Updates

We have had so much excitment with the Chicago trip, I forgot to post about some recent changes in our life.

1) I got a job. I will be working for a Risk Managment consulting firm. I will be the Exec. Assistant to the Pres. They consult in the medical and aviation arena. They deal with doctors and hospitals daily...this will be a good thing for my goals as far as nursing goes. I will still be going to school.

2) Makena started daycare/school this week. She doesn't seem to be having too much trouble adjusting. She is more whiney and clingy in the evenings, but hopefully she will be herself again soon.

I think that is it...

The best hot dogs are in Chicago!

Okay, the only way to tell about the trip is to go day by day.

Day 1: Friday
Hugs and Kisses to the family and we were headed to DFW by 3:30. We get there way early hoping to fly standby on an earlier flight. We got on the 4:30!! We, get down to the gate and the 4:30 gets delayed due to inclement weather in Chicago. So when do we depart Dallas?? 6pm! Whatever, still earlier then when we would have left if we had waited till our 8pm flight which probably was delayed too. Anyhow, we got on our flight and sat next to a native Chicagoian (?) and she told us of some places to go and we thought we had some sort of plan of action by the time we got off the plane.

So we are in the Chicago/O'Hara Airport and I call the hotel to pick us up. They said and I quote, head down to door 3 and my driver will pick you up." Uhmmm, dude...where is door 3? So he tells me door three is lower level by baggage claim. So we get down to baggage claim and I see numbers 1-4, we head down to door 3 and then we notice they all have letters after them 3a, 3b, 3c...etc...

What the heck?? So Katie and I walk around outside seeing all these people getting picked up by their loved ones, cabs and limos...NO HOTEL VANS!

We are walking like we were lost apparently because some really nice guy driving a bus to pick up car rental people stopped opened his window and asked us if we needed help. YES SIR! Where the heck is door 3? Door three was across the street where all the hotels pick up. HELLLLOOO?? Why did the hotel guy tell us it was downstairs by baggage claim if it was clear across the other side of the street without one baggage claim conveyor??

Whatever...so we get picked up and head off to the hotel. We ended up walking to Gino's for a true Chicago-style deep dish pizza. OH MAN! To die for...seriously! However, walking there was a bit more then we had anticipated so we called for the van to pick us after we were done.

Went to bed at about 1am and it was the best sleep ever! The beds and pillows...well, just heaven.

Day 2: Saturday

We were up and out of the hotel by 9am headed to gosh knows where, but by golly, we were going! I have never been on a subway/railway system before so that was very interesting. Katie really was the navigator throughout the weekend. We talked to a guy on the rail and he told us of some places to go and again we thought we had a clear plan. By the time we got so where ever it was we were going...we had no idea where we were. That's okay, we were really rolling with the punches this weekend. Only thing we had to be on time for was the concert.

We walked around downtown, found a hole in the wall for breakfast and ended up on Michigan Ave...ONLY AFTER we found beanies for our freezing cold head and ears! Thank goodness for those, we would have been a couple of frozen southern girls. I can't believe how hard it was to find beanies in Chicago this time of year. We went to the Hershey Chocolate store, walked through the mall, took a picture for a Butterfinger advertisment, walked and walked and then took the rail some more I think and then headed down to Wrigley Field to take a pic in front of the entrance sign. THEN...we headed towards the Riviera Theater.

Lets just say we were a bit scared when we got down near the theater. It seemed like a rough part of town and asking people for help wasn't such an easy task. Katie has this ability to walk up to anyone and ask them a question or ask them to take a pic for us, whatever it was she could ask it. You should have seen us down there...it was scary! Anyway, we figured our way around the area and made it to the theater just in time! WHEW!



Okay, so we got there at 2 and the doors didn't open till 6 and the concert didn't start till 7...we were front row almost center baby! It was so awesome! That 4 hours in line waiting was well worth it and we made some friends while standing in line so it was much more tolerable. However, we should have sat in line not stood in line. We probably stood 4 hours in line then another 4 hours inside the theater...PLUS walking around before that. GEEZ, we were hurting.















Anyway, the concert was more then I had expected and I couldn't have had a better time, James Blunt is so good live...I mean, he didn't say much during the concert...but he has so much more energy then I had expected. Really...all the songs you hear on the radio and the performances you see on TV have been his more mellow songs. I love his up-tempo songs on his CD, but I have never seen him perform them. HOLY COW.

So the concert is over and we file out like a heard of sheep. We and the friends we made decided to wait outside the stage door for autographs. He came out within 45 min...it wasn't bad at all! Anyway, while waiting for him, we went over to his tour bus and I just had to kiss the bus! Yes people, I kissed the tour bus. It was the closest to kissing the man himself! LOL, just joking...well not about kissing the bus. So got his autograph and then headed back to the hotel. We crashed by about 1am or so...sore feet, ankles, calves, backs...you name it, it all hurt. Got another awesome nights rest.

