Arlington House Youth Hostel

Since this was a "backpacking" trip, we stayed in a youth hostel. Plus, it was a lot cheaper. It was an experience for Mom & Dad. We got a private room with a private bath, so they didn't get the full experience, but it was still an adventure.

Since this was a "spend as little as possible" trip, we stopped at the grocery store on the way back from Chinatown and had sandwiches & such in our room. You'll also notice the map on the desk...I was plotting out Tuesday's events.

My bed was broken...like the springs were literally coming out of the mattress, so I put extra blankets and sheet on the floor. Roughing it!

Here's our air conditioner...along with an open window! Once the sun went down, it wasn't really too bad. Actually, we could hear a bunch of students out playing/writing music down the street, so it was a pretty interesting night.

Chinatown!!

We didn't make it to Chinatown until after 6 PM....so most stores were closing and it was beginning to get dark. But we got a shot of the mural..

These people acted like they didn't want their picture taken...but I know they were ecstatic that I snapped their picture!

The gate...
Mom does not like to try new foods because she is so picky. This proved to be something she didn't like! haha

Daddy, however, enjoyed his very much!

You can see a guy walking toward us in the picture I took of Mom. He wouldn't quit talking to us and he was talking about "super-rats" that were biting people's necks and were bigger than raccoons. Anyway, he was a little strange and we couldn't shake him, however, he was hungry and we gave him a dollar. Since we gave him money, he showed us the escalator so Mom & Daddy didn't have to walk up the steps to the El train. He said he wanted to earn his money. See? When you're going about God's business, He provides protection!

Navy Pier

We found out about the free trolley ride that you can take to Navy Pier, so of course we hit that up since it was free!

The famous Navy Pier....

The Ferris wheel...actually we found out interesting information about this during our cruise. Apparently the Ferris wheel was built for the World's Fair when it came to Chicago. Well, it's a long story, but an interesting one...look it up sometime!

Mom & Daddy...yeah, look close, they're in the green and blue shirts under the sign!

Chicago Cultural Center

OK...so we did go to the Center, but yet we didn't really. lol We needed a city map and to buy a visitor transit pass. So we went to the tourist info at the Cultural Center. This is definitely a place of interest on the next trip we take there!

I can't remember the story...but I know there's some significance to this bull.

The tiled ceiling in the entrance.

The beautiful Tiffany stained-glass dome...another thing that I've found makes me dizzy to look straight up.

Millennium Park

First stop of the trip was Millennium Park. There was a concert going on...it was a pretty good local group.

Then, we saw the Bean. It was actually kinda cool. Although, I found that I couldn't stand directly beneath the center and look up without getting dizzy!

Cheesy tourist shot!

Then we saw the awesome fountains...they're huge water fountains with Chicago citizens' faces on them that switch every so often. The kids line up every so many minutes for water to spray out of the person's mouth. Some of these little guys playing in the water were just so precious I had to take pictures!

Sheila, Dad's cousin, decided she should join in on the fun with the kids!!

Amtrak in Effingham

The first part of this exciting trip was the train ride. Mom's never ridden a train before, and I'd never ridden one in the States. Everything was an adventure from beginning to end!

The train was running about 20 minutes late...so I kept walking out to look down the tracks!

We're finally on the road...er, tracks!

Chicago trip accomplished!

We made it to Chicago...and back! Dad's cousin & her husband (Sheila & Doug) picked us up at Union Station and whisked us off to Millenium Park. Then they took us to Navy Pier, after seeing the Tiffany stained-glass dome in the Cultural Center.

They dropped us off at our Youth Hostel, which was a few blocks away from DePaul University...very nice in Lincoln Park area. After we got settled in, we headed to the bus stop, then hopped on the El train and went to Chinatown!

On Tuesday morning, we got up really early, jumped a bus north and surprised Dad with a trip to Wrigley Field! We then found a bus that took us down by the river where we took a 90-minute cruise down the river and into the lake. It was great to see the skyline! To top it off, with the purchase of the cruise tickets, we got passes to Hancock Observatory. So we got on the bus, went 94 stories up and looked out over Chicago. Then we headed back to Union Station to catch the train back to Effingham! It was a fun 2-day trip, we managed to squeeze in everything we had planned for this trip...and Mom's already talking about going back next month. She's into this big city stuff -- well, she says as long as she has me to find the buses and navigate the El train!

Since we've got quite a few pictures, I'll probably put each leg of the trip in different posts. Stay tuned!!!

August is upon us...

Summer is quickly coming to an end. As I look at the calendar, I realize that school starts back up in just a matter of weeks! How scary is that?! To end summer with a bang, we're taking a family trip to Chicago. Sadly enough, my mother & father have lived in Illinois their entire lives, and I have most of mine, and we've never actually been to Chicago. And Mom's never been on a train. So, woo-hoo, Amtrak here we come!!

We're still open for sites (free or cheap) that we should see. So if you have any suggestions...let me know!

The end of my Molly girl:(

Today was a day that I really hate being an adult instead of a kid. I had to go to the hospital today to have a scope done - down my throat to look at my esophagus and stomach. It turned out alright, so I probably have to have my gall bladder taken out, as they think that's the problem.


After I left the hospital, Mom and I went to the vet's office to check on my dog, Molly. Molly started looking sick on Friday, then refused to eat anything from Saturday on. The vet said that her liver wasn't working, but they would try medications. When we got there today, though, the vet said she was worse and she looked bad. So I had to make a very adult decision that I didn't like. I had to decide to put my dog down. I sat with her, holding her head until it was done, which was quick. She's not in any pain now, which I'm glad. She was definitely the best dog ever and I know that I will miss having her here and snuggling up to me to give her Mommy love!

Molly didn't really like to have her picture taken that much. lol If she was "sitting", she always looked so regal!

That's my Molly girl!!

Unfair portion of life....

Sometimes, it seems as though life hits much harder than absolutely necessary. This has been one of those times.

This past week, my mother's brother passed away, my dad's medications have become out-of-whack and my mother's cancer has come out of remission. When life slows down, I'm pretty sure that I will have a good cry about all of it, but right now, it doesn't seem possible.

My mom's brother, Jack, died Monday (7/14) morning. In the afternoon, we had an appointment with Mom's oncologist because she's been having some all-too-familiar belly pain. Sure enough, he confirmed that Mom's cancer levels have jumped to 75, which means she is not in remission and the cancer is growing again.

We asked him to be completely honest and he said "OK, here it is: Ovarian cancer is strange in that the 1st time your cancer goes into remission is always the longest remission you will have. Each subsequent remission will be shorter than the one before it. So the 2nd will be shorter than the 1st, the 3rd will be shorter than the 2nd and so on." I think I have read that somewhere since it sounded familiar. I must have blocked it, though, because Mom's only actually been in remission for about 7 months. So yeah, if you do the math....it's not good at all.

You know those times that you don't think life is fair....this is definitely one of those times. I am definitely coveting your prayers for my mother and our family. We plan to have a healing service for her soon -- we just have to get back from this funeral to plan it. We also meet with Mom's oncologist Monday for some more test results and to set up her chemo schedule. So I will write more soon.