Funday Monday

It's not every Monday you get to leave all responsibilities behind and play all day in Chicago . . . but that is exactly what Forest and I did this week.

First stop: The United Center, to pick up some concert tickets
Second stop: Berghoff for lunch with Scott
Then we enjoyed a leisurely lakeside stroll, pausing in front of Buckingham Fountain . . .


. . . and wandering into Millenium Park


Next stop: Caffe Gelato (best gelato shop we've found on this side of the pond) and a quick chat with Brendan

mixed berry, lemon, peach, and blood orange

Back to downtown for a trip up the Sears Tower--which some people claim is now called "Willis Tower."
It's hard to see because it's so high up, but below is a shot of the new Skydeck's glass ledge poking out from the 103rd floor.

The view from the Skydeck:

Inside the Ledge:

Our feet hovering over Wacker Drive--1,353 feet below

Last stop: Back to the United Center for the Pearl Jam concert






All-play and no-work Mondays don't come around very often . . . when they do, it is advisable to squeeze in as much fun as possible.

Roly Poly Ramona

Ramona now weighs 14 lbs, 12 oz.--exactly double her weight at birth. It didn't seem to take long for her to pack on the pounds.
She also rolled over for the first time two days ago and hasn't stopped rolling since.

Aunt B

Brittany spent some time in Illinois last week.
She asked to be known as "Aunt B" to Ramona. I think the name fits, don't you?


Part of her Illinois trip was spent in Nauvoo, and we got to meet up with her there in that historic town on the Mississippi River.
Forest and I had not been there since our wedding. The temple was just as beautiful as I remembered it, and the sky was just as blue of a backdrop. Being back there made me feel like we had just gotten married . . . except there was no sweltering August heat on our special day in May '07.
She's definitely a North Carolina girl now, but I think a certain part of her will always feel at home in cornfields, just like me.

Miss you already, Britt. Come back soon.