The kids headed off to Montana for a nice little two week break from the parents while the parents (John and I) flew to Chicago for a couple of days.  John had two days of meetings in Naperville (30 miles west of Chicago).  We decided to go a couple of days early so we could spend time together and explore the city.  I researched hotels, exhibits, parks, attractions, and transportation and came up with a plan.  I purchased a two day GoChicago card that allowed us to get into different exhibits and in some cases skip the lines.  This is highly highly highly recommended especially if it is a weekend. We also purchased a 3 day transit card for the el and the buses.  Another highly recommended thing to do.  It was $14 a person for three days with unlimited transfers verses $2.50 a ride.  So after 6 rides it paid for itself.  We arrived around 7:30 on Saturday night at Chicago O'Hare and took the free hotel shuttle.  We checked in stretched out and then made plans to get downtown to Navy Pier.  The Blue Line downtown to Grant and a bus over to Navy Pier and we were good to go in time for the fireworks they have on Saturday night.  Then walk around, eat a Chicago Dog and a Boston Dog, some Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  A little band music and it was midnight.  A bus ride, another Blue Line train and back to the hotel by 2 am.

We have yet to settle on a 4th of July celebration tradition.  In the past we've gone to the Blaine Parade, celebrated with our church, ate at Semiah-moo resort and watched fireworks, visited a friend's house, or set off a couple of bees in our back yard.  This year we decided to go to Blaine for the parade.  My friend, her youngest daughter and one of her boys accompanied us.  The parade was packed and there were many politicians in convertibles in the parade.  Totally a small town type of parade.  There was a band, veterens, church groups, horses, and a geriatric penitentary group.  Things went well and we saw many people that we knew.  We ate both made hamburgers and then wandered down the street back towards our car.  At this point we split up with the families.  The Parks family being quite slow.  This is where we almost had a near certain disaster to quote Arlo White.  We reached the car show and were taking our time looking at the cars.  Lona borrowed John's phone to take photos of a car while the rest of the family crossed the street to look at another car. I thought Lona was behind us.  We looked at a few cars and kind of split up.  A couple of minutes later, John and reunited and I asked him where Lona was.  No Lona.  We split up to meet back in 5 minutes; John and Isaac to go towards Blaine, and Job and I to go to the car.  I was just pulling out the phone to see if I had any messages.  I had one from John.  I assumed he just tried to call.  Then I remembered that Lona had his phone.  Yep it was her.  I called her back and she had wandered a block down towards a bank before she realized that she was lost.  This girl has her head on her shoulders.  She tried to call and I didn't answer so she approached a Mom with 4 kids.  The lady stayed with her until I came.  In actually I think she was gone for 5 to 10 minutes.  Not long but long enought to make her worried and tear at my heart.  So we decided to try it again only this time we headed into Bellingham to watch the firework show.  Could we possibly keep all our kids together especially Lona in the dark?  Well of course we could.  We headed down to a great spot overlooking the harbor and set up our chairs.  I grabbed my camera, tripod, remote shutter control and set my settings.  We ran into a family from Job's soccer team and another from Lona's soccer team.  The only downer was that a tree branch was right in the way of the show.  By the time the fireworks started there really wasn't any moving.  I guess that Zuanich park is a great place to go but you have to go early like before 7:30.  We may try that some year.  I'm thinking the year Lona gets her own phone.  Oh and there was no disaster that evening for us.