Wrigley

For once, I'm NOT talking about this guy...but isn't he cute? :)

Last weekend, Nathan and I traveled to Chicago for a short getaway. One of the things on our 'to do' list was to tour Wrigley Field. 

Nathan has always been a big Cubs fan (hence how our dog got his name). It was a very informative tour and I had no idea the field was almost 100 years old. 

The stadium is definitely showing its age compared to other parks we've been to...but it's an icon, right? It's the only field in the big leagues to have a non-electronic scoreboard. Our tour guide said there are about 5-6 guys that man the scoreboard during games, there is no heat or air conditioning and no bathroom facilities. The bleacher seats are where the 'real fans' sit (we've sat there once).  If you catch a home run ball from the opposing team, you are supposed to throw it back onto the field...or else you get booed by Cubs fans ( I would've totally gotten booed....if it weren't for this tour). 

We pretty much had an all access pass to the park. Nathan was very excited about getting to touch the grass....but he was strictly instructed to not pluck the grass or try and pocket any dirt!...security was watching.  

The view from the press box....

We stayed and ate lunch in Wrigleyville. They were playing the Boston Red Sox...but we hadn't planned on going to the game. 

We spent the rest of the weekend on the beach of Lake Michigan and shopping on Michigan Ave. On Saturday night, we went and saw Rock of Ages on stage....it was just as hilarious the second time around for me...and Nathan really enjoyed it. Can't wait to visit Chi-town again :)

 

Ladies Titan Tire Challenge

After moving back to Iowa, I joined Junior League of Cedar Rapids last fall. JLCR is a women's philanthropy group here in the area. I was hoping to meet fun women and get involved in the community. One of our biggest fundraisers is an annual golf tournament...The Ladies Titan Tire Challenge (LTTC). Our fundraising goes towards funding our project called Bridging the GAP...which helps local children aging out of the foster care system in Linn County. 

Many hours are spent planning for LTTC and I helped serve on the committee. LTTC was held at Hunters Ridge Golf Course (2 minutes from our house). It's a qualifying tournament for the LPGA tour and we welcomed 150 young women to the area for a week to compete in the tournament. 

Part of the tournament process is trying to find housing for these girls, so they don't have to stay in hotels while they are competing. We housed four young women and they were a lot of fun to have around! They all played college golf and had only been on the tour 1-2 years...and they are all vying for a spot on the LPGA tour one day. 

We housed Nina (California), Stacey (Illinois), Brittany (Michigan), and Brittany (Indiana). We made a bon fire one night and took them to Marion in the Park another night. We did our best to show them a good time and the dogs really enjoyed having the extra company. Nathan and I both volunteered at the actual tournament and had a really good time. 

Nina teeing off.....and incidentally, one of the other girls in her group was from The Woodlands, TX!

They play two rounds of 18 holes and then the top 70 go onto the final round on Sunday. 

None of our girls were the overall winner....but we were proud just the same. We hope they come again next year!