Chicago: The Non-Musical Edition

At the beginning of April, Nathan and I were just getting back from our trip to Chicago, which was fantastic. The weather wasn't as springy as we thought it would be, but it actually ended up being all right, because I never had to wonder if I would need a coat that day. (Hint: I always did.)

But aside from the weather woes, easily solved by coat-wearing, we really did enjoy our trip to the windy city. Here's our final itinerary, complete with my thoughts and recommendations.

Thursday: This was a half day for us, so we checked out the shops on the magnificent mile, including the American Girl doll store (Note: It was actually kind of hard to explain to someone--in this case, Nathan--the complexities that surround American Girl dolls.) Around sunset, we went to the John Hancock tower, hoping for some great photo opportunities. We got them.

Now, here is where I will preface that if we had to do this trip over again, I don't know if we would have not gone to the very top observation deck, but the bar/restaurant that's up there. We did the city pass (which I recommend a lot) which got us admission into five different attractions, with front of the line privileges. They were: Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Sears (Willis) Tower, John Hancock tower OR Museum of Science and Industry, and then the Art Institute OR the observatory. So, we could have gone to the Museum of Science and Industry instead if we'd just gone to the bar. BUT. While I have no comparison since we didn't go to the bar, what was kind of nice about the observatory was that we could really just walk around and take tons of photos at different places.

And here comes your next lesson. We went over to Giordano's pizza, which had been recommended, and it was a 45 minute wait when we got there. We decided we didn't want to wait, and then commenced to walk around the city for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what we wanted to eat. Somehow, we ended up at Giordano's again because we got turned around, so we decided just to eat there. Then the wait was an hour-plus. But all the time we spent was totally worth it for the most amazing pizza ever.

Friday: This was a big day for us. We went to the Field Museum AND the Shedd Aquarium. Lots to take in. The Field Museum had so many cool exhibits--one on dirt, one on cave paintings in France, and the T-Rex. We really could have probably spent a whole day here. The Shedd Aquarium was fun, as well, and there were cute baby belugas (which basically ensured that I sang the Raffi song all weekend) and an interesting exhibit on sharks. We ate dinner at Michael Jordan's steakhouse, which was amazing.

Saturday: We braved the El on the weekend to head out to the Frank Lloyd Wright house and Oak Park. As you learned before, my mom and I had looked at the houses he designed around Oak Park, but Nathan and I went inside the actual house he lived in. It was very cool for house nerds such as myself, though we both agreed that we wished there was more focus on his life than was provided. After a visit to Navy Pier, we also explored the city via water on an architecture tour, which was great because our tour guide was hilarious and also very knowledgeable.

Sunday: Now, we unintentionally booked our trip over Easter weekend, and I didn't think anything would be open that day so we got tickets to "The Book of Mormon." But, as it turned out, almost everything was open so we probably could have gone to a museum this day and might have had smaller crowds and gone to the play another night. We did go to the Sears Tower after the play though, and it was pretty busy, so maybe we planned right.

Monday: Our flight left Monday afternoon, so we spent the morning at the art institute. We hit up all of the high points and still had some time to explore some other exhibits. And surprisingly, we didn't have any flight trouble either way, except a few gate changes.

Chicago is definitely close enough to go back to, and I think there's still so much we could have done. I think a trip back is definitely in order.

Chicago Book Reviews: Ernest Hemingway

I love Ernest Hemingway, as evidenced in this book review of The Sun Also Rises and The Paris Wife. And I have been lucky enough in my travels to see two of his (many) homes.

Oak Park is where Ernest Hemingway was born and raised, and back in 2010 my mom and I were able to tour his childhood home and the museum that is also in Oak Park.

Both were very enlightening for me in terms of learning about Ernest Hemingway and his early life and how that played into the person and the writer he became. Plus, I love touring any kind of historic house. Definitely worth checking out (with the Frank Lloyd Wright houses) should you ever find yourself in Chicago.

Chicago Book Reviews: Loving Frank

One of my favorite things about reading is all of the places you can go just by opening a book. But one of my other favorite things traveling and actually seeing some of the places in a book. And since Nathan and I spent Easter weekend in Chicago, I thought I dedicate a week to the city, featuring novels that take place in or around the city.

