How to have fun on a fall day

First of all, let me say that I do indeed remember that I have three kids. My husband has reminded me of this fact several times since my last blog entry. Here's the thing; I blogged about my firstborn and then got sidetracked by not only her, but also by her younger counterparts in crime, monkey2 and monkey3 so trust me, it's not that I've suddenly plunged myself mentally into the world of having an only child, it's just that the little ankle biters won't stop climbing the walls every time I turn my back for a few seconds. I can't remember the last time I peed alone, let alone got enough time to do justice to a blog entry. In fact, as I sit, Chunk is pacing his crib yelling at me and playing every parent's most hated game "I drop it you get it." But trust me, I have plenty to tell you about my Kbear and my Chunker...when I get around to it.

So for now, enjoy this brief and informative blog, How to have fun on a fall day.


Start your day off with a healthy breakfast. As you know, they (whoever "they" are) say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That's what your Mom tells you anyhow.

And if it's a special day with fun activities planned, you may want to treat yourself to breakfast out with friends. To keep busy while you wait for your scrambled eggs, build a tower with creamer cups - this gets chuckles out of all the old folks.

Then you want to go out in search of some family friendly fall activities. On this particular day, we decided to go enjoy an apple harvest celebration in Hood River, Oregon with some friends. We found lots of fun stuff to do. Suggestions include the following:






You should definitely climb on a tractor. It will make you feel big and strong and way cool.





And you can also climb on hay bales with your friends. In our case, we also climbed on trees. (But we didn't get a picture because Mommy was too busy yelling "GET OUT OF THAT TREE BEFORE THE FARMER GETS MAD!")





But most importantly, if you get a chance then without a doubt, you should hug a pumpkin.









Now if you get really REALLY lucky, and it's a super special day, then you may be able to do something else that is really neat and cool and fun -- you can make your own apple cider.

Making your own cider is seriously neat. First, you and your daddy need to select your apples. About ten pounds makes half a gallon of cider. It's best to use a mix of apples and that way your cider isn't too sweet or too tart. As Goldilocks would say, "It's just right."








After you pick your apples, you have to wash them. You can do this while your daddy signs the waiver at the register that says that if your farm fresh unpasturized cider makes you sick, you won't sue the farmer. The washing part is way important, even if the water is freezing and makes your hands cold. You can get your friends to help.







Then the nice guys who work at the farm will press your apples. They put them into a big wooden bin that is attached to a complicated doohicky neat-o old fashioned apple press and they start to grind them up. While they are doing this, you should double check that your pitcher is in place to catch your cider.








If the cider guys offer you a chance to turn the big wheel that grinds up the apples, you should totally try it. It's really hard but very cool. After you get it to go around once time (this takes about five minutes) you should probably let your Daddy do the rest of the work.







When the apples are all chunked up, the cider guy will put them into a different part of the apple press and then a big round weight will press down on them, squeezing out the cider. After that, you get to try it and it tastes soooo good - even better than what you can buy at the store - even if you do have to sign a waiver to get it! We made a half gallon of apple cider and one of apple/pear cider and we have had it with dinner and with breakfast - it's really yummy! Mommy likes hers warmed up but we like it anytime. So if you ever get the chance to try it out, you really should make your own apple cider. Banana and Kbear approve of this fall fun activity wholeheartedly.




Now as if that's not enough, there are lots of other things you can do to have fun in the fall. We've spent the last few weekends working hard to find them. You can gather leaves for crafts and you can help mommy stack firewood. You can work on your Halloween costume. And you can do other stuff too.




You can ride in a train made out of barrels, towed by a crazy teenager on a four wheeler. You have no idea what "redneck train" means or why mommy and daddy think it's so dang funny, but it's a good time.







You can hold chicks. Chicks are soft and cute and cuddly and they like to be snuggled.



Or you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. After all, winter will be here before we know it. So you need to get in every last bike ride, trip to the park, and hour spent playing outside that you can. We had our first frost last week, and pretty soon it will SNOW!

The very very VERY best way to have fun on a fall day, is to have fun with your family.






You can see all of our pictures from this autumn by cutting and pasting this link into your browser!
http://picasaweb.google.com/freckledmama/AwesomeAutumn2008#

Let's talk about my kids! Kid one: Banana

Banana bounces down the steps of the shiny yellow bus that has once again delivered her safely back home from her charter school two towns over. She looks tired - the trip home takes an hour - but as I watch her walk towards the van in my rear view mirror, I know that there's more to it. I know my kid. My firstborn. My big girl.

The van door slides open with a resounding thunk and she climbs in with a smile for Chunk, who yells out "SIS-TAH" in delight and then she excitedly shows me a small plastic baggie in her hand - "I found a four leaf clover at recess Mom!" she cries. And sure enough, there it is, nestled in her hand like a lucky little treasure.

"Very cool." I tell her as her seat belt clicks and I pull away from the curb towards home. "What else did you do today?"

This is all part of our routine. Every day Banana has to tell us three things that happened at school. They cannot involve what was served for breakfast, lunch, or fruit break. They can't be about friends or recess - they need to be about what she learned while she was away from me for the nine hours that I entrusted her education to the public system.


She worries her lower lip with her teeth. I wonder if she'll confess the deed that I already know about, thanks to an email from her teacher earlier in the day. But no, not just yet.

"Well...." she hems and haws "I wrote about my clover in writing workshop and I sketched a picture of it. Do you know what that means Mom?"

I allow that I do indeed know what sketching is. I sketch a mean stick figure myself on occasion.

"What else?" I press my daughter.

"Um........" she fidgets "I got picked to draw the cover on our next class story."

"That is way awesome Banana" I tell her, genuinely enthusiastic - since moving to the new school, she has had many more artistic opportunities than she was given at the old one, and she is a pretty talented little budding artist. "Did anything else happen?" I ask her, giving her one last out.

And sure enough, she takes it. "Mama, something bad kind of happened at school."

"Oh?" I prompt

"Yeah....um.....don't be mad....but I kinda got a blue card."


So there it is. The horrible truth. My kid lost her "green card" for the first time this year. It's all part of keeping 140 kids in order - every day each student begins with a green card. A fresh slate if you will. But any staff member can issue a discipline card at any time for various infractions including cussing or disrespecting a teacher or another student. After green, you get blue. After blue, you're in increasingly deeper dog doo.

So the truth is out. She breathes a huge sigh of relief and waits for my reaction.

"Well, what did you get the blue card for, honey?" I ask.

You may be asking yourself about now - what on earth did she do? Did she swear? I mean let's face it, mama talks like a sailor. Did she get into a fight? Throw rocks? Disrespect a teacher?

Nope.

