Hello! It has been quite the few days since we last chatted. A lot of fun with family and unfortunately, a not-so-fun summer cold that began last Wednesday and is still lingering this morning. I can’t remember the last time I was sick when it’s hot outside – it’s such a strange feeling. Fortunately, I’ve been able to sleep through the night twice so I think I’m officially on the mend.
Despite not feeling 100 percent, we had a wonderful time. Having my family in Chicago is always a treat, and we visited some of our local favorites, including Tempo Cafe, where we shared Morning Glory pancakes – topped with banana, strawberries and blueberries – and a Greek omelette with tomato, onion and feta. The only thing missing was the spinach.
We also dined at our favorite restaurant for authentic deep dish pizza, Lou Malnati’s. Their Malnati salad is one of the best combinations out there with romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, black olives, sliced mushrooms, crumbled Volpi salami and Gorgonzola cheese. It’s tossed with Lou’s famous dressing and a touch of Romano cheese.
As for the deep dish pizza, while the boys were happy with sausage and pepperoni, my mom and I opted for The “Lou,” a pizza so good they gave it his name. 😉 Fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, Romano and cheddar cheese. Typically we get the regular spinach pizza, but I had tried this variety when Bobby’s parents were in town and knew it lived up to the hype.
We had fun walking around Chicago, even though the weather was still as steamy as ever.
On Friday afternoon, we made the drive up to Milwaukee for a family reunion with Papa Bender’s side of the family. As I mentioned in my last post, he is the oldest of 10 kids. Nine of the 10 were able to make it to this year’s reunion, which I think is pretty incredible!
From left to right (back row), we have Uncle Eddie, Aunt Janet, Uncle Dave, Papa Bender, Uncle Bill, Uncle Bob (my godfather), Uncle Tom and Aunt Laura. In the front row we have Aunt Marcia and my grandpa, better know to us Polish folk as Dzia Dzia (ja-ja).
It was great to catch up with everyone and talk with as many of the 21 cousins as possible. The highlight was talking to my newest cousin, Cecelia – when she was awake, of course. 😉
Aren’t those cheeks adorable? I was still not feeling too great at the reunion, so Mama B did most of the holding and feeding while I watched and wished that I could. I did apply copious amounts of hand sanitizer and held my breath for one quick picture, but will have to wait until next time to really get to interact with Cece (I love her name).
Cece’s mom – the “other” Jenny Korducki, haha – looked amazing! It was nice to catch up with her and Cameron, Cece’s older brother, too. The weather was perfect and we stayed cool in the shade.
I’d also like to say hello to Karen, if you’re reading. I’m so glad you like my blog!
When we weren’t on the road or chatting it up with family, we were watching the Olympics. The opening ceremonies were so cool – I’m sure you can guess that one of my favorite parts was seeing J.K. Rowling and a mega-sized Voldemort. The whole show was very different from Beijing, but I enjoyed the fact that it was a tribute to the arts and cultural history of London and beyond.
It has been exciting to watch all of the events this week. Northwestern alum Matt Grevers took home the gold yesterday! Missy Franklin, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte – all the swimmers are fun to watch. Gymnastics, diving, cycling…the Olympics rock.
What have you been loving about the Olympics so far?
Hope your week is off to a great start!
Abrazos,
Seeing JK Rowling was definitely a treat! I’ve been loving the gymnastics and swimming, so far! Glad you had a nice time with the fam 🙂
Thanks, Caroline! 🙂
Missy Franklin is AMAZING! SO down to earth- its incredible!! Glad you had a fun trip despite the illness. And I hope you’re feeling MUCH better today!!
I have loved every interview with her so far. She is so well-spoken and grateful to be there. It’s awesome!
Hope you’re feeling better. What a cute little Cece! Oh man, we have no tv and I haven’t seen ANY of the Olympics yet – terrible I know!
That’s too bad – is your TV broken? Fortunately, though, you have plenty of exciting Olympic events going on at home such as Dublin wrestling and sister chase! 🙂
Ugh I know exactly what you mean about summer colds–I caught one from Whitney in June, and it was terrible! I felt miserable hanging out on the couch while the sun was shining outside. Hope you get well soon!
I have been loving the Olympics too. My favorite sports are swimming and diving–two Dukies have already taken home medals!
It really is the worst feeling! Thanks, Caroline. Congrats to the Dukies! The diving is really fun to watch, too. The synchronized divers are so impressive!
Summer colds are the WORST! Knock on wood…I don’t think I’ve had a cold since I moved to LA! Glad to have you back. 🙂
I’m knocking on wood for you, too – that’s awesome!
Cece is so cute! Glad to hear you’re feeling better! Oh, and Claire is ready to show Missy and Michael her synchronized recliner spin… 🙂
Oooh I want to see said spin! Sounds exciting! 🙂
The HP references were my favorites parts of the opening ceremony! And I’ve been obsessed with watching the Olympics. I seriously can’t get enough. Gymnastics is probably my favorite but I’m pretty pumped to watch the marathon on sunday!
I could literally watch them all day long. Thanks for the heads up that the marathon is this Sunday – I can’t wait for that, either!
Jenn, I can’t believe you have a summer cold! If I’m correct, you don’t get sick often – how inconvenient and stoops! And yet you still did family and friend time with smile, grace, and no frzz hair 🙂 Those cheeks are really perfect. I definitely wanna kiss em! Cece is a beautiful name, yes! Rob and I went to a museum today and learned of a person whose first name was Pleasant…I fell in love with that. Of the Olympics, I most enjoy watching lifting, gymnastics, and fencing is fun too! The best part is watching it with Rob and feeling much pride for our country and excitement for the abilities of our minds and bodies. So cool…
xo Erin
You are correct, Erin – colds are few and far between around here! Bad timing for sure, but being with family makes it easier to fight through it. 😉 I love that you came across someone whose name is Pleasant – beautiful! I completely agree on the Olympics. It’s amazing what our minds and bodies can do, and if I can have about 1/4 of the drive those athletes do, then I consider that a success!