The first of these books is Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan. I read this several years ago after my mom and I took a trip to Chicago to celebrate my graduation. We actually spent the day in Oak Park outside of Chicago, which is not only a Frank Lloyd Wright destination but as we found out, an Ernest Hemingway destination. But more on Ernest tomorrow--today we're focusing on Frank.

Mom and I spent the afternoon on a walking tour checking out some of the masterpieces in the area, or as the web site calls it, the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District. Here's one of my favorites. Wouldn't you love to live here?

But back to the book. Loving Frank is the story of the relationship of Mamah Borthwick Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright, which starts when Mamah and her husband commission Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for them. Both have spouses and children, but soon the relationship between the two quickly deepens into something deeper.

The story takes us through their affair, to Europe and back to Chicago, and we see this affair through their perspectives on how it changes their lives and the effect it has on their families, particularly their children. We see Frank and Mamah through each other's eyes and see them grow and change over the course of the relationship.

The characters in this book are real, in that I didn't necessarily love them all of the time. But it was easy to see the love they had for each other, which is most obvious in the end. And the end. So much to say about the end, but don't want to ruin it.

Summer Loving: Antiques Road Show & Other Travels

I know that many of you have noticed I haven't been around all that much this summer, so this week, I thought I would share some of what we have been doing before the summer is over.

Back in July, I was able to take 10 days off and spend some time with my mom in Colorado. But we started our 10 days visiting my grandparents and also going to Antiques Roadshow in Rapid City, South Dakota.

We all brought treasures with us--I had my minature books and a bracelet, my mom had a Santa figurine and her collection of glass cocktail toothpicks, my grandma and aunt both brought jewelry, and my grandma also brought a ship in a bottle she got when she worked at the POW camp in Scottsbluff in exchange for a suitcase. We didn't make it on TV (even though I thought we had the coolest stuff) but we had a lot of fun.

The rest of the week, I was able to see some friends and spend time with family and do a lot of summer Colorado things I've missed, like swimming in the lake. We also worked on a couples shower we were having for my best friend from high school. It was a "Colorado Living" shower, so we used blue, red, and yellow for the colors. Mom made table squares and napkins, and we used mason jars with candles. Joe did the catering, BBQ pork and beef + all the best sides that go with it, and we had lemonade and tea with vodka. We were having so much fun that I didn't take any pictures to share with you, of either the process or the finished product. Nathan was able to come out for the weekend, too, so we had a fun mini-vacation together, too.

Florida Sunshine

Over Memorial Day weekend, Nathan and I took a trip with my family down to Key West to visit my aunt and uncle. We had a fabulous time and really enjoyed getting the chance to relax and take a break from real life.

Some of our vacation highlights, other than spending time with family:

• CUBAN FOOD (that's, as always, my No. 1 thing, though tapas comes in at a close second now.)
• Parasailing, snorkeling and jetskiing
• Sunset at Mallory Pier and the cat guy
• Shopping on Duval Street
• Sloppy Joe's
• Nerd Day, which included visits to the Hemingway house, lighthouse museum, Truman house, Audobon house, and the Custom House. Yes, many houses.
• Sunset cruise, where we saw the green flash (we think) and drank (maybe too much) champagne
• Enjoying time out on the water and by the pool
• Late-night chats and glasses of wine

And because our travel days were so long, I got a lot of reading in, so Wednesday will have several mini book reviews about my vacation reading.

Just 5 Days In The Capital City

I wish I could work a "Wicked" reference into all of my post titles. It's probaby a little late, but I wanted to (finally) give a summary of our Washington, D.C. trip we took at the end of March. We tried to plan our trip around the cherry blossoms, but most of them had bloomed the week before. In fact, this was one of the few late bloomers we saw around the Jefferson Memorial.

But overall, we had a very fun trip. We unintentionally split up our days into themes, which actually ended up being kind of cool because a lot of what we were seeing fit together.

