So This is a Travel Post That's About a Month Late...oops.

Okay, this is ridiculously late, but it's been kind of busy since I got back from the Motherland, and I wanted to include some pictures as I told you all about how much fun I had visiting the Midwest again. I also didn't want Chris to be mad at me for not discussing it.

So this is a recap of that time when I took a wonderful trip to Chicago, with a super fun detour in Wisconsin for a weekend.

So first, about my stop in Wisconsin my first weekend back in the Midwest, where I: talked politics on a morning run with my brother, played volleyball (kind of) with all the family members, played tennis (as well as I can - so kind of played tennis) with some nieces and nephews and my sister-in-law, got invited to join the Adults Dinner with my brother and sister and their spouses (I felt so privileged! I wasn't sure I'd make the cut...), had delicious guacamole from the guacamole cart at a great mexican restaurant, ate my favorite frozen custard at Kopps, stopped at a Piggly Wiggly (it was a big deal), had delicious guacamole made at home, personally made roughly 75 pancakes for everyone for dinner, celebrated a niece's birthday, enjoyed the local ladies at church giggling about how much my sister and I look like our brother (bahahahah, titter titter titter!!!), and celebrated the greatest victory of my life, past, present, and future, as I beat BOTH brother AND sister in the final round of Tetris. First time I've ever achieved such an accomplishment, and if it's the last, I will still die a happy girl. It seemed fitting that it came on the last night of the Olympic celebration. I like to go out with a bang.

I'd like to note quickly that our outing at Pirate Park and the hay tower, I took some pictures, but mainly let Abby and Chris/Maddie/Caleb take pictures with their fancy cameras. So I'd love to get copies of those, since I don't have them yet...hint hint.

I'd say Vacation:Wisconsin was a success. Thanks to Chris and Jodi and children for being the impeccable hosts they always are. And thanks to Abby and Devn, for sneaking another child in my room every night until I was sharing a room with more of their children through the night than they were...those were 2 sleepless nights I won't be getting back...

Anyway, moving on.

As for Chicago, where I spent my first two days of vacation, followed by the last week+, it was a blast. Part relaxing, part exciting, part exhausting, it covered a lot of things I wanted out of my trip...and then added some surprises as well. While there, I: played at Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time in roughly 20 years, tried - unsuccessfully - to keep my sister's entire family from becoming gambling addicts on one game, conquered Super Mario Bros Wii (aka supported Abby in conquering all the levels/getting all the star coins - I'm no Mario, but I play a great Luigi; I'm more of a natural wingman than leader), battled as an equal at Dr. Mario, sang lots of Lisa Loeb and Spice Girls, walked to the local candy store, took the train to Downtown Chicago for a girls' day out, went shopping in downtown Chicago, finally walked into an H&M store (which is a big deal only because so many of my friends can't believe I'd never been to one - they're not exactly a nationwide chain, though, so it's not like it's always that easy, so lay off me!), ate ice cream while strolling downtown Chicago, saw the giant jellybean sculpture, sat by the marina and stared out at Lake Michigan, walked around a GIANT fountain in the middle of the city, got asked to participate in a video news article for the Onion (turned it down - they asked if we had a spare hour for it, as we were finishing up our day trip  - I don't think so! Would've been cool, but kind of glad I didn't, once I knew what it was going to be about), watched a {not} real penguin hatch, became an instant mother of 3 for a night and morning while my sister stayed with my brother-in-law in the hospital after he got his gall bladder removed (2nd time I've babysat while one of the parents were in the hospital for something - it's kind of becoming a tradition, I guess...), decided I'd rather not be a single mother of 3 instantly...and that I was okay waiting to become a mother in general at the moment, snuggled with nieces and nephews whenever possible, ate at Culvers of course, watched Joyful Noise (it was a goal of the trip - Dolly Parton! Sister Act 2 for a different religious base! Usher songs turned into worship songs!), had my flight back to DC cancelled and got an extra night of vacation, ate waaaaay too much, and enjoyed a leisurely afternoon and evening of jigsaw puzzling. Am I missing anything important? Probably.

And some memorable memories from Chuck E Cheese's: