Chicago!

Okay, so I’m finally making time to sit down and blog about my trip to Chicago! It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E…and it was C-O-L-D! I don’t think I have ever been so cold in my life! That didn't keep us from painting the town red, though. Let me tell you...we owned that town. It was an absolute blast and I’m so so thankful for my sweet friends and their willingness to leave their families for a weekend of fun!

We touched down in Chicago around 10:00 Saturday morning and headed (ummmhummm, by way of limo) straight to get some Chicago pizza. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It was the best I’ve ever eaten. Ever. It stood (that’s right, stood) about two inches tall and was full of more cheesy goodness than you could imagine. We ordered two- one Chicago classic (onion, pepper, mushrooms, and pepperoni) and one Tropic Delight (Canadian bacon and pineapple). It was impossible to choose which one was the best. I’m craving more now.  Girls, if you're reading- "chambers"  Ha!

Right after lunch, we went to the Skydeck at the Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears tower). We were all nervous, but determined to walk out on the ledge-which was 103 stories tall. That’s high, friends. So high that I was so dizzy when I stepped off the elevator that I thought I was going to pass out. It’s the tallest building in the western hemisphere. And the ledge is glass. Clear glass. See through glass…like all the way to the ground. We waited in line for over an hour but we finally made our way to the ledge. Hesitantly, we all did it. Quickly. But we did it.

You can tell I'm scared by the look on my face!

The view was amazing!

We went next to Magnificent Mile to check out the sights. We used our Hop On/Hop Off Trolley passes to take us from place to place. I didn’t realize most of the stores were designer or name brands that I definitely couldn’t afford…Armani, Tiffany, Coach, etc. I don’t think I walked inside one single store. But, it was still neat to see and I’m glad I can now say I’ve been there. We searched and searched along Michigan Avenue for somewhere to eat. The wait time was nuts everywhere we checked, until we found this place called Foodlife. I think it was coolest place I’ve ever been to eat. We were given a “charge card” upon entering. The place was huge, and included lots of different “restaurants” within the big restaurant…if that makes sense. Once you’re seated at your table, you take your charge card and visit any counter you’d like to order anything you’d like. They swipe your card and when you’re finished, you take your card to the front to pay. There was a BBQ bar, sushi bar, comfort food bar, Chinese, Stir Fry, Soup, Salad, Mexican, etc. I didn’t particularly like my food choice- Sesame Chicken- but I think it’s because I was so tired and determined not to stand in line, that I chose the first place I saw that I could get something quick. The other girls seemed to enjoy their meal. Nevertheless, I LOVED the concept.

We got a good night’s sleep and woke up the next morning anticipating our visit to Chinatown. My wallet was so eager to find some knockoff purses or sunglasses. Boy, were we wrong. This wasn’t like the Chinatown in NYC. This was the literal Chinatown…as in an Asian community. No venders. No knockoffs. Needless to say, our time there was short-lived.

We hopped on the trolley and headed to Millennium Park to see the giant silver bean! We had the most fun! We took tons of pictures and were super silly…and didn’t even care. We went from there to the Michigan Avenue Bridge, which was the scene from My Best Friend’s Wedding. Then we followed the smell of popcorn (not really, but almost) to Garrett Popcorn. The.most.amazing.popcorn.ever. Oh my goodness. What I wouldn’t give for some now. And Giordano’s Pizza.

The afternoon came to an end and it was time to go freshen up for our much awaited reservations at RPM Italian. This was the primary reason I wanted to visit Chicago…because I love me some Giuliana and Bill Rancic! They are part owners of this restaurant and I watched them renovate the building, choose the menu, and even plan the waiter/waitress uniforms on their reality show…which begins again in June! The food was phenomenal. We all had Giuliana’s Italian Salad, followed by our own choice of pastas. I chose Mama DePandi’s Bucatini Pomodoro.  It was pasta noodles that were hollowed out in the center, with the most flavorful pasta sauce you could imagine.  Delish!  A couple of the girls got spaghetti and meatballs….take a look at the size of that meatball! It tasted as good as it looked, too.

After we walked around Michigan Avenue a while and let our food settle, we decided to go to the John Hancock Building to see the view of the city at night.  We rode the elevator to the 96^th floor into the Signature Room Lounge.  We feasted on some magnificent desserts- cheesecake for me.  The view was much better than the dessert, in my opinion.  Although I ate every bite.

