Kimberly and Jennifer at Navy Pier!
Jennifer had to get some counseling after a long day of training teachers!
The Forest of Skyscrapers lining the Chicago River had its roots in 1770 in the low-lying prairie river area the Indians called "Chicagou," which means smelly onion patch. 
On the Chicago Architectural Cruise, we learned about the following landmarks:
We saw over 40 buildings, learned about the architects and architecture, and heard the history of this fascinating city.
After work the next day we went to Ed Debevic's before heading to the airport. I had been to Ed Debevic's multiple times throughout the years and always enjoy the classic cheeseburger and fries and the world's smallest sundae for dessert! Eating at Ed's is a true experience! Upon sitting down in a plastic, sparkly booth at the "diner deluxe," you are forced to wear a paper Ed Debevic's deli hat. The servers dish out sassy mock rudeness while taking and serving your order. There is a DJ and at least once during the visit, the servers stop and dance on the counter. A staple for tourists and one-time necessary visit for locals, Ed's lavishly spans almost an entire block in bright pink and green. Enter the faux-'50s eatery and prepare to be sucked into a hodgepodge of characters, fake prints of Elvis and Sinatra autographs and other smart-aleck decor. 
Kimberly and Jennifer enjoy the World's Smallest Sundae at Ed Debevic's in Chicago, IL.
Traverse City has two brew pubs and I have visited both of them in the past. I chose to visit North Peak Brewing Company, located downtown within walking distance of the Grand Traverse Bay. North Peak brews seven superb beers on-site, and prepares award-winning salads, pizzas, salmon, and more. Find out more at http://www.northpeak.net
Holiday Inn- West Bay
I stayed at the Holiday Inn West Bay. Nestled on the shores of West Grand Traverse Bay, this hotel has wonderful views of Lake Michigan. The following photos were taken from my hotel.
After the training in Buckley I had to treat myself to some of Moomers famous ice cream before I headed back to St. Louis. The original location was too far from the airport so I stopped at a sweet shop that sells Moomers. They had about 10 flavors to chooses from and I enjoyed Raspberry Cheesecake- cheesecake flavored ice cream with the fresh fruit pieces or swirls throughout and chunks of real New York cheesecake and Caramel Apple- caramel flavored ice cream with a caramel apple swirl. Both flavors were yummy! This ice cream was a close second to the ice cream I tried in Omaha a few weeks ago.
Moomers Homemade Ice Cream in Traverse City, Michigan, has been named America's Best Scoops. From cow to cone, Moomers ice cream covers every step of the ice cream-making process. Set on the family farm of the Plummer family, Moomers is known throughout northern Michigan for its hospitality and for its fresh ingredients harvested from the "Cherry Capital of the World." Check out Moomers on the web by clicking on the cow.
On Monday, July 27, I trained the kindergarten-grade 6 teachers on the Imagine It! Reading program in Buckley, Michigan. They were great group to work with and I was impressed that both the superintendent and the principal attended parts of the training. The weather was beautiful on Monday so we enjoyed a picnic lunch outside on the grass.
The Buckley Community School is located in rural Wexford county in Northern Michigan about 18 miles south of Traverse City. The Buckley District has one K-12 school building with about 420 students enrolled annually.
I had to get my picture taken by the school mascot...the Buckley Bear!
8509 Delmar Blvd. St. Louis, MO · 63124 · Delmar @ I-170
Jennifer & Kimberly at Jilly's Cupcake Bar
After Kimberly and I trained teachers in Riverview Gardens on Thursday, we decided to treat ourselves to a yummy cupcake at Jilly's Cupcake Bar. Jilly's is a special place to visit with a special friend and Kimberly and I had fun! I have stopped at Jilly's over the past three years and purchased cupcakes for birthdays, Mother's Day, and Father's Day. The cupcakes have always been delicious! On all of my visits, they have never had the famous PB & Jilly cupcake available. Imagine my surprise when I saw PB & Jilly on the menu today! The PB & Jilly is one of Jilly's former daily favorites. While still popular, they've retired it to the special order hall of fame. I encourage you to pick out your favorite Jilly's cupcake by visiting their website at http://www.jillyscupcakebar.com/
PB & Jilly- Peanut butter infused cake, stuffed with strawberry jam, topped with peanut butter buttercream and strawberry buttercream and a sprinkling of peanuts.
Missy-Licious- Madagascar vanilla cake infused with vanilla syrup and stuffed with vanilla whipped cream, topped with two shades of pink tinted Tahitian vanilla buttercream, a dollop of vanilla buttercream and two shades of pink and pink glitter. 
On Friday, July 15, my friend Carissa married Ben at Zion Lutheran Church in Belleville, Illinois. I have known Carissa since high school and we went to church together at Zion in Belleville. We got to know each other even better when the Gateway Wind Quintet was formed in May 1998. Carissa remained a close friend even after the quintet dissolved and she has come to most of my girl parties and gatehrings. Two years ago, my friend Krysti and I introduced Ben and Carissa by inviting both of them to the Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park. Little did we know that they would hit it off and get married! I am so happy for both of them. They make a wonderful couple.
Carissa asked the quintet to play pre-service music at the wedding. Colleen filled in for Ginger on flute since Ginger is a new mommy and Melissa filled in for Carissa on oboe. When the quintet was going strong, Melissa used to sub for us.
Carissa and the Girls- Debbie, Krysti, Liz, Carissa, Jaime, Jennifer, Colleen
The original Gateway Wind Quintet: Ginger (flute), Amy (French horn), Carissa (oboe), Phil (bassoon) and Jennifer (clarinet).
Kyristi and Shawn.
Carissa's stepmom Goldie and her dad Kevin.
My parents Janet and Keith.
Liz and Kyle and Jaime. 
Our table: Jennifer, Ken, Amy, Phil, Jason, and Ginger.
The parents: Kevin, my mom and dad, and Goldie.
The kids: Ken, Jennifer, Carissa, and Ben.
We got our picture taken under one of the fifeteen, ten-foot tall All-Star themed arches found around downtown St. Louis in honor of the All-Star festivities.
What an exciting experience! We got the chance to see Albert Pujols slugging it out with other big hitters at the Home Run Derby the night before the All-Star Game. The Derby has become one of the most popular events of All-Star Week. Eight players compete in the first round. The four with the most home runs advance to the second round, the top two to the third round and then a winner is crowned. The State Farm Home Run Derby is one of the activities associated with the All Star Game. St. Louis hasn't hosted the All Star Game in 40 years so this was a very special event for our baseball city.
We sat in the True box behind home plate.
Marilyn and Howard pose in front of the Clydesdales.
Nikko Smith perfoms our National Anthem.
David Cook performs a mini concert before the Home Run Derby.
In the opening round, Pujols had only one homer with seven outs and three long balls with nine outs. Pujols didn't make it past the second round but provided plenty of drama for his fans, rallying from near-elimination twice to keep the dream alive. The basic format of the contest is to see how many homers a player can hit before he makes 10 outs. Anything except a homer is an out. We also had special interest in Joe Mauer who plays for the Minnesota Twins because Aunt Dixie was watching from Minneapolis and was cheering for him! In the end it was Brewers slugger Prince Fielder who powered his way to victory in the 2009 State Farm Home Run Derby. 
