No Wind in the Windy City

Oh what fun! I loved Chicago. It was a great trip and we saw and did so much! Chicago is similar to NYC, but it is more laid back. The people are really nice and the pace is a little slower, but you still have the amazing shopping and river cruises and skyline and restaurants all around you. We did a lot in four days. We took a boatcruise along the river to learn about the architectural designs of many of Chicago’s famous buildings. This may sound a little dull to some of you – but it was so interesting, and our cruise started in the daylight and ended in the dark so it was so beautiful to be going along the river with the skyline lit up all around you.

We also went to the Shedd Aquarium. I can’t even explain this – it is too amazing for words. It’s like you’re living inside the sea and there’s so much sea life and coral and water all around you. We also went to the Art Institute of Chicago – a great art museum showcasing the likes of Van Gogh, Dali, Picasso and Monet among many others. We went up the John Hancock tower to the observatory deck – about 100 stories up and WOW – the views were spectacular. We went to Navy Pier – which is a long pier out into Lake Michigan that has a huge ferris wheel and restaurants and boat cruises and rides, etc.

Also in Chicago, which surprised me, were the beaches! Along the coast of Lake Michigan are beautiful sandy beaches and it looks so cool to see the beach against the grand skyline of Chicago’s buildings. And there’s a huge bike/walking path that hugs the coastline which we walked along. And boy did we walk! We only took a cab when we had to, because it’s such a great city for walking and there’s so much to see. We went to see the “bean” which a reflective bean-shaped structure (all mirrored) that’s about the size of a house! And it reflects all parts of the city and it’s centered inside Millennium Park – we got some pictures of this and once they’re downloaded, I’ll come back and post them here. Another park we visited was Lincoln Park – in the upper part of the city – and it has a huge zoo in the middle of it, similar to Central Park in NYC, except that this zoo is free and it’s amazing!

Now…we can’t forget the other important part of our trip – the shopping!! Let’s just say that had we been allowed to bring back more over the Canadian border, we would have been in trouble! We bought a couple ‘big’ things each of us wanted and the rest was spent on clothes, shoes, etc. Our hotel was great – right at the top of the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave) which is lined with all the hot spots for shopping and one street over is State St., which is lined with all the restaurants. I did get to try some deep dish pizza and it was really good! And the other great thing about our hotel is that it had a top of the line fitness center in it, so I was able to keep up with my workouts while we were there and work off the deep dish pizza that I just had to have! All in all it was a fabulous trip and our weather was great and I would go back in a second! Oh, and it wasn’t even windy! Bonus!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to Chi-ca-go!

We're off again on another trip
Just 4 days, but full of zip
Chicago is our little retreat
And with our loonie so high, it can't be beat!

A riverboat cruise, Blues & Jazz
The best deep dish pizza I'll probably ever have
A trip to the Aquarium and a gallery or two
And of course the Shopping!! Oh what will I do!?

I think there's a limit on what I can bring back
So i'll have to take with me an extra large sack
to pack away all the goodies I'll buy
But of course i will claim it, cause that's only right. (in case the FEDS are reading my blog) ;)

So have a good weekend - I'll be back next week
and I'll post some pics if there's some that are neat
I'll think of you while I'm shopping the streets
The magnificant mile should be a real treat!

Later Peeps,
Leece

Centerpieces – a day at the beach?

We’ve tossed around a few ideas for our centerpieces for the wedding. Our venue has some that we can use for free, but they’re kind of cheap looking and then we can’t give them away, which we’re planning to do. So, we’ve decided to make them ourselves. I consider myself sort of crafty and pretty imaginative, so why not?

I won’t divulge too much info, as some of my readers (who by the way – NEVER comment – you know who you are!!) will be coming to our wedding so I want to keep some elements a surprise. But on Sunday, Rich and I drove down to the beach by our house and set down our blanket and proceeded to dig. It was a lovely day. The sun was out and we were laughing and if his buddies had seen him they would have totally made fun of him. But that’s why I love him so much - because he humours me by doing “girl” stuff with me sometimes, even though I know he’d rather not. But I think the centerpieces are going to look great.

So, to show him my appreciation, I didn’t bug him AT ALL when we got home and he watched an NBA game followed by an NFL game. Ok – I lied – during those 4 hours I did go in once or twice and tell him I was bored. But then I decided to cook! So I went to the kitchen and made him a yummy dinner of curried chicken with rice and vegetables. It was great! Tonight we’re having leftovers and I’m going to attempt to make rotis from scratch. Wish me luck!

Just a few pics

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, our friend Lori-anne (La) took some photos of us recently by the water and walking trails near our house. I only have a few of them to post, as we're waiting for the full CD, but in the meantime, here are just a few of us .... it was such a fun, happy, sunny, shiny day!