Re-enlistment and a Fun Weekend

This past weekend has been packed full of fun and excitement. On Tuesday, Marcus flew in for a visit! AJ and Ashleigh were so excited to see him! As I tell everyone when the come to visit, forget your privacy while you are here. The kids talked his ear off for the entire visit and I don’t think he got a moments peace, but Marcus said that he enjoys it! The reason for Marcus’s visit was because Rick re-enlisted in the Navy for the last time! This will be a 6 year enlistment and will take him out to his 20 years and then he will retire! It was an exciting day not only for Rick, but also for the kids. AJ and Ashleigh got to attend his re-enlistment. They were very excited for their Daddy! Rick’s XO did the honors of re-enlisting him. I am so proud of Rick!

I’m pretty sure that Marcus and Rick ate their way through Marcus’s visit here. Every time I turned around they were eating something else. (Don’t worry Dad, they ate your share of White Castle for you!) Rick and I were really excited to take Marcus to Kuma’s Korner which is this really great burger restaurant in Chicago. We saw it on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives a couple of months ago and knew it was a place that we had to try. All Marcus kept saying was “this better be worth it!” before we got there because you have to get there at least ½ hour before it opens so that you don’t have to wait for a table! Afterwards, I don’t think I have heard him be that quiet before! We were so stuffed when we got finished, but Marcus said it was more than worth it! This is definitely the best burger place ever!

On Saturday, we all went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and had a blast! We walked the entire zoo, went to the farm inside the zoo and then the fresh market outside the zoo. The kids had a blast. We packed a picnic lunch and spent most of the day there. We saw so many different animals! It always amazes me how much AJ and Ashleigh remember from the last visit. Each of them have their own favorites for the animals and we always make sure they get to see their favorites.

We also did some picnics at the park and took a walk on the beach. I am not sure who had more fun – the kids, Rick or Marcus! It’s always fun to watch all of them play.
Rick and Marcus fished almost everyday! And everyday, the kids would ask if they caught anything. Most days the answer was NO, but on the last day the answer was YES! The kids were so excited to see what they caught! I think AJ and Ashleigh were expecting something much larger!

Marcus flew out on Sunday and everyone was sad to see him go! Now it’s back to school tomorrow.

P.S. – Is this a sign that Fall is coming soon? Are the leaves really changing already????