Come Away For Awhile

                      In late May, I went to Wyncliff for my annual retreat. I heard so much about this place which is a privately owned property near Cleveland, Wisconsin. The women's silent retreat was run by Opus Dei. 

                     When the disciples came back from their apostolic journey Jesus said, "Come away for awhile by yourselves to a lonely place."  See how solicitous Jesus was for His disciples and how fitting it was to come away for awhile to rest with our Lord. That was exactly how I feel when I went for my retreat, exhausted from the apostolic task of the home.                    

                     When I got to Wyncliff, I was impressed with the serenity of the place. I was assigned to the Cottage House and my room overlooks Lake Michigan and I can see the Shrine on the far left of my window.

                          The retreat starts with an Introductory Talk  explaining how to go about with the retreat and we followed the schedules that was prepared for the entire weekend.  A Director and an Assistant Director helped in the retreat, all of the Talks and Classes were in the living room.

    
                          The morning starts with Meditation lead by an Opus Dei priest and  followed by Mass. The property has it's own chapel behind the Barn House. It's interior reflects it's simplicity and elegance.

                        After Mass was breakfast at the Barn House, this house was originally a barn which was converted into a huge dinning hall.  Oh my...I was more than impressed with the wonderful and delicious meals prepared by the chef. The table arrangements were elegant. Now I don't think the disciples had this kind of rest! 

                                 In one of our free times, I did my rosary going to the lake which was accessible through an uneven steps on the bluff. 

                        I  made a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Blessed Virgin bringing my intentions for the Year of the Family.

                          These photos were taken from my free morning and afternoon walks.

             So come away for awhile and rest with our Lord!

20th Wedding Anniversary

                    On our 20th Wedding Anniversary two years ago, we planned a special dinner celebration with our children. I already had a vision of what our anniversary cake would looked like. It would be a three layer white frosted cake decorated with fresh white rose flowers. 

             I was excited to make our anniversary cake but not entirely from scratch though. Our local market- Pete's Market carries different cake sizes, so I bought three cakes to layer. One ten inch, one 6 inch and one 4 inch cakes. I also used a store bought white whipping cream for frosting.

                      The whole preparation was easy. I just frosted the cakes and since I didn't have any dowels for support I just placed it on top of the other. The cake begins to lean to the side, the fresh flowers did help hide it. Using dowels is a must when layering cakes to support the weight.

                  I was indeed pleased with the outcome of the cake, it looks simple and elegant. 

   Our three youngest children helped us cut our anniversary cake.

  The cake looks good and was delicious, it didn't last long.

                   

              
                                                HAPPY 20TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!   

  

Skydeck - Girls Only Outing

                       This Spring, when my husband and the boys went to Wisconsin for a fishing trip, I thought I would like to spend a special day with my daughters in the Windy City.  I always wanted to bring the kids to one of these tall buildings, but with our family size it's just too expensive. I compared Skydeck from 360 degrees Chicago, both buildings has it's own awesome views  and cool interactives. I was particularly intrigued with The Ledge, so we end up going for Skydeck http://theskydeck.com since it's also a walking distance from Ogilvie Center. We took the early morning train so we'll be at Skydeck before noon to avoid the crowd.

                              The weather was beautiful, with clear blue skies and not a hint of storm, (forecast says rain in late afternoon). This years Spring has been quite rainy and besides it's Chicago, the weather changes throughout the day!

                      When we got to Skydeck, there was already a line, though it moves reasonably well.  The interactive exhibits and theater presentation was good, it helps the whole waiting and standing much bearable. I would say it was a good one hour standing and moving till we got to the elevator that will bring us to 103rd floor.

      

                           The last time I've been in the Tower was 1995 and our eldest daughter was 4 years old, so we were all excited to see the awesome views of Chicago. Indeed the City of Chicago was by far one of worlds top class cities with well renowned architectural designs. I'm so impressed with it's spectacular views, from Lake Michigan to the tall buildings like John Hancock http://www.360chicago.com and Trump Hotel https://www.trumphotelcollection.com/chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

  

                       The Ledge, was indeed a thrilling adventure that we all enjoyed. I could still remember how Elisa, was terrified as she crawled on the floor, looking straight down on the glass floor. 

            I was glad that we chose Skydeck and I'll positively recommend this Tower Building.  

                     Since we were already famished after the tour, we thought of a nearby place to eat.  Across the street was a nice park that is open to the public and Chipotle restaurant was just around the corner.  

Four sisters having a grand time together...priceless!

                  Yes, it was indeed a wonderful girls only outing, and looking for new adventures together.

Sisters!