Spring Arrives, Mom and Dad's Trip #2

Suddenly the temperature leaps up from the mid-40s as highs to 65, and the city goes crazy. Everyone spends every possible minute outside, birds once again inhabit the barren tundra we call home, and grass miraculously turns from brown to green overnight! The only downside of all this is that Pocky now wants to spend every waking moment outside chasing birds, which doesn't bode well for studying.

Mom and Dad Inabinet came to Chicago for a very fun week. After opening Christmas and birthday gifts (it had been awhile), we took in as much of Chicago as possible with a bad knee. New sites included the first McDonalds in Des Plaines, IKEA, Harpo Studios, and a drive-by of Chinatown. As usual, we ate very well whie they were here: the usualy Chicago hotdogs, deepdish, and Potbelly sandwiches. However, we also were treated to Irish boxy, an elegant evening at Va Pensiero on our street (one of the most elegant restaurants in or around Chicago), and great pasta.

We also took a fun family trip to Milwaukee, famous for its cheese. We toured Milwaukee, and Rachel went crazy buying as much Wisconsin cheese as was possible. We also were able to stop by recommendations made by our friend Debbie who worked with me at Ashley Furniture: her family's restaurant, "The Pasta Tree", and Kopps Frozen Custard out in the suburbs. On the way back we had an exciting gas station carwash experience with my parents' broken rear window: Rachel nearly got soaked.

Dad replaced Adam as Pocky's favorite since he spent alone time with her during USC's NIT Championship games. He also allows her to bite his hand, which in Pocky's book is up there with snacks of cheesecake or peanut butter.

Now it's back to work as my Spring Semester gets underway. I successfully avoiding touching a single bit of school work for two weeks, and now I can't wait for this summmer.