I could get use to not working, although I sorely miss having somewhere to go and something specific to do during the day. With Stephen's work time being so malleable, we often find ourselves on excursions during the day that would not be possible if I was at work. Like today - we spontaneously decided to visit Shedd Aquarium. I believe it is no secret that I have a thing for fish. After all, my college graduation present from Stephen was a 200 gallon aquarium. It has been very difficult for me to walk by such a world-renown aquarium multiple times a week without stopping once to go in during the last 6 months. All of that finally changed today.

Today we enjoyed a trip to the Field Museum, one of the many museums in this city I have been longing to see since deciding to move here. It was a beautiful day for a museum - cold and dreary, an inviting day to linger inside after so many days of summer-like weather beckoned one outdoors like a siren at sea.  A leisurely afternoon stroll through one of the most renown museums in the nation. Well, not too leisurely. My idea of a leisurely stroll would have taken us several hours to get through each exhibit. After the debacle at the Art Institute, seeing only 2 exhibits in 3 hours, Stephen set the pace on this museum, determined to get an overview of every exhibit. We were almost successful. Three hours in the Field Museum and we saw several exhibits, far more than in the Art Institute. We are finding these renown museums to be enormous, even at Stephen's pace they cannot be seen in one day. Personally, I think I could get lost in there for a year at least...

Today, Stephen bugged me to go out for a walk... in a windchill of 3 degrees. You can understand why I was hesitant at first. It ended up, though it was cold, it was sunny and a very pleasant outing. Even before he surprised me with brunch at a well known restaurant we have been attempting to get a table at since we first moved. 

Yesterday was a beautiful day - actually, beautiful seems to me an understatement. It was incredibly sunny. So sunny I could actually feel the warmth of the sun on my skin for the first time in months. And even though it was quite windy, it was pleasantly warm. Well, I guess that part is all in perspective. To someone who has grown used to temperatures in the single digits, 30 degrees without a doubt feels warm. But most of all, it was a beautiful day because I got to spend the majority of it traipsing around the city, goofing off with my husband... and somehow, it turned into not just a beautiful day, but a beautiful weekend. 

This weekend Percy Hannah and Nate Klaiber came to visit. It has been several years since I have gotten to see Percy - he came several times to stay with us while we lived in Memphis. The last time I saw Nate was while he and his wife were here to visit us over Labor Day Weekend. Unfortunately, neither Percy's wife Christa, or Nate's wife Tessa were able to come on this trip. They both had to work, the trip being short notice and all.  And as Stephen has told me time and again, this trip is not for pleasure it is for business. But as far as I am concerned, whenever you have old friends in town every moment is pleasurable. Well, almost... 

After 4 months of living in Chicago, we finally went this weekend and purchased the remainder of the things needed to set up our place. It has been 4 months and we were still sitting in office chairs to watch TV - not conducive to comfort, to say the least. It was beginning to feel like we were living in a very bare extended stay hotel: no pictures on the wall, no character or personality attached. Just the bare minimum to get by every day. But this weekend that finally changed...

This Saturday was one of the best days I have experienced in a very long time. Every Saturday, Stephen and I have a standing date for lunch, but due to incliment weather this week's date was almost canceled. From Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, in less than 24 hours, downtown Chicago recieved 12 full inches of snow. That was on top of several inches that had fallen Friday morning. Having never experienced anything quite like it, Stephen and I decided to keep our lunch date in spite of the snow fall. What began as a simple lunch outing turned into hours of entertainment as we battled a biting wind and snow that in places was up past my knees... 

The holiday season was especially meaningful to me this year. It is not just that we moved away 4 months ago, but with me working we did not think we would be able to make it home at all this season. Thankfully, it not only worked out for us to come back to Memphis, we were actually able to stay for 12 days. And I learned something: if you want your family to really appreciate you being home for the holidays, make them believe you are not going to be able to make it...

During the first week of December, Stephen's business partner Aaron and his family came to visit. Though ostensibly for business, it was nice to get to spend some time with their family. With both of our families having moved out of Memphis within a few days of one another in August, it had been since right after their youngest was born that we had last seen them. They are living in Louisville, Kentucky while Aaron attends seminary there.