Finally Home After a Long Day of Travel

Yesterday marked the end of our Mommy and Daddy only vacation.  We had a great trip and it was fun getting to see our family and friends!  It has been a long day of travel for us and an emotional day of travel for me.

We got to the airport around 8:00 this morning for our plane that was supposed to leave at 11:00.  "Supposed to" being the key word.  While we were eating breakfast, my mom called to say Rylie was saying she had a headache and stomach ache.  I immediately started to worry, wishing I could snap my fingers and be home.  My mom called back a second time to let us know she was keeping the kids home from preschool as Rylie wasn't feeling up to going.

We made it to our gate to wait for our plane.  About the time we were supposed to board the plane, an announcement was made that there would be a 2 hour delay for departure.  I was disappointed, especially knowing Rylie was sick, I just wanted to be home with my kids.  After talking to my mom about the delay, I made it to the gift shop for more reading material and snacks.  Bill took a nap, as I watched the clock taking forever to tick away two hours.

So as we were getting ready to board for a second time, Bill made a stop by the men's room and I gathered our carry-on bags. Then an announcement was made that our flight was cancelled, and to be booked on another flight, I needed to approach the ticket counter.  It took all I had for me to not start crying, really after being in the airport for 5 hours, we still weren't on our way home.  I stood in line at the ticket counter with about two lines of ten people in each line standing in front of me.  As I saw each person getting booked on another flight, I was afraid by the time it was my turn that there would be no more flights out of Chicago.  As Bill came back from the bathroom, he saw me in line with all of our bags and asked what was happening.  In an attempt not to burst into tears, the lady behind me spoke up that our flight was cancelled.  He immediately understood how my frustration had turned into emotion.

A man for the airline had given me a card with a number on it to call to book another flight.  I gave it to Bill and let him know that the line wasn't that long and if he could call while I remained in line.  He came back letting me know that the earliest flight was at 5:15 the next morning, but the attendant could only see a specific airline and not all the flights.  I became more emotional and told him we were getting home tonight no matter what.  We stayed in line, and as we were almost at the counter, an older gentlemen was arguing over getting a free flight for the inconvenience and wanting his luggage.  This caused the other line to move faster and allowed more people to get booked on flights before us.  I was thinking to myself, "Old man, you are standing in the way of this mama getting home to her babies, one of them being sick."  I felt like the mom on the movie "Home Alone" thinking of all the possible ways we could get home.

Bill was great at keeping me calm and being understanding.  I probably would have had a meltdown on the poor lady at the ticket counter and had some choice words for that old man if it wasn't for him.  We finally got booked on another flight, unfortunately we would have to wait another 2 hours to board and we would be flying through Minneapolis with another layover there.

We finally made it into Phoenix around 7:30 tonight, we were "supposed to" get home around 12:30 this afternoon.  We finally have our babies, Rylie is still not feeling well, but we are happy to be home!!!  I don't think I will be flying for a while!

Vacation Day 4: Family Time in Chicago

After getting back to Chicago late last night from the Notre Dame game, we made it to Peggy and JD's(Bill's cousins)house.  We caught up and visited before going to bed.  We were exhausted from a long game day.  After getting to sleep in(my favorite part of the trip), we all got ready for a family afternoon at another cousin's house Theresa.
                                             The Fitzgerald and Cousins Family

It was great to get to see everyone, many of the family we hadn't got to see since our wedding and we were able to visit with some that weren't able to make it out for the wedding.  We had a great time catching up with everyone, telling stories and hanging out.  Seeing Theresa's kids running around did make me miss ours.

 We did share our little news that we found out on Friday with Peggy and JD, since I'm sure they were wondering why I wasn't participating in some parts of the party.  I also shared with my friend Kim, and she replied with, "I knew it!"  We will share with the rest of our family and friends in a few weeks.

We wrapped up our family day with a late night trip thru White Castle.  Bill loves White Castle and since we don't have White Castle, we had to stop.  After picking up some grub, we headed back to Peggy and JD's with Katie(another cousin) and her boyfriend for more hanging out and visiting.

