Cue the Theme Song to 'Family Ties'

Katy: We had a great Labor Day weekend. Ben and I put the "labor" in Labor Day on Saturday when we under took a 20 minute run. Now, you professional runners our there, don't laugh at us. My usual exercise routine consists of yoga classes and walking alot (we don't have a car). So, at the beginning of the summer, Ben and I started a running program appropriately called "Couch to 5K". You can find all the deets here. We follow a podcast that directs us what to do, and over the course of nine weeks, the goal is to build up our running time slowly and consistently to 3K. This week (Week 5) was our longest run yet at 20 minutes on the lakefront path. We are proud we've stuck with it this long!

So, after the run on Saturday, we got ready to indulge ourselves the rest of the weekend with my parents in town. After going to the Iowa football game on Saturday, Harry and Cindy pulled into the Windy City on Sunday afternoon. We gave them the tour of our neighborhood and did some shopping, then stepped into the Edgewater Lounge for the second week in a row for a drink (great dive bar with the bartender's dogs wandering around - a plus in my book) and to Moody's for the best burger (and patio) in Chicago!

Monday we watched the Cubs lose (boo!) to the Astros, but enjoyed the great weather and great company at the game. We also saw Ronnie Woo-Woo for the first time this year. Where has that guy been all summer? This is the third year in a row that my parents have come into town for Labor Day weekend/my mom's birthday, so it's somewhat of an annual tradition that we enjoy. Thanks for coming, Dad and Mom! Happy birthday! Be sure to check out the link to our photo website at the bottom of our blog. We periodically update it with all of our latest pictures and hijinks.

Ben: This was the first time that the Cubs had to raise the white surrender flag as opposed to the white 'W' flag at any of the games we had been to this year. I guess they forgot to take their chewable Flinstones vitamins in the morning. Our seats were decent enough considering that they were in the upper deck. Sitting in the front row allows for easy access to the beer man and also allowed me to show off some of my unique brand of athleticism by 'jumping the rail' to get to the bathroom.

All was not lost though, dear reader. We were able to take Kate's parents to Moody's Pub on Sunday night and indulge in some of their glorious onion rings, hand-breaded by Jesus himself (the cook, not the Savior). We also discovered Lucky's Sandwich Company outside of Wrigley, where they have pitchers of Old Style for $5. That may sound rather pedestrian, but trust me, it's hard to find a bottle of beer outside of Wrigley for $5 much less a whole pitcher. We also drank some beers and relaxed at Harry and Cindy's Motel, the Heart O' Chicago. There is something strangely relaxing about sitting in a sparse motel with the in-laws, drinking ice cold cans of Milwaukee's Best and shooting the breeze.

I often times imagine that I'm in one of those movies where the lead characters have just robbed a bank. On the run, they hole themselves up in a motel with the curtains drawn, watching the TV for news of their heist, while rolling around on the bed amidst piles of cash. Then I realize that if we did indeed rob a bank, we probably wouldn't be drinking Milwaukee's Best and that it would be really awkward if I rolled around on Katy's parents bed, laughing maniacally. But a few more cans of Milwaukee's Best and I might just do it anyway.

Moody's Pub last Sunday. Harry's hair is so long that it now has it's own Social Security number.

Outside of Wrigley