The Chicago leg of our trip consisted mainly of deep dish pizzas at the American Airlines club at O’Hare. But worth mentioning to share these adorable pictures.
From Milwaukee, we took a shuttle with John & Martha to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to then fly to LAX, where we’d spend the next leg of our trip.
Since Dave was quite busy taking his folks to tour continuing care facilities in LA, I took the opportunity to drive the boys down to Carlsbad, CA (north of San Diego) to spend a few nights with his first cousin (Goell side) Ric and his wife Amabel.
We had a delightful time with Ric, Amabel and their adorable dog, Frankie.
As I wrote in a text to Ric’s sister, Lisa, describing our stay: Great catering! Plenty of desserts. And the staff is really nice. Especially this guy who runs the Kids Klub! 😂
Being empty nesters to four great kids, they rolled out the welcome mat and treated they boys (and me) like royalty. Things started well when we were welcomed with a big pan on Rice Crispy Treats.
During our stay, we never lacked in terms of food or things to do.
Still waiting for our luggage and having yet to buy myself clothes, Amabel and I spent a girls afternoon shopping. Which turned out to be much more fun than the solo shopping I usually do.
Meanwhile, Ric took the boys to laser tag, one of their favorite activities.
When the boys wanted to stay home and enjoy their pool, Amabel picked up burritos and nachos for dinner for us to enjoy in their back yard. (We really miss authentic Mexican here in Berlin!)
In fact, the boys asked for the same burritos the second night, which was graciously granted.
We walked Frankie around the neighborhood, which the boys loved.
We went to Moonlight Beach one afternoon where Ben enjoyed boogie boarding and Isaac ran frantically after him.
Amabel introduced the boys to the ‘90s film The Sandlot, which they loved.
And the boys enjoyed playing with Frankie. They are now begging for a dog!
All in all, we had an incredible time during our short stay. After two nights, I drove the boys back to Los Angeles.
Many thanks to Ric and Amabel and Frankie for the fantastic time. You are wonderful hosts. And cousins!
Berlin Lubells: Stories of Life in Berlin from an American Expat Mom's First Experience Living Abroad 