FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT GIORDANO'S, WE SALUTE YOU!

No, we can't bring Giordano's home -- we'd eat it before we hit Minnesota. But you can have a frozen pie overnighted. Click here.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD A LOOKIN' . . .

We spent part of our morning at the Hancock Observatory. What a view! The Hancock Building is the second tallest building in North America; Chicago's Sears Tower is the tallest.

The Hancock (Big John to the locals) at ground level. Taken by McKenna.

Water Tower Place, the Chicago home of Oprah. When pointed out to McKenna, she said, "Now I know where President Hinckley and Oprah live. My life is complete!" What more does this poor eleven-year-old have to live for?

I accidentally took a wrong turn while at the observatory. One wrong step and I was in more trouble than I knew. Fortunately, I was able to gain my footing and enjoy lunch before I went back in the observatory.

A beautiful view looking southwest from the Hancock. The Sears Tower is the tallest building of the bunch.

P.S. We also killed some burgers and fries at Ed Debevec's, shopped at the American Girl store (Collin and Dad excluded), walked untold miles and rode virtually every train and bus operated in the City. We are tired, but happy.

The girls are just getting out of the pool, and we are heading for bed. Good night.

TIME FOR THE TRUTH

OK, folks. It's time to come clean with everything. We didn't drive to Chicago; we flew. And we didn't go directly to the Second City; we stopped in Seattle first for some outdoor adventure. If you don't believe me, just look at the pictures:



While waiting for takeoff Robin discovered that there was no beverage service on our flight to Seattle.

While staying in Seattle, Robin took advantage of the Kayaking scene. Here she is just finishing up with a class 99 rapid.

We took a moment to pause and get our picture taken in front of the beautiful Seattle skyline. Seattle is a beautiful city, but those gigantic pillars outside of town really detract from its pristine nature.







Just kidding! We spent most of our day hanging out at the Museum of Science and Industry, and we had a splendorific day. The kids flew F-35 flight simulators, drove a German U-boat, learned a little about mummification, hired on in a coal mine, and did some snowboarding and skiing.

TRAVEL HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL

AHHHHHHHH, THE POWER OF PIZZA

Simply put, Giordano's is the best! And as luck would have it, there was a Giordano's less than 2 miles from the hotel. After showering and brushing our teeth, we stumbled over for some stuffed shrimp pizza. Delicious!! Then we came home and crashed!

FACING THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI

Taken in Davenport, Iowa just before heading into the great State of Illinois. If you look closely, you'll see how travel had taken its toll, and we still had 3 hours to go!

TRUCK STOP IN ROCK SPRINGS, WY

Finally!

We made it! After driving 23 out of 27 hours on the road, we found our hotel. Currently, the girls are swimming, the boy is watching TV and Mom is taking a shower. Life is good! The fighting was not nearly as bad as we thought it would be, but the drive was much more taxing than we expected. For the record, I do not suggest trying to sleep six in a mini-van for three hours while parked at a Nebraska rest stop. It's not pleasant. But, hey, we survived. Overall, the kids have been real troopers. Once I get the girls out of the pool and after everyone has showered, we are heading out for some Chicago-style pizza. Should be yummy.

PREPARATION JITTERS

Tomorrow is the big day -- we leave for Chicago. I must confess that I am a bit nervous; after all, we will be travelling with four children known for their bickering. Do you know how many times Robin and I will hear the words "idiot" and "retard" while driving through Wyoming and Nebraska? The bags are packed and sitting in the living room. They are patiently waiting for me to put them in the luggage rack. Robin's sister Cristy reminded me today about the time when their luggage rack flew off the top of their car while driving through Nebraska. Boy, did that make me feel better. Needless to say, I am a bit frazzled right now.