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!
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