Day 1: D.C. Highlights

Washington Monument

Our flight out of Omaha left early in the morning, so we arrived to D.C. around noon. We took the metro to our hotel, the Washington Hilton, to drop our stuff off and then took the metro over to the Capitol. Now, because I lived there for a summer five years ago, I thought we would be fine without a map and I could "feel" my way to places. Let's just say that didn't work, and we ended up taking the loooong way to the Capitol, rather than the direct way.

We started at the Capitol and then walked the mall, intending to stop at the monuments as we went. But before we got there, we decided to detour to the Archives, because the line was relatively short. In addition to the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, etc. there was a very cool exhibit on Ben Franklin AND we also saw Laura Ingalls Wilder memorabilia: the homestead claim Pa filed in South Dakota.

We then resumed our monument tour, minus the Lincoln because it looked really crowded, we both had already seen it, and the reflecting pool was under construction. After looking for ages, we finally found the Jefferson, MLK, and FDR. I still think FDR is my favorite one.

We stayed in Dupont Circle, and for dinner we had Greek food at one of the restaurants I had always wanted to go to during my internship. It was definitely worth the wait.

Day 2: American History

One of the main things I HAD to do when we were in D.C. was tour the White House. We went through our representative back in February to schedule it, and our tour was set for 12:30. We went to the White House Visitor's Center before, which had displays of furniture, china, and other White House artifacts before getting in line. The line for the White House was one of the longest we had to wait in, and I have to say I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. We got to see a few of the rooms, but there was no guided tour or real information on the rooms while you were in there. We did see the first dog while waiting in line though, so that was worth it.

After the White House, we headed to the American History museum. Unfortunately, the pop culture and sports exhibits were closed, but we did get to see the Star Spangled Banner and the First Lady exhibit.

By this time, we were so overwhelmed by all of the people, so we went and had a drink before checking out the Portrait Gallery. This is my favorite art museum. There was also an exhibit on the art of video games, and I think that was Nathan's favorite.

We had dinner at Zola, nearby, a recommendation from a friend. It.Was. Amazing.

Day 3: Art & Journalism

Top Floor of the Newseum

The other attraction I had to see while we were there was the Newseum. You have to pay to get in, but it is, in my opinion, way worth the cost. We spent a ton of time in here, as we were both journalism majors. But what was so interesting was that there was so much history in the museum: Significant history, like part of the Berlin Wall, the top of the tower from the World Trade Center, the door from Watergate, and then everyday history that becomes significant: cameras, wallets, cell phones from 9/11 vicitms, newspapers and magazines, Pulitzer Prize-winning photos.

We also got to see some unique exhibits at the National Gallery of Art. One of the big ones was Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird-And-Flower Paintings by Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800), which was on display outside of Japan for the first time. We also got to see sculptures (Nathan's favorite) and Impressionst paintings (my favorite).

Even though we had already walked a ton, we decided to head over to Georgetown to look at the campus and grab dinner.

Day 4: Nature

We started our "nature" morning out at the zoo, looking at all of the animals, and of course, the pandas. Then we stopped at the aquarium. This was interesting because it featured the sea life you would see in different ecosystems, but it was a little disappointing because there was not a lot there.

The Natural History museum was by far the busiest museum we had been to yet. But we did get to see the fossils, the hope diamond, and a really cool exhibit about forensic anthropology, which I loved because it was like the show "Bones" in real life.

My wonderful cousins hosted us for dinner that night, which was a ton of fun.

Day 5: The Unexpected

National Botanic Gardens

Our last day in D.C. was spent touring the places that aren't as popular. We stopped by the Library of Congress to see the reading room and the art that makes the building so interesting. There was also an exhibit of Thomas Jefferson's library. Next, we stopped at the National Botanic Gardens, Nathan's favorite. And finally, we went to the Building Museum. One of the most interesting exhibits here was the different designs that were considered for all of the monuments, or how different D.C. could look if these were accepted rather than the ones we know today.

Overall, I have to say it was one of my favorite trips we've been on.

Vacation Photos

And here are the pictures promised yesterday. My mom has a lot more than we ended up with, but here is just a sample of our trip.

