Family, Food and Fun in the Windy City: Day 1 & 2

Day 1

The day started out extra early as we had a 7:15 am flight out of Dallas Love heading to Chicago. Luckily I scored us a hotel close to the airport that allowed us to park for free while we are gone. The only downside is we had to leave too early for the shuttle to take us. Since Pam is a quick thinker, she quickly got on her Uber app and got us a ride to the airport. The driver may or may have not been able to close the hatch to his SUV, ran through a stop light and ran over a curve in the three-mile trip, but we will not talk about all that since we arrived in one piece and on time. Besides, we were too excited for the family, food, and fun we were about to embark upon as boarded the plane for the Windy City AKA Chicago!

The plane ride was great as I had the excellent opportunity to sit by two young guns who were heading to Chicago to attend Lollapalooza. They both felt inclined to have several early morning drinks on the trip and were kind enough to share one with me by spilling their Screwdriver on my shorts and shoes. We soon arrived on time, and I squished my way down to baggage claim with my wet socks that reeked of vodka.

After getting the rental, we cruised downtown for some real Chicago fun. The plan was to hit Grant park and go exploring. That soon faded as it was completely fenced off for the upcoming concert my new friends on the plane ride would be attending. Since Pam is taking a hard shot at the Parent of the Year award, she made another stellar decision that we would detour to Navy Pier.

Pam's choice proved to be a good one as Little D, and AK was delighted to see how incredibly large Lake Michigan was. In fact, a good old-fashioned family argument broke out on whether the lake is salt water or fresh water. I won't tell you how thought it was salt water and who knew it was fresh water. But, I will say that I am hoping geography is covered a little more in the 8th grade this next year for AK!

AK soon grew tired of boats, and the vast body of water and demanded she gets her shopping in. As we headed toward the Magnificent Mile, I was dreading the doom of having to walk in and out of lots of stores while the girls tried on clothes. Then out of the blue, Little D became made me proud as she announced that she didn't want to shop. I told AK and Pam that I would take one for the team and let them have their little shopping spree so I could keep Little D occupied. They both thanked me with a huge hug and a kiss!

Little D and I easily clocked six miles as we hit: the Chicago Tower, John Hancock building, Chicago River, Harry Carry's restaurant, and notorious gangster Frank Nitti's vault. We soon found ourselves famished and parched from the heat and humidity of the Midwest. Little D and I met up with Pam and AK and found they did their very best to stimulate the Chicago economy. We all fueled up on some snacks and headed off to the hotel to check in and get ready for the evening event. 

We checked in and grabbed a quick shower we headed to Aunt Pat's for dinner and family fun. Aunt Pat has a neat house and one of the most incredible gardens I have ever seen. We enjoyed the evening as the girls got to meet Aunt Pat, Aunt Sue and cousins Beth, Peggy, Peggy (Peggy's daughter, not a misprint), and Susie. We watched the Cubs take on their South Side rivals, eating pizza and enjoying the company. It was nice to see the girls getting to know family they have not met before. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and are excited to meet up with them later in the week.

We soon made it back to our hotel were the family cozied up into our beds for the night. Everyone was exhausted from the early wake-up call and the busy festivities of the day!

Day Two:

Day two started out a touch later than it normally does as Pam and I enjoyed some much-needed rest. The girls were still sleeping hard so we went out for a walk and explored the Oak Brook area around the hotel. 

We chowed down on our Hilton breakfast and headed downtown to see the Shedd Aquarium. The aquarium line was long, and Pam soon found herself waiting all by herself as the girls and I decided to play a friendly game of who is heavier as we took turns sitting on each others lap. The game was great, but not nearly as fun as the expression on Pam's face when she spotted her crew doing our usual horsing around when we get bored.

We finally got into the aquarium and enjoyed all the different fish. AK loves aquariums and was fascinated by the different species. Little D was excited to get to see the penguins, and Pam quickly fell in love with the beluga whales. I just enjoyed watching the family enjoy our vacation. Little D started to get her "hangry" on, and Pam knew it was time to head out.  The traffic in Chicago is an absolute nightmare but not nearly as scary as the neighborhoods our Google app took us through. 