She got caught playing with a stray cat on the playground. A cat that she had been asked leave alone more than once. So my daughter the humanitarian and up and coming star veterinarian got a blue card. As a result, she will miss the "green card party" at the end of the month AND she had to sweat out my reaction all afternoon and throughout that long bus ride home.

Now if you know me, you know that this isn't a big deal. Concerning most things, Skippy and I are actually pretty strict but when you get right down to it, the kid was petting a cat. According to my Mom, this is because her father pets everything on four legs that comes his way. And she could be on to something. But as I (teasingly) told her, I have to let him do that so that he doesn't pet anything on TWO legs. But I jest. I really do. And I even understand the reason for the blue card - she failed to heed previous warnings. But seriously, it's not like she assaulted a fellow first grader. And the fact that she confessed it to me speaks volumes about her character and made me very proud of her honesty.

Banana is really a pretty awesome kid. She is completely over-sensitive just like her mother, but she has a kickass sense of humor that is all Dad. She also has more empathy in her little six year old body than most grown-ups I know - she was the answer to a prayer when my Dad was sick because when everyone else in the world wanted to fuss at him, she knew that Papa just needed a hug. I rely on her a lot to help me with the other two - maybe too much, a throwback to helping my Mom with my own brother and sister, but she never complains...much. She stands up for herself. She is a good friend. She does tend to embellish the occasional story, but hey no kid is perfect and we're working on it.

She is my first baby. She was the first to reach out one tiny hand to wrap around my finger in a vice-like grip, like she'd never ever let go. She was our guinea pig baby - the one you give formula too when you wanted to breastfeed because your breasts refuse to cooperate. The one you tried to put on a schedule before you realized how stupid that was. The one who was subjected to every Baby Einstein video ever released, given only educational toys, and fed only homemade baby food. And she bore it all with good grace. And when you get right down to it, she made me a mother. She brought her father and I together.

Her first word was cookie. She is a daddy's girl unless he teases her and then she comes running to mom. She is a daredevil to the point where I need to be medicated. She is a phenomenal big sister. Banana was only 17 months old when Kbear was born and she looked at that tiny bundle in confusion before she looked at me and understood that she had a new friend for life. And when the Chunker came home, no little girl was ever so gentle or so in love with a new baby brother.

She is one of a select few people that I live for. She's the reason I drag my butt out of bed at 5:45 every morning so that she can go to a better school. I run her to soccer and to birthday parties and pick her up after drama club. I bake 80 cupcakes for her birthday so that Skippy can arrange the perfect "cupcake rainbow" at her request.

When Banana was born, she changed my whole world. And I am thankful to her, every day.

Even if she did get a blue card.

Another weekend bites the dust

It usually happens around Tuesday night. After the normal running around to accomplish soccer practice and dinner, baths and pajamas, teeth brushing, bedtime reading, kissing, hugging, and one-more-drink-of-water getting...that's when it hits. Right around that time, I start to yearn for the weekend.

And so, I slog through pre-school pick up on Wednesdays, throw together a snack that will compete with all of the other mommies at MOPS on Thursday, keep the house in groceries and the kitties in litter and the toilet scrubbed, and then finally at long last, I greet Friday with a cheerful optimism tinged with exhaustion. The weekend. It's arrived.

And then it all goes to hell in a hand basket.

Seriously man, having kids is tough work. Having kids who have a social life? That's even harder!



I mean, first of all, there was no school on Friday. Some crap about Oregon teachers needing a day to enrich themselves. I want to know when I get a day to enrich MYSELF. Then again I don't have 30 kids. I only have three. And they wipe the floor with me on a regular basis - I know you're thinking that the darling four year old in that picture can't possibly be naughty but trust me - sometimes the devil inhabits that child. So I had three kids bouncing around who were completely and totally off of their normal routine. Fun stuff huh?

It gets better.


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Ok. To be completely honest, I just sat here for five full minutes trying to remember what we did on Friday. I know that I kinda cleaned up my house. I know that my mother-in-law was in town.....but the rest is kinda a blur.

WAIT! We went apple picking! DUH! How could I forget apple picking? I mean, how can I forget spending two hours keeping an 18 month old off of ladders, petting goats, and filling a metal bucket with 25 pounds of apples for fifteen bucks? SERIOUSLY. My brain totally just fried temporarily.

Let's start over - on Friday we went apple picking - by we I mean my mother-in-law (MIL) and my kids and myself. It was fun in that sweaty hectic way that having fun with kids seems to entail. After the cranky orchard lady with the crazy eyes showed us where we could pick, we had a blast taking pictures, keeping track of Chunk (I was irrationally terrified that I would lose him in the several-hundred acre orchard and subsequently in the Oregon wilderness) and helping the girls fill our bucket with galas, jonagolds, and golden delicious apples. Then we stopped at Packer's Farm for giant cookies (five for five, baby) and detoured through the pumpkin patch before heading home to collapse.


So that was fun. And exhausting. I got some awesome pictures of the kids, which can be seen here: http://picasaweb.google.com/freckledmama/AwesomeAutumn2008#

After apples we came home and met up with Skippy and made my famous potato soup before we crashed for the evening. And while we were finally going to bed, we wistfully commented that maybe the kids would let us sleep in a bit on Saturday. And miracle of miracles, they totally did!





At 8:30 on Saturday morning, I was up and ready to go (I told you they let us sleep in). Our entire morning revolved around getting everyone up and out and ready for a birthday party we were invited to at one for some friends' five year old twin boys. This necessitated a trip to the store with the girls, where I paced the aisles, called Charlotte and my Mom with questions concerning what on earth to buy for five year old twins boys before finally settling on hot wheels tracks. (My apologies to Nicole if she is now stepping on hot wheels everywhere she goes.) And then we shot back home and after a flurry of wrapping and ribbons and bows and clothes on the kids and a clean diaper on the Chunk, we headed out to the park and had a rockin afternoon with the birthday boys.

As you can see, Skippy especially had fun. (I realize that the sarcasm doesn't transfer to print very well, but I know you can feel it - this is me rolling my eyes) And once the cake was cut and the gifts unwrapped, it was time to load up and head back home once again. Amazingly, back at home everyone took naps. Except me and Banana. We went down to Charlotte's house where she (quite gracefully) played emergency seamstress for me, using industrial strength thread (or perhaps twenty pound test fishing line, I'm not sure) to secure yet another button to yet another pair of Skippy's shorts -- note to self, no more Target shorts, there is a reason they were on sale.

And let's get something straight. It's not that I can't sew on a button. Because I totally can. But it takes me an hour, two failed attempts, and a bottle of tequila. So it's safer to go let the craft goddess that is my girlfriend Char do the dirty work. Plus it gives us girls a chance to dish, which is important, because that's when we realized a magical coincidence - by some mysterious aligning of the cosmos, we both had babysitters lined up for the coming evening!

