Goodbyes and Good Chili

Tonight I said "see ya later" to my friend Em, as I've referred to her here on the blog. Tomorrow is Emily's last day in D.C. before flying across the country with the rest of her belongings (those we didn't ship out last weekend) to sunny San Diego. It's hard to believe three years have gone by so quickly, and the days of lunch meet-ups and afternoon delights {treats} are over. *Tear*

I'm so excited for my friend to return to her family and many of her friends {most importantly her fabulous and talented boyfriend}. Ok, that last part was for Emily, since she now reads the blog. Hi Emily!

Tonight was Farewell Happy Hour #2, and I successfully left without crying - hooray! I'm thankful we've been able to spend some quality time together over the past week, drinking delicious wine from France, packing up her things, and picking out outfits for her upcoming weekend in Napa.

You should know that Emily is not only fun, genuine, smart, and super funny . . she is also an amazing packer and downsizer. I'm pretty sure she gave as many items to Goodwill as she shipped to her new apartment last weekend. Could you ship all of your belongings for less than $400? Impressive, I know! And that included a 42" flat screen TV!

We rewarded our heavy lifting and line waiting at the post office with a trip to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. Her boyfriend, an avid "Man vs. Food" watcher, insisted she try it before returning to California. I was, of course, happy to come along.

We walked in to a crowd full of people, a long line waiting to place their orders.

President Obama, Bill Cosby, and many others graced the walls.

We placed our order for some chili fries and a chili half-smoke sausage. We were definitely going to share the greasiness.

This meal was not for the faint of heart, but we took care of it. Women vs. Food.

I'll miss you, Friend! See you soon!

*Ben's has been around for over 50 years. You can read about it's interesting history here.