Yes- This is a real picture that I took looking out the window.

Sunday morning we woke up and spent some time with God together, which was very special.  We then set out on a mission to make it to Navy Pier.  Boy, did we think we would never get there!  We hopped on the trolley and little did we know, we had to ride the complete two hour tour to get to where we wanted to go.  If you had been as cold as we had been that weekend, you wouldn't have gotten off and walked either.  Ha!  We got on at the stop just after Navy Pier, so we sat through the entire tour…miserably.  The man driving loved to talk (understatement).  By the time we got to Navy Pier, I think we all jumped off before that thing even came to a complete stop!  We shopped around inside, then walked out to look at the view.  It was SNOWING, so the temperatures were beyond frigid.  We ate lunch at Bubba Gump’s, nursed a sick one (Oh, the memories), enjoyed ice cream and caramel apples, then headed back to the hotel to get our luggage and prepare for our trip back to the airport. 

Our flight was supposed to leave Chicago at 9:35, but was delayed until 10:20 due to the snow in Washington, where our plane had been.  We landed in Nashville around 11:30 and finally made it home safely, after traveling over many snow-covered overpasses and narrowly avoiding heart attacks, around 3:00 am Tuesday morning.  But, it was worth it.

I’m so thankful for these girls and what they mean to me.  I’m so thankful God led me to a school in which I am able to spend the majority of my days with people I love so dearly.  God is truly amazing and I am in awe of what He’s done in my life.  I truly, truly count my blessings and consider these ladies and our friendships among the biggest.

I love you, girls!

Happy Spring Break to Meeeeeee!!!!

I'll be in the Windy City if you need me.  Hold my calls until Tuesday.  Pictures will be posted when I return.

Minnesota

As I mentioned in a previous post, I just returned from a great trip to Minnesota.  It was my first visit there and I came home with the conclusion that the south has met its match as far as hospitality and kindness.  Everywhere we went people would ask how we were, how our day was going, open doors for us, offer to carry our food to the car, etc.  They are some of the most genuine people I've ever been around.  It was so encouraging and just outright heartwarming to know there are still many nice people in the world...even up north! :)

I visited the Mall of America, which is insane!  It's ginormous and has so many roller coasters and rides in the middle of it.  I'm not a fan of roller coasters, so I watched as everyone else rode...other than the kiddy one I rode with Ryder.  It was just my speed.  Ha!

I got to go to a lot of Twins games and see Josh play.  He hit three home runs while I was there, so I'd pretty much say I brought him good luck.  Target Field is so pretty.  We got to go on the field and watch fireworks in honor of Memorial Day.  I got to go in the Twins' dugout, which was really neat.  One observation to add- this team is made up of some really good looking men!  Wow.

We also traveled to Kansas City, in which I got to drive through Iowa and cross over the border into Kansas.  Iowa was nothing but corn, flat land, corn again, and these windmills/wind turbines/whatever they're called.  I had never seen anything like it!

I got to add the Royals stadium to my list of those I've visited.  It was pretty, too.

I'm so thankful to have had this opportunity and to have visited several states I had never been to before. I flew back to Birmingham and got to spend a few days with my favorite one year old and my sister and brother.  LOVE them!

Her new beach hat.  She's ready!

I'm home now but will be leaving to sing at a youth event next week, AcaFest in Nashville the week after that, meet up with some girlfriends for a weekend of fun, and the family beach trip in mid July.  I love me some summertime!

Trip of a Lifetime

I arrived safely back in Alabama Tuesday night.  For those of you that read my previous post, both flights back were very smooth and uneventful...if you know what I mean.  :)

I was in California for 16 days and I loved it!  I wouldn't say I'm a seasoned traveler, but California is definitely the most beautiful state I have ever visited.  I was in awe of the mountains, the landscaping, and the weather.  It was 55 degrees one day!

We visited San Francisco, which was amazing.  We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, had dinner with the Tanners...okay not really, but we went to the actual house from the show and also visited the spot from the family picnic on the show opener.  I saw Alcatraz, went to Pier 39 and saw all the seals, and rode the hills of downtown San Fran.  I LOVE it there!

