NCEA Conference

Wednesday a co-worker and I headed to St. Louis for the National Catholic Educational Association conference. We are submitting a proposal to present at this conference next year (fingers crossed it gets accepted) so since the conference was within driving distance this year, we thought it would be a good idea to hit a few sessions and finish up our proposal. Both of us missed the conferences we were supposed to attend in the fall so it worked out perfectly. I had a few really helpful sessions and networked with some awesome Spanish teachers from across the nation so although it was a quick 24 hours away, it was definitely worth the trip. I came home with some great ideas to work on over the summer so that I can get them put into place for next year. Hard to believe May is here and a few short weeks from now I'll be saying goodbye to my seniors.

Not a bad location for our hotel...

Hopefully next year this badge says, "presenter" on it!

Chicago (again) ;)

Before we knew baby was a sure thing, we planned a get-away with friends to Chicago for a Cubs game and some fun birthday celebrations. We got roof-top seats with an all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink ticket for the a day soaking up the sun with some great friends. Given that Mark and I took this trip with an extra passenger on board, I definitely took advantage of the all-you-can-eat...and I made Mark double up on the all-you-can-drink for me! :) Unfortunately, Chicago was in a cold-spell, so our sunny day, was blustery and cold. Lucky for us...our roof top seats came with beautiful indoor seating out of the elements. We ventured up to the roof for part of the game, but most of us watched the game from the comfort of our "box seats"...it was an amazing view!

First stop...The Cubby Bear for a pre-game beverage.

The rooftop was cold so only a few of the ladies ventured out. The boys enjoyed most of the game from up there. 

Afterwards, a victory beverage at Merkles - Chicago's Official Hawkeye Bar! 

After some yummy Pizzaria Due, we headed out for a night on the town. Chi-town has a great night life...good thing we're old and got their early, we only had to wait outside 20 minutes. After us the lines soared to over an hour to get into the bars downtown. 

Only half the group made it in, but with lines everywhere, we decided to stay put and enjoy a little, "Howl at the Moon."

What an awesome waiter...my very own water bucket! 

Chicago

For her birthday, Grace really wanted a weekend somewhere just the 3 of us. We had been talking for a while that when the girls made it to double digits it would be fun to create a memory that would be their very own. She chose an overnight in Chicago. Though the weather didn't cooperate much, the weekend was unforgettable and one that I hope she cherishes forever. Though she referenced multiple times how much Emma and Norah would have loved certain parts of the trip, it served as a great reminder of how lucky she is to have sisters. She came back having made some wonderful memories, feeling a bit spoiled, and understanding that sisters have the power to make everything just a little bit more fun. 

We had a great day at Shedd. She loved the belugas and we loved watching the trainers go through their daily checkups and training. 

For lunch we got a table across from the underwater viewing. I'm pretty sure Grace could have spent all day 'eating her lunch.' 

The touch tanks were pretty cool...the starfish felt completely different than what she was expecting. 

4D movie anyone? If you're at the aquarium, you might as well know what it's like to swim like a fish!

Riding the 'L' around was definitely a favorite for her. She thought she would love city living. 

Can't hit the Windy City without a stop at the bean!

Check out that fog...change of plans...no viewing the city from above this weekend!

Maggie Daley Park is definitely on the list again for a return trip. This place was incredible!

My family is ... awesome. *love*

Of course, we hit up all the Chicago food joints as well. Italian beef, Chili dogs, Harry Carey's for a 'Holy Cow' burger, finished off with a little Chicago style pizza!

NCEA

Monday after a looong day of school we loaded up the school van and headed to the airport for the National Catholic Educator Conference in Orlando. With a rainy week in the forecast at home, I was eagerly awaiting the sunny skies of Florida. However, with a bunch of great sessions and offerings each day at the conference, there was little time for soaking up the sun. 

This is what the view looked like on our walk back to the hotel from the convention center each afternoon though. If only there were more hours in the day.

I traveled with some super fun co-workers, learned some great new ideas at the sessions during the day, and ate some incredible food on some beautiful outdoor patios in the evening. It was pretty much paradise for being "at work."

Our hotel was great and it was really easy to get around. I'll post more on the sessions I attended when I have a little time to process everything! It was an awesome opportunity to network with some pretty amazing educators throughout the nation. I stole a lot of really great ideas!

Waterpark of America

After a little lunch, LEGO fun and quick trip to IKEA it was time to hit the Waterpark! The girls were excited to check in to the hotel and check out their bunk beds for the night. If they weren't excited enough, it was awesome to head down to the waterpark and see that we were one of the few families that were there...we practically had the place to ourselves!

Getting ready to dive in!

Of the families that were at the Waterpark many of them were from the girls' school. Between Addy, Lindsey, and Lauren...all three girls had a friend to play with on Monday.

Norah loved the family raft ride and the wave pool.

Emma loved the lily pads, basketball and the lazy river.

Grace loved the slides and basketball, plus time with friends.

Day 2 was just as much fun!

Norah seemed so grown up riding the rides and wanting to jump the waves "all by herself"

A little underwater fun.

LEGO land

The girls wanted to go to Minneapolis for Spring Break. With Emma loving LEGO's and Grace loving American Girl, the Mall of America was a stop off that was worth making. We headed to Minneapolis Monday with hopes of going to the zoo, but waking up to freezing rain and ice-cycles everywhere, we decided to stop off at the MOA for a little lunch and let Emma experience a little LEGO nirvana. 

Hello Olivia...

Emma's favorite was this huge wall of every different kind of LEGO imaginable. She aspires to be a Master Builder when she grows up, so she loved seeing all of their creations. 

Junior LEGOs...Norah may be becoming a LEGO aficionado as well.

An hour spent free building in the LEGO pits earned a thumbs up from everyone!