…relax, i kid. my blog posts are NEVER lousy (well, with the exception of everything i wrote in the first year…because oh.my.god. never go through your archives. ever). honestly, though, i don’t even know how to sum up my trip to Chicago as a McDonalds Mom Quality Correspondent (mouthful, eh?)…so i’ll likely be talking about it until y’all are all “shut up, Ali. We get it. you want to make lots and lots of babies with Oak Brook, Illinois. and not just because there’s an Anthropologie AND a Hamburger University there!” 

Meet the McMoms. We are McAwesome. (and no, i’ll never get tired of putting the Mc in front of my words. mmm…McDreamy…wait, where was i?) I spent three fun-filled days with these other moms learning the ins and outs of McD’s. and trust me, there’s sooooo much to tell. just wait until i tell you about the people who spend all day every day placing orders in the Innovation Center (because ohmigod! awesome!) and being followed around all day and night by the two most awesome camera dudes ever. seriously. we even had to do america’s next top model-type confessionals! i tried my best to sound normal and keep my eye-rolls to a minimum…we’ll see how that works for them in editing. apparently, i roll my eyes even when talking about happy things….because this trip? ALL HAPPY. heh.

there are so many things…

things like…did you know that the first Ronald McDonald donned this hideous thing? That tray, guys? it’s a HAT.

 

poor, poor Willard Scott. nowadays he looks a lot more like this dude, who, sadly, was irresponsive to my advances. perhaps he’s a one-woman kind of guy.

things like…did you know that they keep Happy Meal toys here, in this here warehouse??

(i know, right? INSANITY)

things like…did you know that McDonald’s has a Chef Dan?

and he’s all kinds of awesome? and he let us play around in the test kitchen and create our own smoothies? i was outvoted when i’d said we should keep it simple…(strawberries, bananas, yogurt and ice i say!)…and my partners added a gaggle of ingredients…coconut milk? honey? yeesh!

things like…did you know that the best view from the John Hancock building is from the bathroom?

also..i wouldn’t recommend saying what i did to some random man…which was an embarrasing “i hear there’s a really great view in the women’s bathroom!” it’s probably a good way to get arrested and to NOT get asked back to the next McTrip to Edmonton.