Day 3: Sunday

We had big plans, but ended up taking the subway down to Lincoln Park and ate the best hot dog! Katie has a picture of it...check her blog for her pictures and her version of the weekend. After lunch we just wanted to go home...we were so tired. We went to the airport hoping to fly standby on an earlier flight. We get there and find out there are over 90 people flying standby. So we resigned to the fact that we will not leave until our scheduled flight. We got home and in our own beds by 11:30pm.

Thanks Katie for such an awesome weekend! You are a great friend and I would roll with the punches with you anytime...as long as we aren't late for the James Blunt concert! (((HUGS)))

Chicago...BURR...here we come

This is a story about two southern girls braving the cold and wind of Chicago so that one can fulfill her overwhelming need to see James Blunt in person.

Who is the one that MUST see James Blunt...Katie of course...okay, not true...me, it's me. I admit, I am a James Blunt fan freak, not in a stalking way people. I just love his sound, lyrics, etc...it really speaks to me. Yes, I know I am cheesy!

So Katie and I set off this afternoon and I am so excited and ready to get out of Dallas for the weekend. I am taking my camera so I hope to have tons of pictures. It will feel sort of vain to have pictures of myself or pictures of Katie in front of something in Chicago. It's just the two of us and unless we are brave enough to ask some bystander off the street to take our pictures together, there will be lots of individual shots I think.

Things to remember to bring:
1. Camera
2. Cash
3. Coat
4. Scarf
5. THE TICKETS to the concert!!

Bye ya'll...

North Carolina...

Makena and I left for North Carolina Friday morning and her first plane trip was a success. She didn't seem bothered by the change in air pressure...nothing at all. She was pretty happy go lucky...she was VERY figgity though. Constantly moving and my thighs have bruises to prove it. However she didn't throw a fit and that was what I was most worried about. From Dallas to Charlotte, NC she was awake the entire time and played with the girl we sat next to most of the time...it really made the 2-1/2 hour flight go by pretty fast. The last leg of our trip was to Jacksonville, NC. This was the smallest airport I have ever seen...only three gates and they only used one of them. Only US Airway flights from Charlotte fly into this airport. Anyway, it was tiny! We rented our car and we set off on a 1-1/2 hour car ride. Mak finally slept.

It was great to see my family again. I haven't seen most of them since my grandmother passed away almost two years ago. Everyone fell in love with Makena. I am so glad she got to meet them all. Of course she was offering up kisses most of the time and it was all just too sweet.

Mak with her Great-Grandpa

Mak with Great-Aunt Cindy

Mak with her second cousin - Leah

On Saturday we had to be up at the church for family pictures at 2:00. Well, Mak really hadn't slept too well Friday and she hardly napped at all Saturday. I was really in for it...she wasn't not happy unless she got to run all over the church building and wouldn't let me hold her. Her newest word??? "NO". She has said it before, but it seemed she was saying no all dang weekend. Throwing mini fits and I had no idea how to handle it. She has never acted out this way before. Nothing made her happy and I just felt so flustered. I am sure most of it was because she was tired. We ended up leaving the ceremony because she started being a bit disruptive so I missed a lot of it. We got to the reception and 30 minutes into it, we had to leave. I couldn't sit, eat or talk to anyone because she was throwing her mini fits. So as sad as I was, I had to tell Greg and Jessica bye and off we went...back to our room and straight to bed.

Sunday morning rolled around and Makena was really crabby and I think she is teething so I ended up changing our flight and flew home Sunday instead of Monday. She has been pretty sleepy most of today and has slept quiet a bit. Catching up I suppose.

All in all it was definitely an experience I will never forget...I won't say it was terrible, just challenging. She is very strong-willed and has a very independent streak and it really shines when she is tired...

Mommy loves you so much Mak Mak.



As for the wedding...Greg and Jessica looked so beautiful together. Jessica was a gorgeous bride and there wasn't a dry eye in the house! I wish the both of them much happiness. Come visit us in Texas soon!! Love you both!

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!

So here I bought a plane ticket, booked a hotel and bidded on the tickets on eBay and I find out yesterday that James Blunt is coming to Dallas! He just added 3 more US concerts at the end of his Japan tour. So he will sail through the US in March and part of April and then come back in May to Texas, Florida and Ohio! Well, I am still excited about Chicago though...it will be a girls weekend and the concert is on Saturday...so staying out late won't be a problem. The Dallas concert is on a Monday...ugh! I think I want to go to the Dallas show too...may as well since the tickets are still priced pretty well. Once he becomes ubber famous those tickets will probably be pretty expensive.

We'll see...

In other news...North Carolina here we come. Makena and I fly out tomorrow to my cousin Greg's wedding. This should be interesting...I have never flown with her before. I hope she will sleep on the plane. We will have to wake her at about 5:30am so she should be plenty exhausted.

Makena's new words are..
1. Hot
2. No
3. boo (she tries to say peek-a-boo)