Weekend Wrap-Up

It was a LONG trip, but worth every gallon of $4 gas...:) All in all about 1,220 miles but it was a lot of fun to tell our families our baby news, as well as just see them! Mara hadn't been back to WI since December, and has only been able to keep up with most of her nephews by their blogs.

On our way to Chicago we HAD to stop by Alterra in Milwaukee, and also swung by the former Syring mansion to see how it looked. Surprisingly the new owners plants more flowers, and had it looking REALLY good! We wish them the best. We also got (free) some burlap coffee bags from Alterra with some pretty cool artsy designs on them. They might look cool in a frame or something. Maybe a coffee theme for Baby Syring...:)
After swinging by Chicago for our friend Jackie's wedding we headed to Bloomington/Normal, IL to check out the BroMenn hospital they have their. It's a possibility we may end up there next year for Mara's 2 year clinical rotations, and we also wanted to check out their local coffee shops (Coffee Hound was Excellent!), as well as Illinois State University where I may apply for a PhD program, or at least work while we are there. If we are only there for 2 years, and my program takes 4-5, not really a good situation, so I may end up waiting until we settle down to complete the PhD.
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!



The map isn't 100% accurate with our route, but after 1200 miles...does it matter? :P