Chicago Pt. 3

If you missed Pt. 1 or Pt. 2, you can catch them here & here!

On Sunday, we slept in a little bit before getting ready to (sadly) check out of the Palmer House. Have I mentioned how great this hotel is? Seriously, it is da-bomb! After we packed all our things and expanded the one suitcase be brought with us on this trip (necessary to get home), we checked out and looked for someplace to get some grub. AKA, breakfast. Corner Bakery Cafe to the rescue!

Apparently I did too much shopping and could not even fit it all in our suitcase...woops. In my defense, gift wrap could not fit in the suitcase regardless AND it was a great deal!

The home of our yummy breakfast and cute sidewalk table :)

We ate our breakfast outside at one of their cafe tables. I thought that it was really neat because we were sitting almost exactly below the L tracks so there were several trains that passed over us. The city is a really neat place!

Their cookies and muffins looked oh so yummy, but we stuck with egg sandwiches. Mine had bacon, eggs and sliced avocados on it. I can tell you this: it will be on our personal menu at home because it was so good! I actually bought avocados at lunch today to this very purpose :)

I love his V-neck shirt. It took a little convincing to get him to like it, but now he loves it. Yay!

Goodbye, Chicago!

On the way home to Indiana, we drove a little bit out of our way to hit IKEA. Have you shopped there? Well, I had browsed their website several times and received their catalog at home but this was my first time in a store. Oh my! They have so.much.stuff that it is crazy-but so fun! I actually saw lots and lots of things that I liked and would like to add to our home, but we only spent a little bit of money on some much needed items like kid cups (for when our nieces come over-now we won't have to give them glasses!), a wok for Stephen to make his yummy stir-fry in, and some serving utensils. If we ever go back I want to buy a day bed and maybe this couch:

But I would like your opinions...am I crazy for wanting/getting a white couch? I mean, the possibilities of what we could be getting ourselves into is pretty endless, especially if kids arrive in the future-yikes! What do you think? Keep in mind that the cover is removable and washable AND we could purchase additional covers for backups...Also, do any of you have IKEA couches? Do you like them? They looked great in the store showroom, but will they hold up well at home when used daily? I do like that each piece has a 10 year warranty...I think if we bought these and used them for 10 years we would definitely get our monies worth!

So, let me know what you think!

I really wanted to eat while we were at IKEA (I had not idea they have a cafe!) but we were not hungry...I did have a low blood sugar though, so we did get a Coke and some Swedish chocolate. Yummy! I think we (or at least I) will be going back to IKEA to make some larger purchases someday. Let me know if you have a truck we can borrow...hint, hint Mom & Dad!

We made it to our home sweet home Sunday evening during a nice rain storm and just relaxed before unpacking. It was just a great weekend with so many memories!



Chicago Weekend Wrap-Up!

Our weekend in the city was great, as we expected it to be! Since our weekend technically started on Thursday night since we were not working, I will start there. First, we met Stephen's family for dinner before his softball games. Can you guess where we ate? El Mex, our favorite Mexican place! After dinner Stephen headed to the games and I took our two older nieces, Ainsley and Emma to get free books from the Chamber of Commerce in North Manchester as part of FunFest (which was happening this weekend). After getting books (and free popsicles) we headed to Stephen's games as well. As it turned out, the team was short several players so Dave, my FIL played as well. I enjoyed cheering the team on along with Hadley who enjoyed a little photo shoot:

Though it was not planned, we also had our first overnight guests at our home Thursday night. After the games, Dave & Bev's car would not start so they were stuck (so to speak) in North Manchester. I am not sure what time it was, but anywhere that could help with a dead car battery was closed. Hadley was also with them because she was staying the night with them while her parents were on a youth trip the following day. It made for an exciting night, that's for sure! I was so glad that everything was unpacked and that we had a guest bedroom for them to use!

