The Windy City

While Marin is working on hour four of her nap today (this is a rarity, might I add) I am finding myself at a loss for what to do since I am so accustomed to having to get everything done within the time limits of Marin's usual 2.5 hour nap. So, I thought I would write a few notes about our wonderful weekend in Chicago and South Bend. Despite having to travel with a car seat, a pack-n-play and a stroller (not to mention our luggage as well), we somehow managed to have very few problems and a lot of successes. We've learned that Marin does much better on the airplane when we are able to secure an "extra" seat and strap her into her car seat. Tom and I both agree that it is worth badgering a flight attendant or two to do so :) Our first success was getting an upgraded rental car. Then, we somehow managed to time it perfect with getting the rental car and then swinging back through the airport to pick up Tom's brother, John whose flight came in about an hour after ours.

Thanks to Tom's good college friend, Sergio and his wife Lynn, we were able to stay in style at their fabulous place in the Lincoln Park suburb of Chicago. We were within blocks of Peet's Coffee, Whole Foods Market, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, (the list goes on an on) --- I was in heaven!! We didn't actually have time to shop at all (we absolutely DID have time to drink Peet's Coffee), but it just felt so comforting to me to be so near to such fine retail (not that we can afford any of it!) and truthfully, it just felt really nice being back in the city! It made us realize how much we miss the hustle and bustle of city life. Anyhow, Sergio and Lynn were unfortunately out of town for the weekend, so we didn't actually get to see them, but we did have dinner with another of Tom's good friends from ND, Jason and his new fiancee, Jen. We had some great wine, beer and pizza and enjoyed a low-key evening at their equally fantastic place.
Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed to South Bend. The weather could not have been better and the lack of traffic was astonishing! We made it just in time to see the ceremony for the unveiling of the new Ara Parseghian statue which features a life-size figure of Tom's best friend Andy's Dad, Mr. John Dampeer who was team captain of the ND football team during the year this image was captured. Very cool! Between the ceremony and the game we toured around campus, hit the bookstore, and eventually met up with some great friends. Tom's best friend, Andy and his wife Kristee recently had a baby boy, Alex, who we got to meet for the first time --- what a doll! We had a blast chatting with them and the entire Dampeer family at their tailgate. Then we finally made our way into the stadium for the game. Although the game could have gone better, we had a great time and amazing seats! It's the first time in ND history that the team has gone 0-4, but as I keep reminding Tom, this is a character building season and it's more important than ever to stay spirited fans. We have been flying our ND flag this year and I'm not sure if this an omen or not, but upon our arrival home from the airport, we discovered our flag pole had busted out of the socket and our flag was strewn across the yard. I guess there was some violent weather while we were gone!
Well, on a lighter note, I think it may be the first time in the history of Kansas football that the team has started out the season 4-0! Go Jayhawks!! We'll see how the season goes from here.....
PS - we are back to sweltering temperatures and humidity -- I knew we weren't out of the woods yet. I guess I'll sadly put my jeans away for another few weeks.