Chicago, Chicago!

I mentioned in the previous post that we flew into Chicago and had Colin's parents pick us up there to go to Aunt Val and Uncle Bob's surprise party.  We arrived in Chicago in the early morning and had the day to spend sight seeing. 

Chicago is one of the cities that I have wanted to visit for awhile.  We started our day off at the Willis Tower where we had a view of Chicago.

It was a little foggy in the morning, but we were still able to see pretty far.  I got Colin's mom out on the sky ledge and you can see the look of uncertainty on her face!

Lunch was our next stop and we ended up at Perry's Deli.  The portions were huge and the food very good.  I would definitely recommend this place.  We all gave it 2 thumbs up!

After lunch we hopped on a double decker bus tour to see downtown Chicago.  The bus makes several stops and you can hop on and off at any stop along the way.  One of our stops was Navy Pier.

I think Chicago has the most beautiful skyline of any city that I have seen thus far.  The architecture is amazing.  Colin and I can't wait to go back when we can spend some more time there.  I was surprised at how clean the downtown area was and how friendly the people were.  I told Colin I think we have been living in the northeast too long!  Colin was wearing his Bruins shirt (the Bruins were playing the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals), and he expected to hear some ribbing.  Every single person said what a great series it was and good luck to your team.  If the situation had been reversed and a Blackhawks fan was wearing his teams shirt in Boston, he would have been heckled and swore at.  It was a different experience for sure!

You can't go to Chicago and not have pizza, so we ended the day at Vito & Nick's.  They are known for their thin crispy crust pizza that we love and can't get in the northeast, so we opted for that over deep dish.  We were not disappointed.  It was great pizza.  Next time we are there we will hit up Gino's East, which was recommended to us by a few people.  Until next time, Chicago!

A Well Kept Secret

A few months ago, we were told about a surprise 50th anniversary party for Colin's aunt and uncle in Indiana (Colin's dad's sister Aunt Val and her husband Uncle Bob).  Colin's parents were planning to drive out from Oregon to go to the party.  Then they were going to drive to NH to see us for a few days.  We decided to fly out to meet them at the party, and drive back with them to NH.

When I first found out about this party from Colin's mom, we were a little worried that she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret.  The party wasn't until June, so she had to keep it a secret for about 5 months.  She emails Val every day and they are very close.  Colin and I had bets on when she or his dad would spill the beans because neither of them are known for keeping a secret.  Since they drove from Oregon, Colin's mom spent the week before the party emailing Val from whatever hotel room she was staying in at the time and lying to her about what she had done that day in Oregon.  She almost gave it away once when she sent an email meant for me to Val talking about a deli in Chicago that her friend recommended.  She covered it up by saying the email was meant for a friend that was going to Chicago.  We had to remind her not to post anything on facebook, or say anything in her emails that would give it away.

Aunt Val and Uncle Bob live in West Lafayette, IN, so we flew into Chicago which is a couple hours away the day before the party.  Colin's parents picked us up from the airport.  Aunt Val and Uncle Bob were truly surprised.  They had no idea.  They couldn't believe that all their friends and family could keep a secret like this for so long.  It was wonderful to see them and get to meet other family members we hadn't met before and meet some of their friends.  We spent the weekend in Indiana visiting with family before making our way back to NH.

All dressed up and ready to Par-Tay!

Mom & Dad Battersby

Uncle Bob and Aunt Val

A little dancing

Aunt Val, Colin & Uncle Bob

Us with Aunt Val & Uncle Bob

Colin's parents & Val & Bob

A miracle shot where Colin and his parents are all looking at the camera at the same time!

Jerry and his sister Val

Colin's mom thought that she deserved a reward for keeping the secret for so long and so did we- so we bought her a lobster dinner when we got back to NH!