We decided to have Brodee fly up to Chicago, so we could spend a week together before he went back to school. Since it was going to be over Theo's birthday, I thought it would be fun to rent the same house in Downers Grove that we rented last year, and invite my family to join us.
Friday, August 2:
My mom, dad, and Dane drove up to Illinois and met us at Portillo's Hot Dogs (a classic Chicago treat) for dinner.
After dinner, Dane, mom, Theo, Josh and I headed back to our place in Sheridan, while my dad went to a hotel by the O'Hare airport. He was flying out early to Dallas to pick up Brodee, who would be flying in to Dallas from Midland/Odessa.
Dane slept in Theo's Star Wars room, while Theo slept on an air mattress in the family room.
I think it worked out pretty well!
Saturday, August 3:
The next morning Josh headed to work while Dane, Mom, Theo, and I went to the Ottawa Farmers Market. We walked around Washington Square Park, bought some local corn and cookies, and then went and got doughnuts and chocolate milk at Steve's Bakery.
After we got back to our place I received some bad news from Josh: Brodee had missed his flight. UGH! I was sick to my stomach. Apparently he arrived at the airport 20 minutes before his flight was supposed to leave and the check in system locks you out 30 minutes before the flight leaves. I'm not going to lie. I was furious. Since he missed his first flight (of FOUR), and it was his fault, the rest of his flights get canceled and we get no refunds or compensation. We debated about what to do next. Do we just tell him not to come? No. We planned this whole week at Downers Grove around him coming. My family was flying in and driving in for this. We had to find a way to get him here. I called customer service and explained what had happened. There was nothing they could do for us. So, we had to buy new tickets for him. Do you know how much last minute fares cost?!
UGH!
Meanwhile, my dad is waiting for Brodee in Dallas.
We bought new tickets for Brodee, but, of course, his flight kept getting delayed.
During all this commotion, we drove to Downers Grove where we checked into our Cambridge Estates house. Missy, Brady, and Cole showed up a little later and we all got settled in. My mom and I ran to Costco and Meijers to get food for the week.
[Brady and Dane shared a room with two queen beds. They were pretty excited!]
*SIDE NOTE*
One of the things I complained about to the owner last year was the condition of the grill. It was terrible! And of course, we had planned on BBQing a lot and just had to make it work. But at the end of our vacation last year I told the owner that he needed a new grill. He said the grill was new and he would take my words into consideration. Okaaaay...
When we arrived at the house this we did an inspection and the grill was THE SAME ONE THAT WAS THERE LAST YEAR! I sent a note to the owner and received no reply. Then my mom called, talked to the owner, and the next day we had a new grill! Mom to the rescue!
Later that night Missy and I drove to Midway to pick up Andie, Porter, and Kenna who had flown in from Utah!
Back to the airport drama:
My dad ended up flying back to O'Hare without Brodee (the flights were full) and he waited for him there. Brodee FINALLY arrived at midnight and they were able to drive to the Downers Grove house.
I know what you're thinking. How was Brodee able to fly all the way by himself? Wasn't your dad supposed to meet him halfway? Well, Brodee is old enough to fly with a layover by himself as long as the layover is in one of American Airlines' "hubs" AND we paid $150 (each way) for someone to escort him. Brodee's mom didn't feel comfortable with him doing both flights alone, so my dad volunteered to go to Dallas and meet Brodee there. Since Brodee's flights kept getting delayed, my dad had no choice but to just fly back to Chicago with out him. American Airlines got Brodee to Chicago safe and sound, just like they promised and my dad met him at the airport.
UGH!
Meanwhile, my dad is waiting for Brodee in Dallas.
We bought new tickets for Brodee, but, of course, his flight kept getting delayed.
During all this commotion, we drove to Downers Grove where we checked into our Cambridge Estates house. Missy, Brady, and Cole showed up a little later and we all got settled in. My mom and I ran to Costco and Meijers to get food for the week.
[Brady and Dane shared a room with two queen beds. They were pretty excited!]
*SIDE NOTE*
One of the things I complained about to the owner last year was the condition of the grill. It was terrible! And of course, we had planned on BBQing a lot and just had to make it work. But at the end of our vacation last year I told the owner that he needed a new grill. He said the grill was new and he would take my words into consideration. Okaaaay...
When we arrived at the house this we did an inspection and the grill was THE SAME ONE THAT WAS THERE LAST YEAR! I sent a note to the owner and received no reply. Then my mom called, talked to the owner, and the next day we had a new grill! Mom to the rescue!
