Girls Trip

Back in July we had a great trip north. While C went to soccer camp at our beloved University of Notre Dame, A, my dear mom, and myself headed to Chicago and some hot fun in the city. (Well, "hot" is a relative term - for us it meant lots of fun!)

We stayed right on the Magnificent Mile. There was only time for one full day in the city, so we made the most of it for Miss A. It started with breakfast at the conceirge lounge (thanks to hubby's frequent hotel stays). We then took a taxi (her first one EVER) to Shedd Aquarium. She loved seeing the beluga whales and Pacific dolphins, plus all the other animals. Our local aquarium is nice, but only takes an hour to go through. We spent 6 hours at Shedd, leaving after she had seen EVERY possible exhibit.

From there we lined up for the free trolley to head toward the American Girl Place. While waiting in line, A made a friend named J who was close to A's age. They had fun chatting in line, on the trolley and decided they would spend time together as much as possible. J's grandmother and her grandmother's best friend were treating J to a day in the city. They were all really nice.

Before American Girl we stopped at the Hershey Store. A heard them announce a contest to win a free cupcake, so of course she dragged J with her. They had to do a crazy dance. A did a one legged chicken dance, giggling and encouraging J who wasn't comfortable acting goofy. A ended up winning and received her cupcake. The girls enjoyed eating it, and the adults enjoyed a bit of it as well.

Then it was time to go to the mecca for little girls: the American Girl Place. Neither girl had ever been there, but J was getting her first doll, so the girls headed upstairs and started looking at dolls, outfits and accessories. They had a blast running around the store. After a bit, we encouraged A to look around at things for herself, so she went straight for the ... books. She loves American Girl books (friendship, body, jobs, etc.). She reads them and uses the info to help her in different situations. It's kind of cool actually. After finding books, she and J showed each other their purchases, exchanged email addresses, then went their separate ways. A got a few items (books, game, small doll) before heading out, happy and excited.

After one more quick tour through the Hershey store, we stopped in Ghiradelli (Mom's fav) and then headed to Jamba Juice - the BEST smoothie place ever. My youngest brother got me hooked on it, and now every time we're near one (not easy since it's not in our area), we have to get it. A enjoyed her first smoothie. She even treated Mom and I to an official Jamba Juice smoothie cup. (She wanted to do something nice for us since we had "spoiled" her so much during the day.)

By the time we finished our juice it was definately time to head back to the hotel. We were all exhausted. We ordered pizza from room service and rested.

The next morning was a bit of a rush. We headed to the Tribune Store to look for Cubs stuff for my youngest brother and his girlfriend - both die-hard fans. Then after a brief stop at the hotel, we headed back to the American Girl Place so A could get Kaya's hair done. (She's the Native American doll that C received for Christmas one year. She gave it to A for the trip - and later gave it to A for keeps.) While we waited, it was back to Jamba Juice (thank goodness it's close to the American Girl Place), before heading back to pick up the doll and check out of the hotel.

We tried to drive back to ND in time to see C at the bookstore, but missed her by minutes. Literally. I was pulling into the parking lot as she was heading back to her room to get ready for dinner. UGH! I felt bad, but she wasn't worried about it.

We stayed in South Bend for a couple of nights, and toured the South Bend Chocolate Company, shopped for odds and ends, enjoyed ND's campus, and attended Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart (at ND).

Finally it was the last day of the trip and we watched C play in her final game. She played the whole game and stopped all but one goal. We could tell she was having a blast. It amazed me to see the difference between 2 years ago and now. She was much more mature and poised and respectful - to her team, coaches and herself. Her confidence just radiated. It was awesome to see! I was so proud of her. (I'll post pics from the game later - Mom has them all!)