That was the question of the day Tuesday morning thus past the moment my girls arrived at 9 am.
I think it's time for a change of scenery for a few days. I'm getting tired of looking off the balcony. Chicago?
Gabby did her happy dance with hands in the air, like she's Pentecostal or something, then ran into her room to grab the suitcase.
Olivia ran and pulled all of their Gap outfits out and they had their stuff ready before I could finish booking the trip. Found some cheap flight tickets, and reserved a room at the W- North Lakeshore where we stayed last time.
Booked our flight and room by 11 am, packed all of our stuff then had to call their mom to break the news. I talked with momma and she said it was cool to take them but as long as she could have them all next week. Done deal, so thank you K-dawg!
Called my sister to give us a lift to the airport at 4pm but got off a little early to drop us off at DTW. Ang picked us up and the girls were jacked up on adrenaline. Angie was there last weekend and my friend Renee was there for work and her kids were there also; they are like family to us.
I love Chicago and now the girls do too. Gabby aspires to live there but when she told the cabbie that he told her "you better go to college first pretty lady."
I'd been to Chicago about three times while I was a Boilermaker; let's just say when I take a female companion or my ladies, I definitely stay out of trouble. It's a nice change of pace really ya know, parenthood and responsibility.
Three common phrases the girls and I have heard in our travels to Chicago:
You are the two prettiest girls!
Just you and daddy in Chicago? Lucky girls, brave dad!
Look at that pretty girl dad! ! ! (Olivia at the top of her lungs, usually at crosswalks)
So while there we did lots of shopping for dad at the Gap, of course the girls too. Then over to the American Girl money pit so they could get outfits that match their dolls. Gabby got the sweats and tank, Olivia got the bathing suit of course. I also bought my friend Amanda the American Girl doll she wanted; Fedex'd that doll Thursday and she got it Friday. She's going to put it on her mantle above the fireplace! I better get a professional print of that one lady!
Wednesday they had fireworks right near Navy Pier so we swam in the pool then watched the fireworks on the balcony adjacent to the pool. We had went to Millennium Park earlier and they played in the waterfall while I did some bird watching. There's lots of pigeons in Chicago. Needless to say, there was no arguing with dad about getting ready for bed and as soon as their head hit the pillows they were out. Oh and we went to the Field Museum to take pictures of make-believe dinosaurs.
Thursday we went out and did some more shopping. Dad wanted a Guess watch but Guess what? I wasn't paying $450 for a Guess watch. So back to the Gap because the girls were wearing their last pairs of socks so of course I had to buy some more clothes.
Got back to the room and tried my clothes on and Olivia told me "you look handsome daddy." We had made dinner plans that evening with our friend Renee, her friend Lori and the whole gang of banshees at the Cheesecake Factory. Since I was with the cheesecake queen I opted not to try their garbage for dessert.
After dinner we all went back to our hotel so the kids could swim, let the kids blow off some steam before bed. That did the trick that night.
Friday was check-out and I ended up sleeping in until 10:30am because my phone died overnight and I missed the alarm, so I we had to scramble and shove 100lbs of shit into two 40lb bags and a backpack. It worked! We checked out and headed over to Renee's hotel to drop off our luggage before lunch and the Aquarium with her and the whole crew.
It was a little cooler Friday (101) than it was Thursday (110). We had a quick bite to eat, jumped a cab and hit the aquarium where we watched 4D Happy Feet and a dolphin show. We spent a good couple hours there browsing all the fishies. We say this king crab that would've been mighty tasty in my kitchen! If I could've only stole that and the ginormous lobster without getting caught I would've.
After the aquarium Renee's friend had to leave to visit family right outside Chicago so we took the kids to eat at a little English Pub called Elephant's (something but I forgot!). The food was pretty good, had great conversation with Renee about the restaurant business. We both detect large quantaties of win between her husband's and my barbecue and cooking skill in general.
See ladies, when us men have to play the stay at home dad role we learn a thing or two about cooking; unless of course you got a man with no passions or ambitions.
The girls wanted me to sign up for Master Chef but I said give me until next season so I can at least take a crash course in culinary arts.
Side Note:
Speaking of cook-offs, the TDRR/LoveTheBeaver team didn't place with our food we were still voted "Event's Favorite Sponsor." My team: Kristine, Zoe, Jim, Angie all kicked ass that day. We went into the competition green as hell not knowing what to expect but we made do with what we had and we got some real positive feedback on the food: Yankee seafood gumbo, seafood cornbread and sweet potato crunch.
We got invited to a chili cook-off later this month by a councilwoman who loved my food the best! She said we missed the barbecue cook-off they host in Wyandotte but she said there's always next year. Met the mayor of Taylor, both he and his wife loved the food because it was different. I told him my plans to open a restaurant and he told me to call him if I decide to look at real estate in Taylor.
So now the word is out that I have a team that can cook! Kudos to us!
Back to the story:
After dinner I had to stop and get me some official White Sox jersey and hat. I wanted to make it out of Chicago alive because the Sox were losing to the Tigers when I made the purchase. I got the only jersey without a name or number so that means I'm going to have my own name and number embroidered on the jersey.
We parted ways with Renee and the family and took a cab to O'hare. Fucking cabbie took the longest route possible. We got to the airport, checked in and the TSA line was a mile and a half long. And to top that off the flight was delayed 45 minutes. Luckily the lady checking tickets sent me to the special line because I had kids with me. WIN!
Our plane arrived right on their scheduled lateness. Fuck Spirit Airlines. We got on the plane and I sat by the window and Olivia sat in the middle. Before the plane took off I was already snoozing. Olivia woke me up and told me that she made friends with the pretty lady sitting in front of us, conveniently. The lady complimented how cute she was telling her all my secrets.
That girl is just like her mom at times! Too bad the lady was married and I smelled like a zoo animal from sweating and the wore off deodorant. We went to baggage claim where we waited forever then bounced upstairs to catch a Metro Car home. The girls fell asleep in my lap as soon as we hit the a/c in the car.
I had the driver drop my ladies off at their mom's and then I went back to the crib to dump off all of our luggage. I had a bunch of friends waiting to see me at Le Cigar, made it just before last call. My buddy Naj, Bazzi, his wife and brother, my friend Lisa whose boyfriend hates me to death when I'm around. Sorry if your girl professes how much she likes me in front of you. Trust me, it's an awkward situation shaking the hand of a man that hates you. Got to see my friend Cilla who I helped get a job there. The aforementioned people are really genuine people. We get silly as hell when we all get together, always guaranteed laughs!
The whole point of the trip was to talk to my girls about life: my goals, what they'd like to be when they grow up, the restaurant business, and the topic of dad having a girlfriend. I guess you could say we bonded while having a REAL TALK session. I had their full attention while we talked.
The girls are ambitious about getting our own house and the restaurant business, but the subject of me having a serious girlfriend didn't fly so well with Gabby: her eyes started to well up. I reassured her that I'm ready to settle down and share our lives with someone we all love. I told her I only want to get married once and that I am happy with my life, with them and all the time we share together. And I told them that I don't need a constant girlfriend to make me feel good about myself, but told both girls I am content with the way things are now. Gabrielle didn't cry but instead gave me a big hug, kiss and an "I love you daddy!"
If there's one thing money can't buy: it is time. I'm not going to be that dad who regrets not spending as much time with them as I can. They are my motivation to be a better father and a better person.
I've been blessed with the means to show them different changes of scenery but my love comes from the heart and not my checkbook. They are a tad spoiled but they are grateful and that gives me the best feeling ever.
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