Yesterday Mom, Pop and uncle Bob went to Navy Pier to view the "Tall Ships" It was a great day with temps in the 70s with a nice breeze off the lake. Not only did we view the ships but were able to get on many of them. A great thrill for this old man with a nautical ancestry. After the ships we took the buss to Millennium Park as Bob had never been there. He was pretty impressed with "Cloud Gate" (the bean) From there we walked past the Art Institute Gardens all the way to the Parthenon restaurant for dinner. Then on the Metra train to Naperville were we fell in a heap from exhaustion.

Las Vegas

We had a wonderful time in Vegas. Unfortunately we don't have any pictures. In order to skip the hassle of checking a bag, we packed as conservatively as possible and had to leave the camera behind.

We arrived at our hotel, The Flamingo, before check in, so we dropped off our bags and did some sightseeing on the strip. The hotels were beautiful and extravagant. That night we were treated to the sensual side of the Cirque du Soleil at a performance of Zumanity. It was spectacular.

On Monday while poor DJ, sat through a training class, I was shuttled to nearby Bootleg Canyon, where some very nice young men showed me and a few other tourists how to zipline across a canyon. Actually it was called flighline and is easier than ziplines. The instruction took all of five minutes, including getting into the gear. We then were taken into the canyon to the first runs. There were a total of four lines strung from platform to platform over the canyon. One guide hooked us up to the line and we flew down to the end where another guide unhooked us and hooked us up to the next line. The trick is to get to the end of the line. The heavier you are the faster you get to the end. The views were magnificent and I had plenty of time to admire them as I hovered above waiting for someone to pull me to the end. Twice I got stuck midway down the run. It was exhilerating. If you want to see a video and get a better explanation, go to www.bcflightlines.com.

That night we saw Penn and Teller. They put on a mindblowing show. It ended in time for us to check out some of the free shows outside the hotels. I played it much safer on Tuesday while DJ attended his conference. I did some sightseeing at the hotels and the incredibly expensive shops. I discovered the beautiful photography of Peter Lik, if we ever win the lottery , I'm going to build a house just to have a place to display and view his work. Then I'm going to visit all the places in the photos. He had some awesome shots of a volcano erupting in Hawaii. After DJ got back, we grabbed dinner and partied the night away at a nightclub.

The economy being the way it is, I decided I need some marketable skill in case DJ should lose his job. So on Wednesday, I enrolled in a stripper 101 class. Amazingly I passed, even more amazing the 70 year old attending also passed. I now know the basics of poledancing, a skill I was able to put into practice that evening at a party thrown by one of the conference vendors. Not to worry, I kept my clothers on. The next few days and nights were fairly tame. We toured the downtown area of Las Vegas on Thursday night and had dinner with one of DJ's co workers on Friday night. The restaurant is run by Bobby Flay, who has a few shows on FoodNetwork. We had a wonderful seafood dinner on Saturday, thanks to a gift card from Peggy and Don.

We dragged ourselves out of bed Sunday morning as most people were dragging theirs into bed. I spent Sunday touring the Las Vegas, Denver, Des Moines and Ohare airports. DJ spent the morning at the Las Vegas airport waiting for his flight. It was a fun trip. When I can set the kids down for five minutes, they will tell of their fun. I know they had fun because both eagerly asked if we would be doing this again next year.

More Pictures

LOTS more, in fact! As of 8/1 I've added some of the pictures from Mom & Pop's camera. CLICK HERE.

Dear family,

We arrived home late (11 pm UT time) last night. It feels good to be home, but we are sad to have left IL after such a great visit with all of you. We've got a ton of pictures to go through, but I thought I'd put a few choice ones up right now just for fun. None of the family photos turned out very well on our camera, so I hope one of you has one that's a keeper! Looking forward to hearing about DJ & Michele's trip to Vegas, Nana & Papa's adventures with Chris & Sami, more good news about Gram feeling better, and of course, the best news of all - a birth announcement! We miss you all already. Love, Julie

Mom & Pop went on vacation last week. First stop was Carnegie, PA where we had breakfast with Jane & Phil Evans (Mom & Pop's friends from Army days) Next was Ashland, PA where we explored a coal mine and went for a ride on a cute little steam train. From there we motored down to Strasburg, PA to the train museum. And we got to meet Thomas! Really!!!


After the excitement of meeting Thomas we continued on down to Maryland to Bill & Ann Hach's farm in Sparks. What a place that is!! Bill and his crew of Hondurans plus daughters Ashley and Claire have done a yeoman job of building and restoring the out buildings. A work still in progress. He is also removing all non native species of tree, bush & flower from the 20 acre property and replacing them with natives. The house has yet to be worked on and it is huge, 14 fireplaces. Young Bill was there too, visiting from Chicago where he now lives. We spent the night at their house in Baltimore and the next day went to the B&O R.R. Museum in town. Best R.R. museum we have ever seen. Another night at their house then a couple hour drive to their beachhouse in Avalon on the outer banks in Southern New Jersey. We were surprised that Tom, Dawn & Arden Lawler showed up. While there we took a short side trip to Cape May to see the lighthouse. Then after a sleepover we watched the U.S. tie Slovakia in the World Cup. At about noon we left for home.

Finally 48 inches tall

As parents we mark certain milestones in our children's lives as much for the freedom they give us as the accomplishments. Their first words which mark the end of guessing what the finger is pointing to . Their first steps which mark the end of lugging 30 extra pounds every where. And of course potty training and the end of dirty diapers.

As our children grow they mark different milestones for the freedom it gives them. Being able to cross the street alone, riding a bike. Sami made the most important milestone in her life this spring. She is 48 inches tall. Finally she can go on the water slide, ride the big scary rides at fairs and do everything her brother got to do last year. This past Friday, we went to a summer festival in St. Charles. Sami was giddy with excitement. She went on scary rides as much because she could as because she waneted to. Zero Gravity bested her. Being slammed against the wall of a spinning barrel was a bit much.

She has been begging to swimming at the indoor pool for months. We went today. She was not sure about the water slide at first and mom had to go down with her the first time. She soloed five times in a row after that. If a person can get this excited at being 48 inches tall I can only imagine the enthusiasm at being 16. She'll go out for a quick trip to Wal Mart and return 8 months later because we forgot to specify which Wal Mart and the one in Florida was too tempting.

Laid back Chris is enjoying his status as a black belt, though in a low key manner. His school put on a demonstration at the local movie theater on Saturday, then watched the Karate Kid movie. He showed off his form and some moves with his weapons - numchucks and short sticks. He is very confident performing in crowds. His teacher told me she is impressed at how confident he is. He was in two parades last month and showed off throughout the route. He has helped instruct lower belts and is learning to judge sparring. The boy down the street drops by at 8:00 in the morning so Chris can teach him.

Each day holds its own adventure as they learn more and more who they are.

Big Girl Bed

We got Evelyn a big girl bed yesterday! She amazed us by only getting out once, right after we put her to sleep. She didn't make a peep for 9 1/2 hrs! Nap time today was another story...after an hour and 15 mins, she caved and passed out on the floor in front of her doorway. :)

We'll see what tonight brings...