Thursday, July 31, 2008

Chicago

All right, I've been taking a lot of heat for not updating - I'm sorry!!! I haven't had time to look at other people's or post on my own but this is me committing to try to do better.

This weekend we were lucky enough to spend some kid-free time with some great friends! The Barlows invited us out to their new home in Stevensville, MI and we spent all day Saturday in Chicago watching a Cubs game and touring the city. Elizabeth and Michelle's blogs will give much more detail, but I'll just highlight the top 7 most memorable moments (in no particular order) of the trip for me.

1. Potty breaks. Try taking a little vacation with 3 pregnant women sometime. There are LOTS of potty breaks!
2. "You're outta here!" What would a Cubs game be without the coach getting thrown out of the game and the fans filling the field with trash in protest?
3. Good old fashioned car talk. Poor Chris got stuck in the middle of the "vacation van" so he got the best of both worlds - the guys' conversation and the girls' conversation. I think he would have preferred to just hear the guys. Shawn also got voted the worst Shot Gun partner for his tendency to fall asleep.
4. The trophy - Matt and Kristen have a paper trophy proudly displayed on their mantle which Matt claims is his due to his ability to beat Kristen in the game Singing Bee. Well we were all jealous and wanted a stab at the trophy so it was girls against guys in Scene-it Squabble. Unfortunately the trophy remains with the men.
5. The reigning hosts of the year. Matt not only typed up a hilarious trip packet and mailed it to us pre-trip, but also had an itinerary waiting on our beds when we got there (nothing better than knowing what to expect). Kristen had shopping bags for each couple complete with our towels all tied up in bows as well as shower packs which included shampoo, conditioner and body wash. To top it off the boys got hooked up with some sweet Benton Harbor tees which they will all wear proudly for years to come. Oh yeah, and did I mention the food? Yum!
6. Chris threatening to kill some poor, drunk 20 year old that grabbed Michelle's belly. You should have seen that kid hustle!
7. Gummi bear test - I took a lot of abuse over just wanting to eat the red and white gummi bears so we did a blind taste test to see whether my condition was all mental or whether it really warranted all the fuss. Turns out that the green gummi bears are actually apple flavored (I thought lime all this time) so I can now add green to my handfuls - but orange and yellow are still out!

I can't neglect to mention Abram and Kristin without whom none of this would be possible. Thanks for taking the kids!!!

14 comments:

Jenny said...

i already commented on everyone else's blog. So what else can I say except...I love your shirt! So cute.

Jana said...

Sounds like a great time. Are you ready for a girls trip? I AM!!!

Autumn said...

IT IS ABOUT TIME! I seriously thought you had fallen off the face of the earth or something! Looks like you guys had a great time! Glad you're back amoungst the bloggers!

Unknown said...

Seriously Lisa I'm with Autumn. I love Chicago! You look so cute in your pictures, looks like you had tons of fun.

Anonymous said...

How fun!! I love Anna, but a trip with no kids??? What a party!

Arah Debra said...

Glad you had so much fun in Chicago, but I need you to put some pictures of my boy on now. I need to see him! I'm forgetting what he looks like :-(

Delsa said...

I'm with you Arah- if it wasn't for an occasional post from Kristin with pictures I wouldn't know if you still had kids. Though you and Shawn do look great too.

Updates From The Outback said...

Good to see that you're back among the living. Trip sounds like fun. I'm with Delsa and Arah: so we are watching for cute pics of our grandchildren together.

Shawn said...

Lisa, don't let them get you down. You make an effort to start blogging again and they immediately point out what you have don't wrong. It's a good thing you love your mother and mother in law.

Shauri said...

while i appreciate shawn's effort to turn the tide of criticism, I would like add that i deserve a little credit for being "a great babysitter" and contributing to making your trip possible.

Mandy said...

How fun that you got to take a trip without the kids! It's so different, isn't it? I absolutely love the pics of your house too- it looks so amazing! Hope we can get together soon!

Bennett Family said...

How fun. Love the picture of you and all the pregnant women. To cute. I keep hearing about all the yummy food you ate at Kristens. What did you guys eat?

Byron said...

The family comments here are my favorite, everything you needed to know, right here!

So it took me a minute, but I finally realized Kristen was the 3rd pregnant lady. I didn't know, how very exciting for them! Glad you had a blast.

Updates From The Outback said...

Okay, so you had fun. But, do you remember watching the Cubs several thousand years ago and singing with "Harry Caray" during the 7th inning stretch? THAT WAS FUN!