Chicago

Our summer road trip this year was to Illinois. 1st stop: Woodstock to hang with the N's. Saturday AM we hopped aboard the Metra and went into the city. We didn't realize that Lolapalooza was going on downtown as well as a Cubbies game. The train was PACKED by the time the Cubs fans got off. Lots of variety in the clothing choices of the Lolapalooza crowd.

We spent the day walking around the city. We couldn't pass up Daly Plaza. The boys were really engaged with the architecture and connection to all the movies they've seen that were filmed here. Most notably, The Blues Brothers.

The Bean had just been completed before we moved to Nebraska. This was the first time we have seen it. Wow!! It's Awesome!

Millennium Park was packed with the normal crowds plus all the Lolapalooza folks on their way to Grant Park for the concert.

From Millennium Park, we wandered north and east thru some beautiful condos on our way to Navy Pier.

New Bass!

Guitar center put the bass I've been dreaming of on sale and I couldn't pass it up. JP has a mandate that there can be no net increase in the number of instruments we have, so I traded in an amp and the guitar that I recently refinished. My refinishing efforts paid off - I got more for it as a trade-in than I paid for it. Not only did the new bass come with a nice hard-sided case, but also a $100 gift card that I can apply to a new bass amp.

The new bass attracts the cats and shakes the house. 

¡Terminado!

He comprado este libro para leer en la playa en México. Me di cuenta de que Dan Brown es una lectura fácil y sería capaz de seguir, incluso en español. Tomó mucho más de lo planeado, pero me dio a través de los cien capítulos y la terminó. En el camino, mi vocabulario y la velocidad aumenta gradualmente, pero todavía se leen como un niño de cuatro años .

I bought this book to read on the beach in Mexico. I figured that Dan Brown is easy reading and would be able to follow, even in Spanish. It took a lot longer than I planned, but I got thru the hundred chapters and finished it. Along the way, my vocabulary and speed gradually increased, but I still read like a four year old.

Cool Cats

The cats have a new kitty bed. At all hours of the day, one or the other can be found there.

It's hard staying cool when you're covered with ice age mammoth fur.

The N's Visit Nebraska

The N's drove out the weekend after the 4th for a fun weekend in the sun. The girls are the same ages as our boys.

The Lincoln Railyard is always a fun place to hang out.

No visit to Nebraska would be complete without a dip in the G's pool.

Independence Day 2016

This year's Independence Day celebration was much more subdued than in years past. Since everyone already had plans for the 4th (and the 4th is on a Monday), we had our party on the 2nd. It rained all day, so we moved the deck into the garage and cooked out there. 

The boys were bored enough that they actually played the old 80s arcade games. 

Our friends recently adopted an energetic 4 year old from Uganda. (They actually went there for a month for the adoption process.) Everything in the states is a new experience for him. It's fun seeing him try completely new things, like pounding away on the drums.

Lunch in the City

I had Friday off, so we all went downtown for lunch. We made the mistake of going at noon - everywhere was packed. We ended up eating at Brewskies on their outdoor patio. On the way back to the car, we checked out some new apartments that are going up as well as some old buildings being rehabbed. This one is from 1895.

Payday

CP has been saving his money from his job at Val's. All those late nights of making pasta, pizza, and wings finally paid off. He was able to buy his own PS4 and a game! He drove us to Game Stop in my car and I was so proud to watch him make the purchase with his own debit card.

25 Years!

This week we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. It certainly has flown by.

JP hasn't aged a day since then. My hair has.

For our honeymoon, we took US-89 from Phoenix to Salt Lake City and then headed into Wyoming, where we camped in the Tetons and explored Yellowstone. On the way back, we stayed in the Honeymoon Suite at the Super 8 in Pocatello, ID. I remember sitting in the hot tub and JP was glued to CNN - the Soviet Union was crumbling (she was studying Eastern European history for her degree).

Viking Days

For Father's Day weekend, we drove an hour northwest to the town of Stromsburg for their annual Viking Festival. The town was settled by a group of Swedes and they've been able to maintain some of their culture. It's been 100° every day for the last two weeks - we were not looking forward to baking in the sun, but an overnight rainstorm and some clouds kept the temperature in the low 80's. 

We took advantage of the "Taste of Sweden" - the boys actually ate (and enjoyed) new food, including potatoes. We had Swedish meatballs, potato bologna, cheesy cold green beans, and homemade wheat & rye breads. We stopped by the butcher on our way home and picked up a couple packages of his potato bologna - it's yummy! The highlight of the trip was a demonstration of Viking combat techniques by a group of wannabe Vikings. JP found a knitting shop and was in heaven.

How Stuff Works

I brought a destroyed single cylinder mower engine for the boys to take apart. CP helped our neighbor's nephew tear it down. It kept them busy for an hour and now they understand how a four stroke engine works. 

No - they did not reassemble it. 

Downtown

One advantage of the boys being older is that we can now take them places without too much whining and fussing. They are slowly learning that going out to dinner or lunch is usually a good thing rather than a punishment. Their tastes are evolving beyond french fries.

We took advantage of a warm spring day to check out Yowie's, a new restaurant in the Haymarket. We were able to sit on their covered patio and watch the street scene. The boys were fascinated by the pedal-powered bar that was making laps. Seems like a lot of work and not a lot of relaxation.