Not too long after that, dinner plans were made that involved not only us, but another pair of good friends who were also miraculously kiddo-free for a few hours. So I took a shower, put on my GOOD bra, and went out and noshed on Mexican food, margaritas, and wonderful conversation that revolved around everything from politics to parenting to retelling painful college stories. Unfortunately, curfew comes early for those of us with munchkins - by nine o'clock Skippy and I were wandering around Hollywood Video, determined to bring the movie theatre home with us. *Side note, we watched 21 with Kevin Spacey - good flick if you haven't seen it*

And much too quickly, it was Sunday. Today dawned bright an early around seven. I heard Skippy rustling in his closet squirrel-style while he packed for his next trip out of town. I heard the girls fighting over the remote. I heard the Chunker singing Maaaa-maaaaa from his crib. The dog barked. One of the cats parked itself against my face and purred. And for a brief, beautiful moment, I pulled the covers over my head and pretended I was a single chick. Then I got up and started my day in the real world.

Kbear and my MIL Dixie took airport duty and buzzed around Ptown for a bit after dropping Skippy off safely. That left Banana, Chunker and I behind contemplating the only-somewhat messy house. And then we did what any responsible people do on Sunday morning - we picked up our Sunday paper and went out to breakfast. Then we spent approximately twenty six dollars in quarters vacuuming out the minivan, feeding at least a full bag of pretzels, several stray M&Ms, four crayons, and one baby sock to the bowels of the SUPERVAC before we headed home to gear up for soccer Sunday.

Soccer was rockin' today. The weather was gorgeous, the parents were in rare form, and the girls were showing off because they knew Grammy was watching. Neither of my girls scored a goal this week HOWEVER, no one scored for the other team like Kbear did last week either so we'll consider it a successful Sunday of soccer. Then my husband's mother took pity on me and took us out to an early dinner. We came home. We did baths. We did books. We did teeth brushing. My husband called to tell me he was finally safe on the ground in Atlanta. And finally, I got them all sleeping.

So that's it. That was my relaxing weekend that I waited all week for. Every little second of it was spent on the run in one way or another. And now, I'm tired.

Someday I know that I will be sitting in my rocking chair with knitting in my lap (because someday I fully intend to finally learn to knit) and I'll be feeling a little bit melancholy because I don't have anything to do, anywhere to go, or anyone to see. Except of course for Skippy, who even in his old age will be somewhere in our big rambling house playing computer games and neglecting the dishes that I asked him to wash. Someday my weekends will blur completely in with my weekdays. And I'll wonder where it all went. I know that as crazy as it all is, someday I'll miss this terribly.

But right now? Dude, right now I need a nap.

Oregon wildlife...definitely NOT at its finest

(For the record, I didn't take that picture, as beautiful as it is. But it was taken not far from where we live. Pretty huh?)

The early morning hours in Oregon are without a doubt, absolutely stunning to behold. There is something about the way the sun comes up over the hills, stretching fingers of light down to us mere mortals here on the ground. If you stand outside and wait for it, you feel as if one minute you are staring out into nothingness, barely able to distinguish the rocky textures of the hills from the inky blackness of the sky and then all of a sudden, after what feels like the briefest hesitation, it's morning.

I should know. For almost a month now, I've been one of a dozen bleary-eyed parents who shuffle their kids to the big yellow bus to catch their six-fifteen ride to school every morning.

No, you read right. Six fifteen. As in the number after five, but before seven. Is that hideous or what? But such is the price we pay for wanting to send our kid to the local charter school I suppose. However as usual, I digress...

When Skippy forwarded me his flight itinerary for his next business trip for The Goog, I was surprised to see that he was flying out at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. I mean, if you know my husband.....(God love him) you know he's less than chipper in the early dawn hours. In fact, he can be a downright ogre. A scary one. But hey, as long as I got to stay snug and cozy in bed until the kids chased me out demanding cereal and orange juice before they staaaaa-rved somewhere around nine a.m., I figured it made no difference whatsoever what time Skippy hit the road for PDX. And after all, everyone should get to experience a gorgeous Oregon sunrise every so often.

That is to say, everyone except the deer who shared the freeway with my husband this morning.


*sigh*

As you can see, our beloved Grand Prix took a hell of a beating in the early morning hours today. One second, my travelin' man was giving me a kiss goodbye that was barely registered through the haze of sleep, and seconds later (or so it seemed) he's standing in the doorway of our bedroom, back lit by the glaring hall light, waking me with a shaking voice and impossibly, telling me that he hit two deer on his way to the airport. And the car...let's just say it looked better when I got my first glimpse of it, before those all too eager rays of morning sunlight showed me the true extent of the damage.

A part of me is deeply angry. Skippy and I have been working very hard to build our life out here with our family. We've struggled a bit here and there, and we have been slowly but surely chipping away at a few old medical debts and Skippy's somewhat intimidating student loans. We've been happy with our progress. After all, it's all just a part of the great financial circle of life (cue African music) where we take a deep breath and remind ourselves that without the loans, Skippy would have no degree and with no degree, he might not have his job at Google and without his job at Google...well who knows where we'd be. But we know that WITH the job at Google, we have started to build an amazing life here raising our totally awesome kids and as far as fate is concerned, that's good enough in my book.

So yeah. We've sacrificed a lot to achieve these baby steps and in the process, we even managed to add a minivan into the fray. Some months we've come out ahead and some months we've gotten caught treading water but month after month, we've made it. Our very last *big* student loan payment is looming on the horizon, the one we have to make before we can get a much much lower plan in place and get some wiggle room back into our lives...

And then Bambi decided to hang out on Interstate 84 this morning, with three of her BFF deerfriends, hidden around a bend in the freeway that had no hope of giving my husband a glance at the danger ahead. And then our car got totalled.

You bet I'm angry. And frustrated. If we're being totally honest, I'm just plain pissed off.

BUT.

My husband is unhurt. He is a little stiff and sore but otherwise, he is unharmed. Two of the deer...they weren't so lucky and for that I'm sorry, but more than anything I am so incredibly and blessedly THANKFUL that my husband was not hurt this morning.

Life has a funny way of giving you some perspective in the form of a swift kick in the tush. As they say, "Man plans...God laughs." And in my heart of hearts, I know that this is just another bump in the road. It's not the first and it sure as hell won't be the last. And when Skippy gets back from this trip we'll get the car looked at and we'll talk to the insurance company again and we will see where we go from here. Maybe we'll buy something new. Or used. Maybe we'll sit tight for a few months. Or we'll buy a moped. Or a damn skateboard.