We are still up and visiting with everyone! Tomorrow we will head back to Kim and Steve's for our last day and night in Chicago.  I can't believe how fast our trip has gone, I can't wait to see our babies on Tuesday, and we have had a great time between Notre Dame and seeing our friends and family.  If it weren't for Bill, I don't think I would have gotten the nerve to leave the kids and come, but I'm thankful he talked me into it!

Let's Go Irish!!! It's Game Day!

It has been quite a day for Notre Dame fans.  We woke up this morning all pumped up ready to tailgate and have fun at the game.  We got dressed in our Notre Dame best and headed for the stadium.  My friend Katy's dad had a place to tailgate at the stadium and invited us to hang out until game time. 

We made it to the stadium around 10:00, and I hadn't seen so many drunk football fans at that time of the morning before.  We walked around for a while looking at all the tailgating set-ups around us.  People did some crazy things to their vehicles displaying their Notre Dame pride.

We had a great day of tailgating, food, drinks and fun.  Bill's cousins Steve and Kristin also game down for the game, and we were all able to tailgate and watch the game together.

Notre Dame had a first rough half and just as the players were heading to the locker room, we got evacuated from the stadium for a severe thunderstorm warning.  Sure enough, it started to down pour rain, thunder and lightening.  We were ushered to the hockey rink and then the basketball court.  After a couple of hours, the game was started again, unfortunately Notre Dame didn't get much better.

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, we were evacuated again for a short time.  The game ended with a loss for Notre Dame, a record making two stadium evacuations, and a game day lasting six hours past its normal time.  We made the best of the rain and the loss, now we are heading to Chicago to see more cousins and Bill's family.

South Bend, Indiana and Notre Dame

We are on our second day of our Mommy and Daddy only vacation.  We left Chicago this morning and came to South Bend, Indiana to see Bill's dream, Notre Dame stadium.  While drive through Chicago, we were able to see some of the city.  Here are a few pictures from our drive:

We toured the campus, the stadium, saw "Touchdown Jesus", the golden dome, and many other monuments at the school.  Bill was like a kid in a candy store, it was awesome getting to see him get to do one of his dreams as a dedicated Notre Dame fan.

                                                         Touchdown Jesus

After touring the campus, we did some shopping at the campus bookstore.  We got some laughs at some of the craziness going on around the dorms.  We toured the stadium, and I'm surprised Bill didn't try bring some of the grass home.

We had a great day touring the campus, and after, we made a stop at the famous "Corby's Pub."  We drove back to Elkhart where are hotel is and went out to dinner.  Once we got back to our hotel, we found out some exciting news, we will share with everyone in a few weeks.

Tomorrow we have tailgating and the Notre Dame game!!! Go Irish!!!!

Mommy and Daddy Vacation Day #1

Well our Mommy and Daddy only vacation has started!  We arrived in Chicago around 5:30 this evening and I was beyond excited to see one of my best friends Kim and her husband Steve.  Kim and I became great friends when we were both new grads in the ER and went through residency classes together.  She was at our wedding, she was the first person I told I was pregnant with Liam after Bill, and I was very sad when they got transferred to Chicago last summer.  I couldn't wait to get off the plane to see her and her cute pregnant belly.  They are expecting their daughter in a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, baggage claim took an eternity and I didn't think we would ever get out of the airport.

Once we finally met up with Kim and Steve, we all decided to get some Chicago deep dish pizza! When we were planning our trip, I told Bill one of my requests was to have real Chicago pizza.  We had a great dinner and grabbed some ice cream.

                                                           Kim and I

After dinner, we went back to Kim and Steve's to hang out and visit.  I loved catching up with her and seeing all the things they were getting ready for their baby.  Bill and Steve conversed on what else?....but football and sports.
                                                           Bill and Steve

Tomorrow we will drive to South Bend, Indiana to tour Notre Dame Campus and the Stadium.  Bill is so excited, he is like a kid getting to go to F.A.O Schwarz toy store in New York City!  And yes, I have called a couple times to check on the kids, they are doing great and I think the time away is harder for me than them.