Well, Friends, I missed Home and Family Friday but I have a good reason. My husband and I were in Chicago… with NO KIDS. My son is 9 and my daughter is 6 and we have never left them before. Don’t get me wrong, they go for sleepovers once in a while. We’ve just never boarded a plane and gone on a trip without them.

I was invited by the International Housewares Association to participate in a forum on trends in housewares. They paid for my airfare, hotel, food, and even paid me for my time! Since the trip happened to fall on my 15th wedding anniversary, we used our $100 companion fare and my hubby came too. It was THE MOST AMAZING TRIP EVER! I had no idea how much I would love Chicago.

We went on a double decker bus tour of the city.

The architectural boat tour was my favorite.

The weather was unbelievable! Eighty degrees and sunny.

I stepped out on the glass ledge at the Sears Tower.

We strolled Navy Pier.

To top things off, there was a FREE concert in the park. We saw Clint Black and Gretchen Wilson. Did I mention that it was FREE?

The housewares forum was fantastic too. It really got me thinking about so many trends in relation to home and family right now. My blogger mind was going, as we were having discussions. I have so many new topics to write about. Inspiration, relaxation, and time alone with my hubby is a wonderful gift.