We made it back to the hotel with enough time to freshen up and get ready for dinner. We went to meet up with cousin Kathy and Auntie Cookie. We enjoyed a great meal at the Cheesecake Factory, but we felt the company was even better. The girls were excited to be able to meet more family and had a great time hearing stories of Papa's shenanigans when he was younger.  We enjoyed our time together and as always, were sad to say goodbye. With our bellies full and hearts even fuller, we headed back to the hotel for another nights slumber before day 3 kicks into full gear with more family fun and adventures!

The Desparrois First Ever RV Camping Trip: Day 4 & 5

Day 4

Once again I was up early from all the terrific sleep with the comforts of a paper thin mattress that only an RV can provide. Pam and the girls slept in a little later with Little D winning the award for waking up the latest. Perhaps she needed her rest after a long day of being the youngest in the family!

Pam and AK decided to be wild and hike a new trail. They came back after a while from being gone to tell the crazy adventurous of their journey. From the sounds of it, they were able to spot this very tree and...live to tell the tale of seeing it!

The morning was beautiful as it was somewhat cold for a summer in Texas with some cloud cover to help block the penetrating evil rays of the sun. Once again, Pam created some good eats with breakfast burritos full of eggs, bacon, jalapeno, onion, and avocado with a squirt of hot sauce and some fresh fruit. Pam and AK have become quite the camp cooks, and both are vying for the title of being called the official camp Cook.

We cleaned up breakfast and settled into the river as it has become a comfortable place for Little D as if she were a frog. Little D has surprised me on the river. She's not of fan of wildlife and is scared to death of fish. For some unknown reason, she doesn't seem to be bothered by the river and has loved swimming in it.

We floated up and down the river a few times, and I went on my own hike in the shade. The sun's intense heat was starting to get to my pale skin, so Pam and I retreated to make lunch while the girls enjoyed the river a little longer. We cooled off as much as we could and prepared some sandwiches for lunch. The girls soon arrived and scarfed their food down in no time.

With our bellies full, Little D was once again in rare form. For some unknown reason, she decided to wrap an article of clothing around her head. She claimed it keeps her cool. I think it must have been a weirdo gene she received from Pam. Either way, we accepted her new style and played a hardcore game of "Hot Potato" for a while.

Like all good games, the newness wore off, and we were all fighting back the heat. Little D went into the RV while Pam, AK and I sat in the shade.

AK and I decided to cool off and go buy some ice at the parks store. AK was relieved to go as she took both bags of ice and promptly laid them on herself as if they were a cold blanket of loveliness!

AK, Little D, and Pam decided they needed to return to the river one last time. I offered to stay back and keep the camp safe from the wildlife. Mostly, I just couldn't take five more minutes in the sun and had to beat the heat by sitting directly in front of the AC in the RV.

The girls had a blast, and AK was ready to cook the entire meal all by herself. I have to admit, it was very tough not to butt in and offer advice, but she managed just fine and cooked another fantastic meal. She even took the time to show Little D a few tricks of the trade!

I may be partial since AK is my daughter, or maybe she just has had a good teacher, either way, their grub was great and all were satisfied with their camp food!

After dinner, we quickly settled in for the night as we needed to be up early to pack up and head back to live with the civilized people of the world!

Day 5

Pam and I woke up early refreshed and ready to take on the world. It may have been the greatest night of sleep we received battling each other for position on the tiny RV bed, or maybe it was all the back-and-forth jostling we did to try and gain control of the blankets. Whatever the reason, I know I was just excited to pack up and head back to real living with my king-sized mattress and AC that operates as it should!

Pam made another round of breakfast burritos, and I started to pack the car and get the RV ready to be returned. Only one small task stood between us and the return to the civilized world, and that was dumping the dumper. I must admit I have had nightmares about dumping the dumper since Pam first surprised me with the trip on Father's Day. Instant flashbacks of watching Cousin Eddie kept coming to my mind. I had a huge fear of it getting everywhere and being rejected by society. I even texted Rigo and asked for his sound advice. Thankfully, Rigo told me not to worry and that it actually was easy to do. And you know what...Pam agrees, it really was not hard for her to do at all! In fact, after she saluted me with her new and improved "FU" finger and asked me for my man card, she stowed the dumper tube back in the RV, and we headed to turn our new adventure in.

