Mer's Visit

Our dear friend from Denver, Meranda Peterson, came for a visit this past week.  We so enjoyed being with her and hope to get together again sooner than later!  The first day Mer and I sat on the couch and literally talked ALL day--we had a lot to catch up on!  We finally decided to get out of our PJ's around 5:00 PM and about an hour later wondered why we even bothered.

Since Mer is a Culinary Master, I had to take advantage of her being in our kitchen and she gave us tons of fantastic tips and tricks to make anything and everything taste yum-o!  I think my favorite meal was the Brined Rotisserie Chicken.  It was PHENOMENAL!  She also surprised me with "The Good Book" which is a compilation of all their favorite family recipes!  Sweet!

Mer has a passion for old cemeteries.  She looked up our options in the Chicago area and we visited the Graceland Cemetery.  Surprisingly (for me), it was a fascinating adventure.  Many graves were dated back in the 1800's, there were a great deal of mausoleums, and many unique tombstones.  It was an overcast day which really added to the mood of our adventure but the only time I felt uncomfortable was when we saw a man digging a grave...

You can't visit Chicago without trying some of the cuisine here!  We went to Portillo's to experience a Chicago 'Dawg' and also went to Giordano's for some Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza.  Yum!

The Chicago "Dawg" - Everything on it except ketchup!

We also ventured into Downtown Chicago for the first time.  Our only known destination was "The Bean".  We definitely experienced the wind (and chill) of the "Windy City" that day!

Mer also surprised Hylie with the CUTEST tutu skirt!  She wore it on Sunday and got lots and lots of compliments.  Geoff and I loved seeing her look so much like a girlie girl.

Thanks for such a wonderful time, Mer!  We miss you so, so much!