Golfers In Action

Indiana University Gates

Campus Forests

Reception Photo

Home Again, Home Again

Since I've started working part-time, I've found that my perception on Mondays has changed. Maybe it's because generally I'm not as busy on Mondays or because I'm getting back to my normal routine, but I have found that I actually look forward to the start of another week. This week was the exception, however, because this Monday means I have to get back home from a fabulous vacation. Our destination of choice? Bloomington, Indiana.

That's right--my cousin Phil was getting married and so we all met in Bloomington to help him celebrate! Thursday night we flew into Indianapolis to meet the rest of my family. My sister Stephanie was on our Chicago flight, so we got some more time with her, and then we met my mom and brother Joe at the airport. My dad had held down the fort at the hotel, so we had a big reunion in the parking lot.

The next morning we drove into Bloomington for a golf scramble. I am not so much a golfer, but Nathan was very good in high school, so he played, as did my dad, Joe, Stephanie, and most of my cousins. So my cousin Carrie drove me around in the golf card for the first nine holes. We had a bbq and then a really fun rehearsal dinner with disco dancing.

Saturday was the wedding day, but we had some time in the morning to drive to IU to check out the campus, as it is one of our new Big 10 rivals. I have to point out how wonderful everyone at IU was. As my dad said, we ran into three people on our self-tour. The first asked us if we needed directions and then gave us recommendations for lunch. The second offered to take a photo of the four of us. And the third gave us some history of the campus and then drove back around to find us and give us a magazine. We also had lots of people tell us that they all expected Nebraska to take the Big 10. :)

After some cocktails and time at the pool, we headed over to the golf course for the "10th tee ceremony." It was a beautiful ceremony, with so much personality. And all of the details were so pretty. The colors were orange and dark blue, and Kate had a gorgeous short dress. The centerpieces were cool--oranges and blue ribbons and orange roses and lilies--and there were really fun touches, like trivia cootie catchers and cupcake flavor labels. On top of all the pretty details, it was awesomely fun. Great music, great company, and great food. We had a blast.

Of course, on Sunday we had to head home. We were lucky in that all but one of our flights was on time, so we made it home about when we were supposed to. We also had a night without Shelby because we couldn't get back in time to get her from the kennel. She is back though, recovering from her time at the dog motel.

Tomorrow, I'll show off some pictures of our trip. Now, I have to get back to unpacking and recovering!

Bahama Sunshine

Before I tell you about our vacation, I have to give you a little back story about how we ended up on our cruise.

Both of us wanted to go to Europe for our honeymoon, but didn't want to put a lot of energy into planning a European vacation while also planning a wedding. We also only had a week or so, and wanted to see as much as possible. So we decided to take a cruise, which was best for that particular situation. Looking back, it was definitely right for us. We didn't have to make hotel or car reservations and went to five places in seven days. I don't think we got to fully experience Europe, in terms of the food and the adventuring, but it was a good start and gave us enough of a taste to want to go back.

We played BINGO on our nights on the boat, but didn't win anything except a T-shirt. But we played enough that we had some raffle tickets for a free cruise. So we went to the drawing. They pulled out the first ticket, and it wasn't ours. But the person who had the ticket wasn't there, so they drew again. They read off the numbers slowly, and by the time they got to the second to last number, we had nine of the next 10 possible numbers. And so, as it turns out, we won the free cruise!

So, that's how we ended up taking a second cruise for our spring break vacation last week. It was initally for a seven-day Carribean, but we traded it in for a four-day Bahamas cruise and upgraded to a balcony stateroom on the back of the boat. And let me tell you, that's the way to travel!

We loooved the balcony. Our first night, we waved good-bye to Miami and drank champagne on it before dinner, and during the week, we snuck breakfast out of the buffet and ate there instead. We ordered room service and ate outside, waiting for the sunset, and opened the door for some fresh air.

Our room with a view

Our first day, we were in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and we went snorkeling. I had been snorkeling before, but Nathan hadn't. We headed out to the reef on a boat, and jumped in. The reef wasn't very big, but there were a LOT of fish. We saw my favorite, parrotfish, and Nathan's new favorite, black angel fish with a blue strip, and a fish that blended into the sand. What I was most surprised about was how close the fish got to you. They just swam right up around you, and I think I was more freaked out by them than they were of us!

