Chicago: Country Music Festival

Chicago was the one week that I had been looking forward to throughout this whole tour.

MY PARENTS CAME TO VISIT!

I truly have the best parents and am so fortunate to have such an amazing relationship with both of them. They are smart and fun and just all around awesome. They adore Bryan and he respects and likes them so much.

My mom and dad rented a condo in Roscoe Village so that we could all stay together.. which actually means, so that my mom and I could stay up late and chit-chat :)

My mom turned 60 this week, which made the visit in Chicago just that much more special!

***

Check it out - my mom was having a beer with her mom and my grandma, Matilda (who passed away when I was little)

Navy Pier

Wine Bar in Roscoe Village
For my mom's birthday I took her out to brunch at an adorable cafe in Roscoe Village

Brunch was just wonderful - gourmet!

My mom tried a unique coffee where they grind up an orange rind and mix it into the coffee.

I tried the blended pear juice.

For our meal, my mom ordered the pesto eggs benedict and I ordered the pesto and tomato grilled cheese.

We split everything in half and shared.
DELISHES!

Funny, right?

While my mom and I went to brunch, my dad and Bryan found their way to a bar... how weird!

Us girls joined them when we were finished.

For dinner that evening we headed to Chicago's Polish section and ate a wonderful (again, gourmet) meal at Szalas. My mom's grandmother immigrated to Pennsylvania from Poland and Polish tradition is a big deal in our family. I grew up with it and will pass along the same traditions to my future children.

Polish beer

We all ordered the same meal - The Polish Plate

Pierogies, Stuffed Cabbage, Kielbasa, Kiszka with Warm Sauerkraut, Potato Pancake
We were all SO excited to dig in!

Notice how I wore a poncho sweater to hide my belly after I ate my anticipate meal. What can I say, I'm always thinkin' ahead!
Jail for these 2!

To enter into the resturant you HAVE TO pull on this rope. The door does not open from the outside. A Polish woman opens the door for you.

The next day we headed to Naperville. Bryan and I love it there and really thought my parents would too. We were right!

Main St.

Once my parents flew back to California, Bryan and I checked into a hotel for the remainder of our stay. Well, the man at the front desk was so obsessed with my wedding ring (he commented a bazilion times :) that he gave us 2 complimentary breakfasts for the next morning. It was really bizarre, as there was no correlation, but none-the-less, we appreciated the compliment and the free breakfast!

Bryan brought me breakfast in bed - a mushroom, tomato and ham omelette with watermelon.

Thank you Doubletree Schaumburg!

Country Music Festival in Millenium Park

Notice the 2011 Ford Explorer display on the left... yep, that's where I work. The stage in the background, well, you'll see who played on that stage a few pictures down...

I got into a conversation with the nicest woman who splits her time in a highrise condo in Chicago and an oceanfront home in San Diego. We bonded over our love for southern California and San Diego. Right before she walked away she gave me her extra FRONT ROW ticket to the Gretchen Wilson/Clint Black concert that was taking place later on that night on the Main Stage.

I was elated and so grateful!!!

Yep, I snuck out of work and watched Gretchen Wilson rock it. Man is she a good performer!

The next day, back in our tent, they had "Storytellers" perform for 2 hours.

Right here is Kix Brook and David Lee Murphy.

Kix Brooks

The Band Perry is on the left.

In the middle is a Grammy winning song writer.

Then on the right is Kix Brooks and David Lee Murphy.

SO EXCITED!!!

The bean!