Jazzin' at the Shedd!

Tradition! We all attended Jazzin' at the Shedd (Aquarium), one of Chicago's many great museums. We've all attended in prior years, and I think this may become a yearly tradition.  Another new tradition - the selfie!
Genevieve, me, Hannah; Scott, Nick, Danny.

Hannah and Scott watching the Beluga whales.  See the water just beyond the ledge they are leaning on? The whales cruise right by - I even got sprayed!

Genevieve and Nick having fun.

So - why is it called "Jazzin' at the Shedd"?  The event occurs after hours - from 5-10 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, there is food and drink for purchase, and there is live jazz music being performed at two different locations in the museum.  A great way to have a museum  night!

Cheers! Nick, Genevieve, Hannah, Danny.

Besides the large whale, and dolphin, exhibition areas, and the MANY individual fish displays, there is a WHOLE CORAL REEF in the center of the museum!  I had fun watching (and photographing) the fascinating fish while taking a little break.

Gorgeous!

They are so unusual, and so beautiful, they don't look real - at least to this midwesterner's eyes! And you can't really tell, but this fish was also HUGE!

I know these photos don't do it justice - suffice it to say, if you're ever in Chicago, it's worth you time to visit the Shedd Aquarium.  Besides seeing their great exhibits, the facility also has fantastic skyline views of Chicago!

The end of a great evening!

Bicycle Race, Zig Zag Progress

Our town hosted a big bicycle race this weekend.  It is a one-mile course on city streets, one of which is only 1/2 block from our house! Here they are whizzing by!

Enjoying the race, and the beautiful day: Nick (Gen's bf), their cute dog, Buddy, Gen, and Scott.

Buddy is a chihuahua-papillon mix, and he is so cute, and such a cuddler.  They have been staying with us for a week - I'll really miss them after they leave!

These garden shots are from my neighbor, Peg's, garden.  She is a Master Gardener!

The arching red blossoms are called Lucifer - Peg was very excited that they were blooming, as she planted them a year or two ago.

Zig zag quilt progress - I have made what seems like lots of HST's (half square triangles, in quilt-speak), but I'm sure I need at least half this many more.  

Another view - I'm liking the fabrics up close, but I wonder if I need more, busier prints? More variety? Must hit my stash - or the quilt store!

Meeting the Boyfriend

We recently had the pleasure of hosting a special dinner at home - to get to know "the boyfriend" - and as we expected, all went well, and we think he is great!

We had a casual dinner at home, out on the breezeway, then drove over to Naperville to have drinks and dessert at Potter's Place - where we know an EXCELLENT waitress! (Hannah)

Our honorary daughter, Genevieve (darling girl, we love her!), and her special bf, Nick.

Nick obviously has good taste, to be dating Gen - we think Gen is tops! It has been 7 years this month, since Gen became a very special part of the Hudson family. And we couldn't be happier about it!

Waitress extraordinaire, Hannah Hudson - in action! She went from new waitress to seasoned/excellent waitress, almost overnight. Her first day was Cinco de Mayo (it's a Mexican restaurant), very busy - and about her second day was Mother's Day, also very busy - and oh yeah, their internet connection wasn't working, so they couldn't run credit card orders through, cash only. She weathered it well! (I'm proud, can you tell?)

It was a great evening! You've got nothing to worry about, Nick - we think you're great!