The Gaylord Texan and Paradise Springs

Trip number 2 of the whirlwind summer. We stayed the night at the Gaylord Texan for a little staycation. We have been wanting to come for the waterpark for a while now. So that was what this trip was all about.

Two things you should know: teachers can get great rates if you look for the government rate and show your ID, and Marriott Rewards are very "rewarding". If your dates are flexible, you can look ahead and see when hotels have government rates available. You could save $50-100 by doing this. We are also Marriott Rewards members and have earned a lot of points towards free rooms. We also earn free upgrades. On this trip we were upgraded to a suite for the price of a double room. This was very valuable when it came to entrance into the waterpark. A double room gives you 4 wristbands for the waterpark with the option of buying up to 2 more at $35 each. A suite gets you 6 complimentary wristbands. We were able to invite 2 friends to come and play with us. Score!

Paradise Springs Water Park is a nice place to play and lounge by the pool. Rachael and I relaxed by the pool while the boys zip-lined into the pool, rode down the 4-story slide, and floated the lazy river. We were waited on by 2 very friendly servers all day. The food and drinks are pricey, but water is free. :)






SummerFest is going on at The Gaylord right now. The theme is Wizard of Oz. The movie is showing every Friday and Saturday night. We missed the movie by staying on a Thursday night, but the atrium was decorated for the event and we enjoyed walking around and looking at the Wizard of Oz inspired art.

Chicago Day 3

It's National Donut Day! But, surprise! We didn't have donuts for breakfast today. We had Wildberry Pancakes on our radar. So did everyone else in Chicago! It was definitely worth the 45 minute wait.


Signature Berry Bliss Waffle

I know you are getting tired of seeing my food, but doesn't that look amazing? It was so amazing that I forgot to take a picture until after I had eaten several bites.

By this point in the trip we thought we were pretty good at navigating the streets without GPS. We probably would have done a great job if we weren't looking up at all of the buildings as we passed by them. We walked for fifteen minutes past Wildberry Pancakes before we realized it. That is how we found the First United Methodist Church in the middle of downtown. We were in awe of the beautiful gothic cathedral. We went for a quick look and returned at 2:00 for a tour of the Chapel in the Sky.


Notice the windows right below the spire. The top two floors are the chapel, which seats twenty people.


Mrs. Walgreen, the wife of the founder of Walgreen's, donated money to the church to have this chapel built in Mr. Walgreen's memory.
The four floors below the chapel are the private residence of the pastor and his family. What a parsonage! Can you imagine grilling out on this patio?



The rest of the day we roamed downtown and the museum campus, accidentally found the Chicago Public Library, and possibly saw Kenny Chesney outside of the Hard Rock Cafe.











Oh yeah, and we had a real Chicago style hot dog at Portillo's.


And now we are back home and back to reality, for now.

Chicago Day 2

Donuts for breakfast again! This girl is in heaven!! We found another little donut shop just down the street and had a taste of a few different flavors.






Glazed and Infused - Maple Bacon Long John, Grapefruit Glazed, and Cajeta Mexican Fried Ice Cream

We didn't plan on going out to Navy Pier, but we were so close we decided to check it out. It is under construction, and the plans look amazing. There was a small amusement park and a few restaurants open, but the highlight for us was the SeaDog Extreme Thrill Ride. Think of it as a roller coaster on water. It was a great rush! You do get wet on the ride. It is the captain's job to make sure of it, but if you sit at the front you will not get quite as wet as everyone else.






Lunch at Giordano's was next. Of course you have to have some deep dish pizza when you go to Chicago. Giordano's was highly recommended and it lived up to its reputation. We tried both the extra thin crust and the deep dish. We were miserably full for the rest of the afternoon.






Magnificent Mile was up next. Time for a little shopping. Under Armour and H&M were our personal favorites.

If you want a great view of the city, skip the long lines at Willis (Sears) Tower and head to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Center. We got there around 4:30 and it seemed to be perfect timing. We did not even have to wait for a seat. With windows all the way around (including one entire wall of the women's restroom), you can take in views of the city and the lake.






We finished our evening with dinner at Mercadito, recommended to us by the staff at our hotel. It is a very loud, and vibrant place. Mercadito has several variations of guacamole and salsa. I could have made a meal out of appetizers, but we chose two of each and shared the brocheta plate. We were not disappointed.






Our night ended at Howl at the Moon, a piano bar. It was fun, but Pete's in Fort Worth and Austin have them beat.