Chee-ca-go, Part 3

Okay, my bad. Almost forgot to finish my story.... Last I left off, we had just finished our Gino's pizza and Robert and Marina were heading back to the base.



So we get to the Sears tower, but our tickets, and get in line. We jam into an elevator so that we can go I-don't-know-how-many stories up. We get up there and the view is like WOW. Even despite the fact that it was foggy and you couldn't really see too far out, you could still get an idea of just how high up you were. It was amazing. You could see the entire city. I got plenty of pics. =)



After our view, we headed down and hit up the little gift shop, walking away with even more crap to bring back. From there we took a cab back to the train station and made our way back to the motel from hell. So we get there and as soon as we turn on the TV we start hearing these warnings about a Tornado that is set to touch down in North Chicago, in Lake County. Wait a minute! That's exactly where we are! What the....

We don't quite freak out right away and decide to take our leftover pizza to the lobby to warm it up in the microwave. That's when people start telling us what we already know: A tornado is coming. Except now it seems real because not only are these people confirming it to us, but now we can also faintly hear the distance the sound of air raid sirens. Oh yay! We are starting to get scared at this point. It's not like we have a basement to run into. On top of that we are in the worst motel in America.

We hang out for a while waiting for this thing to come, text messaging our friends and sisters to let them know what's going on, but it never ends up coming. Thank GOD in heaven--the thing has passed us. Well, now we have our funny story about how we almost got caught up in a tornado.

So, we start getting ready for bed. Katie decides that she can't take not having air conditioning anymore and starts fiddling around with the thermostat. She figures out that the batteries are not in correctly, puts them back in, and the A/C starts up. Next thing you know,we hear these loud noises from what we think is the roof. I'm thinking it might just be someone up there adjusting the satelite for the tv or something and we ignore it. I take out my contacts and get into bed.

Just as I'm hitting R.E.M. sleep, I hear something explode. My first thought is that the person walking on the roof is now coming through the roof and is going to land on me, so I jump out of the bed as quickly as I can, screaming, "what's happening?!" (Mind you, I can't see because I don't have my contacts in.)

That's when Katie says, "the air conditioner exploded."

It sure did. There was water gushing out all over the place. It was crazy. Katie calls the front desk and they tell us they are coming to take a look. They never show up. I give up. I'm tired, I had been walking all over the city of Chicago, and I just want to sleep. Katie waits another hour or so, and still nothing, so she goes to bed. These idiots never showed up to fix the thing or to at least move us to a better room. Frickin low class, disgusting place!

So we get up the next day. It's time to go. We pack up all of our stuff and just as I'm walking out the door I notice something under Katie's bed.... Rat poison. Nice! Like the cherry on top! Ay ay ay!

We take Marina to O'hare and say our goodbyes and start heading for Midway, when I see a sign: "Wrigley Field - Next Exit" I'm like, "we are so going."

We had plenty of time. So we go check out Wrigley field, take some pics, eat one of the best brunches I've ever had at Chicago Joe's, and then head off to the airport to sit there for a long time (another delayed flight). We eventually made it home, and despite all the crazy stuff that went down, it was an awesome weekend. I really did have so much fun and I can't wait to go back to Chicago some day. It has to be one of my new favorite cities. So clean and so friendly.

Yup, I'll definitely be coming back. Three days was not long enough...

Chee-ca-go, Part 2

So, I left off with us hitting the hay in our crime scene of a motel after a failed attempt at a night out for some fun. (Sheesh!)

DAY 2

We got up early because we need to catch a train into downtown Chicago. Mom and Marina got up before us to go get her son, Robert, from the naval base. So, we are introduced and then we take off. We get to the station and Katie's already cracking this guy up with her jokes. Then I accidentally called his uniform an "outfit" and then Katie called it a "costume," which we found funny. Anyway, so we get on the train and it takes an hour to get into town.

We get off the train in downtown and as soon as you step outside you can see why it's called the "windy city." That wind was no joke. In a matter of minutes my hair was all over the place. Oh well.... at least it's always straight. We proceeded to walk all over the place. We found Millenium Park and then Lake Michigan (which was so blue and nice). From there we found Buckingham Fountain which is breathtakingly huge. When the wind kicked up, the water would spray over on you and it was just like rain. Again, glad I have straight hair. It felt so good though because man was it hot and HUMID.

