Town House Motel Joliet

Last winter, while Rob and I were freezing our butts off, we decided to go somewhere warm for next winter. We didn't know where we wanted to go, we just knew we wanted to go. We started saving money to cover our house expenses while we were gone. We started saving money in a water jug and I called it "Change for Chile". We saved over $400 in this change jar!

After the sickness in St. Louis, and the not-the-best theatre we performed in there, I was wary of what Joliet, IL had in store for me. After all, I only even know that Joliet exists b/c of Adrienne from Season 1 of "America's Next Top Model" and from "Prison Break." But to my surprise our Joliet show was great.

We didn't explore the actual town, it didn't ...

... older kids. Guess I'd better save out some cash. Good thing the real estate market crashed, and it's not worth reinvesting our tax return into our house at this point! It's going to be YEARS until the value of the house catches back up with what we owe on it anyway! ;-)

Our passports arrived last week. No problem with Malia's as there could have been. We got all of our documents back, too, so now I just have to get around to re-filing them!

The last ...

The taste of Chicago. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste_of_ Chicago)
This week-long event is annually keeping more and more actual Chicagoans in their homes for an entire week while throngs of tourists fill the streets of the loop stuffing their faces with samplings of all of the culinary institutions that grace Chicago's streets. I know I haven't left my house for days. I'm hiding. Yes, that's ...

... from a water fountain in over a year. Kelly, duley inspired, announced that she was going to go flush some toilet paper. She was almost skipping as she disappeared into the ladies room. As we took our first steps beyond the baggage claim area, we immeadiately found our friends Kevin and Anne who were there to greet us. Also there, however, were our friends Jeff and Amy who had flown down from Seattle to welcome us home. It was a really nice surprise and it felt good to actually ...

... mid-afternoon. My favorite chaise lounge chair calls to me. I get into my floppy sweatshirt and sweatpants and collapse in front of the television. It will take at least a day to recharge my batteries, and I suppose much of that time will be spent in this exact posture! My head is swimming with all the wonderful images and impressions I have collected during a tour that I think, with the exception of the flight problems, was as close to perfection as ...

... when I landed, the guy at the hostel told me the wrong directions to get there so I walked for 20 blocks the wrong way with all my bags, then the hostel was pretty grim with no aircon or fans. The first night I was sweating out everything in my body, thinking how quickly could I change my flight out of there. But the next day I went out to Lake Michigan through Lincoln Park, just a short walk from the hostel, and everything was right again ...

... footballers. I joke that I am thinking they are looking a little gray in the beard. He encourages me to watch the game and I explain that I am heading to Chicago and will probably not be able to find it on any channels there. He wants to know if I ever played any sports. Right! I admit that I only play musical instruments, and joke that somebody has to be in the band at competitions. I think he gets the picture. My client and I have several hours to kill, so we decide to see if ...

... air travel I am about to endure, I am anxiously awaiting those first hazy jet-lagged days. This is the time when it becomes real, and as the fog of trans-hemispherical travel begins to lift, I will become fully aware of my decision. THe only thing I will miss about this disgusting place I grew up, are the people in my life. I want my family to understand this; You all mean the world to me, and I have, and will, always appreciate ...

... Oreo cookies in 1995. Chicago produced the first: roller skates, 1884 steel frame skyscraper, 1885 elevated railway, 1892 Cracker Jacks, 1893 zipper, 1896 window envelope, 1902 Hostess Twinkie, 1930 pinball game, 1930 spray paint, late 1940s McDonald's Restaurant, 1955 Joke of the Day An old man was laying on his death bed. With only hours to live, he suddenly noticed the scent of chocolate chip cookies ...