Our second day, we were in Nassau, and we got off the boat and went through the little shops in the morning, then headed back to the boat to hang out by the pool when it wasn't as busy. I became quite the expert on choosing the best deck/beach chair location, based on proximity to the pool, optimal sun and shade time, and lacking other people. We read and swam, which we repeated the next day at Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian's private beach island. We swam in the ocean, read on the beach, and Nathan went jet skiing.

I love this photo because it shows the 'different colors of water.'

At night, we would watch the sunset, drink martinis, and eat dinners that neither one of us had to cook. One night, Nathan played in the poker tournament (and won, I must add. He's the lucky one of the two of us), and we also learned how to salsa.

Sunsets over the ocean are my favorite kind.

And now we're back to real life, and I have some books to return to the library and reviews to write. But our time in the sun was glorious, indeed.

Living A Beach Boys Song

When we got back from Europe, I was talking to my friend Lisa about how freeing it is to not be able to use your phone or the Internet. It was honestly the most relaxed I'd been in a long time. She told me that it would be essentially the same thing if I just tried to give up both for a weekend. But I know that I couldn't do it. Even when I try to just leave my phone at home on an errand, or turn my computer off for a weekend, I feel like something is missing.

This past week, I told you all I was unplugged. And I was, because I had to be: My phone didn't work in the Bahamas. And let me tell you, the Bahamas are relaxing, but to have a vacation from my phone was just amazing. Even though I missed being able to talk to friends and family members I'm constantly in contact with, it was nice to truly be able to get away from everything for a little while.

And of course, the 80-degree sunny weather was a little taste of heaven for me after a long, cold winter. We laid by the pool, went snorkeling, and went to the beach. There was delicious food, 2-for-1 martinis, and champagne. And lots and lots of time to read.

So, come back and visit me this week now that I'm back, and you'll find out all about our trip and get some (lots!) of book recommendations.

Finding Fancies

On Saturday, my mom and I hit up the shops in Downtown Littleton. I couldn't believe how much has changed in the small downtown Main Street. When I was in second grade, we took a field trip, stopping at Two Potters (I believe this was the name . . . )  and Chocolates by Mary Carol, which are now gone and replaced with Lola's Sweet Shop, where we stopped for half-price Valentine's Day-colored sour gummy bears and Twin Bings for my dad for his birthday, and a paint-your-own pottery shop. This is where my brother and I went to paint together before I left for college. He painted a fish for me that moved to Lincoln with me and has lived on my desk in each of the sorority rooms I moved into, my first apartment, and then my first real grown-up job. When we had the big move to the other building, the fish stayed on my desk, despite the suggestion it move to a drawer, and I would say it is one of my prized possessions; it now has a safe spot on my desk at home.

What has not changed is the number of antique stores, and we spent the morning exploring several. It has only been recently that I have acquired a vintage taste, though I don't think it's surprising, considering, well, my mom. She  took us to antique stores when we were younger, telling us to keep our hands in our pockets and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING. I am still to this day a very tactile (thanks for the word, Mom) shopper and not letting me touch anything may have been smart on her part (especially considering how clumsy I was) but was torture to a younger Whitney. But now that I'm older, I'm glad to go with her, because she knows what's new and old and what's a good price for the things I want. And I found many things that I wanted in Littleton Antiques and Such and the Pink Attic Cat, among other stores. I love vintage ribbon and lace, half-completed sewing projects, aprons, books, paper and postcards and photos. There were vintage glass door knobs, depression glass, champagne flutes, and other kitchen knick knacks that caught my eye. In the end, we walked out with four dessert/champagne glasses (mom) and a printer's press block in the shape of an L (me), plus a present for my friend Kaitlyn's wedding. But more than that, I walked out with a few ideas and lots of inspiration.

Road Trip Reflections

I decided to take a solo road trip home this weekend, leaving Nathan and Shelby to fend for themselves. One of the reasons I thought the part-time job was a good fit was that it would give me more time to take quick trips home to see my family. This week's work schedule, the weather, and the fact that it's my dad's birthday weekend gave me the perfect opportunity to hit the road.