From there we finally caught a bus on our way to try to find Gino's Pizza. It was so nice to be in the air conditioner, but that bus was packed. Eventually people started getting off and we were one-by-one able to sit down. All but Robert. Even when the bus was almost completely empty, he refused to sit down. Such a gentleman! I'm telling you, now that I mention it, he was a gentlemen the entire time we were with him. I had to tell his momma later on that she raised a good guy.... Too bad he's only 21. lol!

Finally, after a looooong search and an even looooonger walk we found Gino's. We were so happy just to sit down. We all ordered our deep dish pizzas and when they finally came out it was worth all the searching and the wait. This pizza was delicious! It was too much, but it was good. =) We finished eating just in time for Robert to have to get back, so he and his mom said their goodbyes there and caught a cab back to the train station to get back to the base and we took off to the Sears Tower.


Okay. I'm stopping once again. Look for Part 3 soon....

Chee-ca-go, Part 1

Chicago was so awesome! It was a crazy trip full of ups and downs, yet I can't help but say that I had a great time!

Our flight into Midway was delayed and then, after picking up our rental car, we headed over to O'hare to pick up my mom's friend, Marina. We ended up waiting there around 2 hours until about 3:30 a.m. (Chicago time) for her luggage to arrive (which was on another flight). By the time we got to the disgusing rat trap that was our motel, we didn't hit our nasty, stained beds until 4:30 a.m., just as the sun was rising. The naval graduation was supposed to start at 6:00 a.m. Needless to say, Katie and I didn't make it to the graduation. =)

Um, so if you haven't picked up on it yet, our motel was gross. I've never stayed in a more putrid place. As I mentioned, the sheets were stained. Well, not only that but the "comforters" had bullet-sized holes in them, the towels were dingy, there was rat poison under Katie's bed, AND our air conditioner not only didn't work, but then at the end of our trip, exploded--gushing water everywhere. Horrible!

Okay back to the story....

DAY 1

We woke up at around 11 A.M. and decided to go into the city by ourselves while mom and Marina caught up on their sleep. The traffic was horrible and Katie noticed that only about 15 miles north of our motel was Wisconsin, so halfway to Chicago we turned around and headed to the home of That 70's Show. =) We literally began to get giddy. "Sandy is going to be so jealous," we said to each other. (She love That 70's Show and wants to go to Wisconsin desperately.)

We got over the border and lookey here... we see some Outlets. Score! We stop and take pics of the Welcome to Wisconsin sign to text message to Sandy. Muahaha! Then we decide we are going to go find ourselves some real Wisconsin cheese before we head back to the Outlets to check 'em out. We find a place (whose name escapes me all of a sudden), which is chock full of cheeses and crazy meats (I got buffalo meat sticks for my dad to try) and a bunch of souvenirs. It was awesome. Cheese curds.... mmmmmm....

We headed back towards the outlets. Yes! They have a Coach outlet. I'm so there. I ended up walking away with an awesome bag and wallet for a freakin steal! It was so cool. I totally love Wisconsin!

From there we headed back to the motel. We got there just as my mom and Marina were getting ready to head into Wisconsin to see a friend of Marina's. How funny. We were going to go to this Irish bar that we saw on our way in to have some fun. We get all dolled up, pay our cover charge, and head in. What a waste! We got the worse service and were treated like we weren't even there. Why? Because everyone in there was military and we weren't and they knew it. Yeah, we didn't stay there long. We headed back to Hotel of Horror and straight for bed...


Okay, that's enough for now. I'll continue with the story next time....

The Decade of Going Out of Town

Okay, so I'm going to Chicago this weekend (Thur. - Sun.). Should be fun. It's going to be mom, Katie, and me. I'm excited. For the first time in a while, one of my sisters will be coming along, so I should be able to at least go to a bar and not feel weird because I'm with my parents. =) I can't wait to have some famous Chicago deep dish pizza too and maybe go up the Sears Tower, which is still the tallest building in the country.

I started thinking back and I realized that this last decade, or at least since 2000, I have traveled A LOT! I'm very proud of that. Let's see, I've been to:

• Florida
• Hawaii
• Arizona (a few times)
• Mexico City (twice)
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Canada
• England
• Ireland

And now Chicago this week and Denver in September.

Awesome. That's a whole lot of traveling (not including my many Vegas trips and some trips up to Oregon for family reunions). Hopefully before this decade is over, I can say that I've been to Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and/or Hawaii (again). At least 2 of those would be awesome.... even better if they were on a Honeymoon. (hint hint, God.... lol)

I love travelling!

