Trout Lodge

Home Again

Drove allllll the way home and visited Arlington Plantation in Birmingham, Alabama
on the way:

Last Day at the Ocean

E's family left this morning so Mom and I are on our own for one last day in Florida.

"My" Store:


Goodbye Ocean:

Loopy Lu

Beach, napping, Jimmy Buffet's crazy sista's place for Loopy Lu drinks and dinner, playing with my nieces and NOT poking my SIL in the eye with a fork.

How much better can vacation get?

Vacation Laughs

Deep Sea Fishing Yesterday:




Ocean and Laughing Today:

Blue Angels

Normally the jets are numbered 1-6. But today, the one day I was there...jet 4 had to be repaired. They have two sets of numbered jets and the extra jet numbered 5 took jet 4's place. Blue Angels....Jets 5 and 5....

Florida Day 2

Mom enjoying Florida:


Girls Getting Sparkly Tats at the Crab Shack:


My favorite photos of the day:

Florida Vacation Day 1

Most of the day was like this:


But in the late afternoon:


Random beach bride:


Wondering if random strangers will always make me wonder what could have been:


My favorite picture of the day:

Florida

A long day of driving, but we're finally at the beach.

Gleeful Homecoming

We headed out this morning still laughing and squeeing on a Glee high to the best (and only) breakfast place I know of in the Windy City:


I was in heaven with THE BEST hot chocolate I've ever tasted!

Then we got turned around finding downtown Chicago due to a GPS malfunction so we headed home instead after a brief stop at Ikea (JS!). Being a seasoned Chicago visitor, I wasn't too disappointed for myself at not having time to sightsee but was a little let down for RM as it was her first trip there. She kept smiling though, still on that Glee cloud.

We've decided to make it an annual Glee pilgrimage if we can, however, I believe this will remain the unsurpassed jumpstart to summer vacation.

Class? Students? School?
I'm not sure what those are but how 'bout I sing you a song?

Squeeee!!!!

One hour with the 4 kids that showed up, talking with a few parents who came to pick up report cards, a brief staff meeting and I'm DONE.

Freedom! FREEDOM! FREEDOM! FREEDOM!!!
(Sung in my Aretha voice)

Annnnddddd right after school....we headed up to Chicago (I'm an old pro now since I visited for the first time 2 weeks ago). This time I headed to Chi-town with co-workers RM, AT and AT's friend A to go to a concert.

What concert you may ask...not just any old concert but ...wait for it....






The GLEE concert!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm a certified (certifiable?) GLEEK!! and proud of it!:


But before the concert I had a good laugh because AT and A spent about 3o minutes discussing the hairbands each of them would wear and if it went with what outfit and where they got said hairbands. I laughed because I'm so not the headband wearing type and even if I was I would wonder if they're age appropriate for me. AT and her friend are over 10 years younger than I. I'm a little embarrassed to admit:

they got RM and I to wear one too. League of Hairband Girls, gather round.

The concert was amazing and I don't use that word lightly. Those kids are so talented. I was jumping around, dancing in my seat, screaming, grabbing my friends. I felt just like a 15 year old again (so maybe the hairband was age appropriate afterall?) It was thrilling to see the characters I watch each week on TV live, singing and dancing in front of my very eyes. I just loved every song they sang.
"Don't Stop Believin" was the opening number:

(picture taken from a big screen)

The "Warblers" showed up:


"Puck" sang "Fatbottomed Girls" and made me want to get "Pucked":



"Kurt" was fabulous as only a gay show choir singer can be:

(picture taken from a big screen)

After the concert, we were very keyed up and AT wanted to go to the stage door to see if we could catch a glimpse of them leaving. Personally, I thought we'd just be waiting around forever and not see much. I'd heard of "groupies" but didn't realize this was something fans could actually do. Well, we waited around for a while and AT met a new friend. Finally, we were rewarded:


Lea Michele (Rachel Barry)


Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel)


Harry Shrum (Mike Chang)


Ashley Fink (Ashley Zizes)

I was shocked and amazed that we saw so many actors from the show. Each and every one of them were very nice. We were able to talk to them a little and they gave many autographs. They were each more slender and beautiful in person. We were all totally, totally keyed up and thrilled.

