When we arrived, we wasted no time in making a game plan for Thanksgiving dinner!
Uncle Dave is originally from Chicago and has lots of family that lives there! We cooked dinner for 27 people, so we had our work cut out for us! Mary prepared the 22 lb. turkey by following the instructions that Aunt Meg received on her show, Kitchen Chat, from her friend, Chef Chrissie Mena. The turkey was so delicious!
While Mary was preparing the turkey, Austin and I peeled two bags of baking potatoes for the mashed potatoes! However, we only had one peeler, so I used a paring knife! Haha!
Uncle Dave's family came over about 4:30 that evening and we ate about 5:30 p.m. The menu consisted of: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing (turkey and vegetarian), corn pudding, cranberry sauce, frozen cranberry salad, sweet potato casserole, cabbage (a traditional Danish dish), green bean casserole, dinner rolls, mini cornbread muffins, fruit, apple pie, pecan pie and other assorted desserts (including chocolate covered strawberries, to Austin's delight!) It was truly a feast, and once everyone had enjoyed their meal, Austin and I couldn't help but toast in celebration with some sparkling apple cider!
Dad and his girls!
After the food was put away and the kitchen was mostly cleaned up, we went to bed and relaxed most of Friday. It was so good to sleep in! In the afternoon, we ventured outside to an adorable little historical village called Long Grove. There are quaint little shops and delicious places to eat (a bakery and an ice cream shop). They are famous for their apple cider doughnuts and apple cider. Here were are enjoying a hot cup of apple cider, which was very welcome in the midst of a freezing night!
Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we got there, but we still took a picture by the covered bridge.
After our visit to Long Grove, we met up with Uncle Dave and Melissa and Katie at the ipic movie theater in Barrington to see Lincoln. It was the coolest movie theater I've ever been in! You must make a reservation and when you walk in, it looks like a really nice restaurant and lounge. You order your dinner and when it arrives, you take it into the movie theater, which has a table that comes out in front of you, and eat during the movie. We were on the front row! The movie was really good! It was special because Uncle Dave just got elected into the Illinois State House of Representatives, which is where Lincoln served before becoming President of the United States.
On Saturday, we went into downtown Chicago! We began our journey at the Barrington train station to catch the Metra train into downtown. It was so cold!
Austin's first train ride!
Our arrival in Chicago!
Aunt Meg loves planning surprises, and after hopping into a cab on Michigan Avenue, we arrived at the historic, beautiful Drake Hotel! Here we are in front of the Christmas tree in the lobby outside of Palm Court.
The cousins! From left to right: Katie, Mary, me and Melissa
Not only did we get to visit the Drake, but Aunt Meg treated us to High Tea in Palm Court, which was such a treat! They bring you your own individual tea pot that has the flavored tea leaves (you chose which kind) and you pour it through the strainer in your cup. Cream and sugar cubes are on the table. They brought out a three tiered plate with banana nut bread and scones on the bottom, tea sandwiches in the middle (roast beef, tomato and cucumber, turkey and egg salad) and beautiful desserts on top.
The gorgeous Palm Court! There was a harpist playing Christmas music in the background.
We left the Drake after a delightful tea and walked several blocks to Macy's on Michigan Avenue. Melissa and Katie found cute scarves and hats and Aunt Meg bought Mary and me lovely dresses. She surprised us later with long strands of pearls that we can wear several different ways. We're looking forward to wearing our new pretty things!
Once we left Macy's, we headed over to the Hancock Building and got into the 40 second elevator that took us up to the 96th floor! You could feel the building swaying in the wind! Most of the observation areas are inside, but there is one walkway with netting so you could feel the breeze! Here we are on top!
Here is the view of the city lights! They were so beautiful!
We rushed back to the train station for an 8:30 train via the water tower and the Hershey Store!
We had a wonderful time on our downtown adventure and look forward to going back!
Sunday morning, we got up very early to head back to Jackson, Home Sweet Home! We appreciated the gracious hospitality of Aunt Meg and her family and look forward to seeing them again sometime soon!
Now, we are excited to finally be in the midst of the Christmas Season! Being out of town prevented us from getting our house decorated for Christmas, but my goal is to have it done by the end of the week! Stay tuned for pictures soon!
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