We visited a little town called Half Moon Bay.  If you have read any Nicholas Sparks books, it's exactly the type town I imagine when I read his work.  There were no chain restaurants, just local diners and shops.  There was no Walmart or Target, just organic groceries and privately owned stores.  There were people riding bikes up and down the streets...just a quaint little town.  The ocean was breathtaking.  I have never seen a view like this one.

Thank you Ginger, if you're reading, for the trip of a lifetime!  Thank you for humoring me and allowing me to be the typical tourist and for slowing down everytime I wanted to take a picture from the window of the car.  I had a blast!

I'm home for two days and then off to the beach with my family!  I am SO excited to spend a week with 22 of my very favorite people in the world.  After that, I'm home a week and then to Antigua for a mission trip.  Prayers for safe travels and open hearts are appreciated.  I hope God shows up and shows off through all 162 of us.

Happy summer, my friends!

Guuuuuurl, Let it Out!.

Sorry for the brief hiatus.  I finally made it to California!  It's BEAUTIFUL here and I am in love.  I have been here almost a week and still have another eleven days to enjoy.  Blessed.

I will write a post about my actual trip and share pictures later on.  But first,  I wanted to share the experience of my flight.  It's definitely one in which I can laugh about for years to come, although it wasn't very funny at the time.

This wasn't my first experience flying alone, but the first time flying alone and changing planes.  I have to admit, I was a little nervous about it.  My layover was in Las Vegas so I was anticipating a ginormous airport and a plethora of outright strange "unique" people.  Surprisingly, the airport is actually pretty small.  It was easy to navigate and I found my new gate in no time.  I passed tons of slot machines, which I expected.  I spent a whole dollar and couldn't even figure out how to work the thing before I decided that wasn't for me.  I love to people watch, so I grabbed a frappe from Starbucks and assumed my seat while I waited to board.  For the most part, people there looked pretty normal.  Until.....I caught a glimpse of a lady walking up to look for a seat.  When I say she looked weird, I mean she looked weird... Gold teeth, earrings in her face (yes, FACE), fake eyelashes, bandana around her head, stripes shaven into her head, a black dress, and what looked like a towel draped around her shoulders as if she had just escaped from the salon to make her flight.  I never saw where she sat before we were called to board. 

My fingers were crossed as the passengers passed my aisle.  I was so hoping that no one would take the seat between the girl on my row and me.  Then, I heard the airline stewerdess announce, "Attention passengers, this flight is completely full.  If you are expecting to have a seat beside you open, it will be taken. Make your preparations now."  I then decided to try and make eye contact with anyone looking somewhat normal and encourage them to come on in and sit.  My attempts failed.  You have probably guessed the rest of the story.  The salon escapee came on and asked for the seat beside me.

We actually had a very pleasant conversation before take-off, as I was beginning to feel guilty for judging this lady by her appearance.  As the plane taxied down the runway, I was beginning to feel a little uneasy for some reason.  I had never gotten motion sickness on a plane, although it is a very common occurance in the car.  I laid my head back and just tried to relax.  When we took off, I can't describe the turbulence we experienced.  The pilot asked that we keep our seatbelts buckled because air traffic control said the winds were really bad.  I knew I was in trouble when I was forced to make sure there was a barf bag in the seat in front of me.  I started having some major hot flashes, tingling, and flat out signs that the worst was coming.  As I was trying to decide if I should attempt to make it to the bathroom or just "let her rip" right there in my seat, it happened.  I grabbed the bag and..... let's just say.... I didn't have to worry about the calories I consumed in that frappe.  Or the dinner I had before that.  Or for that matter, anything else I had eaten the previous eight to ten hours.  It was THAT bad.  As I tried to apologize to my new friend as I was completely and utterly embarrassed, she interrupted me by saying, "Guuuuuuuurl, let it out!."  How hilarious is this??? 

That flight definitely goes down as the most memorable.  Thankfully, I arrived in California safely around ten o'clock Sunday evening.  Now, what lessons did I learn?  One, never judge a book by it's cover.  This lady, despite her appearance, was helpful and kind.  I couldn't have asked for a more cooperative passenger during my time of "need."  Lesson two, always...ALWAYS take dramamine before a flight.

Happy Saturday from California!  I can't wait to see the Golden Gate Bridge, ride a cable car, view Alcatraz, and have a picnic like DJ Tanner on the grounds in front of the pretty houses in San Francisco!