Opening Day for Pool Season

Despite a warm and sunny March, April and May were cool and rainy. It wasn't until Memorial Day Weekend that we broke out of the depressing clouds.

Sunday was an absolutely perfect day for the pool. The sky was warm, blue, and cloudless all day.

Employed!!!

CP landed his first job last week at the new Valentino's. He's mostly working evenings, making tasty pizza for south Lincoln. His plan is to save up for a hot graphics card for his computer. 

... and the graphics card needs a more powerful power supply, and a faster CPU, and a new motherboard, and ...

I helped him thru the math and he got mad when he realized it's going to take 77 hours of work to attain his goal. I didn't have the heart to tell him about all the deductions he'll see on his first paycheck for fed & state taxes, social security, etc. 

Baby Bunnies

The G's backyard sprouted a half-dozen baby bunnies this spring. They were all in a shallow hole in their backyard. On one of the occasions that we had a 4" downpour, their hole flooded. CG scooped them out and everyone got to hold and warm their own little furball of cuteness. Within a week they have all left the nest.

Onward & Upward

Our friends' daughter graduated from LSW this year. It's hard to believe that she was only 5 when we moved here. This fall she's off to UNL. It was fun seeing all of the boys' friends from speech walk across the stage.

Solo Robin

This year we only had one baby robin in our nest. We knew there was something in the nest, but hadn't seen it. When I raised my camera up to snap this photo, he spooked and shot out of the nest trying his best to fly away. As soon as I backed away, he hopped across the yard and back up into his nest. Now he's gone and the nest is empty. Maybe we'll get a pair of doves using it next, like last year.

Zombie Pianos

Last night we went with two other couples to listen to the Dueling Pianos show at Brewskies down in the Haymarket. We had a fun evening, despite the zombie girl behind JP; didn't get home until 1:30. 

High Hopes

With the hail storms, all the dealerships are knocking a few $ off to move out their damaged inventory. GP hasn't had much interest in driving until we went car shopping. Now he's fully engaged and expects to get a new car. So far his favorite is the Honda Civic.  

Dogpile

Our friends' dogs love to curl up together. They meld into a big pile of fur.

Big Hail

This week we had a strong storm blow thru. I tried to beat it home, but didn't make it. I had to pull off at the gas station south of home and ride it out. My car got pounded! Not as bad as this truck - the worst hail was a few miles east. The sunroof, rear window, and one of the side windows were also broken out.

JP & the boys were home throughout it. They lost power, and the cell connections were overloaded as everyone tried to check on their families & friends. The tornado sirens started going off before the weatherman received notice from the weather service. It was mass confusion as tornadoes were spotted only a mile from the house.

We got about 5" of rain in two hours. The backyard turned into a river. The basement stayed dry.

Grille Season

We put new burners on our 15 year old grille and it's making even heat again. This year, JP found an awesome stainless grill surface so that we can try some new summer recipes. Just need some warm weather now.

Hairball

We took the kids to Omaha to see Hairball, an 80s tribute band. CP & I abandoned our seats and watched from the floor. This was the boys' first concert. CP was fired up. GP was not, but by the end of the show he was tapping his toes and singing along. The boys knew every song by heart. Kudos to JP for remembering to bring ear plugs!

The show was a solid 2 hours, complete with awesome effects and pyro fire. Hairball has two singers that alternate every two songs. They come out in full costume for each band tribute. The finale was Freddy Mercury. Bands covered were KISS, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick, Queen, Motley Crue, Poison, Van Halen, Twisted Sister, Journey, Bon Jovi, and AC/DC. What a show!!

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is one of our favorite deck holidays. This year was no different; the G's came over and we gorged ourselves on fajitas, fresh guacamole, and margaritas. 

Prom 2016

For Prom, we headed back to IL so that CP could go with his childhood friend JN. They made a very cute couple.

CP with his James Bond uniform makes us both look like midgets.

The prom was held at the Bull Valley Country Club, just east of Woodstock.

I think the moms had more fun than the kids.

Spongebob Squarepants Pizza

What the heck?!? My favorite freezer food changed shape. These tasty $1.29 pizzas have always been round; now they're square. What's next - cubic tater tots?

Speakers

The boys finished up their year of LSW speech. Both earned their academic letters and "Performing Arts Scholar" awards. GP now wants to get a letterman jacket. It's awesome that they're enjoying it so much. At the awards ceremony, we finally realized that GP's team is made up of 95% girls. For some reason, all the boys in his class chose to be on the debate team. He will have his pick of partners next year for a duo.

One of the kids on the team put together a documentary as a class project. He won a college scholarship for it! Check it out here. The coaches that make the speech/debate teams happen are an amazing couple.

Sunscreen?

The years living in FL and AZ are catching up with me. The small spot I had removed from my chest turned out to need all the skin around it removed, too, so I had to go to a plastic surgeon. He cut out a patch 1-1/2 x 1" and stitched it back together. He said something about needing to use sunscreen. Something more than SPF 4.

Rainbow

We had the perfect storm for rainbows - at sunset with a clear sky to the west.