Hustle and Bustle

It's been a while since my last post. I've been so incredibly busy that I haven't even had time to think about posting on my blog.

My dad came for a visit a couple of weeks ago and I really enjoyed his time here. We were able to spend some quality time together do a lot of sightseeing. We explored Naperville, Il together. We walked along the beautiful riverwalk in the downtown area. I didn't even know that was there so that was a new discovery for me. It is such a nice place to visit in the warmer months. I'm not sure I would want to go there with snow all over the ground. They have a humongous bell tower in the center of the riverwalk. Dad and I were lucky enough to hear one of the concerts it plays throughout the day. It was really something to hear... sounded like we had a bell choir right in front of us. We also found a beach right in the middle of downtown. They have a place called Centennial Beach. It's a giant pool with platforms, diving board, slide and sand attached. It's pretty impressive and definitely unexpected in Illinois!

Dad and I also figured out how to ride the metra (train) into the city, ride the cta public transportation buses around and we were able to make it back home! We had a blast exploring Navy Pier. We took an architectural boat ride that was really cool. It gave us an overwhelming amount of facts and information regarding how and when buildings were built in the city.

On dad's last day, we were fortunate enough to get free tickets to see the Cubs play in Wrigley Field. They didn't win of course, but it was a once in a lifetime experience. We all had a great time at the game.

Not long after bidding farewell to my dad, we welcomed a new set of guests. Josh's brother, David, his wife, Amy, and their two girls, Rachel and Grace came up for a short visit. Surprisingly enough, we all managed to fit into our 1 1/2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment. We can't wait for them to return. The girls got to go to the Naperville Children's Museum, swim in the pool, celebrate Josh's birthday and go on a shopping spree at the American Girl Doll store in Chicago. We were sad to see them leave as well, but both of the girls begin school next week so they had to get back to town.

I begin my job full-time next week. I'm sure it will be a tough week having to wake up to an alarm clock everyday. It's been three months since I've had to do that for an extended amount of time. It may be a bit of a shock to my body but I know I'll survive and I'm really looking forward to taking care of Isla. She took her first steps on her birthday so this will be an exciting year for the both of us!