We returned the RV with ease, and Pam announced that our return to civilization would include lunch at a nice restaurant. We arrived at Maggiano's to enjoy a fabulous meal under actual AC in our sweaty, river-smelling clothes.  I'm sure the waiter wondered at his good luck.  However, the food was incredible and Little D gave it a substantial 4-out-of-5 meatballs eaten rating.

After six days on the road, three nights in the RV, one at BobBob and BJ's house, another at the luxurious Embassy Suites that offers free breakfast, one day at Fiesta Texas, three solid days on the river, lots of camp food grilled by AK, celebrating our seventeenth year of wedded bliss, lots of sweat, more than one cool beverage, losing my man card, seeing the new and improved "FU" finger more than once, Little D kind of overcoming her fear of going to the public restrooms with spiders...we rode in to Midland only to be greeted by no electricity and no AC! 

Pam and I have a couple of busy weeks ahead of us at work. But I am excited to report the Desparrois family will be taking another exciting trip at the end of July to the Windy City to enjoy family, food, fun and, of course, the Cubs.

On a side note, the blog has officially reached its 5000th hit! Interesting enough, it is now international with readers all over the world. This would not be possible without my favorite groupies Rigo, Kelly and Cousin Garrett. After counting the vote, Kelly has been named President of the Fan Club, while Rigo will serve as the Secretary of Treasury and Cousin Garrett will continue his duties as Number One Super Fan!

The Desparrois First Ever RV Camping Trip: Day 3

The day started out at my usual early hour, not because I wanted to get up, but more because the meat locker froze me out of the metal box. Pam and the girls soon followed, and we enjoyed a beautiful, morning outside enjoying the sun coming up and the wildlife around us. The area we are staying at is called Turkey Sink. It is appropriately named as a turkey wandered into our campground. AK decided she wanted to pet the turkey, so she tried strutting up to it as if she were one. Unfortunately, it didn't work, but we did enjoy the show.

After Pam and the girls made some mean campsite breakfast burritos, he headed off to the river for more family fun. Once again we left AK in charge with strict rules that Little D was to stay close. Little D was in rare form in the morning. The kind where she sneaked into the soda cooler and had herself an all-nighter. She was wild and goofy all at the same time. Pam and I could have cared less as she was now AK's problem to deal with!

While heading to the river, AK told us how much fun she was having and loved camping! The girls were having a great time swimming in the river and enjoying each others company as Pam and I were equally happy to spend some quality time going on a small hike to survey the surrounding lands.

Upon our return from our hike, the girls found a massive river boulder to jump off of. They were enjoying each others company as they laughed and giggled with glee and held hands for the big jump! Life couldn't get any better. Both Pam and I were patting ourselves on our back for the incredible job of parenting we have accomplished. Our kids not only loved and admired us for all our hard work and efforts for taking them on vacation, but they also love each other and want to be on each other's side! Yep, life was pretty good when you have the incredible parenting skills we possess!

It was soon time to head back to camp and get Little D loaded up with protein and water. After all, we were on our game and didn't want grumpy Little D to make an appearance from lack of proper nutrition. We had some sandwiches, sat around and relaxed. AK played a prank on me as she suckered me into looking into a water bottle and making believe something was inside it with the incredible magic skills she has. There was something inside it all right...It's called water, and she squeezed the bottle tight as my eyeball was looking inside. After AK made sure I had a clean left eyeball and cleaned out sinus canals, we went back to the river for some great family bonding!

When we arrived back at the river, the girls ran off to go in the water as Pam, and I held hands in pride of what we were raising. They gently floated downstream and started their hike back towards us when Pam noticed Little D trailing AK, and AK having her not-so-happy big-sister-face on. When they reached us it was full force game on as each offspring from Pam were in a war of words over what to do next and why the other was being unreasonable.

I retreated in wonder as to what went wrong. But not Pam, being the star parent of the vacation, she went into full-on Mama bear mode with her new and improved "FU" finger and quickly put what she calls the "Divide and Conquer defense" into play. The Divide and Conquer is very simple. Pam takes one kid, and I take the other and we separate. This way each child gets their own attention and are not near the other sibling.

