Chicago:: Day 1

Mike and I are home from our weekend anniversary trip to Chicago. In fact, today is officially our 14th wedding anniversary! Congrats to us! We wanted to get away, just the two of us. We had a few criteria for the trip. 1. Go somewhere new and 2. Go somewhere that is a direct flight from OKC.

As far as #1 goes, Mike went to Chicago for a work conference about ten years ago and only stayed two days, but really loved the city. I've never been there. And #2, there are not many direct flights from Oklahoma City, but Chicago is one of them. We wanted to get on a plane in Oklahoma and get get off at our destination-- no layovers. We left Friday morning, after dropping our kids off with our good friends, and after an uneventful flight we arrived in Chicago at 3:00 in the afternoon. Can I just say how easy traveling without kids is? I think we set a record for going through security. We were super fast with no strollers to break down and kids' shoes to untie/take off. 

 Here's Mike in our hotel living room. That's right, we had a living room. 

 Our bedroom. I post these photos to look back on this picture later in the summer and remember the peacefulness of this place. Just the two of us. Sooooo nice.

 Friday evening, we took a train into downtown Chicago and indulged in some heavenly deep dish pizza. Afterwards, we meandered the streets and found a funky art gallery, so we went in to look around.  After talking with the eccentric and kind artist named Dorian, she offered us a cup of tea. She was so upset when she learned that we were from Oklahoma City (with all the recent tornado drama-- including five tornadoes that touched down that very evening) that she said we had to sit down for awhile. We obliged and chatted with her for awhile. Her pet pig, Wilbur, was roaming free around the store and we got to feed him strawberries and pet him. I wanted to sneak him into my bag and take him home. 

 Little Wilbur

Turns out, the gallery was owned by Jon and Joan Cusack, who were both out of the country at the moment. Dorian said they are normally around the shop too. Bummer! Seeing them would have been the icing on that surreal experience. I loved every minute of it!

 After our gallery/tea/pig experience, we took a stroll over to the John Hancock Building and took the elevator up to the 96th floor for a 360 degree look around.

 Lake Michigan

 Me basking in the glow of the sunset (or really just looking shiny and sweaty after walking around).

 My sweetheart and me

 Sunset over Chicago 

We had a great first day!

 And bonus! I found a new profession! :)

Chi Town

Mike and I are on an anniversary trip to Chicago. I will give you a full report later in the week. In the mean time, I will leave you with a picture of me and The Bean (aka Cloud Gate). 

Support Team

Yesterday Leah had to have some dental work done. Remember when I told you about the abscess on her tooth? Well, she finished her antibiotic and it was time for the tooth to come out. Even though it was a baby tooth, it was a molar and required a bit of tugging and twisting to get it out. Leah was nervous. We prayed together in the car before we went in, and to my heart's delight her sister and brother provided a great support system. They were both concerned for her and offered to hold her hand. Lucas kept patting Leah's leg saying. "You're doing good, Sister!"

The bad news is that she has to have two more teeth out next week. The poor girl has inherited my teeny-tiny mouth. We already have an appointment with an orthodontist this summer. I think we are in for a long ride with her! 

How do you comfort your kids when they are scared? Especially when they are scared about something that will cause a bit of discomfort, but you know it has to be done. 

A Recital to Remember

 Hannah posing for a pic after the recital

Hannah's first piano recital was held a little over a week ago, on May 19th. There were storms brewing the in atmosphere outside. It was hot, muggy and ripe for severe weather. Everyone was on alert, but when we arrived at the church where the recital was held, it was bright and sunny out. No worries.

Hannah was excited to play her piece that she had worked so hard on all year. She knew the students were placed in random order and she was 24th of 26 students to play. Soon everyone was in their seats, surrounded by parents and grandparents and friends. Our piano teacher said a few words of welcome, and the first student came up to play. Things continued along without a hitch, but somewhere around the 15th student, the skylights at the top of the building let us know that clouds had moved in. Soon we heard the soft plink, plink of rainfall. A few more students played and then the thunder began to rumble, louder and louder it got. The rain picked up significantly, but the recital marched on. One of the dads in the audience was keeping tabs on the weather on his phone, so I knew we were okay.

