Chicago Trip

Somehow we got talked into taking Robbie and Kaylyn to Chicago this weekend for a concert. ha ha!  Kaylyn wanted to get Robbie tickets to a rap concert for his birthday and when she told us venues for the event Chicago was one of them. Bob and I told her we'd make a weekend out of it and so our Chicago weekend was born.  Two adults and two teenagers cannot fit into a regular hotel room. Trust me. I've done the footwork.  We got a suite.  It was worth every darn penny!

Here is the bedroom...nice corner window view from the 12th floor of the Chicago Fire Dept.  Meaning we heard lots of sirens but I slept with earplugs so wasn't bothered too much.  Note to self, ask for room on the opposite side of the building next time.  ha ha!

This is the living room and kitchenette...or as I like to refer to as the kids' area of the suite.  They had their own tv, etc.  We weren't in the room all that much but at night it was nice to be able to spread out and not have to compete for tv time, etc.

Here they are standing in line for the concert after we dropped them off.

On Saturday Bob and I let the kids venture out on their own for the day.  Downtown Chicago seems a heck of a lot safer than NYC so we were not concerned at all about splitting up for the day.  I gave them maps and some general directions about how to get around and then Bob and I took off for the Chicago River area.

I've always wanted to take one of those boats rides on the river so that's what we did for 90 minutes.  Reminds me of the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding" with Julia Roberts.

It was neat to see each bridge lifted up for sailboats to get through.

The weather couldn't have been any better.  It was perfect all weekend!

Above is a view of Trump Tower. Very tall and shiny.  We had such a nice time taking our own walking tour of the city on Saturday.

Below are some colorful characters who rode the boat with us (ie. purple hair and yellow jeans).

The 90 minute boat ride we took included the river and Lake Michigan.  The tour guide discussed the architecture of the buildings.  It was very interesting and informative. The building below was beautiful with the mirrored windows reflecting the structures across from it.

Below, for about $3 million you can live in one of these townhomes or condos on the river.

BEAUTIFUL!

 

Lighthouse across from the Navy Pier...

Looking over at Navy Pier...

After the boat ride we walked to Millenium Park to the big silver "Bean"...see us in the reflection below....we then ventured into The Loop area and looked around before settling on a third floor deck at Rock Bottom Brewery where we enjoyed some jalapeno cheese dip and beer.  It was a great way to relax after spending most of the day walking around the city.

We all wanted to try real Chicago-style pizza while we were there.  I think we should've gone to the one our neighbor recommended but we didn't want to walk that far so decided to try Lou Malnati's which was just a few blocks away.  Here are Robbie and Kaylyn waiting outside for our table...

The pizza was pretty good but I'd like to try Geno's or Giordano's the next time we go.

Chicago is definitely a destination we plan to return to in the next year.  The drive was easy and the city is so easy to get around and there are so many things to see and do.  We're not really into the shopping aspect of the big city but enjoy relaxing and taking our time looking around and exploring.  We hope to be able to take some long weekends away after Robbie leaves for college since the longer trips will be put on hold for a few years.  Hope we can go back to the Windy City.

Random Stuff

I'm loving this autumn weather!  One morning last week I had to wear a long sleeve shirt when I walked one morning.  It was a little chilly. I've been trying to walk several times a week now since it's so nice outside. 

I made some delicious Taco Soup this evening.  I used the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe but used ground beef and turkey instead of chicken and half packet of ranch dressing mix. I made a double batch so we can eat on it for a couple nights and then I'll freeze the leftovers for another time.  It was really good with some shredded cheese and tortilla chips instead of crackers.  Now I have heartburn but a couple Tums should take care of that.

Bob and I had a really good time last weekend. We visited his cousins and went to the Colts game on Sunday.  The weather in downtown Indy was great.  The roof on the stadium was open and it was just a great day for watching football.  Despite the loss to the Dolphins the game was exciting and a lot of fun!  I'd love to go to another game this season but we'll probably have to wait until next year.  I'm trying to figure out how to upload photos from my phone to the laptop and I'll post some pictures when I do.

Robbie has adjusted better to school in recent weeks.  While he is still not excited about the courses he is taking, he has a better attitude than he did at first and I've never seen him study as much in his whole school life than he has in the past 4 weeks.  ha ha!  Looks like he is finally taking it seriously (keep fingers crossed).

We attended our first soccer game of the season last week.  It was a tied game but so much fun to be back at the soccer complex cheering the team on.  We're going to all the home games for the rest of the season and maybe some post season play if they go that far. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the best season of the year!

Tragedy

This picture made me nauseous.  This little black bear died a couple nights ago in Yellowstone after someone hit him. He is standing in this photo but the photographer messaged me and explained that his hind legs were broken and he tried to walk off the road but was unable to due to his injuries.  Obviously he was put down (I'm assuming the rangers had to shoot him when they got there).  I hope I never have to see that when we visit our home away from home.  It's just a reminder to slow down in all parks where animals frequent in order to spare their lives.  

Hopeful

Autumn 2013

It's very nearly my favorite time of year.  I'm waiting for the temps to fall just a bit before I really settle in and get happy with this season.  We're very nearly there.

I'm ready to make my first batch of chili for a Sunday football game.  I'm ready to have nothing to do on Sundays except stay home in soft, warm lounging clothes and watch football from underneath a blanket with a cat snuggled up at my feet.  I'm ready to have to take a jacket along with me to evening soccer games.  I'm ready to sleep with the windows open at night. I'm ready to use the down comforter on our bed again.  I'm ready to smell burning leaves just not on the days when I want my windows open.  I'm ready to pick and carve my pumpkins. Yes, I'm growing pumpkins!!


Some of my favorite times during autumn are actually the days when I have to travel for work.  It's a partly cloudy morning when the air is cool and crisp and I wish I would've worn socks with my shoes.  I stop in at Starbucks for a cup o'magic on my way to see clients.  I sip on my hot coffee and listen to my favorite songs as I drive.  It's one of those days when there is some sun shining between darkish clouds and the leaves have changed color and seem so vibrant against the sky.  There is actually a stretch of road where I notice this the most and I just love driving through that part of the county on days like that. 

I'm waiting patiently.

Family Room Update

OMG, we've finally completed the family room after more than a year!  Remember, we started last August with some major changes including painting, new ceiling, etc.  We've talked about new carpet for several months but this summer we talked about possibly pulling up the carpet and putting down hardwood floors.  The type of flooring we really wanted cost a lot and we weren't sure we wanted to spend that much, however, Bob found it on sale at a local flooring store so we bit the bullet and bought it.  Bob's dad came over (for the second weekend in a row) and helped several hours with getting half the room completed.  We're so grateful for his help with this project.

Between pulling up the carpet, painting and preparing the room it took nearly a week to get this project completed from start to finish.  We're done with home improvements for now.

Here are some photos of the family room now:

I will eventually pick out an area rug for the tv area but for now we're enjoying the beautiful wood.  Everything certainly looks bigger and cleaner. We put down brand new baseboards and quarter round and I put on a fresh coat of white paint over all the doors and trim before we installed the floors.