Wednesday, June 27th- Art Institute of Chicago

On Wednesday, Paprika and I headed over to Chicago's famous art museum, the Art Institute of Chicago. Paprika loves looking at art, and we had such a wonderful time checking out all the paintings and sculptures. There was a great "touch" gallery, where kids can feel various works of art. Paprika had a great time putting her hands on the sculptures in the "touch" gallery and feeling their different textures.

That night, Mr. Mustard, Paprika and I walked through Millenium Park on our way to dinner. We walked to Giordano's Pizza, which is a really great pizza place in Chicago. We ordered a medium pizza, and we were barely able to finish half of it. Chicago-style pizza is so heavily loaded with cheese, it is an effort to eat even one piece! Paprika even tried a little pizza to help us out, since there was no way we could finish the pie.

Tuesday, June 26th- Big City Girl!

On Tuesday, Paprika and I started off the day by having a big lunch at the Corner Bakery. We ended up eating lunch here every day before we went out for our daily adventure! This was our view from the restaurant:

After lunch, we had a fun day at Millenium Park in Downtown Chicago. It is an amazing park right in the middle of the city. They have huge sculptures, a water tower that kids play in all day long, and the most beautiful gardens. Paprika loved looking up at the tall skyscrapers, and watching the kids splash in the water. When Mr. Mustard got back to the hotel, we went out to dinner with a few of his co-workers to a great place called Pizano's, famous for their deep dish pizza. Then we had a late night dessert at a restaurant called The Big Downtown, which is famous for inventing the brownie! While we were having dessert at The Big Downtown, Paprika learned how to sip water using a straw. Such a grown-up big girl!

Monday, June 25th- Surprising Daddy In Chicago

Paprika and I took a flight out to Chicago to surprise Mr. Mustard, who was working out there for the week. Originally we had all planned on going together, but then we figured it might be too much for Paprika, so we cancelled my ticket. Then I decided, what the heck, you only live once- so I rebooked my ticket, and Paprika and I flew from Los Angeles to Chicago to surprise Mr. Mustard and stay for the week with him in his fancy downtown hotel room! When we got there, I was so hungry after not eating all day. The only place that was open late (after midnight) was Miller's Pub, a little restaurant near the hotel. Mr. Mustard and I had ravioli and burgers, and Paprika muched on bread. We had a great time. It was the start of a very wonderful and exciting week!

Sunday, June 24th- Day At The Park

Last Sunday, Paprika, Pat, and I met up with Andrea and Mr. Mustard's cousin, Robin, her husband, Noah, and her son, Will, at a park in South Pasadena. Robin lives in Idaho now, and came down for a short visit. Mr. Mustard flew into Chicago that day for work, so it was just us girls hanging out!

Saturday, June 23rd- Jacey and Dan's Wedding

The Law School Crew:

Mr. Mustard and Me at the Reception:

Lauren and Don:

Jacey and Dan got married last weekend, on June 23rd! I was a bridesmaid in the wedding, so I got to take part in a lot of the weekend's festivities. On Friday, we went to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. On Saturday, we went to the wedding and stayed into the wee hours of the morning. Mr. Mustard's mom was here all weekend to take care of Paprika, which was really nice. Paprika got some great grandma bonding time while Mr. Mustard and I were away. The wedding was closeby, so we didn't have to leave Paprika overnight. The wedding was beautiful. Jacey thought of every detail. The reception was amazing and so much fun. We sat next to our good friends Lauren and Don and near my good friends from law school, Lindsey, Siobahn and Deborah. We had a lot of fun dancing all night long. It was a beautiful wedding, and I'm so happy for Dan and Jacey!