The Windy City

So, remember a reeeeaaalllly long time ago when we went to Chicago? Yeah, back in April.... well, I'm finally writing about it! Better late than never, right?

One of the great things about working at a school is that I get school holidays off. I don't get the summers off anymore, but it's still pretty fantastic to get 2 weeks off at Christmas and a week off for spring break. This year, Josh and I found some good ticket prices, and jetted to Chicago for my spring break. He'd only been to Chicago once for a day when he was in college, and since I went to Wheaton College (right outside Chicago), I have a bunch of friends who moved to the city after graduating. Josh also has some friends there now, so we were pretty excited for our trip.

Despite the fact that my camera was being seriously moody (it has since been laid to rest after a prolonged, painful death), I still managed to get a few pictures. Not many, but a few. So, here's to them.


The first day we were in Chicago, it snowed. Even though it was the beginning of April, I suppose we shouldn't have been too surprised. But my dear friend, Peju, put us up in her cute apartment, and we warmed up quickly.

The next day, we went out to Wheaton, and got to see some of my old friends (who were freshmen when I was a senior), spend a good bit of time at Arena Theatre, as well as meet and catch up with a bunch of my old professors. We sat in on chapel and a few classes, and even led a class with my mentor, Dr. Henry Allen. A lot of my friends tend to stay away from Wheaton after they graduate, but I found it really encouraging to be back for a couple days, visiting and talking with friends and professors, and sharing that part of my life with Josh. I think he "gets" that side of me so much more now.


After a couple days in Wheaton, we headed back into the city to see more friends. We got to see some of Josh's friends (including one of his best friends and their week-old baby!), and some of my friends. (Above are some of my most favoritest women ever.)

We also ate at a lot of great places. While I can't say it was the best food I ate all week (though it was quite good), probably the most interesting was America's Dog. It's a hot dog place that serves hot dogs from all over the US... pick a city, and you'll get what they put on their "traditional" dog. Devin got really hungry and wanted to eat them all... and yes, I admit it, I tried a fried twinkie. (Which totally made me think of Wall-E, and how the only remaining food after hundreds and hundreds of years were twinkies... how's that for all chemical preservatives and no real food food?)


We also played a few games of Munchkin and Munchkin Booty (a great game which I'll need to review at some point). Devin proceeded to carry both games around all day, which elicited a number of comments and questions, especially about Munchkin Booty (the pirate version of Munchkin). I think the best was the astonished woman who asked, "Does that say Munchin' Booty?!"


We went to Millenium and Grant Parks, walked by the Art Institute, went to the Bean and took Bean pictures (very important), and also walked up the Magnificent Mile and out by Lake Michigan...

All in all, it was a pretty fantastic trip, and wonderful to see so many good friends (many of whom aren't pictured here -- remember the camera that refused to work). I only wish we'd had longer to catch up more. So, my suggestion is all you Chicago people come visit us out here in Philly! We've got a very comfortable guest bedroom that could be all yours. =)