Weekend Recap

We had a lovely weekend, albeit a little soggy. The forecast called for thunderstorms on Saturday and snow on Sunday. We got neither. It did rain for several hours on Saturday but not bad enough to stay inside (as I was hoping).

Friday when I got home from work, there were 6 police cars surrounding the building next door. I quickly went inside, not to avoid the chaos that was sure to follow, but to get the dog so I could take her out in order to get a better look and maybe even over hear what was happening. They weren't talking loud enough and I thought it would be rude of me to ask them to speak up. So instead, I went back inside and perched myself near our bedroom window to observe from above. Everyone seemed very calm, although they did strategically surround the building. A couple drove up and were asked by the officers to get out of the car and they were questioned separately. They all seemed to be waiting for something to happen, or someone else to arrive. I stepped away for the window for just a moment...to grab a snack. Spying on the neighbors can really work up an appetite. By the time John got home there were only 3 police cars and a lady was sitting in the lawn chair on her patio chatting ever so casually with the officers that remained. I was disappointed. No chasing, no yelling, no arrest. We left for the evening and by the time we got back, life had returned to normal.

Friday we enjoyed a lovely dinner party at Jenny's. She made a yummy chicken couscous...perfect for a blistery night. She had a friend from work over and invited us to join them (along with her dad). Her friend retired from AT&T, at the age of 52 I might add...we all wondered how to get on that career plan. It was interesting to hear them talk about the "good ol' days" of renting your telephone from the phone company and being attached to the party line to have the operator connect your call. The three of us under the age of 31 don't even use land line telephones anymore. (It would have been better to use a nice round number there like 30 but then I couldn't be included and it's my blog)!

Saturday we made our weekly trip to see the progress on the house. It was pouring rain but now that the house is sealed up we stayed warm and dry...well, actually just dry. The builder is working on the front porch. We cut down trees from John's parents to use as the porch posts . John's dad de-barked all of them (I don't even know if that's a real word). You would be more impressed with that if you had tried to de-bark a tree. It is hard!




Saturday night we enjoyed dinner with a few of John's coworkers. We cooked but had the party at somebody else's house. That meant no cooking for them and no cleaning for us. It was the perfect party plan. John and I are both lucky enough to work with people who have become our friends. Its not something that everyone gets to have.

Sunday after church, we rented movies and stayed inside the rest of the day. I was in my pajamas at around 1:00 in the afternoon. After my Nazarene nap I watched mindless television, ate leftovers, and worked on a knitting project (which I cannot reveal at this time).

It was a nearly perfect weekend. It was a good combination of relaxing, being productive, and getting enough rain to rinse off my car so I can avoid a car wash a few more weeks.

Chicago Chicago That Toddlin' Town

The average temperature was 7 degrees with a windchill of -20 (and average wind speed of 14 miles per hour. Yes I looked it up. Thank you Chicago Tribune weather archive).

This was Lake Michigan on Saturday


But we ventured forth ready to face the lake front, face freezing temperatures for a lovely Valentine's weekend in one of my favorite places.

John donned his four layered winter weather outfit before we even left KC. I was not so clever and nearly lost my thighs to frostbite in the search for our hotel.

We arrived Friday mid-morning and walked...yes, walked...to The Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum.
Then it was time for the Robinson's time-honored tradition of stuffing ourselves on Giordano's pizza. My dad and I have added to this tradition in the last few years. Now that we travel apart more often, we call each other when we arrive at the sacred pizza parlor with one question, "Guess where I am?" Its mean we know.

After dinner we rose 94 floors above the city to the John Hancock Center Observatory.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to peek into the windows of the Garmin store. What's that in the front window, right along Michigan Avenue...The Miracle Mile?!? It's The Edge, the very product John has worked on.


Saturday we headed to The Museum of Science and Industry.

