Exploring Chicago and Thanksmas

For our annual trip to Michigan during Thanksgiving, we decided to have a little fun along the way and spend a couple of nights in Chicago. Collin unfortunately wasn't able to join us but Kevin was with us and we had the best time enjoying the windy city. We stayed in an Embassy Suites downtown and the kids immediately loved the window seating with awesome downtown views. They played there in the windows for hours during our stay!

I've always loved the Embassy Suites for the spacious hotel suites, nice breakfast buffets, and evening happy hours. We definitely enjoyed the facilities and amenities, and Connor pretended to be a rule-breaker in the parking garage, haha.






It was COLD in Chicago during our visit! We wanted to take advantage of our downtown location, so we bundled up and visited the nearby mall. It was a dream for Kaitlynn because we were able to go to the original American Girl store. Oh my, was she in heaven! We spent HOURS there while Kaitlynn decided on the perfect gifts for herself with some of her personal money. We also visited the nearby Lego store and other shops in the mall.

For our first full sightseeing day in Chicago, we wanted to do some exploring. We took a long walk past the Trump building and over to the Chicago Bean. It was a cold and sunny day, and the Bean was amazing to see in person.

We continued over to the Navy Pier for some more sight-seeing, and we ended up taking a ride on the Chicago Ferris Wheel while we were there. Those things freak me out but it was a fun family experience.

Our last activity in Chicago was, of course, enjoying some authentic Giordano's Chicago style pizza. We were all starved and it didn't disappoint!

Finally, it was time to continue our drive to Michigan to enjoy our Thanksmas celebration with family. We had missed the previous year together due to the passing of our beloved Uncle John. The family time was long overdue and we were overjoyed to be together again. This year, we were even blessed by the addition of our new baby cousin Tyler. I just couldn't get enough of him!



It was a bittersweet Thanksmas for so many reasons, and we were tremendously grateful to be in Michigan together as a family. After the holiday celebrations, it would be back to Katy for our final days and so much uncertainty ahead.




Fall Wrap-up

Our final days in Katy were upon us, and I was trying to soak in every moment with the kids and their activities. Connor's football season had sadly come to an end, and Kaitlynn was enjoying lots of fall fun in 3rd grade at Woodcreek from her outdoor fall festival to her 3rd grade musical performance.

 

  

My Second Visit to Dubai

In the midst of the chaos from trying to sell two houses, it was time for my second trip to visit Dubai to find our home and finalize our move preparations. Jeff and I were so thankful for my parents who would again be watching the kids for us. And the timing actually worked out great for Jeff and I to celebrate our 12-year wedding anniversary during my visit.

When I arrived at the airport, I was excited to see Jeff's new toy he had bought in Dubai. His new wheels, affectionally called RJ for Red Jeep. Ha!

We were excited to have another week together exploring Dubai, but this time the stakes felt higher because we were under pressure to find the right home for our family. We had gotten our hopes up about the townhome community we loved from my first visit, but unfortunately it didn't appear that any of those properties would be available. We worked with a relocation company to help us tour home after home, property after property. Nothing seemed to fit the bill as nicely as the townhome community. We ended up touring multiple new villas in an area called Jumeirah Park, and it was this area that we ending up settling on and signing a lease by the end of my trip.

During this trip, Jeff had to spend most of his days working but we were able to have lunch together and arrange a visit to his office. I enjoyed seeing him in his element with his coworkers and also getting a taste of his new favorite lunch spot, Mezza.



When he wasn't working and we weren't house-hunting, we made sure to enjoy some touristy things like malls, the beach, and another trip to the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. The sights were just as fascinating the second time around!

It was another whirlwind visit to Dubai but we were able to pack in so many things. Happy 12th anniversary to us!

Lastly...there are two funny things I'll always remember about this trip to Dubai: (1) My Astros won the world series as I was on the 15-hour flight from Houston to Dubai, and (2) We received offers for BOTH of our houses during my 16-hour return flight to Houston. Crazy!