Aunt Sandy and a Morning at the Museum

Wednesday morning it was raining again and we went to the Museum of Science and Industry with my Aunt Sandy. Aunt Sandy is my dad's younger sister and we used to come visit her every summer when I was growing up. We would do the museums and my dad would take my brother Andy and I to a Cubs game. Then when I was in college and after graduation I came to Chicago frequently to visit her and my friend Anne who lived here at the time.

We had a nice morning at the Museum and a good time catching up with Aunt Sandy. I knew Rollie would love this place and they had some great stuff for the kids as well. And apparently this week all Chicago residents receive free admission into the Museum of Science and Industry, so they counted our whole family as Chicago residents with my aunt. It was going to cost us $40 and we got in FREE!

Here are some pics from our morning:

I don't think Ben really wanted to be in this picture

Lydia in a steam engine

Ben saying "please" to the ball. He didn't understand how the air stream worked and that he couldn't grab it :)

Tonight we're going to have dinner with my Aunt Sandy at her condo and tomorrow we're going to attempt the sailboat tour again before having dinner with my old roommate Jen and her husband Dan. We also need to find a time to walk through Millineum Park and see the "Bean". It's new since I was last here 9 years ago.

I love Chicago, even in the rain

Monday morning we left the Leeman's house at 6am with ALL of our luggage. So much STUFF! After just having 1 big bag for Rollie and I last week this feels like a lot, but it's everything we need for our next 3 weeks on the road. 2 big car seats, a bag of toys, a bag of food, diapers, clothes for all of us... you get the picture.

Ruth dropped us off at the St. Paul train station around 7am Monday and we took the Amtrak train to Chicago. We had a family bedroom on the train which was great. It meant that our family didn't have to stay in our seats the whole 8 hour trip and we had plenty of room for all our luggage. It was a really fun and relaxing way to travel, and very economical as well. The room had windows on each side of it so we were able to take in all the beautiful Wisconsin scenery along the way. We had breakfast and lunch in the dining car and in general the kids did really well. They took a nap and watched a couple of movies on the computer.

 Lydia and Ben watching our train pull up to the St. Paul train station

in our bedroom on the train

We arrived around 4pm at Union Station in downtown Chicago and took a taxi to our hotel. We got a fantastic hotel on Priceline called the Blackstone hotel, which is an historic and beautifully renovated hotel, right downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue at Grant Park. Which means that we are close to everything we want to do and have good access to busses and the Subway. And we have an enormous park right out our front door (a huge blessing when you're staying in one hotel room with 2 little kids).

hugging in the hotel room

The Blackstone is the one with the greenish top floor

So after settling into our hotel, we went out to dinner at a Chicago pizza place called Lou Malnoti's and we all loved the pizza. Then we walked to Grant Park and the kids were able to run around a bit. By then it was bedtime for the kids, and when you share one room that means it was also bedtime for us :)

 mmmm.... Chicago pizza

 Grant Park

Tuesday morning we were all up around 6:30 and went downstairs to Starbucks for breakfast (twist my arm...) We had planned to take a sailboat tour of the Chicago lakeshore this morning, but the weather report was calling for lots of rain and some thunderstorms, so the boat place was closed for the day. Instead we walked in a light drizzle to Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park and the kids had a great time running around and playing in the rocks (they didn't care about the magnificent skyline behind them or the lakeshore next to them, but Rollie and I enjoyed it.) I love Chicago!

 the kids at Buckingham Fountain

 

 

contemplating the Chicago skyline?

It started to rain harder so we headed towards Michigan Avenue and found a free exhibit on Chicago architecture and the kids had fun looking at the model of the city and all the tiny cars and people in it. We found a small outdoor market selling baked goods and fruit so picked some up for our snacks and breakfasts this week. We had leftover pizza and apples for lunch in our hotel room, and the kiddos took their naps.

Tuesday night we took the subway a few miles north to have dinner with Bill and Christine Pinalto and their kids. Bill was the youth and college pastor at our church in Phoenix and they moved to Chicago a year ago when Bill took a senior pastor position at Edgewater Baptist Church in Chicago. Craig and Becca Deveraux (also from CBC in Phoenix and live in Chicago now while Craig is at Moody) joined us and we had a great time catching up over dinner.