It used to be that every time I left Colorado I would be hit with a pang of sadness telling my parents good-bye and pulling out of the driveway. Today, I was surprised that I felt the same way leaving Nathan and Shelby, which means that I finally consider Lincoln home (even though I'm sure that I'll still feel the same way when I leave Colorado Monday. I'm lucky enough to have two homes.)

My favorite companion on a road trip is a book on tape (or CD, as my case may be), at least when I'm driving alone. Some of my favorite past "reads" are Kitchen Privileges, Dear John, Certain Girls, and Marly and Me (though I only got about three-quarters of the way through because I could see where it was going). I'm listening to The Glass Castle now, and so far, I really like it. I find that a book on tape has to be just right. The best ones are funny, romantic, or biographical, in my opinion. And the reader has to be just right. We tried listening to a Laura Ingalls Wilder book on CD and it just did not work, especially with the fiddle playing and singing.

I was able to have company, however, on the last part of my journey. I picked up my  Grandma and we were able to catch up and talk about books and many other things. I'll get to take her back on Monday, too, and I'll be able to finish my book on CD on the last part of my journey.

Once I arrived home, I got dinner cooked by my mom and homemade hot fudge and now I'm enjoying cable TV. And I'm excited to sleep in my old room tonight.

Denver Highlights

This weekend, we drove out to Denver to kick off my birthday week, because I hadn't celebrated my birthday at home since high school, even though it technically wasn't quite my birthday. Here's what made it a great trip:

*Doggie Drammamine
*GORP, sandwiches, and water bottles
*Rest areas with dog runs
*Walks around the lake
*Macy's and the Tattered Cover
*Cupcake wine
*Visits with grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins
*Ham gravy and chocolate cake
*Early presents
*iPods with 90s music

Viva Las Vegas

In the past I've been very particular about my Thanksgivings. I like to celebrate with turkey and mashed potatoes and pie. We've celebrated in Key West and Colorado and Nebraska. Being a child, a particular child, I was very keen on this tradition and wanted every holiday to be similar to the last. My parents threw that off one year by taking us to Sanibel Island, where we had chicken and icky pumpkin pie on a boat and I complained because the pie was really bad (and it was). But it was still a really fun trip, and as I've gotten older and spent Thanksgivings and holidays away from my family, I've realized that it's not the food or even the place that makes Thanksgiving what it is, but the people you spend with it. This year was special because we added Nathan to the family; he was lucky enough to have both his first Thanksgiving and his first Turco family vacation to Las Vegas at the same time. And what a trip it was.

We drove up to Elmwood on Wednesday night to drop Shelby off with the Lakes. Our flight left at 6:30 Thursday morning, and I'm really glad we did it that way. It seemed to be much more relaxing. As I prepared for our trip, I read a lot about the body scanner and sure enough, I ended up being chosen to go through. It really wasn't too big of a deal though. We made all of our flights (and were early) and when we landed in Vegas, my parents were there to pick us up. We went to Joe's apartment to drop off groceries, checked into the hotel, and then went to pick up Steph at the airport. We had a good dinner, cooked by the family, and Joe's turkey was delicious. We went out onto the strip, which was surprisingly busy considering the holiday. We saw New York, New York, the fountains, Planet Hollywood shops, and the lions at the MGM. We gambled at the Paris for a little bit before going to bed.

Friday morning we headed out to the Hoover dam and drove over and walked over the new bridge. Then we went out to Kohl's for black friday shopping and then watched the CU-Nebraska game. I grew up with this rivalry (another family tradition) and it was almost sad to see it end. We then went out to dinner at Joe's restaurant and then gambled. I was ahead on both the slot machines and blackjack but then lost. Apparently my luck in Vegas is better but I still don't know when to stop.

Our luckiest day was Saturday, when Nathan won us a new water heater playing Pai Gow. He hit the bonus and won the hand with a straight flush. We have this theory that whenever something bad happens, it's paid back somehow. Our carport blew off and landed on the roof, we won a free cruise. Our furnace breaks and we need to replace it and the water heater, Nathan wins money for one. So we did leave Las Vegas, not Lost Wages.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, as well!