Friday morning, Stephen and I headed out before Hadley and Bev awoke. We needed to go to the court house to make sure everything from our closing was recorded properly-it was. After that short stop we were on the road for Chicago, via Michigan City for some outlet shopping! The timing with the long stop for shopping worked out perfectly because we could not check into our hotel until 4.

First picture taken in Chicago, still driving to our hotel!

Checked into the Palmer House Hilton-love our room!

Hilton has awesome beds. I love them!

One view of the lobby. It really is breathtaking in person!

We only had a short period of time after checking in to get ready for the White Sox game. After getting changed and packing the backpack, we were on our way! I had printed directions for us to take the train/subway to the game, and we asked a Hilton employee for directs as well, so we were set. This was Stephen's first experience on a subway underground, so it was kind of exciting!

Of course I snapped pictures to document his first subway experience...

Anxiously waiting for the train to arrive...

This what what I was looking forward to, a good hot dog at the ball park!

We made it to the game quickly and got in line for the gates to open. I was all about getting there early because they were giving away free White Sox tee shirts to the first so many fans. Well, we got free shirts! I was so excited! :) The weather was great for the game, but the game itself was pretty boring. I guess that your team not scoring any runs will do that. Talk about a let down there! The highlight for me was the fireworks at the end of the game. They were awesome!

Saturday morning we slept in later than we planned to, but I think we both really needed the extra sleep. Because we got started late, we skipped breakfast and headed straight for lunch at Giordano's. We arrived 15 minutes before they opened and we were not the first people there! By the time they unlocked the doors at eleven, there was probably 30 people waiting outside. The pizzas take 30-45 minutes to bake, but oh my goodness are they worth it! We decided to just get cheese and it was delicious!

That's all I have time for today, so I am going to leave you wishing you had a bite of that pizza and continue on with the rest of the story tomorrow! See you then!

{hodge podge}

Happy Thursday y'all! I have so many random thoughts floating around in my head that the only way this blog post will ever happen is if I break down and do bullets, so here goes!

• Most of my department at work is at a annual convention in San Diego this week. That means I have not been overwhelmed with work, but been able to start and complete things without interruptions or additional requests. It has been a great help in allowing me to get some things done that were just piling up on my desk!
• The Mr. and I are very excited (me moreso than him) to be planning our Chicago vacation this summer. We are only going for a long weekend, but it will be great. On the agenda: going to the White Sox game that I got him tickets to for Valentine's Day!
• Please continue to be in prayer for precious Anna Grace. She needs all the prayers, love and support she can get. Her tiny little body needs strength!
• Indiana has had some warm weather this week, like in the 50's! It has inspired me to get a pedicure...but I have been wanting one for weeks so I don't really think I needed much inspiration!
• I am getting my hair cut on Saturday and I.CANNOT.WAIT. I love getting my hair done and the new lady that I am going to also give you a shoulder massage at the end. Agh, perfection!
• I feel incredibly blessed and I love my husband so much. We have fun together all the time; even when we can't go to bed because T1D (Type 1 Diabetes if you are a newbie to my blog) is giving me low blood sugar after low blood sugar. I just start acting silly and he gets the juice. I love him!
• Speaking of the above bullet point-that was last night in a nut shell. I am really hoping for a good nights sleep tonight! Did you hear that insulin pump of mine? K, thanks!
• I am not sure what to do once I take down our Valentine's house decor...is it too early to decorate for Easter?
• This week I implemented a meal plan at home and it is going very well. I like that I know what to cook every night without even really having to think about it. It also makes shopping easier because I know what I am going to need! I have already planned for the entire month of March :)
• Speaking of March's meal plan, I am trying out several new recipes that I am super excited about. I hope they are delicious!

That is about all I have right now, but trust me-that randomness could just keep flowing! I hope you all have a great evening and enjoy the warm weather if you have it. I think we are planning to go for a nice walk again tonight :) Oh yeah, and do a happy dance because...tomorrow is FRIDAY! Hoot!

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God." Philippians 1:27-28 NIV