 Craig and Becca Deveraux with Logan Pinalto

 Taylor, Christine, and Bill Pinalto

 Rollie and Lydia

Cade Pinalto and Ben

Ben just loves older boys and Cade played with him a lot :)

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we're spending the day with my Aunt Sandy who lives 4 blocks from our hotel. It's supposed to rain again so we'll probably spend the morning at one of Chicago's amazing museums not too far from here. 

36 hours in Minneapolis

After returning from Rollie and my trip to the UK, we had 36 hours at his parents' house before leaving for Chicago Monday morning. We had a sweet reunion with the kids, Lydia was jumping up and down saying "Mommy, Mommy" with a huge smile on her face, and Ben wanted nothing to do with me. He clung to Rollie and didn't want to even give me a hug. So here begins the "Daddy's boy" faze :) (He has since warmed up considerably... it's like he's holding a grudge for us leaving him for a week, even though he did really well with Rollie's parents. It's funny b/c he's always been such a momma's boy, with a fierce attachment to me.)

We brought the kids their toys and candy from our trip, and they love the little car and bus and the candy is long-gone. We had a nice time with Rollie's parents Saturday night and then we all went to church Sunday morning. Rollie and I got some shopping done Sunday afternoon and did all the laundry to get us ready for this week on the road. Rollie's mom and I made a quick trip to the Mall of America so that I could buy a new watch, mine stopped working for good during our week away. After I asked Rollie "what time is it?" about a hundred times last week time, he finally said "throw that thing away and buy a new one". Sunday night we watched a movie and had popcorn with Rollie's parents and the kids, and after the kids went to bed we packed and then showed all of our trip pictures to Gordon and Ruth.

So after 36 short hours in Minneapolis, Rollie and the kids and I headed out to Chicago Monday AM. Thanks, Gordon and Ruth for taking such great care of our kids this past week, and we can't wait to see you again in 2 weeks in the Smoky Mountains!

What I learned in the UK

• Bathrooms are called Toilets. They are never where you want them to be, and if they are, you have to pay for them.
• The standard uniform for women here is black tights or leggings, boots, and a belted peacoat jacket. Sometimes very short denim shorts are worn over those tights.
• I look like a tourist, and I'm fine with that. Leave the boots and cute shoes for the Londoners, they aren't doing as much walking as you are.
• Everything is beautiful, really old, and really expensive.
• Buy lunch at a grocery store instead of a restaurant, much cheaper and healthier.
• There is still a Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's on every corner.
• Taking the "Tube" is really easy and fun.
• Rick Steve knows what he's talking about.
• If you want to sound British, use the adjectives "lovely" and "brilliant".
• Check the heat setting on your flat-iron carefully before using it with the converter. You might fry your hair. Just sayin'...
• Flying is much easier and more relaxing without kids. But I wouldn't trade my kids for anything.
• It's really fun to Skype with your kids. They might try to feed you cheese crackers and sippy cups of milk through the computer. You might try to poke them and squeeze their heads.
• My husband really is my best-friend. I love being with him wherever we are. And wherever we are he continues to be the same easy-going, level-headed, amazing-with-directions, funny (and "brilliant") man that I love.

Things I learned in Dublin and Northern Ireland:

• Bathrooms are still called Toilets.
• They have Subways here and fewer Starbucks.
• Food is "nice" and "gorgeous" when it's really good.
• Stone walls dividing fields make a hillside beautiful.
• I've lived a very sheltered, safe life.
• Cookies are called "biscuits".
• Drink tea, more tea, and then have some biscuits.
• Baby items have cuter names here. Diapers are called "nappies", strollers are "prams", and Irish babies named Caleb have chubby red cheeks that I adore.
• Good friends are those you can pick up a conversation with after 4 years and it's like you've never been apart.
• Words can do without multiple syllables, and on whatever syllable you think the emphasis should be placed, you're wrong.
• GPS is invaluable on country roads in a foreign country.

Dundrum Castle, Newcastle, back to Dublin, and dinner in Malahide

Friday Rollie and I drove up the coast further to Dundrum where we briefly visited Dundrum Castle, built around 1170.

Then we went back down the coast a bit to a larger, more touristy town called Newcastle. We had coffee at Maud's Cafe and shared a sausage roll (think croissant with a small sausage in it... YUM!). We sat and watched the sea from the cafe windows, then found a candy store to bring some
treats back with us for Ben and Lydia and Rollie's parents. On our way back to Sarah's house we turned off the GPS and wandered down some country roads just for the fun of it.