I felt like a giddy teenager all night.
It was the BEST most GLEEFUL beginning of summer EVER!!!!

SQUEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Till We Meet Again, Chicago

We started our last day in Chicago at a breakfast place called Hot Chocolate. We knew from the dark, chocolaty, trendy decor that it was a hip place. Of course we had to sample the beverage the place was named after. OMG! (and I don't use that acronym lightly) This hot cocoa was fantastic. Creamy, silky, chocolaty but not too chocolaty, sweet but not too sweet and perfect. I consider myself quite the connoisseur and this is without a doubt the best hot cocoa I have ever tasted. It was served with a homemade marshmallow which sweet and powdery and light. It was like tasting a cloud.



After breakfast we made our way to the Brown Elephant, a big thrift store. Kind of pricey, but JS and I both made small purchases. The most unusual thing about the store was the "porn and leather corner". I've never seen that in a thrift store before! They also offered free condoms from a big bowl on the checkout counter. Good to know they are promoting safety with their used leather items!

Through these subtle clues we discovered we were in the "Gay District". I don't know what else to call it. It was a very colorful and bright area. Since I was now accustomed to bobbing around the big city my eyes didn't pop out quite as much as yesterday but there was certainly a lot to see. We shopped a little in a store called Gay Mart. I bought two adorable plates in there. You might see a pic of them on my wall very soon.



Lots of cool stuff to photograph:


On the way out of town, we stopped at Ikea. There were babies everywhere in there causing me to have a mini panic attack. In trying to flee from all of them (impossible) I got seperated from my friends. Now, I like shopping just as much as the next gal but I wouldn't call it my life's forte. However ...ummm...something strange came over me in this store. I just wanted to buy EVERYTHING and could not stop putting stuff in my cart. I told JS and MB that I was NOT to be allowed inside that store unsupervised again.

I experienced so much this weekend, more than I could ever write about here and I truly cannot remember the last time I smiled and laughed so much. I was glad to be home before a bad storm blew in but so sorry to end our trip and leave my dear friends.

The Windy City

I can't begin to talk about all the things we've seen and done here in the Windy City. Just walking around in Chicago is pretty amazing for this country mouse. Everything is so big and tall! Great architecture of every type everywhere you look. People watching is a feast for the eyes here. And all the food has been fabulous even through a stuffed up head and nose.

First on our agenda was Cloud Gate otherwise known as the Bean. Gave off kind of a weird feeling. Here is this HUGE shiny object in the middle of a park and people are just gravitating toward it. I just wished all those people would move out of my pictures.


Breakfast at The Corner Bakery and then off to the Navy Pier. There was lots going on there including Armed Forces Day so there were lots of yummy boys in uniform around. All of them looked young enough to be jailbait but you can't get put in the pokey just for looking.

We took a neat and very informative boat ride where the guide talked all about Chicago and sang "Get Your Kicks On Route 66". The entire song. MB got a surprise when a sea gull pooped on her shoulder. We also rode the giant Ferris wheel, fun but kind of scary getting on and off.


We saw so many things on Michigan Avenue. Beautiful stores and all kinds of different people, wonderful buildings, a bride and groom running around with their photographer, street performers, homeless people. Scene after scene I wanted to capture with my camera. I had thoughts all day of my other photographer friends and my bro.

Street performers:


A random bride and groom just walkimg around Downtown:


Lunch was a "Cupcake for Courage" on Michigan Avenue:


I'm so happy that my friend, JS, got to visit some of her dream stores and I enjoyed shopping with her especially knowing that I would have missed out on them if she hadn't wanted to go:


And a Chicago style hotdog from a hotdog stand on the Museum Campus which was possibly the best hotdog I've ever eaten:


A very handsome waiter, raspberry mojitos and a fabulous dinner at Carnivale rounded out the evening. Wonderful ambiance, very colorful and artsy decor and Latin music. MB was in her element.

On the taxi ride back to the hotel, JS yet again, made best friends with our driver. He asked her what her nickname for her husband was...and then what her nickname for him during "romantic mood". He was originally from India with an adorable accent. Our friendliest driver so far. He told her his wife's nickname for him was "sugar cane" for romantic mood but "dirty naughty" for Sunday mornings. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Actually we're still laughing about it.