Dolphins, Dinosaurs & Lincoln

We made it back from Chicago! We all had a crazy, great time visiting the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Natural History Museum, and Springfield, Illinois to see Abraham Lincoln's home, tomb and a museum about him.

We decided to split up the stops in Springfield to some on the way up, and some on the way back. On our way up on Monday we visited Lincoln's home and tomb. We've seen them before, but something about his tomb I still find very venerational.

Upon our arrival to Chicago, we first went to the aquarium and the kids had an absolute blast. Their favorite part by far was the dolphin show. So, of course, we had to stop by the dolphin show gift shop right next to it to get a fuzzy pink dolphin for Annalyn and a shark for Declan.

After lunch there, we headed over to the Field Museum to catch a special exhibit of Jurassic World, we they had state-of-art dinosaur animatronics that turned out to be quite impressive.

 

They had at least 7 full scale dinosaurs moving around, as well as a replica of the creation lab from the movies that had real props that we could get our hands on. Declan ate it up. Annalyn still got scared a few times. And of course - another gift shop. 

And then I got sick...

On the way back we stopped to visit the Lincoln Museum, once again in Springfield. One of the most enjoyable parts is a small live theatre stage that involves ghostly special effects. He talks about the importance of studying the past to help us understand who and where we are today. 

The slandering they did to Lincoln during his campaign seemed surprisingly familiar to what is still done today by the public and the media. It really made me feel that there really is no piety in politics - if there is, it's only political. On the other hand. The depiction of what he went through in the Civil War and with signing the Emancipation Proclamation, really helped bring a sense of reverence to his death, as they displayed a replica of his casket in the capital.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip, and we made it home safely. Now it's just a matter of shaking off the last bit of this cold...

In Chicago

We made it safely to Chicago! Tonight will be our first night here. We broke up the drive by stopping in Springfield to see Lincoln's home and tomb.

We tried a Chicago stuffed crust pizza for the first time (by accident) for dinner and were surprised by the sheer amount a of inside. Finally, after a good swim in the hotel's remarkably warm pool, we got the kids to eventually settle down and everyone was able to quiet down enough for Walter to fall asleep.

Earlier this week, work proved challenging with a customer accusing my assistant, Rob, of stealing, and the security footage making his actions questionsble at best. A verdict about a police officer shooting a black man upset the community enough to have workers and schools shut down early and the national guard on hand to lock down downtown St Louis.

Other than that, this past week has felt clam enough, like most other weeks, with fall steadily growing closer and general conference just around the corner. Here's to hoping everyone is able to sleep well enough outside of their normal, familiar environment.

Change in the Season

Autumn is quickly arriving. The temperature has dropped and the painting of leaves is sure to follow soon. This is by far my favorite time of year. The temperature, the colors, the holidays...I'm so glad we live somewhere that it lasts more than 2 weeks.

One more week of work and we'll be on vacation! We are heading up to Chicago again for the aquarium and the natural history museum. Plenty of pictures to come.

Rachel has been happier as she's been running each morning. She finds it very effective at not only staying healthy and in shape, but relieving stress as well. Maybe I should take a cue and do some excercising myself.

Annalyn had yet another visit to the dentist. This time to get her latest 2 cavities filled. Luckily she's getting use to the dentist; she's getting more and more brace with each visit. It went well too: no unexpected expenses, and the kids didn't give Rachel an ulcer!