Right now, I don't completely know what we'll do. But we'll figure it out together.

Just like we always do.


Thanks for all of the good thoughts. And Skippy, I love you.

The end? Yes! Yes the end!

I know. I know, I know, I KNOW!!!

Y'all have lost complete faith in my haven't you? I have been a complete and utter failure about my blogging for the last oh....three months or so. I mean, since Chicago we have gone to pick blueberries and started school and gotten into soccer and who knows what else and I haven't been able to talk about ANY of it, all because I was too busy in Chi-town to keep my blog updated.

So in the words of my loving husband, "No more multi-part blogs babe. You suck at them."

In all honestly, I've been putting off the last Chicago blog because it has actually been really difficult to put that whole trip into words. We had such a wonderful time and did so many different things, and I really wanted to do it all justice and there never seemed to be adequate time to do that. But after being home for over a month and a half, I steeled myself to the task this morning and realized that I absolutely had to finish this. Plus, who wants to do laundry anyway?

After the BBQ at Bernie and Jeff's house, we really only had two more big events left that we squeezed into our agenda in between all of the visiting and running around and swimming and health-clubbing. They really capped off our trip beautifully.

First, we took the girls to Country Thunder USA to see their favorite band, Sugarland. Then, the kids and I went to the zoo with some of my cousins. It was yet another exhausting weekend, but also some of the most fun I can ever remember having.

Country Thunder is a huge Country Music Festival that takes place every July during the dog days of summer up in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Mom and I first went (with Jax) about seven years ago I think. It is an absolute blast - hotter than hell, with cowboys and bikini-top clad country fans EVERYWHERE. You eat a bunch of junk, you drink too much, and you rock it out all day and all night to your favorite acts. And the timing couldn't be better this year, with Sugarland headlining because not only are they one of my favorite groups, but the girls just love them.

So after leaving Chunk in the care of Jax, Sarah, and Jack, we trekked up to Twin Lakes early on Friday morning, checked into our hotel, grabbed some lunch, and then prepared to introduce the girls to the country concert experience, Country Thunder Style. We spent the day wandering around and having all sorts of fun.




We bought water guns.





We tried on hats.




We took a picture of the kids with Waylon Jennings......wait. That's not him. That's cardboard. But it looks creepily LIKE him doesn't it?





And eventually we ate some dinner and then settled back into our lawnchairs to await the headlining act!




Finally, much later that night after a day spent in the sweltering sun with two impatient little girls, Sugarland hit the stage. I'm not sure what Banana and Kbear were really expecting until the lights and the sound cranked up and they both realized that it was REALLY them, right there where they could see them play and sing. By the time it all really started to rock, my girls were t-i-r-e-d but also completely enchanted. We danced and we sang, and Mom and I put them up on our shoulders so that they could see and it was honestly one of the best experiences I've ever had with my girls and my Mom, and I think it's something that all of us will remember for a long time.

Once the show finally wound down (sometime after 11:30 I think!) we made the long trek back to the car and then back to our hotel. The girls were completely exhausted and it didn't take much to slip their dusty little shoes off of their sweaty little feet and put them to bed. It took even less time for me to put myself to bed, where I promptly passed out until breakfast the next morning. After a quick swim in the hotel pool, we said good-bye to Mom (who was heading back for day two!) and made our way back to Oswego, to Mom's house, and to the Chunker, who took very good care of Jack while we were gone.

You would think that would be enough for one weekend - taking the girls to their first country concert and all. You would THINK....until my cousin Erin called and demanded that we make our talk of the zoo a reality. This zoo business was serious stuff. I mean, Erin had called me from the airport when she was waiting to go on her honeymoon to make sure we were still going to find the time to go. That's serious zoo business man. So after a mere 24 hours to recuperate from our Country Thunder extravaganza, complete with dinner at IHOP with Jack and a night spent snug in our beds at Nana's house, we hopped a train (as seen in the picture) into the city for a day at Brookfield with three of my favorite cousins, Erin (and new hubby Jon), Aileen, and Jill.

The kids LOVED taking the train. They sat down on the bottom and they sat up on top and they made new friends and had a snack and all sorts of exciting fun. Chunker enjoyed looking out the window and managed to completely (and foully) fill his diaper while contemplating the scenery, which gave *me* a new experience - changing a wiggly baby's diaper and clothes on a moving train. So it was a new endeavor for us all! After we finally disembarked at the zoo stop and tracked down Erin, Jon, Aileen, and Jill we slathered on the sunscreen and prepared to do battle with Brookfield in the heat.

Brookfield Zoo is spectacular. And it's HUGE. If you ever have a chance to go when you're in the Chicago area, you really should because as far as zoos go it's totally awesome. We played on the playground and had a picnic lunch and saw about a million animals - I couldn't even begin to list everything we did -- and we barely scratched the surface of the zoo grounds! But we walked and walked and WALKED and had the most fantastic time. I pretty much grew up with my Collins cousins and even though I love all of my cousins (there are 18 on my Dad's side plus another handful on my Mom's) the Collins kids were the ones we spent the most time with growing up so I think we are especially close. And since all of us can remember days spent at the zoo as part of big extended family visits, I think it was really special to us to share a day there together with my kids.

The quote of the day from the zoo comes from Kbear. I stayed outside with Chunker while the rest of the gang made the long and humid trip through the Ape House. After Chunk and I had a snack and shared a bottle of water, we decided to go wait for the rest of our group at the exit of the exhibit. As we walked up, everyone else was walking out and when Kbear saw me, she ran over to us, yelling "MOM! WE WENT TO AFRICA!" Cute huh?

The zoo was really just the icing on the cake. It made me realize that no matter how far away I move with Skippy and the kids, I will always have an amazing bond with my family - not just my mom and my brother and sister, but also with my extended family who gives us the most incredible love and support. It brought back a ton of memories from when I was a kid, and it was something special to share with my munchkins. Jill took a million pictures with Erin's awesome new camera, and you can see those here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/erindepke/WeReGoingToTheZoo?authkey=ksT_ikBSinM#


After the zoo we were officially in the home stretch. During that last week we went and visited with my grandparents (my Dad's folks) and we swam a bit and hung out with Jacquie a bit, and just kind of tried to savor the last few days of our trip. A pesky toothache hit me mid-week with kind of put a damper on things (I cried to Skippy that it hurt so bad, I'd rather be in labor!) but with the help of some super pharmaceuticals I slogged through it. One of the best things we did was to take my Mom to have her picture taken with my kids. We got everyone decked out in Cubs gear and got some stellar professional shots taken - it was the perfect way to end our vacation - with an awesome picture to add to our memories.

