CHICAGO!!!

Chicago was a blast! Warning this is a long one with a lot of pictures...most are edited but I think  I may have missed a few!

Day 1...We boarded our flight in Kansas City and there was 1 row of three left for the girls and I...in the very last row and ahead of that were two seats for my mom and aunt with a man sitting by the window.  We get all settled and the man next to my aunt starts talking about what kind of plane we are on and when it was built, when we should be backing away from the gate, when we should be taking off, and than when we did take off he put his hands in the air like he was riding a roller coaster and looked at my aunt and mom and said, "put your hands up!!"  It was hilarious and he talked the entire flight.  When we landed it was going to take a little bit for us to get off since we were in the last row but he decided to stand anyway and he looked at my mom and aunt and said, "I don't have much room to stand."  My aunt said, "well that's because we aren't getting off for a while so...."  He than said, "I have to pee." So he goes to the bathroom and when he comes out he said, "oh man, I feel so much better!"  It was great!

After we got our luggage we went out to get our taxi we had called ahead for and we came out to this...

A limo?!  So we piled our luggage in and took off for the hotel.  Once we got there we unloaded our luggage and went to check in only to find the limo driver dropped us off at the wrong Embassy Suites.  So instead of saying sorry here is a taxi or a van that will take you over...we had to walk....with ALL of our luggage.

Saw this along the walk and thought of the Temple family  :)

We looked like morons. But we finally made it to the right hotel!  We were so hungry by that time so we started walking around and ate at the Hard Rock and than hit...

My dad had given us girls shopping money so I was ready to go crazy!  We did a little bit of shopping but we were all just so tired so we went back to the hotel unpacked, sat in the hot tub for a little bit, and hit the hay!

Day 2...our shopping day!  We spent the entire day shopping on Michigan Ave...I've never walked and shopped so much in my life! We at lunch at Pot Belly's (my favorite sandwich place ever but we don't have them in Kansas :( ) did more more and more shopping.

Getting ready to leave!

 

I seriously really almost bought these...they were only $10...I still want them :)

The Lego store in one of the malls!

That night we went to the Depot Diner.  If you watch the Food Network you've probably seen "Diner's Drive-in's and Dive's"  Brett watches it all the time so when I found out we were going to Chicago I looked up all the places in Chicago he had done on the show.  This place had a sandwich that looked amazing.  So we took a taxi and arrived...in the ghetto.  Here we are dressed all cute and looking like we are ready for a night out...in the ghetto.  But we walk in the diner and it's so cute!

Waiting for a taxi to take us to eat!

So I knew I was getting the sandwich from the show...the chef is a world class trained chef...I ordered the pot roast sandwich...it's pot roast...fried onions...gravy...on a bun. I just want to say this was THE BEST THING I'VE EVER EATEN! Hands down! No joke it was amazing amazing amazing! The pot roast was incredibly tender, the fried onions made it a little sweet and the gravy was to die for.

I'm drooling just looking at it...oh man...

So we followed dinner with this dessert...

Freshly made doughnuts with a chocolate mocha sauce....a...maz..ing!

After dinner we had to call for a taxi because taxi's were few and far between in this area.  And I would like to say that taxi drivers need to go back to drivers ed.  I almost threw up from the extreme stops and jerky starts and almost died from the passing whenever never using a blinker and driving at high speeds down people filled streets.  And I've never heard more horn honking in my life! People drive insane here.  So anyway we are outside waiting for our taxi...a little nervous being in a bad area but we made it!

Day 3...we did a little more shopping in the early afternoon and than headed to the aquarium!

Hailing a taxi!!

Waiting to go in...the line was forever long..

Some pretty stuff while waiting in line...

It was crowded and kind of toasty but overall it was fun!

Day 4...I got up and went down to Michigan Ave by myself to do some more shopping, I hadn't spent very much of my money and since this was the last day I wanted to finish it off and so it ended up being the best shopping day yet.  After that we had planned on doing a double decker bus tour but it rained all that afternoon.  I was pretty mad about the rain because the ONE spot I wanted to go to was the Chicago Art Institute (the museum from Ferris Buhler's Day Off :)).  I was pretty sad...no one else wanted to go with me lol which is why the double decker bus was going to be perfect because it's "hop on hop off" so I would have been able to go and catch up later..dang rain!  That night we ate at a little italian place and took a taxi to go see the Blue Man Group!  

And lucky for us it was the Gay Pride parade that day and it happened to be on the same street as the theater!

The Blue Man Group was awesome!  The music was great and they are hilarious!  We were 3 rows back and so we had to wear ponchos because they have paint flying and food and all sorts of stuff but the show was a lot of fun so if you can see them do for sure!

They don't smile...the entire show! But they do pose for pics after!

After the show we walked up and down the street watching all the festivities of the Gay Pride parade...people are crazy...but it funny!

We had a very early flight the next morning but it was good to be home!  I had a blast with my sisters, mom and aunt and I'm so thankful to my parents for sending us.  I have such a great family...I'm very lucky :)  Thanks again mom and dad.

Here are some random pictures....

Roof of our hotel...edited cool :)

View from our hotel window! (Both edited)

PS..If you haven't already...head over to my photography blog and check out Eliot!  Max is to come + Jhett's new born's + the Holt wedding! Whew...I'm tired already!