Friday Favorites ~ a winner, the windy city and a truck stop shower.

Thought I'd start off with a happy thought.

You are welcome.

So it's Friday, Friday, everyone talkin' bout Friday!

I'd be as excited about it as Katy if I didn't have to clean the damn garage all weekend in freezing temperatures.  I'm thinking the Peppermint Schnapps coffees that I'll keep our insulated to-go mugs full of might help keep us warm.  It also might mean dropping a saw on our toes or moving the shelves smack in the middle of the garage instead of to the back (where they need to be moved) and thinking that works. At least our insides will be warm.

Time for a few faves from the past week, and starting it off is (insert booming voice) -

YMFT'S FIRST GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Jenn from Party of One!  (and you said you never win anything!)

And for all of you who are bummed you didn't get this gratitude journal, you should pop over to the Gadanke facebook page and sign up for the journaling newsletter (because you might get a nice discount on your next order if you do).

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Last weekend we took a family road trip to Chicago to check out a couple of colleges with Thing 1.

100 points if you know this movie.
Add another 100 if you love Donny Osmond as much as I do.

I adore the city of Chicago.

Seriously, I love NYC, but Chicago is like NYC's well-behaved twin that doesn't smell and keeps its room clean.

Nice view of Lakeshore Drive from our hotel.

Here's the short rundown of the favorites from the trip:

•Dinner at RPM Italian. 

Amazeballs. But sadly, Giuliana & Bill (and the t.v. cameras I was expecting) weren't there.  

And I curled my hair for you guys, dammit!

Cheers to 24 years of 'dating'...and 17 years of surviving being a parent.
Yeah, it was dark in there.

After dinner we decided to walk the 19 or so blocks back to the hotel.  In the chilly rain.  

And actually, that might have surprisingly been my favorite part of the trip.  

•Northwestern University

Seriously, is it too late for me to apply for a re-do?  Pull a Drew Barrymore on that shit?  Because I would in a heartbeat.

100 points if you not only know the movie, but cancel all your afternoon plans and go watch it (like I may or may not be doing now)

Gorgeous campus...top notch education...proximity to the city...and the school colors are PURPLE. Win.

Looks like she'd fit right in to me.

The Things walking thru the gorgeous campus.
Adorable.

•Car trips.

I'm totally lying. I hate car trips. I also hate to fly, so it makes travel (which I love) challenging, for sure.

But the reason this made the favorites list is because of 2 small events that took place on our drive. 

One on the way there, and one on the way home.

#1.  About 2 hours into our drive, we stopped for gas in Wisconsin (because somebody didn't fill up the night before the trip, Husband.  J/k. It was totally me.  My bad).  Anyway, we stopped at this giant truck stop/travel plaza also because I had to pee like a racehorse (the large coke from McDonalds on the way out of town seemed like such a good and fun road-trip idea at the time) and we knew the bathrooms would be cleaner than the usual gas station. 

Okay, kids.  I've been in my fair share of truck stops in my time* but I have never seen the likes of this travel plaza.  It was like the Four Seasons of the truck stops.  It had a freakin' Denney's inside it.

{*I feel I should clarify as that makes me seem like a lot lizard.  We took a lot of car trips when I was a kid.  I'm not a trucker-ho.}

The Things and I were crazy impressed and so naturally we spent about 15 minutes wandering the aisles and taking pictures of each other.  Because (contrary to what this hat says) that's how we roll.

Hey! We had a trucker triplet and we didn't even know it!
And also, I apparently think this face is one of a trucker (see also: photo #2 above).

But my favorite part of the truck stop? It had showers. 

While I was paying for the giant sodas and candy and pumpkin seeds and Bugles (duh) I actually overheard this on the P.A. system-

"Shower customer 24, your shower is now available. Please proceed to shower stall 14."

Yeaaah, no chance of picking up a wart in there, I'm sure.
But of course we waited while Husband rinsed off.
jk.

#2.  On the way home, we were all tired and cranky and getting tired of watching (or in mine and Husband's cases - listening) to the 2nd round of Modern Family Season 1, so we played a few rounds of one of our family favorite car/dinner table/any serious occasion games - "Would You Rather?"
Now, one thing you should know about the way we play this game is that the grosser and more disgusting and borderline inappropriate choices...the better.
Here was my favorite (from Husband, of course): 

Would you rather...
Change an old man's poopy diaper (who you didn't know)

Or
Clean up all the vomit after a Green Bay Packers game??
*and you are not allowed to use gloves or anything other than paper towels for either choice.

(I picked Packer vomit, btw)

Yeah, actually, that's how we roll.

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Enjoy the weekend, kids! Hope your outsides stay warmer than mine!

Oh! and make sure and check back tomorrow if you want to play the 'Last Day List Game' - Halloween edition - with me on Wednesday.  I'm going to post the list categories so you have a few days to compile your lists!