day 21

i forgot to mention that last night cliff and i giggled/gagged as we gave each other the "garlic oil in the ear" home treatment our sisters suggested to fend off ear infections.  little did we know, we were going to be tasting it/smelling like the olive garden for a good 48 hours after.  good thing we weren't going to be seeing anyone we knew.  oh wait…

after a quick morning round of mini-golf we hit the road.  we had been inspired by a sign we saw on the highway

and figured we better start indoctrinating our children young.

we were going to drive in three states today.  does anyone else have an unspoken affection for gary, indiana like i do?  as i saw the signs, i couldn't help but hum the tune.  thank you music man.  what i didn't know, was that the townspeople had been right.  apparently, trouble with a capital t and that rhymes with p and that stands for pool was not so far off.  pool halls must have been the beginning of a serious slip into debauchery because as we drove through, the signage was covered with half-naked women.  according to the billboards, gary indiana is now a den of sin.  mennonite kids beware - your parents might be right about what dancing will lead to.  

thankfully, we didn't have to stop and we chugged right on through to the location i was possibly most giddy about: chicago.  when i was in high school, my dad moved our family to wheaton, illinois to finish his masters in communications.  i was so bitter.  at the time, i had no idea it was going to be the best year of my high school career.  so you can imagine how bitter i was when he moved us back to chilliwack again for tenth grade (sorry dad)!  all this to say, i've wanted to come back for awhile.  i don't really know the city well, but i just remember loving it.

we parked right downtown (yay cliff) and just walked.  and walked.  and walked. 

our kids were troopers.  there was some whining and a near "peeing in pants" episode (that was me), but they were so good.

sidenote: this is what rich white people do when they go to chicago.

i love the architecture in this city.

and the people were so generous and surprisingly kind (unlike another state which shall remain unnamed but rhymes with "spew pork").  it was dark and i was freezing and simon was screaming and the street was deserted and i was trying to feed the meter and i heard a voice from behind me say "it only takes quarters, ma'am.  or those dollar coins.  or a credit card, if you have one".  the nice man sleeping on the bench, trying to keep warm got up to help me.  thanks again sir…sorry i didn't have more to give you.

after we ate our pizza (we were in chicago - it's a must), we drove out to the suburbs to visit some friends in the wheaton area.  it's kind of a weird thing, to see people that you knew really well in high school…16 years later.  i felt kind of silly because it was such a significant time for me, but i know for them i was just the crazy girl from canada with the funny accent whose name was just like the cake maker ("nobody doesn't like….").

all that to say, it was really a lovely visit.  i got to meet sean's family and see what an amazing dad he's become and to laugh with dave and to intercessor-ally apologize for wounds of his past (just put some garlic oil on those…i hear it heals everything).  on top of that, josiah has another new best friend in logan.  thanks for a fun trip down memory lane, gentlemen.  you're welcome on my side of the border anytime, hey?