Post #2) THE FUN CONTINUES ...

Sunday we (Nick, Rhiannon, me and Jaimee) went to their house to pack up some stuff in a truck that Nick had borrowed. I was pathetic little help, I'm ashamed to say. For some reason every joint in my body over the last week feels like it is atrophied (is that the right word?) STIFF. Can barely move. I'm talking toes, ankles, knees, hips, elbows, shoulders ... EVERYTHING. It's really disturbing.


Anyway, even though I didn't do as much as I had wanted to - the other 3 were amazing. They moved all manner of super heavy stuff. The truck got loaded to the gills and then Rhiannon rented another small U-Haul and we still have a couple of vans ful of stuff to bring to the house. But Randy and I can take our van up a couple of times and load it full. (The garage is packed -- needless to say -- whoo hoo for spring so I can park outdoors again!)

The next adventure of Rhiannon's visit was that we were going to go to IKEAon Monday (in Schaumburg a Chi. suburb) and Chicago on Tuesday. Randy decided to join us. He wasn't all that hep on the IKEA visit. We found a Tiger Direct for him on Tuesday which he wasn't able to spend nearly enough time in.

He held fast to his vow not to whine though and it was fun to have him with.

We rode the train downtown. It wasn't nearly as 'scary' as the first time we rode it. The first time, it was like we were suddenly on a different planet or something that first time. It was crowded with all kinds of people who did not look, act, or smell like us. We loved it though. It was super interesting to see a different culture.

This time there were less people and more 'like us'.  That doesn't sound nice, I don't mean it in a bad way, but at least for me I felt like a fish out of water the first time.

None-the-less the train ride was fun, SO much less hectic and nerve-wracking than driving the car downtown would have been for those of us driving.  (Mark and Bellie went out the week before and fared well driving into town.  But he's a former "professional driver" ... ) anyway, we caught a bus to Navy Pier where we walked around and rode the GIANT ferris wheel (it's not a wheeee kind of ride, but rather a leisurely 7 minute ride so you can see the view).

They have a children's museum so we took Jaimee there. The lady at the front desk said "if you wait 35 minutes it is only $4, right now it will cost you $10). So we decided to wait.

Shortly before it was time to get in at the discounted rate - we heard a woman yelling. I'm not sure what she was yelling - probably "help". She and her little girl were riding up the escalator just outside the door. The little girl's clothes or arm or something got caught in the escalator and the escalator kept going. Randy and Rhiannon raced over, got the emergency button pushed and the escalator stopped.

Both mom and little girl (Britney) were shaken. Britney appeared to have a pinch that sort of skinned the top layer of her skin. I got a bandaid from the desk clerk which she didn't really need, but you know how bandaids miraculously cure stuff!!

Once mom recovered she told us she had a pass that she could take 3 people in with her for FREE. So three of us got in FREE with our new friends, and we only paid $4. Jaimee's favorite thing were the water things. She fished and splashed. Didn't have nearly enough time for her. 

Then we wandered around downtown.  I love that.  I wouldn't want to live in it on a day-to-day basis, but the experience is fun.  We didn't shop anywhere because -- well, it was a budget concious trip for me anyway!

We were getting hungry.  Started looking at the different places to eat.  Asked a nice man in Borders (we weren't shopping - but going potty!) about a good place.  He recommended a restaurant in an old hotel.  We walked there and it LOOKED fancier than we were and the menu confirmed it!  So we left.

Finally asked a couple of policepeople (one girl/one boy) on bikes where a good place was.  They recommended PIAZZA's.  As it turned out it was the same exact restaurant Rhiannon and I went to a few years ago (after we stopped a cop and asked for a recommendation).  It was SO yummy.  At least mine was! 

Baby J was the most perfect child through the whole ordeal of traveling and being lugged around.  She took everything in stride and we loved her all the more for that!

Taking my OWN potty break ... see ya in another blog-post!