Chicago

Greetings everyone! Once again, I have totally been neglecting my blog. It's too bad I don't have more to post during the week then everything wouldn't look so abandoned. Oh well...

As you already know, we arrived home from our trip to Chicago late Monday afternoon. My parents, Abby and I left early Saturday morning. The reason we were going was because a very old friend of ours was getting married in the area. Since the wedding wasn't until Sunday afternoon, we thought we would take some time sightseeing since none of us, except my dad, had ever been to Chicago. (Well...other than the airport!)

Besides making some stops along the way, we were delayed by a little road construction and didn't arrive to our hotel until late that afternoon. During the trip, we were able to do something that we don't normally do. My dad took along his laptop and battery charger, so Ab & I were able to watch a couple of movies along the way (and way back)!
Since we really wanted to take the train downtown, we changed and got ready and made our way to the train station in Hinsdale. By the way, if you ever pass through Hinsdale, IL, you need to make sure you go downtown, because the houses in that neighborhood are so neat! We spotted several cute places. Also, quite by accident, we passed IBLP's headquarters, which is in Oak Brook, on the way to the train depot as well.
Unfortunately, when we arrived at the station and looked at the time schedule for the trains we discovered that the next arrival would be pretty late, so we opted out of going that night. As we were driving along the highway, my dad (a big Cajun food fan) spotted Pappadeaux, a Cajun restaurant. Well, we decided to have dinner there and put our name down. It proved to be an "experience", actually! A small, live "band" composed of a trumpet, electric guitar, bass and clarinet came and played around our table. The trumpeter even sang like Louis Armstrong! Since some of us don't have the exotic taste buds my dad has, Ab & I decided to just go with chicken...however, we were a little adventurous and tried some...fried...A-l-l-i-g-a-t-o-r!! Yep! We did! And yes, it DID taste like chicken. *laughing* It really didn't look a thing like alligator, though!
After our Pappadeaux restaurant experience, we tried to locate a Wal*Mart Supercenter. Since my dad has a GPS on his cell phone we were able to find several places during the trip. (We eventually dubbed the GPS voice "Marge".) *smile* Unfortunately, we never found a Supercenter but we were able see the church where the wedding was taking place.
Sunday morning, we woke up early, got ready and drove down to the station to catch a train for downtown Chicago. We had to split up but I was able to sit beside a lady who was actually from Ohio. Eventually, we arrived downtown. Our first stop was the Sears Tower. It really gives you a feel of what it would actually be like on 9/11. We went up over a hundred stories in a very packed elevator filled with people. (Interesting note: we actually had to "pop" our ears both going up and coming down!) After we arrived safely to the top of our destination, we had a great view of Chicago. The cars, as you can expect, were rather small from our viewpoint!

After we made a stop at the gift shop we made our way along the streets and decided to get something for breakfast since we hadn't had anything yet. We found a little Dunkin Donut's shop and then had breakfast/lunch across the way underneath some trees and soon graced with the presence of some pigeons. *smile* We took note of how they really liked chocolate!
Since we thought our train was scheduled to leave at 1:06, we agreed to start making our way back otherwise we might miss our train. We got to the station and since we had plenty of time to kill we took a look around one of the gift shops there and bought some Chicago momentos. 12:45 p.m. We come to the tv screens telling us when the next train was leaving...we had looked at the wrong departure time! The next train which would take us back to our car was leaving at 2:30 p.m.--and our wedding was at 3:00 that VERY AFTERNOON!!! Well, there was nothing else to do accept hail a taxi and travel back via cab. (During one point on the trip my mom commented that she would just keep her head down! He really wasn't that bad...I just thought it was fun to note!) *smile* So, we DID make it back and were able to get to the church just on time.

Now the wedding part of our trip. The bride had three bridesmaids wearing black colored dresses but each one had a different style. The groomsmen were dressed in black suits with aqua colored vests and the little flower girl had a light pink colored dress. It was cute, something happened during the little flower girl's walk down the aisle and she stopped, bent down and messed with the rose petals. (I didn't have a very clear view, so I'm not sure why! Still, it was cute.) After the wedding, we made our way to the reception for a sandwich & hors de houvres bar. We had the privilege of sitting at a table with a very nice family who we enjoyed visiting with during the evening. And for all you girls out there, the bride and her dad danced to the song "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman. *smile* Eventually, it was time for us to leave and make our way back to our hotel. Dad & I were able to take a swim that night and pretty much had it to ourselves for a short while.

I know this is a little more detailed than what you may have cared to read, but it was our trip and the first time I had ever been to Chicago really. *smile*
Enjoy the pictures below!

On the way

The laptop

Dad, our navigator

Mom & I

The train station

IBLP Headquarters

On the patio at Pappadeaux

Dad & Mom

Some of the band

A.k.a. Louis Armstrong

Getting ready to put alligator inside her stomach!

She's eating it!

Waiting for the train

Cute!

Inside the Sears Tower

0 grams of trans fat...so that means they're healthy, right?

For part of the dessert, they had cake and a candy buffet

Jacob & Rachel

Rich & Lindsey...

Mr. and Mrs.

Just got back from the Windy City!!!

Hey folks!

Well, we arrived home from our travels in Chicago, late yesterday afternoon! I'm a little tired at the moment, but I'll soon be heading to bed so hopefully that will take care of it! *smile*

Although it seemed like we kept going and going, we did have a good trip and will definitely treasure the memories we shared and the different things we experienced. But, I'll write about all of that when I post pictures, so you will have to stay tuned! *smile*

Femininity

"We are called to be women. The fact that I am a woman does not make me

a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a

Christian does make me a different kind of woman.

For I have accepted God's idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back

to Him of all that I am and all that He wants me to be."

~Elisabeth Elliot~

4th of July

Hey everyone! My sister Abby just posted pictures from our 4th of July. If you'd like to see them, just click here!

The Master Plowman

Master Plowman

"Doth the plowman plow all day to sow?" (Isa. 28:24).

One day in early summer I walked past a beautiful meadow. The grass was as soft and thick and fine as an immense green Oriental rug. In one corner stood a fine old tree, a sanctuary for numberless wild birds; the crisp, sweet air was full of their happy songs. Two cows lay in the shade, the very picture of content.
Down by the roadside the saucy dandelion mingled his gold with the royal purple of the wild violet.

I leaned against the fence for a long time, feasting my hungry eyes, and thinking in my soul that God never made a fairer spot than my lovely meadow.

The next day I passed that way again, and lo! the hand of the despoiler had been there. A plowman and his great plow, now standing idle in the furrow, had in a day wrought a terrible havoc. Instead of the green grass there was turned up to view the ugly, bare, brown earth; instead of the singing birds there were only a few hens industriously scratching for worms. Gone were the dandelion and the pretty violet. I said in my grief, "How could any one spoil a thing so fair?"

Then my eyes were opened by some unseen hand, and I saw a vision, a vision of a field of ripe corn ready for the harvest. I could see the giant, heavily laden stalks in the autumn sun; I could almost hear the music of the wind as it would sweep across the golden tassels. And before I was aware, the brown earth took on a splendor it had not had the day before.
Oh, that we might always catch the vision of an abundant harvest, when the great Master Plowman comes, as He often does, and furrows through our very souls, uprooting and turning under that which we thought most fair, and leaving for our tortured gaze only the bare and the unbeautiful. --Selected

Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that maketh the deep furrows on my soul? I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop. --Samuel Rutherford

~Streams in the Desert~