My kind of town

If our blog is your only means of keeping abreast of the goings on at the Swanny household, I apologize. It must seem as though we've had a relatively uneventful summer. Behold, truth to the contrary.

This weekend the kids spent Saturday and Sunday at Grandpa Ron's (Jen's dad), while Jen and I headed to Chicago. It was kind of weird having only each other for company, but we had a blast.

Saturday morning, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry to check out the "Harry Potter Exhibition"...



Photography wasn't allowed inside the exhibit, but I got this sweet picture of the flying Ford Anglier(sp?)


The exhibit was really cool. It was packed with lots of props, costumes, and models for the Harry Potter films. From the Hogwarts Express to the Great Hall, they do a great job of blending all the themes of the exhibition, allowing it to flow really easily from beginning to end.

After the museum and a stop at the hotel to rest and change clothes, we headed out to the Magnificent Mile for a little bit of late afternoon shopping.




Early evening found us at Navy Pier for Cirque Shanghai. We were a little unsure as to whether we would enjoy the show. We needn't have been concerned. It was amazing. That's right. The strength and stamina it takes to perform these stunts is just astounding. Check it out.



Then there's this...


And this...


After Cirque, we headed to one of our favorite restaurants, Trattoria No.10. Great food and great drink. If you haven't been, go now. Seriously. NOW.

Sunday found us making our way to Forest Park for the book launch party for J.A. Konrath's latest "Jack Daniels" book, "CHERRY BOMB". While there we also got to meet and chat with thriller writer Henry Perez and humor/horror writer Jeff Strand. All good guys who've written great books.

Even though we had a really fun weekend, it was great to come home this evening to the dogs and the kids. The kids are now fast asleep, exhausted from their exploits with grandpa, and Jen and I are pleasantly tired after a great couple of days on our own.

Next time, more fun photos from the 4th, the zoo and other assorted nonsense.

Travelogue

The Fourth of July, a day to relax with your family, cook out, have a Leinie or two, light some fireworks, and most of all, remember and honor the brave men and women who sacrifice everything to keep our country safe.

Our day started at 4:30 yesterday morning. Jen and I got up early to finish getting the car packed, followed by getting Peanut up at 5:30. We were on the road to Chicago's Midway Airport by 6:00. Peanut took a while to wake up (just like her father), but by the time we got checked in at the airport, she was raring to go.

Peanut was excited to watch the airplanes takeoff and land. While she was looking at the planes through the windows, her view partially obscured by the tunnel, Peanut would ask where the planes "eyes and nose" were. We were finally able to find an unobstructed view of the front of a plane, so she could see them.

I'm the first to admit, I'm not the best flier. Mainly, it's a control issue. If I were able to pilot the plane, I'd be okay. Jen will tell you I'm the same way in the car; I'm not a very good passenger. Anyway, being able to see this flight through Peanut's eyes, was definitely a great way to calm down, and enjoy myself.

The airport was not as busy as I had anticipated and our flight was right on time. After we boarded the plane, Peanut was eager to get strapped in and get moving. I'd like to say that she was excited to get to Auntie's house, but I think it was more about watching Mickey Mouse on Jen's iPod. I was a little bit concerned about how she would handle the noise and movement of takeoff, but she dealt with it well. She wanted to look out the window and see the ground falling away from us. I was so glad that she had fun. I was envisioning ears popping, crying, screaming, the works. Couldn't crack that nut though.

After we reached our cruising altitude, Jen and I settled into our books and Peanut relaxed with some "Mickey Mouse" and "Handy Manny". The majority of the flight was uneventful, which is a good thing for a variety of reasons. In fact, going into the second hour, I was starting to get antsy (I can't sit still for too long), and Peanut was starting to get tired, but refused to fall asleep.



She started to perk up during our descent, wanting to sit in Jen's lap to look out the window again. She got a little fussy, but I atribute this to being cooped up for a couple hours without a backyard to run around in.

We landed without incident and met Auntie at baggage claim. Peanut was very excited to see her and there were hugs all around. We also finally got to meet our newly minted niece, Stinkbug.



Apparently, there's a gas issue.

Tomorrow, more madcap adventures at Auntie's. Plus, fun with fireworks!!