And all of a sudden, just like that it was all over. On that last Saturday we went out to breakfast with Mom, Jack, and Jacquie and started the tough process of saying goodbyes. Mom drove us to Midway where they got even harder but somehow, we managed to finally walk through security with a teary-eyed Nana waving and watching us go. And finally, after a 12 hour travel day, complete with two planes, snacks, playdoh, a movie, tired kids, and a Salt Lake City layover, we landed in Portland late that night. I was so excited to see Skippy that I actually had butterflies! And despite the wonderful, amazing, busy, action packed vacation in Chicago that we spent with some of the people I love more than anything in the world, when Skippy walked up to us in that airport and the girls squealed with delight and the Chunker reached out his chubby arms to Daddy and I finally got my kiss, I realized that I was really and truly back home.

I'm in trouble.....Mom's going to ground me

Every time I talk to my mother or email my mother or think about my mother, the same question pops into my mind - "Amy...Have you blogged YET?"

*sigh* No. I haven't blogged recently. I have been insanely busy. Exhausting-gonna-drop-any-second-busy. The hubby has been in and out of town. I've been under a mountain of laundry. We have officially wound down our summer vacation and we're knee deep into soccer for both girls and every time I turn my back to try to make something to eat or get some laundry or PEE my son is trying to climb on top of the dining room table. School has started! We're BUSY!

So again, shame on me for not blogging all about Chicago when it was happening. I was busy then too dang it. I'm a busy girl!



Here we go - the second half of my tenth grade essay, "What I Did On Summer Vacation"

After Erin's wedding things settled down a little bit. No much - just enough to let us catch our breath a bit. Erin and Jon's wedding was one of the major highlights of our vacation - after all, it was the reason the trip got planned in the first place! So once it was over, we could kind of slow down and move onto other things. Kind of.

I don't know if I've mentioned the gym yet. Or the pool. *drool* Both were absolutely rockin' and pretty much made our trip complete. One of the best perks of working at the hospital is the free membership that mom gets to the most fantastically awesome health club I've ever been sweaty in, and she was wonderful enough to get me and the kids a temporary membership for the month we were there. Seriously, the place is amazing. It's beautiful first of all. And it has these huge family changing rooms that don't smell like old sweat socks, with big fluffy towels and kid friendly showers stocked with everything you need. And if you don't have your kids with you, you can use the awesome women's locker room, which has everything from a whirlpool to all of your shower essentials to lemon water to these awesome towels that you can wrap all the way around your body. And around your head. And you can take an extra to stand on. And you don't have to feel guilty about any of it!

But the best part of the gym was the kids' club. Every day the girls could go to "Discovery Club" which was run by a few full-time staffers and a handful of really sweet and fun and incredibly energetic college kids. Every day they played games indoors and out, used the rock climbing wall, went swimming, did crafts, and more. And the best part is that it was included in a membership and they could stay for up to three hours every day. And........get this.......I could LEAVE THE BUILDING.

I mean, seriously.....they told me that and I was GONE - down the block GONE. I adore my kids but they had way more fun at Discovery club than they did with me and it gave me some much needed time off.

On days we didn't go the gym (or sometimes after the gym) we would go to the pool (That's Banana in the picture, personally I think she may have a future as a Hawaiian Tropic model). My sister works for the park district now and was able to wrangle pool passes for all four of us. This is the same community pool that I used to take Tom and Sarah to when we were younger and had to ride our bikes all summer long. Back then it was basically a big concrete hole in the ground full of water. But in the past eight million years since I've last been there, they have done some major renovations. Now there is a fantastic kids' section complete with fountains and a sand area and a zero-depth entry on three sides, where they can splash and play and have a blast in like, eight inches of water. They took the diving boards away and put in three water slides and added new seating and a new snack bar and we wasted about a trillion hours just lazing it away in the sun. It was bliss.

And in between all of those visits to the gym and trips to the pool, we did a bunch more stuff.

First of all....we went to the mall. I don't know if I mentioned that before, but we went to the REAL mall. Like, one that is only 20 minutes away that I don't have to drive through a national landmark to get to. So that was cool. We went out to eat with friends and we rented movies, and again people - we went to the MALL. My girlfriends here were all very jealous. I went to Target too. Like, lots and lots and lots of times. And to Super WalMart PAST 10:00 at night. That may be par for the course in good old Illinois but out here in Oregon that's crazy talk. So yeah. Boo-ya.


We did some other stuff too. The day after Erin's wedding, some of our closest friends from college celebrated their little girls' first birthday and it was awesome to be able to attend her party. We miss all of our friends so much sometimes and they have all always been so fantastic to us since we started having babies, so it was wonderful to be able to share their milestone with them. Happy Birthday again Addie!

At that party I had a chance to reconnect with a ton of our other friends from college and thanks to Bernie and Jeff's generosity, we planned a somewhat impromptu BBQ for the following weekend. I knew that Mom and Jack had another wedding to attend so it seemed like a great opportunity to hang out with some of our old friends. There was a ton of food and Guitar Hero (being played by my best friend Seth and godson Jacob in the picture) and there were little kids EVERYWHERE - that's what happens when everyone grows up - they procreate. But once the night got rolling, there was no stopping it - when Banana finally tracked me down (sitting in the dining room talking about who knows what with all my girlfriends) and told me that she was tired and ready for bed, I was shocked to look at my watch and realize it was almost midnight! So we stuffed them all back into Mom's truck and headed home, but it had been a seriously awesome night. A HUGE thanks again to Berns and Jeff for opening up their house, and to everyone who took time out of their weekend to come hang out. It was almost like the "old days."

I woke up the day after Bernie's party in a little bit of a panic. All of a sudden I was experiencing a major shift in my vacation-mindset. Where once I had been thinking "what in the hell am I going to do to keep these kids occupied for five and a half weeks," suddenly I was starting to FREAK OUT that my vacation was slipping away from me far too quickly. Out of nowhere, we were more than halfway through it, and although we were missing Skippy terribly (and the silent house was making him crazy in Oregon), we weren't quite ready to start thinking about saying good-bye just yet either.

Thankfully, we still had one last exciting surprise planned for the girls - COUNTRY THUNDER USA. And I PROMISE (Mom) that I will blog all about it tomorrow! Right now I have to go get ready for bed - Banana has to catch the bus bright and early at six fifteen tomorrow morning!

Finally.....our Windy City recap

We've been home for almost a month now and I figured it's past time we get to our Chicago Vacation Blog. Things have been a bit crazy and I'm a little disappointed that it's not going to be the blog I wanted (because quite frankly, I'm just too damn tired and it's been too damn hot - over 110 this past weekend) but a blog is a blog.

So here we go.

