Home: where MY heart is.

Chicago Gelato - it rhymes, but doesn't compare to Italy

Being back in Chicago is awesome.  Seeing my family and being among english-speaking people and eating American food is something I hope to not take for granted again.  However, I will say, the gelato here is still nothing compared to italy - not as good, and served wayyyyyy too cold!  but to their credit, they did use the right type of "scoops"....

Monday night we had sushi... something I have also greatly missed.  Especially food with Aunt Lynn, Jock and DD.  They know how to eat, and so do I, so we make a great group.  I got my soy sauce and WASABI on, cleared out my nose, and enjoyed the nice full stomach that you get from sushi - not painful, just a little uncomfortably full - the kind of food that nourishes your body and makes you feel good about eating. :)

Hawaiian Roll - lots of taste wrapped up in rice and seaweed.  YUMMMM!!! Thank you, SHINTO! :)

Aunt Lynn let me borrow her Harley Softail (1450 cc baby) and I went on my first solo Harley ride with a couple of our biker friends. Rick, on the left, went to school with my parents about 40 years ago and now rides with the Freedom Riders, a group of bikers in Chicago that escort military members to their home after they return from overseas.  Sometimes they have over 100 bikers escorting these people home.  Dan is on the right, and he is a family friend that also rides - awesome guy.  We rode all over the countryside, and it reminded me how beautiful the midwest is.  People keep their lawns trimmed and the trees shade the house from the intense heat, surrounded by miles and miles of corn and soybean fields.  The wind was warm, interrupted by pockets of cool air as we rode for 80+ miles in the evening.  Dan was a little afraid I was going to run off the road as I craned my neck, surveying the countryside as the sun was setting.  No worries, I got this! :)

Rick, Me and Dan (and aunt lynn's shadow in the bottom left)

Of course, Illinois had to keep with its reputation by bestowing its inhabitants with exorbitant heat.  Truly a heat wave.  It has been hanging around 99 to 100, but that quickly jumps when you are in the sun.  Heat index today was 110 degrees.  How in the world is a human supposed to survive without air conditioning???? seriously???

Driving Aunt Lynn's truck back from downtown - yes, that is 100 degrees F. 

But much of the time was spent with my boys - Ozzie and Wrigley.  Between them and catching up with my tv shows, it has been a super relaxing time in Illinois.  This place is somewhere I can truly relax.  I am so blessed to have family that is awesome to let me hang about and be a bum. :)

playing with my ozzinator.

The stay has been topped off with a great day with Dad, Linda, David and Dottie - dinner at Chinatown included sesame chicken, house fried rice, an eggroll, potstickers and of course, almond cookies.  Plural. But before that, I finally accomplished the goal of my stay - manicure and pedicure.  My feet were destroyed from walking around in sandals for 2 months, so I had the second pedicure of my life, and let me tell you, they don't just make your feet feel good - they also rubbed my legs.  I felt like putty by the time I was supposed to walk over to the manicure people.  Manicure was a reward for growing my nails - I'm a subconscious nail-biter, so when I discovered that I was not biting anymore (at least for now), I made a conscious decision to keep growing them, and was successful.

the nice lady making my feet a little more bearable.  :)  YAY!

Between the Europe trip and the wonderful wrap-up of it here in Illinois, I can now officially say that I am truly the most fortunate and blessed girl ever.  I am so thankful that I am an American citizen, have fantastic family and have One that gives to me freely and lovingly.  I could not ask for anything more. :)