Pain in my...

MOUTH!

Okay, so a week ago I had all 5 of my wisdom teeth out and I'm STILL in pain. This is out of control! I guess it's to be expected, but I'm really just getting tired of it. I had to go home from work yesterday because it was too much and I couldn't take my meds without getting loopy and really tired. So, I went home in pain so that I could take my meds when I got safely home. Then on top of that, the only thing that helps with the pain in between the times when I can take drugs is ice. At work, I don't have a never-ending supply of ice, so I have to sit here in pain.

I decided to take only half of my ibuprofen every 4 hours so that I can last and I've told my co-workers that I really need to keep the talking to a bare minimum. It seems to be working. I hope so, because I really don't have the time on the books to take extra days off.... or even half-days. This really sucks. I'm just glad I did them all in one pop, because going through this again is not something I really would have wanted to do.

Next up: Braces. I hear that they can be painful when you first get them on, but hopefully not nearly as bad as this is. At least they don't have to go in and saw up your jaw to put braces on. =)

In the end it will be worth it though. I'll finally have some straight teeth. Hey! I'll finally be able to wear some lipstick and not worry about attracting too much attention towards my mouth.... Sounds good to me. =)

What happens in Vegas...

Could be juicier and more fun if you are there long enough. lol. Seriously, a 3-day weekend is not enough to fully enjoy Vegas. First of all, you only get half a day on Friday and a full day Saturday, and then you have until 11 to check out.... So, if you add it all up, it's all just under 2 full days of being there. That is not nearly enough time in which to do everything you want to do.

Nevertheless, in the little amount of time, we had a good time. Well, except for my sister and brother-in-laws perpetual bitching. I won't get into that though, because frankly I don't want to get myself upset and irritated. All I have to say is that I'm never rooming with them again.

Anyway, from the minute I got there I was having a good time. As I stood in line to check-in, some little cuties were actually chatting me up. I was shocked, but I tried to be as friendly as possible. I'm sure they would have asked for the number and maybe to hang out, but honest me, I told them I was there with family. Oh well, just the fact that they even spoke to me made me feel like I'm becoming more and more of an approachable person. Yay!

That evening was Phantom and it was, of course, awesome. I sat behind a tall guy and couldn't see much, but it was okay, since I know the thing by heart anyway. As long as Mandy had a good view I was fine. She was the one who had never seen it before. The new special effects were really cool. I definitely approved and, as a Phantom expert, I could totally tell what parts had been enhanced/changed. I overall really enjoyed it and of course was crying like a baby.

Afterwards, we met the whole family at Margaritaville. I was happy because all the aunt's were complimenting me on how "great" I looked. Yes, the working out is paying off! I'm glad someone noticed because my sisters and mom didn't even mention it.... Anyway, that was fun. I got a balloon margarita glass hat made for me, which I totally rocked the entire time. Everyone had them. We all looked funny with our hats.

After that, we all went to Karaoke. I thought it was going to be retarded and cheesy, but it ended up being so much fun. Everyone (but me) was drunk and getting up there doing songs as everyone else sang along. There were so many of us and we were so boisterous. I'm pretty sure some of the other people there probably found us to be annoying, but oh well... It's Vegas. This is what happens. I know Liz had a ball! She was loving the family and she totally fit in.

Saturday, Liz, dad, and me went to Hoover Dam. My dad and I had never been and I knew he would love to see it, so we went. Of course, he was loving it. I thought it was pretty cool, but I'm sure I didn't look all that enthused. I was very tired because my sister and her husband refused to let me sleep in the morning.... whatever.

After that, we dropped Dad off and met Katie and Tirsa over at Dick's Last Resort... Love that place. Had a few laughs with Taco while Liz got totally drunk. Then we left to go back to the room to take a nap before we had to head over to Ceasar's palace to put our names in at Cheesecake Factory for the whole family. Liz ended up getting really sick (from drinking too much) and we left her behind while we met up with the family for dinner at Cheesecake Factory. She needed to rest after all that barfing. lol We didn't do anything else after that, but head back and go to bed because I was just too tired. (So sad... we didn't even go out Saturday night..... another reason why I need more than 2 days in Vegas!)

Next morning, we got up, ate some breakfast, gambled a little, and then checked out. No breakfast with mom for Mother's day, but that was her choice. I was so not ready to go, but we had to. We were tired and Liz wasn't feeling too well. Like I said, overall, it was a good trip, but it definitely wasn't enough time.... Next time I'm going for AT LEAST 4 days. AT LEAST...