Week One - June 24th to June 28 (that's the kids at the airport)

Tuesday afternoon Skippy drove us to the airport. Our bags were packed, our DVD player was charged, backpacks were stuffed full of snacks and crayons and play-doh for the plane, and we were ready to go. Skippy was melancholy for a good part of the trip. I think it really hit him that he was going to be "bachin' it up" for over a month without the day to day craziness that is life with three small kids.

We pulled up in the kiss and fly lane at PDX and got the kids out. Then the bags. Then the car seats. Then we shuffled the whole mess over to curbside check in and got ourselves all squared away. Then the kids said goodbye to Daddy. Then *I* said my goodbyes. I swear that for a split second I thought he was going to pull a Banana and start sniffling. But then he hopped back into my minivan and peeled away from the curb, so I may have only been imagining that part.

We landed at Midway around eleven o'clock Chicago time. Mom, Jack, and Jax were waiting for us and I was never so happy to see their smiling faces. My children had defied the laws of nature and multiple time zones by NOT sleeping a wink the entire flight and I was exhausted. After sitting in traffic for two hours, we finally made it to my Mom's house where we promptly crashed and crashed hard.

(Aunt Jax with Chunk at Mom's BBQ)

The rest of the work-week was a flurry of unpacking, settling in, and preparing for Mom's BBQ bash with family and friends, which took place on Saturday. THAT was a fun day. The weather was beautiful and there was tons of food and tons of visiting. My grandparents were there along with lots of family and even though a lot of folks had other plans that day, almost all of my closest college friends made it over, including my girlfriend Jen (she arrived and surprised me with Jax), who I hadn't seen in years. Even after my family trickled out, Jax, Jen, and Seth continued to hang out and visit and it was really the perfect day. We went to bed that night feeling like our visit was off to an awesome start.



Week Two - June 29th to July 5

(Banana and her Popsicle)

The day after Mom's BBQ we were up bright and early again for a day at Blackberry Farm in Aurora. The hospital where both Mom and Jack work was hosting their company picnic and it promised to be another full day for the kiddos and me. After a quick breakfast out with Aunt Jax and Aunt Jen, the kids and I met up with Jack and we were off to meet Nana (who was helping to set up) at the picnic.

Blackberry Farm has been around forever - I can remember going there with my little sister Sarah's preschool class! They have a merry-go-round and pony rides and big old historic buildings with actors giving demonstrations of life in early America. So we ate ice cream and got the girls' faces painted and rode the ponies and went on the merry-go-round at LEAST four times and had all sorts of exhausting fun.

After that the remainder of the week passed in a complete and total whirlwind of shopping for my cousin Erin's wedding, which was the original reason for our whole visit in the first place. There are eighteen grandchildren on my Dad's side of the family and even though I adore all of my cousins, Erin and I have always been especially close. There was no way I was going to miss her big party. So after days of combing the mall (only to finally borrow a great dress from Jacquie), we finally wound down our week with the arrival of the Fourth of July.

Growing up, the fourth was always one of my favorite holidays. It was always just a day off when everyone stuck around the house, there was no question that we'd be grilling, and about an hour before dusk, we'd troop out to the high school to watch the fireworks. When we first moved out to Oswego, they didn't even HAVE their own fireworks but once they started, they got better and better with each passing year. I used to go every year with my folks, and then later with Skippy and eventually it's where we took both Banana and Kbear for their first fireworks displays...which I believe both of them slept through! So true to form, everyone stuck around during the day, we grilled, and then we trooped out to the high school to watch the big show. The kids and I made some awesome firecracker hats too and I only burned my fingers once getting a sparkler going for Kbear - one of those many moments on vacation when I missed having Skippy with me!




And after yet another late night, we were up early on the fifth for Erin's big day. If I had to sum up her wedding in one word, it would be.....I don't know. Gorgeous comes to mind. So does elegant. Flawless. And beautiful. She and Jon threw a hell of a party and she looked absolutely stunning. The girls attended the ceremony with us (where Kbear whispered in awe that Erin "looked like a princess") and then Jacquie saved the day as she always does and took all three of them back to Mom's house for the night so that I could enjoy the reception. I had an opportunity to visit with my family from all over the place and with the exception of a few very emotional moments related to my Dad's absence, it was an amazing night. I was incredibly happy to be there and to be a part of it and I am so grateful that I didn't miss it.

More to come!!!

True friends....

Before I really begin this blog post, I have to take a moment to say Happy Birthday to my very BEST girlfriend, my Mom. I hope it was a great day Mama and I love you!

During my month in Chicago, everyone had at least one question in common - they wanted to know if we've made any good friends out here in the wilds of Oregon.

I've had a lot of time to reflect on my Oregon and Illinois friendships since my trip - some recent reconnections on face book and other experiences since arriving back in Oregon have made me do a lot of thinking about the life that Skippy and I have begun to build out here. And I can honestly say that without my Oregon friends, this would not be even close to the fantastic home it has become.

I mean, I have friends who will watch my kids at the drop of a hat, or who don't hesitate to call if they need a hand with their own. That's just what we do - it's not about money or favors or "I'll pay ya back" or any of that - it's just how we pitch in to keep each other sane.

I have friends to go to movies with who introduce me to the insanely yummy idea of dumping your M&Ms into the popcorn (try it, it's good!), friends to go eat ice cream brownies with, and friends who yell at me if I don't go to the gym after going to the movies for M&Ms popcorn and eating ice cream brownies.

I have friends who don't hesitate to take my own offspring to the potty with them when they are taking their own - after all, what's one more butt to keep track of right?

I have friends who step up in a crisis - who will keep my girls overnight without any hesitation when my baby gets sick and I'm stuck in the hospital and my husband is out of town. These are the kind of friends who tell you to breathe, and not to worry...and you actually listen because you trust them with your most precious cargo and suddenly the whole mess isn't quite so scary any more.

I have friends who are always up to split gas for a road trip to Portland specifically to have lunch at Red Robin - friends who don't care if the day ends up being something slightly different from what we had envisioned because it's just fun to hang out and be together.

I even have friends who worry when the temperature gets to a hundred and thirteen degrees while my husband is out of town and I'm melting in the house with limited air conditioning and three children. These are the friends who invite us over and won't take any excuses - the kind of friends who feed us dinner and give us room and board for the night in their air conditioned house, all for the price of ice cream sundae fixings.

I have friends who hold my hand, say prayers on my behalf, come to my kids' birthday parties, love my family like an extension of their own, bring meals in times of need, hold out hope for my triumphs, mourn my losses, support my endeavors, and love me for the scattered, unorganized, and hopelessly emotional mess that I am.

So yeah, I have some pretty darn good friends.

Calling for abundant sunshine

And temps that rival the seventh circle of hell.