I quickly grabbed AK because she was really not the root cause of the problem, and Pam got to take on Little D as she was coming down from her soda-induced sugar high! Peace was soon restored as AK, and I played catch with a football for awhile and decided to head off on a hike. I enjoyed the walk a great deal as AK told me all about her wonders of the future and her hopes and dreams. I have always loved the junior high mind, but getting to really listen to your own child during the junior high years is a fascinating a gift. It seems that AK has grown up so fast that I have to remember to set some time just to really listen to her and enjoy the person she is becoming.

After and hour apart, we rejoined the family. Pam and Little D were skipping rocks and having an equally good time. It was soon time to return to camp and relax. The girls made up, and the joy of camping returned in the RV!

AK took control of the grill and did most of the cooking. She has become a quick study and once again grilled us up some amazing food! Little D was in charge of the fire and provided us some much-needed heat on the 95-degree evening!

After a wonderful campsite meal, a few cold ones and some quality time together. We decided to lay our tired bodies down for another joyful night sleep on a hard mattress with ice cold air conditioning. We were roughing it, but loving every minute of it!

The Desparrois First Ever RV Camping Trip: Day Two

The day started off with Pam and I getting up and heading down for the delicious free Embassy Suites breakfast. The girls are not big breakfast eaters, so we opted to let them sleep in while we relaxed with our morning coffee and prepared for the day. 

Pam was a little more nervous than most mornings as she was not fully in control of what could happen in the next few hours as we embarked upon our first RV experience. Since Pam booked the trip and surprised me on Father's Day with it, she was fully responsible for us having a great time! Forget the small fact that we would be living in a metal box in the sweltering heat and humidity of Texas--she was determined the Desparrois' were going to enjoy camping!

Pam's nerves were not getting any better as went drove to the worst neighborhood in San Antonio to pick up the RV. We soon saw our Deluxe Standard Twenty-Five Footer pull up, and the girls anticipation was shared with smiles and screeches of delight. We learned the ins-and-outs of how to use the dumper, shower, propane stove and most importantly--the AC. We felt comfortable enough to load up and head to Guadalupe River State Park. We arrived at our new wooded home and set up camp!

The park was great, and we sent the girls out on a scouting trip to survey the land. My thinking was simple, if there was any wild animals it was better the girls take one for the team rather than myself. After all...this trip was my Father's Day present. While the girls were hiking Pam sustained the first injury of the trip. She slammed the all-important "FU" finger in the door. Now most people don't know this about Pam, but she could possibly be the toughest person alive when it comes to pain. For instance, she opted to go without any type of painkillers when the girls were born and AK came out sideways. If you have ever seen AK's feet you would understand how tough a task that was!!! If my finger got slammed in the door and it crushed the nail and caused a blood blister on the other side, I would have officially declared the vacation over and went to the ER for instant sympathy and good painkillers. But not my Pam, she smiled and laughed it off as a part of roughing it in the great outdoors. Besides, she was quite pleased to be able to display her new and improved "FU" finger off. I should know, I got to view it several times!

We decided to head down to the river and were blown away by how beautiful it was. AK stripped down and headed into the water as fast as she could. Little D followed her big sister, and they soon found relief and comfort from the heat and humidity. Pam and I jumped in and cooled off in the refreshing water. Pam was feeling pretty good about herself as I told her she couldn't have picked a better place to camp with the beauty around us. She smiled and said she picked the closest place so I wouldn't have to drive the RV very far!

AK and Little D went up and down the river numerous times. They even found a massive rock to jump off of. The river had plenty of people cooling off and enjoying the refreshing waters. As much as other people were enjoying it, I'm pretty sure our girls liked more than most. They have never really been river swimming, and we were extremely pleased that Little D was able to over come her fear of fish in the water!

After a long refreshing swim, we went back to camp to get some much needed camp food. I made AK in charge of the grill while Little D helped Pam prepare the vegetables. AK did amazing grilling up some burgers, hot dogs and sausage. We ate like kings as the sun went down and the Texas hill country slowly went into a slumber

We got situated in the RV for the night. It was still rather warm even though the AC was on high all day. We were hoping it would cool down as the night wore on. That's when we soon realized the RV has two temperatures. One is, the "Sweat-of-a-Steamy Sauna" and the other being "Freeze-Your-Ass-Off Cold". It turns out there is no happy medium or in between. We were able survive the night with some rest and Pam was able to put her new and improved "FU" finger to good use as she saluted the RV's AC several times during the night.