Stacy and Joel, this one's for you :)

Then we went to a coffee hour with Sarah and Caleb that is a ministry of their church in Kilkeel, it's an outreach to the Catholic community in their area and they do a bible study together, trying to break down the tensions between Protestants and Catholics there and turn hearts toward Christ. We enjoyed meeting the people there and seeing a bit of what real life is like in Northern Ireland, and how we are all in need of the saving grace of Jesus.

We had a late lunch and Rollie and I packed up, said goodbye to Sarah and baby Caleb, and drove the 1 1/2 hours back to Dublin, where we stayed near the airport for the convenience of our morning flight the next day. Rollie's co-worker Cheryl and her husband Paul picked us up and took us out for dinner Friday night. Cheryl is on a 2 year assignment at Intel's site in Ireland and they've been there about 5 months now. It was good to see them and we had a good time talking over tapas that night. They took us to a nearby coastal city called Malahide and we walked around a bit.

So here we are, Saturday, and Rollie and I are on the 8 hour flight from Dublin to Chicago, then another 1 hour flight back to Minneapolis. We're really looking forward to seeing the kids today. This week has been amazing and we're so thankful for this trip, for time away as a couple, for God's provision of safety this week, for good friends, for Rollie's mom and dad who have lovingly watched our kids this week, and to have seen God's creation in another part of His world. Thanks, Sarah and Samuel, for welcoming us and making us feel like family for a few days.

Sarah's house!

Wednesday we drove along the eastern coast of Ireland from Dublin, into Northern Ireland (UK) to our friend Sarah's house in Kilkeel. Sarah is an old friend from our days at Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis. Sarah's friendship and her faith in God have had a special impact on my life and my faith. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding, and we were really sorry to not be able to make it to her wedding to Samuel two Christmas's ago. So when Rollie mentionned a year ago that as part of his sabbatical we should go to Ireland to see Sarah, I didn't hestitate to say "yes".

Sarah and Samuel's house, on the family estate

So after 24 hours in Dublin, we drove north along the Irish Sea coast into Northern Ireland. The countryside was beautiful and the slow pace was a nice change after 4 days in major cities. Very narrow roads with stone walls along the sides, sheep and cows in the fields, and small coastal sea villages. We arrived at Sarah's around 4pm and spent the next few hours talking and catching up until Samuel came home from work. He teaches Religious Education in the local school and does Drama as well. We had never met Samuel and really enjoyed his company and seeing and hearing how God had worked in their hearts and in their relationship to bring them together. Sarah moved to Northern Ireland when they were married and we talked a lot about her experiences as an American moving to Northern Ireland and becoming part of Samuel's family and community. We had (and still have) so much to learn about the history there. So Wednesday night Sarah made us fajitas for dinner and the 4 of us spent the evening talking after baby Caleb (4 months old) went to bed.

Thursday morning we slept in and while Rollie was still sleeping, Sarah and I talked in the kitchen for a couple of hours, enjoying our girl time and a chance to just talk and catch up. Then Sarah and Caleb took Rollie and I hiking in the Mourne Mountains and we had a picnic after we reached our summit. Kilkeel is nestled on the eastern coast of Northern Ireland between the Irish Sea and the Mourne Mountains. This isolates the villages along the sea a bit, and makes a fairly private community referred to as the Kingdom of Mourne. The hike was really pretty, winding through some woods and then up a windy hillside covered in heather. After our hike back down Sarah drove us through the town a bit.

  

Before going out to dinner that night Rollie and I walked the 5 minutes from their house down to the beach. Cold and windy and beautiful.

Then Samuel's mom came over to watch Caleb while the 4 of us went out to dinner in a nearby town called Warren Point. We had a really nice time talking. They introduced us to some popular Irish desserts, pavlova and bamoffie pie. Yum!

pavlova is a light dessert of crispy meringue, whipped cream, fresh fruit

bamoffie pie is a crunchy pie crust, sliced bananas, and caramel sauce. Oh my YUM!

since Sarah and Samuel loved us enough to take a large quantity of candid pictures of themselves while we were in the restroom, they earned a spot on our blog :)

We went back to their house and watched a movie called "50 Dead Men Walking", about the Troubles in Northern Ireland during the 80's. Samuel helped us to understand a bit what it was like to grow up with car bombs and shootings being a reality instead of being a movie that you watch and forget about later.