Chicago......and 12

We are home from Chicago.  Chicago.......oooooh Chicago.  How I both love and hate you so much!  The girls came in a very disappointing 5th place. :(    I think they had fun-it was several long exhausting days.

We made the best of it and tried to turn in into a mini vacation!  The city is very cool and full of fun things.  But HOT HOT HOT HOTTTTT.  They experienced record breaking triple digit highs when we were there.  With humidity so heavy that I had trouble catching my breath at first.  And we walked so much-to the pier and back more times than I care to recall.  We did a lot of waiting too-waiting for husband to retrieve the car from a garage that we couldn't quite find or get into....walking 45 min to get to "the beach"....so much walking.  I think this place would be beyond wonderful in the fall, but in the summer heat, it is pretty much brutal!

My baby celebrated her 12th bday the day we got back.  Thank GOD for my Mom.  We were brain dead toast after driving 16+ hrs straight back through a scary monsoonal hell storm.  She had dinner, cake and amazing presents.  Thanks Grammy-she really did save the day.  We are now no longer seeing my child.  They gave her a kindle and she is checked out!