The girls slept on the top loft and Little D was loving every moment of it.  AK seemed to have a tougher time adjusting as a loud thumping noise would be heard every couple of minutes. This was AK constantly rediscovering the low ceiling with her head!

We survived and enjoyed day one of our camping adventure as we looked forward to day two As Little D learns to overcome her fear of showering with spiders in the community restrooms.

The Desparrois First Ever RV Camping Trip: Day 1

The day started out early at BobBob and BJ's house. We decided we would come in a day early and go a little out of our way to stay the night with Pam's grandparents in Abilene, TX. We love stopping in and seeing them because BobBob fills us full of great stories of times past while BJ fills our bellies full of incredible food. As always, BJ didn't disappoint with the food and BobBob was great company!

After an early wake up call, Pam and I went on an early morning walk to celebrate our countries Independence and our unity towards each other with seventeen years of total wedded bliss. We enjoyed our walk as we recalled our past anniversaries. Being married on the 4th of July means we have enjoyed some rather adventurous trips and times together. This year would be no different as Pam decided we needed to rent an RV and take it to the Guadalupe River State Park in the heart of Texas.

Before we set fourth on our camping trip to the hottest part of Texas, during the hottest part of the year. We decided we would stop in San Antonio and spend the 103 degree day at Six Flags over Fiesta Texas. After all, what says I love you more than a theme park, long lines, carb-loaded junk food, and excessive heat?



















Pam being the brilliant wife she is researched ahead of time and discovered that Fiesta Texas is much more than your typical theme park. In addition to all the wonderful loop roller coasters and spinning rides that we were just so eager to embark upon, they also have a water park. We decided we would hit that first and enjoy some sense of escape from the oppressive heat of the Texas hill country.

Pam and I have a theory that theme parks will be less busy on a huge holiday. It's a good thing it was a theory because apparently us and the rest of San Antonio were like-minded as the park was packed. Interesting enough, the lines; however, were not bad at all and we did not have to wait long. We enjoyed several different water slides and and the lazy river. After a few hours of wet and wild fun, Little D declared she was hungry. Pam, being the early candidate for the coveted "Parent of the Year" award jumped into action and declared the water park over so we could venture onward to find her youngest offspring some food.

We have learned long ago that a grumpy Little D equals a hungry Little D. The only way to hold off the monster is to feed it quickly. After a quick trip to a concession stand Little D was pleased to have a Churro while AK, Pam and I snacked on a pickle, pretzel and some nachos. $28 dollars later and our stomachs full of carnival food we were ready to hit some of the real rides.

Pam, knowing that it was our anniversary decided that rather than us going on all the rides with the girls, we would let them go alone so we could rest on a bench and enjoy some "us time". What it really meant; however, was the simple fact that turning forty-two years old and theme parks do not go hand-in-hand. We would leave all the fun up to the girls!

AK decided to lead Little D on the more adventurous roller coasters, and they even talked Pam into spending extra money to go on the zip-line. Pam had no problem throwing money at the girls if it meant we didn't have to go on any rides. She also knew that the girls were leaning their vote towards her as the Parent of the Year!

Pam and I enjoyed spending ridiculous amounts of money on drinking numerous bottles of waters and resting our old feet as the girls went from one ride to the next. They were having a great time together and AK was having the time of her life taking Little D on all the "big rides"! 

It was hard to determine who was having more fun. The adults doing nothing and being happy and content or the girls going from one mind-bending experience to the next. In the end it really didn't matter. I was able to sit next to my bride of seventeen years and wonder where all the time had went. It may have gone by fast but one thing is for sure...we have been blessed far more than we deserve!

It was soon getting dark and the firework show was about to begin. We decided to head out of the parking lot and enjoy the show by our car so we could have a quick get away once the show was over. 

The girls had a great time sitting on top of the car as we watched an amazing show. Once again our theory didn't work out so great as we had to wait in traffic for a while, and I was quickly being targeted as the grumpiest on the trip! We were finally able to make it to the hotel for some late night pizza while we watched Jurassic Park. It was a great day and no doubt another amazing anniversary!

Day two will take us the pick up the RV for the camping expedition to begin! The heat is going to be over a hundred degrees. It will be interesting living in a metal container with high heat and humidity over the next few days.