(Here's John learning how to safely repair plumbing)
We met our friend Greg and his sister that afternoon. Greg suggested we go to the bookstore next to the Oriental Theatre where they have a drawing for the chance to purchase (at discount) front row tickets to Wicked. We put our names in the hat (a witches hat to be exact). They drew 10 names. The plan was for two of us to win so all four of us could go. My name was the only one drawn. Greg and his sister graciously refused to take the tickets so John and I sat in the front row of a sold-out show. It was amazing! We enjoyed every minute of it but I couldn't help feeling a tinge of guilt, for two reasons. One, it was really Greg's idea in the first place and this was the second time they tried to win tickets. Two, my sister knows the soundtrack by heart and would have loved to have been there. So a big thank you to Greg! And Kelly, I promise never to see Wicked again without you.

Sunday morning we had a yummy breakfast at an Italian cafe. We quickly walked through Millenium Park and stumbled upon an ice sculpture display.


The Art Institue of Chicago was next before we boarded the train for the airport to head home.

It was a balmy 21 degrees when we arrived in KC. I didn't even look for my gloves.

We survived the arctic temperatures and did everything we wanted to do (and then some).
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Birthday Kelly


Blessings on your day!

A "Day Off" Story

I took the day off yesterday to run some errands...sort of. The errands were really just an excuse. Truth is I needed a break, so I took one.

Here's the play-by-play...

5:15 - Alarm goes off

Right here is where you say, "But I thought you had the day off? What are you doing getting up at 5:15?" And that's a good question...read on.

5:30 - Transport parents to the airport for their flight to D.C.

7:05 - Drop Sheena off at the vet for her dental surgery.

7:20 - Go back to bed.

10:20 - Get out of bed for the second time.

I could have slept longer but thought it was a little ridiculous to sleep past 10:30 at my age...so I forced myself out of bed.

Some time between 7:20 and 10:20 it started to snow. It was a great feeling to know that I was home and wouldn't have to drive in it if I didn't want to. I always end up driving somewhere but it just feels good to know I don't HAVE to.

11:20 - Go to the store for packing tape.

11:30 - Go to the post office to mail off a package.

That's right...one of you will be getting a package! Who will the lucky winner be?

While I was standing in line at the post office I saw a sign on the wall. It was hung near some bins that held beanie baby bears wearing t-shirts with commemorative stamp logos. The sign read, "Do not allow young adults to handle teddy bears as we cannot sell damaged products". Apparently the young adults in south OP get a little out of hand. I did as instructed and kept my hands off!

12:30 - Return home for lunch and some daytime tv.

I made myself a turkey sandwich with a side of ice-cream. I watched a true hollywood story on the making of Full House. Don't judge me...it was interesting.

3:00 - Venture back out in the snow for a dentist appointment of my own.

Remember how much I love going to the dentist? It makes for a good day. He said everything looked "perfect" and then gave me some travel tips on good airline fares to the Caribbean and a new purple toothbrush.

The best part...my dentist wasn't covered by my old insurance so I paid a pretty good percentage of the cost to go to an "out of network" dentist. It's worth it to me. But I married up when it comes to health insurance coverage and now...I don't pay anything, nothing, nada! Yippee!

4:30 - Pick Sheena up from the vet.

I expected her to be pretty groggy from being sedated. Not so! She came out from the back hyper and excited. The vet tech told me that she took a little longer to wake up than normal. She kept checking on Sheena and finally she walked up to the kennel and stroked Sheena's head to help her wake up. Sheena opened her good eye...nothing else moved...but her tail was flapping quite rapidly. She closed her eye but her tail kept going.

She recovered well and was eager to eat this morning. Her breath smells as it should instead of smelling like something died in there. So we're all a lot happier!

5:30 - Return home...out of the snow for good.

6:30 - Home alone...took a bath with Ms. Bode singin' in the background.

Our hot water heater isn't big enough to fill the bathtub. I had to boil water on the stove to make it warm enough. I felt like Laura Ingalls. Well, Laura Ingalls with electricity, a cd player, and a magazine.

7:30 - Popped some popcorn for dinner and spent the rest of the evening on the couch watching tv.

I put a few check marks on my to-do list. I got enough sleep. I helped others and pampered myself.

It was a good day.