Ok, now for the post you've all been waiting for. ; ) The details about our trip. Before I start, I just want to pass along some tips for making a trip to Chicago. Tip #1 carry lots of cash... you'll need it for tips and parking. Tip #2 make sure you know the PIN # to your debit card so that you can actually get more cash if you need to. : ) Tip #3 use a GPS device to help you navigate. Tip #4 don't spend the night at the Congress Hotel.
We left Thursday evening and headed to Jason's parents in Highland, IN, about 30-45 minutes from Chicago, to spend the night. That part of the trip was pretty uneventful. Anyway, we headed to Chicago the next day. We went to the Shedd Aqaurium. It was great!! It's a must see for all ages. As I went through the entire facility, I got to see just a small amount of the many amazing creatures God has created. It made me realize just what a big and amazing God we serve. We saw exotic fish of every shape, size and color. We saw electric blue colored frogs, lemon yellow colored frogs, lime green colored frogs, camouflage frogs etc. We also saw sharks, sting rays, piranhas, flash light fish (so named because when they blink their eyes, their eyes light up due to tiny bacteria that live in pockets under their eyes) and so many others. After that, we went to our hotel, the Congress Hotel, and got dressed up. Jason took me to the Fireside Grille where we had a romantic steak dinner. After that our little trip just seemed to go downhill. The Hotel was nice enough, for a restored historic hotel, but the walls were not insulated to block sound. (We had noisy neighbors) I would not recommend it as a stopping place for anyone else desiring to spend a night in Chicago.
Anyway, Saturday was rainy and cold. We started our day by heading to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. After many turn arounds and detours, due to one way streets that aren't computed into the GPS, we finally made it to the Cafe only to have to turn around again because we had no cash for parking and no way of getting any since we didn't know the PIN #s to our debit cards so we could get more from the ATM. GRRR!! But Moms are amazing. Mine went to our house and dug up the papers with our #s and told us so we could get some cash. We finally got to eat lunch and I must say, the Cafe is another awesome place. The inside looks like a rainforest complete with waterfalls, jungle animals, exotic fish and sounds. (Refer to my pictures) After that we headed to the IMAX on Navy Pier only to miss the show time because of construction and one way streets. So we headed to Pacific Garden Mission. We got to tour the facilities and watch a live performance of a future broadcast. (Refer to my pictures) After that, we were supposed to go to the Drake Hotel for supper but decided not to due to the day we'd been having. So instead we headed for a Cheesecake place. We drove for forever to get there and when we finally got there, they were closed. By this time, I was so frustrated I told Jason I never wanted to go on another trip again. We headed home in frustrated silence. Then my wonderful husband, that I don't deserve, suddenly decided to stop by a place and when he came out he not only had a big sampler box of the very cheesecake we had gone to get, but also a dozen beautiful pink roses. When I saw that and the love on his face, all I could do was cry. How could he be so loving when I was so complaining and ungrateful for all that he'd tried to plan for me on the trip? That special act of love spoke more to me than if he'd returned the attitude I'd had. I was humbled by it. After that, we headed back to his parents, in much better spirits, to spend the night. We can actually laugh about our trip now, but I feel like I need a vacation to recover from my vacation!! What a trip! :)
