Summer Vacation - part II

After a brief stay in the good old humid Midwest - we flew across the states to LAX. I LOVE CALIFORNIA! Oh, what great sunshine! We came to visit Grandma Luck (with a broken leg) and tour the area.



We went to Morro Bay and found a great little fudge shop. Then we ate the best fish (halibut) and chips I have ever had in my whole life. Sorry Pete's! We also went to the beach - of course, and enjoyed the quaint little fishing town.

We also found Hidden Valley Ranch - shhhh, it's a secret! There were vineyards everywhere you could see on the drive. Oh, and one of our greatest finds - an avocado ranch! Here is Chuck holding an avocado - the trees are huge!

Summer Vacation - part I

VACATION...at last! We haven't had a real vacation since we went to Chicago while we were living in Illinois.

The trip started with a quick visit in St. Louis to see old friends and then a drive down to Cape Girardeau, MO for Diana and Kyle's wedding. She looked so beautiful!

From there we visited our old home - Carbondale, IL where they just experienced an inland hurricane. Never seen so many uprooted trees. There was no power, but we did have running water and heat (gas). We stayed with the McLaughlins and had a good time despite mother nature's intent. I don't think any of us will ever forget that Mother's Day!

Dog House

Dog house - finished! Here comes the summer sun and the Arizona heat! The kids really like to take naps in their new house.

The House

We moved in the first week of December and love the house! It has a huge backyard and we put a garden in the south end of the yard. Last weekend we even built a doghouse for our babies - which we are in the process of painting right now.

Today is the day!

Today we are signing papers on our new house! I can't wait. It will be so great...and our first Christmas. We never had our own Christmas because we were always going home for Christmas. New house, new paint, new carpet, new vinyl...oh - that's not that fun. But, hey we'll put tile in later. New furniture...yes it has been a great and new journey for both of us. Can't wait!

One day, Chuck and I decided we would BBQ. Why not? It was the first nice warm day of the year (haven't had many since) and everyone was outside lighting up their grills. So we bought a small charcol grill and food, then lit her up! The burgers were fabulous and we ate like kings that night. We BBQ'd the next day for dinner as well. Here are some pics of Our First BBQ.

Well, I am on the last leg of my of my internship.YEAH! Chuck and I were able to go home for Mother's Day and take a weekend getaway to our beloved hometown. However, like always, he got sick and was throwing up all night. It went around the family, but luckily I [Alicia] never got it. Whew!

Ginger

My name is Ginger and I am a short haired mini Dachshund. I am currently 11 weeks old and love living in my new home. I even know my name and will come running when mommy or daddy come home. I love playing with my toys and sleeping in the bed with mommy and daddy-which doesn't happen very often.

To read more about my adventures, check out my very own webpage. Just click on the link "Ginger"

Downtown Chicago fun

We saw the Rainforest Cafe in downtown Chicago and I looks as though there might be some similarities between these two. What do you think?

We went to Little Italy and ate a great "real" Italian restaurant named Tuscany. It was like a dream. Our waiter was incredibly friendly and showed me how to eat the bread the correct way. Incidentally, the entire restaurant was staffed by men, except the hostess. We could hear them speaking Italian to each other and it was great!

When we were in Little Italy we also found this great little Italian Ice shop that made their own ice. It was so yummy! I tried the peach one that had slices of fresh peaches in it. I have been craving it since!

Giordano's

Okay, so we both love pizza! Can you tell? Giordano's is one of the best Chicago-style deep-dish pizza places around. We actually drove for a while just to eat there. It is pretty fantastic and whenever you are in Chicago, just go for it. The calories are worth it, every single one!

Bubba!

Okay, so the major reason we went to Chicago was to see Bubba, ("Bear") aka. Dustin on his mission. We took him and his companion our for a steak dinner/lunch and had a great time. The town he was serving in was small compared to most of the towns in the Valley, but it was a nice area. Here are the pics of our beloved Bubba!

The Chicago Art Museum

We also saw the Chicago Art Museum. It was incredible, but Chuck and I had a great disappointment. The "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper that was at the museum was loaned out to another museum! Can you believe this? That piece was one of the main reasons we went to the museum. We were both incredibly bummed, so sad. Well, we thought we could share some of the other great pieces we saw there.

The Windy City

Our trip to Chicago was great! We saw the Lincoln Park Zoo and took several pictures of the monkeys. They were so fast, only a few pictures came out well. We also saw the lions, tigers and bears...oh my! The most interesting animal there was probably the hippopotamus. The giraffe's were so close it felt like we could touch them and the polar bears were so beautiful! The best part of the zoo is that it right in the middle of the city. It was also great exercise!

Paco

Our cat Juan Paco the Love Taco is the laziest cat you will ever meet. All he does is sleep, cry for food, sleep, eat, sleep and oh sleep. Here are the lastes pics of his royal highness!

Uncle Chuckie Buckie

Chuck with his new family the Simpsons (top) and the baby girls (bottom)

Hair

I finally cut my hair after several long months of painstaking growth. I will donate it to Locks of Love. In the meantime I am thoroughly enjoying a quick and easy haircut! I LOVE short hair!

~Alicia

Current Pics

These are some of the latest pictures of Chuckie and Alicia Hilbran!

Latest Masterpieces

Completed July 25th, 2007