The Story of My Life

Cloud Gate at Millinieum Park in Chicago is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high. "What I wanted to do in Millennium Park is make something that would engage the Chicago skyline…so that one will see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work. And then, since it is in the form of a gate, the participant, the viewer, will be able to enter into this very deep chamber that does, in a wa...

HIS Fall festival was a blast. A good time was had by all. Little girls and Big boys alike loved the festivities!! I had to work a shift and Daddy met me with the children afterwards. Baby girl sleeps in a Hooters tanktop as her PJ's . Um, yes, that is it in the picture because that is what she showed up wearing at the Fall festival. A hot air balloon breezed over our neighborhood on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. And Baby girl in yet another Hooters t-shirt as we looked for the REALLY lost Tomb of Gents Loom in Hewy's October hunt Sunday afternoon as well. My gnome hunting expert team and I cracked the code finally, but some thief beat us to the loot. Baby girl and I had fun looking, tough. And if you were one of the 2 cars that drove by as I took a nice, graceful fall down a large steep hill on a main parkway, I know you were laughing.

After Chinatown, we took a trolley and bus to get to Lou's! The best pizza ever. The secret is in the crust and my hubby wanted to sneak in the kitchen and steal the recipe. His pizza is as good as this, but the crust is a little different. They say the secret is in the Lake Michigan water used? Or some other secret ingredient . Whatever the case, it is wonderful The lunch special was a salad and a 6 inch of your choice. He had 2. I had the Stuffed Spinach bread, which tasted just like the pizza crust and was stuffed with cheese and spinach. The bread was great, the stuffing a bit heavy, but had a good taste. I just scooped half of it out and ate away~! http://www.loumalnatis.com/ I know, I have said before, order the half baked ones and have it delivered right to your door!!! Try it for a holiday gathering if you have not. Portillo's is available as well. We walked off the lunch by heading to Navy Pier and window shopping and people watching. It is a beautiful place filled ...

We walked around the city, had a Starbucks.... ummm my new favorite is the Hot Carmel Apple!!!....took lots of pictures and just relaxed. We had that late huge lunch at Portillo's on our first day, so we just turned in early, after strolling by Lou's, our favorite pizza. We had a course mapped out tomorrow that included their pizza for lunch. Day 2 will include lots of fun. Chinatown, Navy Pier..... Stay tuned for more sights and sounds of the Windy City.

Nothing says fall like October. Apple Cider. Cinnamon Candles. Thanks to my friend Leigh for the wonderfully fresh delicious apple cider. It is the best! And my neighbor Thelma for the wonderful fall candle. They both made for a relaxing fall evening. Crow Mountain was a family favorite of my grandparents each fall and this brought back some fond memories. Check out Leigh's blog for more details on the Fall Harvest and other Alabama treasures. Happy Fall, Y'all.

First Stop on the Eat Everything in Chicago Birthday Tour...... Portillo's Italian Beef sandwiches and Chicago dogs. I am not a big meat eater but this is the BEST ROAST BEEF sandwich on the planet. I am not sure what makes a roast beef and Italian beef, but this beef is so tender, soaked in gravy, with soft bell peppers on top. OH MY. I ate the WHOLE thing and could have had another. The bread is wet with the gravy but not soggy- just perfect. Yankee boy had an Italian beef AND a Chicago dog. If you have never seen a Chicago dog, they have SO MUCH STUFF on them. All kinds of peppers. They are all beef kosher dogs and are very tasty. He gets no onions but the rest of the works. Pickles, sport peppers, I think even tomatoes. The Best Street food in Chicago!!! Order online: http://www.portillos.com/ It is good, but not as good as being there. Next stop, magnificent mile shopping on Michigan Avenue. Please tell this crowd there is an economic crisis. The shoe sale at Nordstroms look...