LOL

Here's some jokes for ya....


Lie Detector

John was a salesman's delight when it came to any kind of unusual gimmick. His wife Marsha had long ago given up trying to get him to change.

One day, John came home with another one of his unusual purchases. It was a robot that John claimed was actually a lie detector.

It was just about 5:30 that afternoon when Tommy, their 11 year old son returned home from school. Tommy was over 2 hours late.

"Where have you been? Why are you over 2 hours late getting home?", they asked.

"Several of us went to the library to work on an extra credit project" said Tommy.

The Robot then walked around the table and slapped Tommy, knocking him completely out of his chair.

"Son, this robot is a lie detector, now tell us where you went after school."

"We went to Bobby's house and watched a movie."

"What did you watch?" asked Marsha.

'The Ten Commandments." answered Tommy.

The Robot went around to Tommy and once again slapped him, knocking him off his chair.

With lip quivering, Tommy got up, sat down and said, "I am sorry I lied.

We really watched a tape called Sex Queen."

"I'm ashamed of you Son," said John. "When I was your age, I never lied to my parents."

The robot then walked around to John and delivered a roundhouse right that nearly knocked him out of his chair.

Marsha was bent double laughing, almost in tears. "Boy, did you ever ask for that one! And you can't be too mad with Tommy. After all, He is your son!"

The Robot immediately walked around to Marsha, and slapped her three times

********************


A very loud, unattractive, mean-acting woman walked into Wal-Mart with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance.

The Wal-Mart Greeter said pleasantly, "Good morning, and welcome to Wal-Mart. Nice children you have there, are they twins?'

The woman stopped yelling long enough to say, "No, they ain't! The oldest one's 9 and the other one's 7. Why would you think they're twins? Are you blind, or just stupid?"

"I'm neither blind nor stupid, Ma'am, " replied the greeter. "I just couldn't believe someone would sleep with you twice."

"Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart "

Been a while...

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Wow, I've been busy, but then I haven't. I haven't blogged since I first found out Kim was pregnant. She is now almost 10 weeks along... that's 21/2 months. Almost done with that first trimester. Alright!

A few things have happened since my last post:

Found out that according to the ultrasound, I don't have ovarian cysts. I don't know... I do know that something wasn't right. He said the next step would be an exam. I'm not ready for that just yet. Like I told my mom, if I have an exam and they still don't find anything, I'm going to be PISSED that I put myself through that for nothing. So, for now, and as long as I'm not bent over in pain, I'm not going to worry too much. We'll see what happens.

I also found out that I will be on the Sec IV list pretty soon. Plus, one of the "big people" knows that I'll be on the list soon and has recommended me for a vacant Sec IV position in the same building, in another section... they just need to wait until I'm on the list. Hopefully that will happen within the next couple of months.

We had a BBQ for Dad's birthday. A lot of people came and it was fun. He got a lot of presents and we got a lot of alcohol. =)

Speaking of alcohol, we are going to Vegas this weekend, and Liz and Mandy will be joining us. We are gonna see the Phantom of the Opera while we are there. I am really excited. Everyone knows I LOVE the Phantom. I'm excited for Vegas too because I need a little break and all the family, including my favorite cousin, Justin, will be there. Should be a blast. lol

I have been working out nonstop since my last doctor's visit where I found out how much I was weighing. I have been working out on the elliptical machine every other day and doing pilates in between that every other day... So, I'm basically switching off every day. I am doing lunges and using the weights almost every day too. I've even thrown in some jumping jacks here and there... lol. I can see a big difference. I haven't necessarily changed my diet for the better, but I can still see that I am in much better shape. All my clothes are fitting way better. I'm definitely going to feel good about the way I look going into Vegas. =) Thank you motivation!

I hung out with Sandy and the baby this last weekend. Just the three of us. Juan and his parents were out of town, so I went down to take Sandy to buy herself a birthday present and to keep her company. I ended up spending the night with her on Friday night. It was sooo fun. I got to see Kaylin take a bath and we totally took a naked photo shoot of her. Some of the cutest pictures of her that I've taken/seen. She was just having the best time with her Tia too. It was a great time. I haven't see her in 2 days and I miss her so much! =) I love my baby!

Well, I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of right now....I'll check in again soon....