Back in the saddle again!

Where did the summer go? This seems to be the question in every teachers' eyes as I walk down the hallways of my school... I long for summer for about 8 months of the year, then it finally gets here, a couple of days later and *poof* it's back to school ads and tax free weekend again! How does that happen?

But somewhere in there I did manage to go to Hilton Head Island with some girl friends, visit Chicago with my parents and also go to the bustling city of Branson, Missouri with my whole family!

The trip to Hilton Head was rather spur of the moment, some of us girls were craving the sand and sleep. We got plenty of both at HHI. It was great, we laid on the beach for 5-6 hours a day, ate, then slept. That is the life, no?

Then there was Chicago (again) because I love it so much. And more so because my parents had never been and I am always raving about it. So I talked them into flying up there for a quick 4 day trip. Just enough time to see the sights and

get a taste of the city. Most of the things we saw I had already visited before, however there were a few new things added in. For one, we went to the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower) and there was a new addition there.

They have built a skydeck that juts out from the top floor and is made entirely of glass. So you can walk out and look

straight down to the street in between your feet! I have to say it made me kinda queasy. Check out the picture, we appear to be floating in the sky (and my stomach seemed to agree).

Also note my mom holding on for dear life to my dad (as if that would be a comfort when we went spiraling through the air).

Overall a very fun trip, and also very cram packed with sights!

And the last trip was to Branson with my brother, sister-in-law, nieces, mom, and dad.

What is in Branson, Missouri, you might ask? Well, many, many family shows. Such as the all-talented, mind blowingly amazing Dutton Family Show. Imagine the Partridge family meets the Osmond family. Do you have a good visual? Excellent.

We also visited the outdoor mall which housed a huge Bass Pro store. I know, major excitement(although I will let you guess who was most excited). And the mall also had a fun play place and a water/ light show. Pretty cool, but actually very hot because it was over 100 degrees most days. Above, we are at the show (can you see the sweat streaks?) It was good bonding time...