My mom and Betsy have been planning to go to Chicago for quite some time. Megan's baby shower and Alyssa's bridal shower were planned since January or February. I didn't think I could go since end of May is so busy with end of year stuff and soccer. My kids really wanted me to go, I wanted to spend time with my mom and sisters. Katie and Angeline were going too. In March I looked up flights and found a good deal so I decided to go. There wasn't too much end of year and soccer stuff going on like I thought there would be.
The day before our flight I was a nervous wreck. I had a anxious feeling and I couldn't get myself to pack. My mom hasn't had a meniere's episode in years and she had one that night at Taylor's high school graduation. We think it was triggered by the noise, fans, and crowds. We weren't sure if she would be able to go to Chicago still. We prayed and prayed that night. I put her name on the prayer roll. We got up at 3:00am to get ready to go to the airport. My mom had slept off the episode and felt like she could go. We took everything really slowly with her at the airport. She had a pillow and blanket and slept through the flight. I was so happy she got to go still and it was such a relief that she didn't have another episode while we were traveling.
We met Katie and Angeline at the airport. Their flight landed close to the same time. We had a minivan rental and it was so fun to all be together.
We had lunch at Mission BBQ. It reminded me of Dickie's Barbecue. It was very good meat! Then we checked in at the hotel and had some down time. We helped Jill and Amy put together party favors for both showers. My mom tested in the hotel.
That night we had family dinner at Greek Islands. My mom decided to stay back at the hotel and sleep to help catch up and rest from her episode. The rest of us went to dinner. The food was amazing! It was fun seeing my cousins, aunts and uncles.
After dinner we hung out at the hotel. I just wanted to go to bed so I wasn't excited but then after I was so glad I went out and visited with everyone.
Saturday was Alyssa's bridal shower at the country club. The dress code was no denim so we all wore dresses. We played games, made beaded bracelets and had a yummy lunch.
The balloon arch was so beautiful.
We went to the cemetery after the shower. It was interesting seeing cicadas. It is the year they all come out. It's not bad yet but will get bad as summer goes on.
It was really neat visiting the graves of my grandparents, great grand parents and great great grandparents!
That night we had a pizza party at Uncle Joe's. He had some really yummy deep dish Chicago pizza and also some thin crispy crust pizza. It was so delicious! I need to find a place here that has it like that.
Sunday we went to Uncle Joe's ward. My mom knows some of the members so it is always fun to see familiar faces. This sister has known my mom and dad a long time. My dad helped convert her to the gospel. It was really fun to meet her!
We drove down town after church. We rented bikes and rode along the lake front. It was a beautiful day. Not hot and not cold, just right. The Goldilocks zone. It was very enjoyable and I'm so glad we had the time d
It was a little tight getting to the baby shower but we got there right when it was starting. It was held at a cute little Swedish Restaurant called Tre Kronor. It was in a northwestern suburb of Chicago. It was very cute and had good personality. I had Swedish pancakes because I love Swedish pancakes so much. It was good but really just tasted like the ones I make so that's cool to know. No need to go out for them. I ended up sharing with Angeline, she ordered a chicken salad sandwich. It was a very light meal still but would have been even more so if we hadn't shared.
We played some shower games, enjoyed socializing, watched Megan and Derrick open gifts. We got pictures all together. My mom wasn't feeling well near the end. It was very loud and overwhelming in the small little room. She was able to rest in the car while we finished up.
We stopped at Johnnie's on the way back to the hotel. It is a famous Italian beef stand. They only take cash, they have a very limited menu, and you order quickly and get your food and then move out. You don't want to disrupt the flow or you'll lose a hand or something. Haha! No Soup for you! It reminded me of that Seinfeld episode. Don't mess with the process. So anyways, we got Italian beef sandwiches and Italian ice. Yum!!! It was perfect since lunch was so small.
We went back to the hotel and took it easy. I took this picture of the hotel to show my family what it looked like and to remember. It was a nice hotel. We enjoyed the exercise room. The pool was nothing spectacular though so we never went. I don't think it had a hot tub.
Angeline left early Monday Morning. The rest of us didn't fly out til late that night. We did some souvenir shopping, drove around Wheaton, and went to the popcorn shop. It's a place that we used to go to as kids whenever we would visit my mom's family. It is so cute and so tiny. They have penny candies so you could leave with a bag of goodies for only a dollar or two.
My mom treated to a bag of candy so I got a little bit of everything for my kids to try.
Then we drove past the Chiropractic college where my dad went to school. Also during the weekend we drove past a park where my dad and mom first met. It was a lot of fun seeing these places.
We went to the airport that evening. Our flight was delayed so it ended up being a very very late night. We were suppose to land around midnight but we didn't end up landing until 1:30 or so. I got to bed around 3:00 and then got up around 6:30. It was a very tiring day but worth it all.
I'm so happy my mom was still able to go on this trip and feel well enough through it all. I'm glad all of the flying went well. Prayers were definitely answered.