I am not kidding people. Today when we went by the bank, the clock/thermometer said it was one hundred and four degrees. And it felt like it. Even in Home Depot and Subway (our two stops for the evening, in search of window fans and dinner) the air conditioning has a hard time keeping up with the heat outside.

Tomorrow's forecast? *Only* expected to be 105 folks. And Saturday we're going to have a slight warm up to a hundred and six. But hey, our heat advisory expires at 8p.m. on Saturday night and we cool off to a balmy 100 by Sunday.

Everyone tells me "at least it's not humid here like in Chicago!" At least in Chicago everyone has central air. After a lifetime of being spoiled by the magical cooling vents, this 1970s wall unit stuff sucks.

Dry heat my ass. There comes a point where hot is hot is hot. And it's hot.

Stay cool boys and girls. I've got a Chicago-recap in progress - at this point I'm tyring to remember everything we did! Drink your water and sit tight.

A moment stuck in the past...

Last night I stayed up late watching the Olympics. Watching the women's gymnastics team lose the gold and clinch the silver but even more excitedly watching Michael Phelps grab first one record-breaking gold medal, and then another. I love to watch the Olympics - I've even been letting the girls stay up late to watch some of them with me because I believe that it's an important part of our world-culture to experience, if only through the TV; so many purely emotional human moments happen during the games in the midst of all that competition...it's really something to see.

After I watched the men's relay, I got to thinking about an old crush from my childhood - not an old high school sweetheart but a JUNIOR high school infatuation - really the first serious crush I ever had. His name was Mike Revers and I thought the sun rose and set around him when I was in the seventh grade. I was in heaven in eighth grade when he asked me "out" - which if you don't remember, in eighth grade pretty much means writing notes and holding hands in the lunch room...he broke my heart in a NOTE just a few weeks later; my first absolutely crushing heartbreak. I sobbed for hours and like any good ex-girlfriend, resolved to his suggestion that we "just be friends."

He had always been a swimmer. Not just a swimmer but a really GOOD swimmer. My freshman year in high school, I attended every swim meet I possibly could, mostly because my fourteen year old heart fancied itself still in love. Oddly enough, we really DID become friends - or maybe I was just part of his high school fan club...looking back I don't really know but then again, I didn't really care.

My last day at Waubonsie Valley High School was a sad one - my parents were moving us 12 miles down the road to an itty-bitty town called Oswego...which isn't so itty bitty any more but back then, it was NOWHERE. Mike snuck me off to a practice room in the music department and kissed me goodbye and I remember feeling elated and heartbroken all at the same time. Even after we moved, I continued to attend WVHS swim meets, sitting by his parents with a few of my other giggling girlfriends and screaming my lungs out while he swam. His parents were always so good to me, so sweet. He was their only son due to the loss of a younger brother years ago and they doted on him and in turn, doted on his friends.

Inevitably over the years I lost touch with him as I settled into life at my new school. I made new friends. I got my first real boyfriend and finally put that old childhood crush to rest. But every so often, even through college, I thought about Mike and wondered how he was doing. After all, these were the days before email - I knew that he had gone on to Notre Dame and that he was still swimming. But beyond that, nothing. Eventually he was just another memory - an old childhood friend from a long time ago.

So I'm not sure what made me plug his name into Google last night -- something about watching the Olympic swimming stirred some old memories. His name popped up in my mind and I found myself wondering if he was still swimming; wondering what he was up to.

I mean, don't get me wrong - I've googled lots of ex boyfriends. That's part of the fun of the Internet! Hell, I've googled most of Skippy's ex-girlfriends too, because I can be a snot about stuff like that sometimes. But I'd never even thought to Google good old Mike Revers until last night. It's been at least ten years since we last talked, maybe more.

The first link that came up was a blog about cancer. And in it, was a copy of Mike's obituary. I sat there in stunned silence, thinking that it couldn't possibly be the same person....then I got to his parents' names, to the blurb about how much he loved to swim, and I knew that it could be no one else. He died last year at just 28 from melanoma.

It's strange to find yourself feeling grief for someone you knew so long ago, someone who was a friend but not a friend....someone who played the role of your first love -- before you even knew what love really was and only thought that you did. There is a profound sadness in a discovery like this - that your lives took such different paths and that after so many years he should end in a few written words that try to sum up the man he became after the smiling quirky athletic teenager you once knew. He kept on swimming and he got married and like the rest of us, he grew up. I'm sure he was a very different person from the one I remember and yet, I doubt he was THAT different.

He is in my prayers today, as are his parents and his wife. I doubt his folks would even remember me, but I remember them very well - the cookies they brought to swim meets and the teasing they gave his "fan club" and the way his dad used to whistle to help keep him on pace while he swam - the way his mom used to hug me and how deeply they loved their son. I can only imagine how much he is missed.

Is it even worth it?

I mean seriously - I get it now. I screwed up big time by not taking time out of my Chicago restaurant eating-mulitple mall shopping-sunny day swimming-family and friend visiting Windy City extravaganza to blog just a little bit every day. It was a HUGE mistake and now I forgive any of you who sent me a snarky email or a cross instant message. I'm flattered that you missed me, and disappointed that I haven't managed to write it all up yet. I mean at this point, it is even worth it to tell ya all about our trip?

Granted, life has been pretty boring since we got back. We've made a trip into Portland, hosted my niece for a few nights, BBQ'd with friends, picked TWELVE POUNDS of blueberries, and done the usual grind around the house - dishes, laundry, kids, rinse, and repeat. It's been quiet. I've seen new babies and visited with old friends and just enjoyed settling back into life in Oregon; Mostly I have realized that I have come to take the landscape (and life out here in general) for granted - the clear blue Columbia and the gorgeous hills and mountains that surround us are new to me again - and I've come to realize that this really *is* home. Chicago will always be a huge part of who I am - after all, it's where my story began, as they say. I see that skyline in a movie or hear a news story and my heart beats a little faster for my first home. But here, with my children and my Skippy....here I've really realized that home is wherever we are together, and that is all I really need.

Admittedly it was somewhat discouraging to come home to a busted computer. The one drawback to having a wonderful, smart and resourceful GEEK for a husband is that there is no such thing as 1-800-DELL in a geek's universe. Oh no my friends, real geeks build their own computers. And when something (inevitably) breaks, a true geek will tinker for hours on end to find the culprit, much like a mechanic who devotes his days off to working on cars for fun. It's endearing and infuriating for those of us who aren't tech savvy, but for the time being, my very own marvelous geek has managed to get me back online. We'll see if the band aid holds.

I'll be back tonight with a Chicago recap - at the very least a Chicago vacation timeline. Right now I have to help Skippy pack and get out the door - his new role at the Goog officially began today, and he's already being packed up and sent out of town. Such is the life of a busy father. In the meantime, the kids and I will bide our time here at home like we always do. Such is the life of a busy mama.


