Living abroad has given me a new appreciation for traveling within the US. The three hour flight from Utah to Chicago seems like nothing. But I have to admit, even with this new appreciation, I still wish mine and Rusty's families lived closer to each other. It would be so nice to see everyone more often, not to mention save money; the benefit of Rusty being from a cool city- we get to visit it often...the drawback- travel expenses. But luckily, this summer our travel plans could not have worked out more perfectly.
Rusty was asked to play on the Great Lakes Region volleyball team for the Adult National Volleyball Tournament. It's the closest thing to professional volleyball the US has, and it's just a week long tournament where all different regions of the US play against each other. Fortunatley for us, the team flew him out to Chicago to start training. So, one ticket to Chicago paid for! But it gets even better, the tournament was in Arizona, which is where my older sister Cassie and her family live, which means, another travel expense taken care of! I was so excited that it worked out so perfectly. And to top it off, next summer the tournament will be in Detroit, which is close to Rusty's extended family who live in Michigan!
Rusty left to Chicago a few days earlier than I did, so he could start training. We were both excited to see the Lavaja's cause one- we hadn't seen them in about a year! (how crazy is that?!) and two- it's always a good time with the Lavaja's.
While we were there, we got to celebrate, Molly's birthday! Molly is Rusty's brother Ryan's girlfriend. That sounds more confusing than it is, but anyways- she is awesome and we were excited we got to celebrate with everyone because we have to miss a lot of birthdays and holidays while were out of the country. Rusty's mom, Susie, and I baked a brownie/strawberry cake, which turned out super good, if I say so myself. And since it was a birthday brunch, we also made french toast, "Sarah's Famous"- my family's recipe for the most delicious buttermilk syrup ever, biscuits and gravy, and a breakfast casserole. If those aren't the makings of a good brunch, I don't know what are.
We walked around downtown. I really love downtown Chicago. I love how clean the city is and I love how the water runs through it. We ate great food- Giordono's Pizza, Portillos, and sushi with Rusty's extended family; we visited the Sports Museum, which had fun interactive games; and we went to horse races! It was my first horse race ever! I wished I had brought a big hat, but luckily Susie let me borrow one of hers.
It was so great to see family! As far as in-laws go, I really hit the jackpot. The Lavaja's are awesome...and I'm not just saying that because they will be reading this ;) They are seriously the best! I can't wait til our next trip!
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| "We all know that the moon is not made of green cheese... but what if it were made of barbecue spare ribs, would you eat it then?" |
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