Finally, the high school aged girl right before Hannah on the program list was playing her song when the tornado sirens started blaring. Our piano teacher calmly stood up and stopped the young lady in the middle of her song and announced that we would all need to head to safety. Quickly the entire audience moved into the interior hallway of the church. A few younger kids looked near tears, but most everyone was checking their phones to see where the bad weather was headed. A funnel cloud was forming a few miles west of us. Lots of people were talking, the mood in the hallway was amped up, electric.

The only thing predictable about the weather here in Oklahoma is its unpredictability. And as soon as the funnel cloud formed, it fizzled out, the wind jumping and moving over us and further north and east into Edmond. Sadly, many neighborhoods there received significant damage. Eventually the storm continued east to the town of Shawnee (a quaint college town 45 minutes east of OKC-- it's where Mike and I lived and attended Oklahoma Baptist University). There, a tornado touched down and caused massive damage to many properties, displacing families and animals and leaving a wake of destruction. 

Breathing a sigh of relief that the storm had moved over us at the recital, we filed back into the auditorium and all returned to our seats. The high school girl who had been stopped mid-song was allowed to come back up and play her song through to the end. Next up was our Hannah. She had endured waiting through 23 other students, plus the chaos of a possible tornado, and now had to sit down and think straight enough to play her song. And she did! She was cool under pressure and played her song just fine. 

Two more students played after Hannah and then a few awards were handed out. As we left the church building heading out to our van in the parking lot, the sun came back out. The sky returned to beautiful bright blue and we headed off to reward our girl (and her patient and supportive sister and brother) with some ice cream.

It was definitely a recital to remember.

 A relieved Hannah holding up some of her awards

A sweet little brother tired of sitting still!

Nap Time

Before I get into today's post, I just want to acknowledge what all has been going on down here in my neck of the woods. I live in the northwest section of Oklahoma City-- right on the border of Edmond (a northern suburb). The tornado that ripped apart miles of homes and buildings on Monday swept through the south side of OKC, mainly hitting the southern suburb of Moore. Moore is about 20 miles from my house and I have been there often. To see such devastation so very close to home is simply heartbreaking. I am planning some posts about this subject for later in the week, after I have had a little more time to process it. In the meantime, my heart is aching for so many, and I am praying for continued peace and comfort for my beloved state. 

Just look at this sweet sleeping face

Today is Hannah and Leah's last day of second grade. Which means it is my last day to enjoy a quiet afternoon. I have been so thankful that Lucas has continued taking rock star naps every day.  He will turn four years old in July and my girls were sooooo over nap time at that age. In fact, I believe their naps were given up right about the time they turned three. Maybe it was the way they were wired (my mom told me I gave up naps at a young age) or maybe it had more to do with getting two three year olds to be still (impossible, I say!).  At any rate, this summer there will be fewer quiet moments around 1:00 to 3:00 each day.

I am trying to come up with a game plan for my summer days. I always go through this phase at the end of the school year. A psych-myself-up/ this-is-going-to-be-awesome-summer phase. I will be organized! I will plan fun activities! I will include education in our days! I will be more consistent with discipline! I will make healthy meals! I think it is the teacher in me that wants to make a lesson plan for the next 100 days to ensure a well rounded summer. By mid-July the plan is usually out the window and we just melt in the super hot, over 100 degree heat. It doesn't hurt to try though!

My summer nap time goals are as follows:

* Realize that not every day will be a nap day. I am going to be flexible so we can include other fun activities like swimming and playing at the park and bowling and going to the zoo.

* When we are home for the afternoon, the girls will spend at least 30 minutes in their room, reading on their beds while Lucas takes a nap. 

* Enjoy a little "me-time" while they are all (hopefully) quiet. I will read a book, drink a glass of lemonade or just sit zombie-like on the couch for a few minutes to let my brain rest a bit.

There. Those aren't impossible goals, right!?

Speaking of nap time, I better go enjoy the last half hour of today's nap right now!