Edited to add that I totally lied AGAIN. I am so totally going to bed. But if the computer stays on, I will be back on it tomorrow and I WILL get this Chicago blog out of my system!

There's no place like home....unless your computer is broken

So yeah......

Hiya.

Long time no see.

I know, right?

We are safely back in Oregon, among our fellow Googlers and mountains. The return flight was....well it was two planes, three kids, and ten hours of travel - you draw your own conclusions.

Anyway - I was dismayed to be told upon arrival back in the Beaver state that yes indeed, our power supply was still kaput. (Kaput is a very technical term, as is "busted" and "kerplooey") Sooooooo I haven't been able to blog. I mean, right now I'm typing this on Skippy's laptop because I had to write SOMETHING so that you guys didn't think we had been detained by any TSA agents with crazy eyes at Midway or anything.

We are home

We are safe.

We are tired.

I have a toothache.

Hopefully I will blog soon.

Good-byes are never easy

In fact, I'm trying very hard not to think about ours tomorrow, when we say goodbye to my Mom and Jack, to my brother and sister, and to all of our friends here in the windy city. Tomorrow at lunchtime we are back on a plane bound for the Northwest - back to my beloved mountains. Back to my dog. Oh yeah, and back to Skippy too.

It's been a wonderful trip. These last few days didn't go quite as planned when a horrible toothache flared up on me Wednesday night, sending me to the ER while all the kidlets slept unaware at home. The dentist here says that I most likely need a root canal back at home but in the meantime, I'm eating 800 mg of Motrin every eight hours like candy. At this point, as long as we all make it back home in one piece, I'm happy.

I really did have every intention of blogging religiously on this trip. But as they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men" blah blah blah....or as I say, "shit happens." But anyway, I will write up a summary of our trip, complete with pictures as soon as I can. Right now I'm more focused on making sure we are leaving with everything that we arrived with, and making sure I don't leave anything important behind like say, the baby.

Lots of love!

A food blog, inspired by Charlotte

So first of all, let me begin by saying OH MY GOD I'M SORRY! I have been catching hell from all sides about my lack of blogging over the last two weeks - I honestly had no idea that my life was so exciting to you people but I will say that I am flattered that you have all missed my random blabbing. Or maybe you're just bored and waiting for the latest CSI rerun to come on, I don't know. Anyway, I am going to write a Chicago vacation update very soon (tonight or tomorrow depending on when my Oregon body decides to go to sleep on Illinois time) but right now I have to write a blog for one of my best girlfriends in Oregon, the fabulous Miss Char.

Before I do that I have to formally congratulate her in text on the birth of their new princess. Congrats again sweetie and I am so sorry that I missed the big event but I totally can't wait to get home and make you a tater tot casserole.

(For the record, I won't actually make a tater tot casserole. I mean, have you SEEN tater tot casserole? I like my friends!)

Anyway, Char inspired this blog tonight because she introduced me to the Restaurant Rule when I moved the Oregon. When you live in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge, your dining options can be less than stellar. I mean, we have options. If you consider fast food an option we totally have those - I think we have representation from just about every major fast food chain somewhere within city limits. And we have a 24 hour Denny's, which is great for rowdy girls' night dessert sessions where we talk loudly about things that are probably completely inappropriate for a group of grown women, and where we all leave feeling like we just ate whatever that stuff is that's stuck in a deep fryer after they drain the oil out of it to donate to some hippie for his alternative fuel scooter.....

But I digress. The point is that we have NO REAL CHAIN RESTAURANTS if you want to go out for a nice dinner to the kind of place where the menu is the same in all two hundred and twenty six locations. Where you can get the same chicken cheese pasta in Oregon as you can in New Hampshire. Where everyone is thinking Outback tonight, or where it's always Friday. Zip. Nada.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all about supporting the local mom and pop places. And we've got a couple of good ones. But every so often, you want something familiar. You want something comfortable. And you don't want it to be served to you in a paper bag.

Hence my introduction to the restaurant rule through my dear friend Charlotte, who explained patiently to me that whenever you have the opportunity to leave city limits and you find yourself in need of nutritional sustenance, you absolutely MUST eat somewhere that you cannot eat at home. No exceptions.

So in honor of Charlotte, here is a list of all of the places we have eaten here in Illinois. Illinois people, I know that you just don't understand, you of the 24 hour grocery stores and gas stations with mini marts. But trust me when I say that anyone I know in Oregon definitely gets why this is a big deal. At least, everyone outside of the Portland metro area.

Here we go:

~ Panera Bread

~ Red Robin

~ Buffalo Wild Wings

~ Steak and Shake (for a chocolate shake with Jax)

~ Cold Stone Creamery

~ Noodles and Company

~ Chili's for queso and dessert (Thanks Jax)

~ The Oswego Family Restaurant - one of my Mom's favorite spots, a total dive in town with great cheap breakfast. I ate there with the kids and two girlfriends for under thirty bucks.

and last but not least...
~ Portillo's - trust me, it's a Chicago thing.

Still on the list:
~ Ach N Lou's pizza place - my family's number one pizza place for about 25 years. It's a hole in the wall that has been around forever, cuts its pizza into squares, and was the location of my rehearsal dinner. It is far and away my favorite pizza in the world no matter what Skippy says.

~ Our old Chinese place in DeKalb (the name escapes me but I'm sure Skippy knows it) - I plan on hitting it when I go out there next week if at all possible. Once upon a time they knew Skippy by name and would have his order ready to go when he walked in.

~ Ollie's Custard - Another throwback to the college days. I have yet to find an acceptable ice cream place anywhere in town at home. I can't wait.


Apparently I'm quite happy eating my way through my vacation! And because this is a Charlotte inspired blog, I am sitting here typing and remembering the very first time I met her, in the McDonald's play place with a book in my hand. She sighed wistfully while chasing her daughter around and wondered (out loud to me by way of introduction) when on earth she would be able to sit and read a book again. So to date on my vacation I have been able to read:

~ One entire issue of Parents Magazine without interruption.

~ The Other Boelyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
http://www.amazon.com/Other-Boleyn-Girl-Philippa-Gregory/dp/0743227441/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215661056&sr=1-2

~ The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner
http://www.amazon.com/Guy-Not-Taken-Stories/dp/0743298055/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215661172&sr=1-1

~ And just tonight I finished Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
http://www.amazon.com/Something-Borrowed-Emily-Giffin/dp/0312321198/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215661227&sr=1-1


So in conclusion, vacation has been full of good things to eat and good things to read! I promise a real update is coming soon!