Roadtrippers For Life {Chicago 2021}

Look, it is no secret that the Pandemic put a halt to any and all major travel plans. So for us, that meat that once we were vaccinated, look out America! We immediately traveled to Austin, Texas in April, seeing so many great cities along the way. And once school let out for summer, we decided to pack up the ol' Toyota Highlander again, and head north.

We started out on Columbus, Ohio with our family. We stayed few days, enjoyed their company and hospitality - and the boys and I even spent a day at Zoombeezi Bay, a massive waterpark. Noah caught his first fish at their house, and caught a case of poison ivy in a nearby field. Avery caught lots of fish, and found a "Leslie Knope for City Council" T-shirt ( he has recently become a Parks and Rec fan, to our enjoyment).

From there, across Indiana to Chicago. We saw as much as possible while there for about three days: Institute of art, bike rides, The Bean, the "L", Magnificent Mile (Noah finally got to go in a Gucci store), Deep Dish Pizza at Gino's, THE CUPCAKE ATM, Chinatown, an architecture boat tour, and a swim in Lake Michigan at the Ohio Street Beach. It was incredible and we had a blast.

From there, a night in Louisville, KY - which allowed me to finally visit the coffee/record shop "Please and Thank You" which I had long wanted to see. We stayed and explored the NuLu area of the city and found it to be totally rad. After a week, and missing our Maggie pretty badly - we returned home.

As always, we only have these kids here in our house for a finite amount of time. With Noah almost turning 16, that time feels so much shorter now. So, family roadtrips to new places are simply paramount right now. We have to make these memories while we can, and this trip did not disappoint. Per usual, when gone away for a week, I long for home again. And being back in our southern city, where the pace is a bit slower, and the yards a bit greener is truly a return to home. But don't worry, we'll be itching to go again in the next few months, and I am already excited...