Chicago

Felt very proud of myself, getting from point a to b of the Chicago subway. Seeing almost all the most famous pictures at the art institute before the girls begged me to leave. And the to Millennium Park instead of the girls' vote for Navy Pier.

And everybody was happy.

My road to the art museum

Is full of compromise.

Made it

After a breakfast of muffins, Pepsi and Doritos, we made it. I am for sure parent of the year!

Chicago!

I'm blogging live today from Chicago. Where I'm taking the girls for their first day of summer break. On the train. By myself. Eekkk....

Cool

I recently got the girls these letter wall decals do they could write stuff on their walls. This is what carol wrote. I love this girl.

Happy Anniversary. For reals.

How the people of Pinterest see an 11th wedding anniversary. 

How the Normal Gardners see it.

Happy anniversary Steve. Now... go get some sleep.

Code sad

When a girl attends her first code blue, and that code is also her patient, and her preceptor happens to be at lunch and it sort of feels like the code is my, ummm, her fault even though it probably, almost definitely wasn't...

There's only one thing to do. Think about the kindergarten concert. Think about my awesome dog who is very badly behaved. Think about our upcoming day trip to Chicago to see the art museum. On the train!!!

Much better than thinking about tomorrow and that bad, stinky, mean ICU. Yes. Best not to think about that.

Learning about life

I screwed Carol over not once, but twice this weekend. First, I had the wrong time of her soccer match and she missed half the game. Then, I briefly told her about how kids from First Communion could wear their fancy outfits to church this Sunday. She said she didn't want to, and I didn't press her on it, but then those kids got to go the front of the church, got applause and helped crown Mary.

I felt really bad about both things.

To the soccer game issue, Carol was fine. It was like 85 degrees and I think she was secretly happy not to play a whole game.

To the second, I think she did feel a little bad. But she said, "Don't worry mom. I don't care. All they got was a better view of Mary."

This from a girl I scream at, like, twice a day for much lesser offenses. God love this girl, going out of her way to make me feel better when I screwed up.

Maybe I can learn a thing or two about being a good person from this lovely girl. Thanks Carol, for being the best kid ever.

Oh holy moly

Carol had her first communion this weekend. I should write more about it, but to be honest, I just don't feel like it. It's a rainy, bleak day and it's sorta affecting my usual chipper disposition. Goo thing the only person who has to deal with this rottenness is Jake, and he doesn't seem to mind. Mostly because he's napping.

But I do love this picture. Maybe I should ask Carol to pray for my happiness. Looks like she's got this holy thing down.

First communion

Jake

So... Have I mentioned we got a dog? No? Well. We did. His name is Jake. He's a year old. He's been at the Humane Society off and on for about six months. I'm not sure why this is because he's obviously the best dog in the world.

Toledo

First off, there is no Tony Packos in Toledo, Spain. And while that's a little disappointing, the ancient city had a lot to offer, even if that something does not involve hot dogs.

I actually liked the arts and crafts there a lot. We got some ceramic and a lovely little gold plate specific to the region.

And the cathedral. Holy moly. It made Segovia look like a dinky neighborhood chapel. Although, Carol preferred Segovia, the one in Toledo was truly remarkable.

And that's it for our travels. Perhaps I'll reflect more on our travels, and travels with children, in the future, but for now I'm going to drink my $6 bottle of wine (a pretty steep price in Spain, God bless cheap European wine) and watch this Jackie Chan movie dubbed in Spanish.

Bad habits

We definitely picked up some bad habits in Spain. We eat, like, 10 times a day. We drink beer and wine every time we eat.

Oh... And apparently, Carol picked up smoking. Nice

Segovia

These blog posts have been lame. Totally lame. I apologize for that. I also apologize for my lack of interest in trying to correct the situation.

Today, we took a metro, a high speed rail and a bus to Segovia, Julia's typical commute. But we loved Segovia. Carol was super interested in praying at the old church. We saw a castle and meandered down the ancient, winding road, which pedestrians shared with cars. Segovia has a working aqueduct, built like 2,000 years ago. And Restaurante Socorro (probably named after my awesome mom-in-law) was a delightful find.

And we ate a tiny, baby pig. Who doesn't love that!

Eating worms

Steve and I ate gulas yesterday during our date night. not exactly worms. More like little eels. Because that's so much better.

We had a bust couple of days. Went to the Museo Del Prado today. Penny really enjoys that sort of thing. She told me when we go home, "I realized I need to do my best and then I can hang my pictures on wall at Home."

A fancy art museum, right in our house at Normal! Still eating and drinking a lot. Perhaps too much drinking last night. But the Cana is so little. And do tasty. An so cheap.

The Royal Palace

We spent the day sightseeing today. It was super fun, but tiring. So I'm not going to write anything. But here are some lovely pictures.

Tapas and chocolate

I love the tapas culture. Walk around. Eat. Maybe look in a store or two. Eat. Drink. Eat.

And the chocolate. Like melted candy bars.

How to enjoy a boat ride

Have children. Wait several years. Take a nap.

Retiro Park

Here are some pictures of our visit to Retiro Park. Here's a fun fact, you cannot go anywhere on Madrid and not have a cafe in your viewing area. That means there is beer everywhere. The same is true of the policia and graffiti. But the beer part is much more interesting.