Weather

We had quite a crazy weather day here in Oklahoma. Living here most of my life, I have grown accustomed to spring storms, tornado sirens and ominous clouds. But I am still not accustomed to seeing all the damage these storms leave in their wake. Several tornadoes touched down across our state with Shawnee, our beloved college town, getting the brunt of it. There were many homes destroyed, a few semi-trucks flipped over on the highway, several people hospitalized and one fatality. I just wanted to let you know my family is safe. I will fill you in on our weekend tomorrow, but tonight I am grateful we had no damage. Keep the town of Shawnee in your prayers.

Here is a photo that my friend Jan took tonight at our old church. This was about 15 miles from our home. I think it is breathtaking.

The Grapefruit Debate and Other Random Things

Happy Friday, Everyone! I love Fridays. Family Movie Night, pizza for dinner, and going to bed knowing there is no "rush out the door routine" in the morning! Yahoo! In honor of this lovely day of the week, here are my random thoughts on a few things in no particular order. Here we go!

* Grapefruit. Love it or hate it? I have found that people have strong opinions about this fruit. I am in the "Love it" camp. I pretty much love all citrus, but I went through a serious grapefruit phase my freshman year in college. While most freshmen were stocking their dorm room mini-fridges with beer, mine was full of grapefruit juice. I was one wild and crazy girl, I tell ya! I think my craving for the stuff had something to do with a vitamin deficiency in my diet. That year I was pretty much surviving off the cereal bar in the cafeteria. Fruit Loops and Cap'n Crunch do not a well-rounded diet make. Anyway, the best way to eat a grapefruit, however, is the way my mom used to make them for me. I still eat these for breakfast several times a week along with my daily whole wheat toast smeared with heavenly Nutella. Simply cut a grapefruit in half, then run a knife around each segment to loosen them up. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar (or a lot if you are feeling naughty). Place it in a bowl, then pop it in a microwave and nuke for 45 seconds. My method of attack is to spoon out each segment, then squeeze the warm juice into the bowl and drink it up. Yum. If you don't like grapefruit, I am sorry you just spend three minutes of your life reading this paragraph.

This picture makes me laugh. It is a picture of my grapefruit from breakfast this morning. I was trying to be all cool by using my Hipstamatic app on my phone. I realize now that I left the sticker on the darn thing! Haha! So much for being cool!

* Television. Let's discuss a few things here. I don't get to watch much TV around here unless it is My Little Pony or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. However, I recently got hooked on a fabulous BBC series on Netflix. The BBC gave me Downton Abbey, and I didn't think anything could top that. And it still hasn't, but this show I'm about to mention is a close second to Downton for me. It's called Call the Midwife. The series is based off of the real life memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a nurse and midwife in the East End of London in the late 1950's and early 1960's. This show obviously features many birthing stories, but more than that it captures a beautiful era in history so perfectly. The characters are strong and the little bits of their back stories featured each episode keep you watching for more. I am totally smitten with the show, but Mike just cannot tolerate all the birthing scenes. All the groaning and moaning a little too much for him. Season One is on Netflix, so check it out! There are only six one-hour episodes, so it won't take you too long to finish it.

In a totally different genre, I have discovered a channel that plays reruns of The King of Queens every night from ten to midnight. I think that show is so hilarious, and I have been known to turn it on and get sucked in until I stay up too late. It's my dirty little secret. 

* More Piano News! This morning Hannah played in the Oklahoma State Piano Auditions. I took her out of school to drive her down to Oklahoma City University where she played her song in front of a judge once again. She received a score of I (scores range from III to I+). She was so proud of herself and earned a very nice medal to add to her growing collection. Her piano recital is this coming Sunday afternoon which will officially conclude her first year of lessons. 

Hannah Banana showing off her medal

* Chicago. Mike and I are heading off on a vacation to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary in a few weeks. Did I mention that it will be a vacation ALONE!?!? No children will be flying with us. I can't wait. Our last vacation all by ourselves was in 2007, so we are due. We are just flying in on a Friday and returning on a Monday. Other than gorging ourselves with food, what else should we do while we are there? Anyone want to offer a "must do" suggestion? Mike has been there once and I've never been there. I can't wait!! (I think I've said this twice now).

OK, this now concludes my random Friday post. Have a great weekend!!