Oshkosh - Oh my gosh!

I've had the crispiest, most wonderful weekend!

Things I did:

I road a scooter with a 150cc engine through a field filled with campers. (that means it could go fast, which I did, and it was delightful)

I camped - Camping elements included: brats, campers, fires, potatoes, pot-o-lets, mosquito bites, happiness.

I threw a football around / bumped a volleyball around in a grassy field in Wisconsin in the sunshine. I fell asleep in that sunshine in a grassy field and awoke to parachutes with giant American flags falling out of the sky. And got a crispy sunburn to match.

I saw some really amazing airplanes doing some really amazing tricks as well, which I could elaborate on, but instead I will simply encourage you to attend Oshkosh before you expire. So. Much. Fun!

Here's a sampling for you of the different types of fires I saw:

Fireworks!

Firewall!

Campfire! (featuring happy feet)

And for your viewing pleasure, a video of one of the first nighttime pyrotechnic airplane shows! (also featuring my squeals of delight in the background)



Serious shout out to Jen and Angela for bringing me along on their fantastic summer tradition: camping at the Oshkosh Wisconsin annual Air Show.

Followed Oshkosh with a delightful jaunt to Milwaukee for lunch. Stumbled upon Alterra on the lakefront. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day for a lunch outside in a fun new city.

Cappuccino, Gazpacho, and Asparagus/White Cheddar sandwich, with a side of Murakami to go.

Thanks Wisconsin for such a delightful weekend!

Jersey and NYC with Papermoon

Mid July I made a trip out to Jersey to visit my dear friend Sarah of Papermoon. It was a spectacular trip. And really, truly, there are no words better than her own, along with all the glorious pictures, which are posted on Papermoon through this link.

I laughed so hard reliving these glorious adventures...

In the event that the link doesn't allow you to visit Papermoon, I've borrowed a few of the pictures...

If only you could have been there to see how complicated our ouija game was. You wouldn't believe the kind of information you can pull out of say, something like, JVWOUUUIN. It takes a lot of skill. This is the closest I've had to a teenage slumber party in a very long time, and it was brilliant.



And the clock was created as a collaborative act of silent art making, meaning a lot of giggling.


Ah... and then there was the bird. The glorious bird who stood on water. We nicknamed him the Jesus bird, and he lives in Central Park on the lake you can boat on, and he apparently spends all day doing this...


Standing on water... looking magnificent. He was terrific.

So was Jersey, and New York, and Sarah, and her family, and my entire visit.

And wait until my next post... wow... I was absolutely spoiled by Sarah and her mom with the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts...
But for now, I'm making myself wait a day to share that special treat with you all.

Nostalgia

So I have been home now from Minnesota for about two weeks, and I miss it. ...Homemade breakfasts courtesy of my big brother Michael... yummy soft butter on bread from the bakery for afternoon snacks... Tivoing episodes of CSI Miami with my sister Lisa so we can appreciate, commercial free, the glorious bad acting of David Caruso as Horatio ... beautiful lakes... grand family gatherings and parties... really, sincerely kind and lovely people...
Now I know that Chicago has notoriously wonderful summers. And we also have a lake (singular). And I also realize everything about vacation implies a break from reality, and eventually life gets back in the swing. But I guess I'm feeling the post-Minnesota blues...

Its Friday night and my big task in my laundry.

...ugh... laundry... as inevitable as death and taxes... the reoccurring nemesis of Lovely Lula... it has more tags than my cat, which is hard to believe... (She is napping currently, instead of sitting on my head, pestering me for attention while I procrastinate doing laundry...)

Things will improve next week when I start entertaining kiddies at the Family Fun Festival at Millennium Park!

See all the fun family programming HERE! Anything thats on the Chase Promenade North is in my tent! So come say hello! And be sure to park your strollers in the designated stroller parking areas!