Later that night Missy and I drove to Midway to pick up Andie, Porter, and Kenna who had flown in from Utah!
Back to the airport drama:
My dad ended up flying back to O'Hare without Brodee (the flights were full) and he waited for him there. Brodee FINALLY arrived at midnight and they were able to drive to the Downers Grove house.
I know what you're thinking. How was Brodee able to fly all the way by himself? Wasn't your dad supposed to meet him halfway? Well, Brodee is old enough to fly with a layover by himself as long as the layover is in one of American Airlines' "hubs" AND we paid $150 (each way) for someone to escort him. Brodee's mom didn't feel comfortable with him doing both flights alone, so my dad volunteered to go to Dallas and meet Brodee there. Since Brodee's flights kept getting delayed, my dad had no choice but to just fly back to Chicago with out him. American Airlines got Brodee to Chicago safe and sound, just like they promised and my dad met him at the airport.
BUT Brodee FINALLY made it and that's all I care about! Thanks dad for making the trip to Dallas!
Sunday, August 4:
[The boys waisted no time in setting up the Wii]
[Grandma with Kenna, Brady, Dane, and Cole]
[Andie, Kenna, and Porter hanging out with Theo]
[Andie, Kenna, Mom, and Dad]
[Theo and Porter]
[FaceTime with Luke]
[Theo, Porter, and Cole]
[Josh and Kenna]
[Brady found a cool coconut instrument]
POOL TIME!
[Porter and Cole]
We didn't put Theo in the pool last year because it was too cold. But I thought we would try this year. He seemed to like it as long at the sun wasn't in his eyes and no one was splashing nearby.
[Papa and Theo]
[Missy and Cole]
[Andie and Porter]
[Kenna and Andie]
[Porter]
[Brodee and Theo]
[The boys all LOVED Kenna]
[Hi Kenna!]
[Brady and Kenna]
That night the family had s'mores while Josh and I went on a date to Alinea.
Josh and I went to Alinea back in November of 2015 and we have been talking about it ever since. We had the opportunity to go with Josh's coworker, Steve, and his girlfriend, Kassy, and we had so much fun!
When you go to Alinea you have three options: The Gallery (18-20 servings), The Salon (10-12 servings), or The Kitchen Table (18-20 servings AND you sit at a table in the kitchen!)
Here's the menu:
It wasn't given to us until after the meal was over, as to not spoil the surprise.
We started off at a long table with the 10 other couples that were in the Gallery. They served us the "Communal" course which consisted of oyster, beet, salsify, and snail paired with a wine from Austria.
We were then taken into the kitchen where the Chef made us a margarita-kind-of drink and we ate a small "Southwestern inspired" pastry. YUM!
["Kitchen" course]
["Pocket"]
We were then taken back to the Gallery where our long table was transformed into 4-person tables.
[The waiter put this crossword on our table. He said it was a clue to the menu.]
Next, we got the "Contast" course which consisted of this small shell that was full of caviar. I've only had caviar once before at Le Cirque in Vegas and I was excited to try it again. It was flavorful and paired beautifully with the Champagne.
Next came the "White, Pāo, Bigfin, Succulent, Parfait, King, Shell, Skin, Ink, and Glow" courses. Every little thing was amazing but the lobster with the sorbet (yes, cold sorbet) stood out to me. You would not think that warm salty lobster and a cold sorbet would work, but they do! The octopus with the Korean barbecue sauce was also memorable!
Up next was "Stem and Branch." They put rosemary over a fire and it smelled so good.
Next was the "Heirloom, Cracker, Truffle, and Bone" courses. The rabbit was on the bone and it was very tasty! We also had a truffle that had puree rabbit liver in it. Also, very delicious!
When we were in the kitchen earlier we heard the waiters say "Wagyu" over and over again. The four of us all looked at each other with glee! We knew we would be getting wagyu at some point and we could not wait!
Then out came the "Rossini and Ear" courses and our wagyu had arrived!
Have you ever had meat that just melts in your mouth?! You need to try Wagyu! It was served with a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon and it was perfect!
Our last three courses were the dessert courses: "Wood, Balloon, and Paint"
The chocolate course was served with a smoky tequila.
When we first got to dinner I told Steve and Kassy to take a good look around the room because it was likely that they would be using the art in the room during the meal. And sure enough, they took the art off the walls and used it to build our final course "Paint."
I didn't do the helium balloon last time (I don't like taffy) and Kassy didn't want hers so the guys got to have two each.
[Steve]
[Josh]
[Answers to the crossword puzzle]
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