Back From Chicago!

Sorry it took so long for me to get around to posting! Things have been nonstop around here since we got back Tuesday night. I have a craft show all day tomorrow so I have been a little distracted with that.

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In a nutshell, we had a great time! We were pleasantly surprised by how nice and clean everything was there, including the subway! We never felt in danger, and the people were nice and helpful.

Our flight there went good, and we were able to navigate O'Hare airport and find the subway to take into downtown. That was about an hour ride and involved transferring to a different subway line a block away, then walking a few more blocks to our hotel. The map I had printed helped us a lot, and in the end it was worth it to not have to worry about bringing the carseat!

When we got to our hotel and checked in, we could not believe our eyes when we walked into our room! It was like an apartment! I had only booked a regular room with a queen bed, but we got a suite with a full kitchen, dining room, living room, and separate bedroom! It was beautiful. They quickly brought up Brad's crib and we set that up in the living room. He slept great in it the whole time with no trouble. It was nice to put him to bed around 8pm then just hang out in the bedroom and watch TV and talk until bedtime.

On our first evening there, we were pretty beat and upset to find out the cafe at the hotel was already closed. They had a steakhouse there, but we (mostly Brad) were not in the mood to have to sit and wait an hour for overpriced food. We asked the desk clerk where some cheap fast food was and he pointed us down the street to some cafe....a cafe that did not seem to exist and we eneded up turned down random streets until we found a grill. They had burgers, hotdogs, and all sorts of fun quick stuff! I tried out a "Chicago" style hotdog and it was pretty good! We brought the food back home and ate there, then relaxed the rest of the evening.

The next day was our full day to explore. We started off in the morning on a long walk to the Navy Pier. It had just opened at 10am and we got there around 11am so we did not have to battle crowds! We rode the 150ft tall Ferris Wheel and got some beautiful views of the city and water.

On our walk back to the hotel for a nap, we passed a lovely little park right off of Lakeshore Dr. We stopped there and let Brad swing and play for a bit. Then it was naptime!

After his nap, we went up to the roof of our hotel and hung out on the sundeck for a bit. Then we got our things together for a evening exploring some more sights!

The first place we hit was right next to our hotel--the John Hancock Observatory! We got some awesome views of the city from the 94th floor. After that we went further down the street to my mom's alma mater--Moody Bible Institute. She graduated from there in 1977 and lived in Chicago right were we where for 3 years!

After all of that walking we were ready for dinner! We headed a popular local joint called Gino's Pizza and ate our little hearts out. When we were done, we headed back to hotel for relaxation and bedtime. The next morning we ate at a little pancake place, then checked out of the hotel and hit the subway again toward the airport. After being at O'Hare airport for 5 hours, our flight was delayed and they lost our luggage on the way home...but all is well and we got home safe!

We got our luggage back the next day so that wasn't too bad. I caught up on cleaning and housework Wednesday, then Thursday night I had to work. Tonight is when mom and I set up for our craft show. Then tomorrow is our craft show from 8-4 and after that I have to work all night again! Busy girl!