we popped over to a little place I like and chowed down on egg rolls and rice with sweet and sour sauce.

The big part of the day hadn’t even happened yet. Of course it was cold and rainy, but we soldiered on. We had about an hour to kill between lunch and our BIG PLAN so we walked over to Macy’s to check out the Christmas windows. They were… eh. I swear when Marshall Field’s did them they were just SO much better. But Lily liked looking at them and that’s all that mattered I guess.

Finally, it was time for the BIG EVENT. (As if everything we did hadn’t been enough.) Lily and I went to our First Annual Secret Bestie Christmas Tea Party. Yes, I took Lily for a real tea party. And, oh my goodness gracious, was it the most fun thing ever. I loved watching her see the tea being poured, a tray of sweets that arrived on our table. She was so excited, so interested in every single thing going on around us and it was the cutest, sweetest thing I’d ever seen.

It’s good that I have Lily in my life. She loves me as much as a little kid can love anyone. She gives hugs and snuggles and kisses. She laughs about poop and tells me she wants to be an archeologist. But more than anything, she is joy. She is happiness and light and hope all wrapped up into one giggling, mummy loving, patience testing and beautiful little girl. I love her and can’t imagine a world without her in it.

I know that from this year forward, it won’t feel like Christmas until Lily and I have gone into the city for our tea party. Because no matter where my life takes me, if I happen to have children of my own or anything else… Lily will always be the first child that captured my heart and that sort of love is forever.