Final Countdown Until London

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FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!

We just have one more week left before we leave for London and we have lots to do before we go. Just this afternoon we got back from Chicago--which was, in a way, our pre-London experience. Gretchen and I got tickets to go see Chelsea FC play against the MLS All-stars (that was a soccer game, for those of you who don't know) at Toyota Park in Chicago (Chicago Fire's new stadium). Unfortunately, Chelsea lost 1-0, but we sat right behind the goal where De Rosario scored off of a Freddy Adu assist in the second half. We saw Chelsea score in the first half, but the goal was called off because of offsides. Bummer.

Gretchen got her first taste of international football (soccer)--well, I should say first LIVE taste of international football because she has excitedly watched the last two World Cups (02 and 06). She got herself a Chelsea FC jersey and wore it proudly at the game. It was neat to see how many Chelsea fans were there in Chicago. They all had their blue jerseys on, faces painted, flags draped around their bodies, and singing and chanting (and drinking) the whole time. It was a good start, and we're both anxious to go see many more football games in London this fall. But this was probably the only chance we'll have to see Chelsea. At any rate, it was a great game! And we got to see some of the greatest players in the world--John Terry (our personal favorite...or should I say favourite?!?), Shevchenko, Frank Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Drogba, Joe Cole, Carvalho, Eskandarian, Adu, Eddie Robinson, etc... I was disappointed that Hernan Crespo, the Argentine striker, was not there, but I still can't complain about the lineup.

As exciting as the game was, the more important reason that we went to Chicago was to see some of Gretchen's extended family--grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousin--before we leave for Europe. We rode up on Friday with Gretchen's brother, Matt, and his wife, Tara, and their two kids--Leighton and Luke. We had a fun visit. Gretchen's grandparents introduced us to one of their favourite restaurants--Wildberry. They had an excellent menu--and Gretchen insisted that we take pictures of it so we could try to replicate some of the dishes. I'll refrain from posting those oh-so-exciting pictures...

Now that we are back in Nashville, I have one week of work left and lots of stuff to do. I've really enjoyed my summer at Bass, Berry & Sims, and am very grateful that I'll get to come back and work there when we get back from London.

In the meantime, we've got lots of packing to do...

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Photos

Gretchen's Grandparents
This is Grandpa Sig and Grandma Betty in front of Wildberry on Saturday.

The Newest Chelsea Fan
This is Gretchen sporting her new Chelsea jersey at Toyota Park in Chicago.

All Star Lineup
This was basically the Reader's Digest version of the World Cup...