I don't consider myself a city-girl because I don't think that I would love living in the city. I do love living in the suburbs. But I do love going to the city. I love everything about it. I love the train rides, the busy Oglivie Station, the crowded sidewalks, the bridges over the river, the gulls flying overhead, the skyscrapers all around, the coffee shops on every corner, the business women walking quickly with suits and gym shoes, the gardening attempts at bringing some nature to the city in flowering pots and strips along the sidewalks. I love it all. (Well, I should say almost all...I do NOT love the scary revolving doors that move at lightning speed when trying to leave the train station...this i do not love.)
Yesterday I boarded the train (solo!) at 3:03 pm with heels and lipstick on, a chai latte in hand, and Shauna Niequist's Bread and Wine for company. It was lovely. It is not often that I have exactly 80 minutes to myself with nothing needing to be done. I love being with my kids, and I love the hustle and bustle of my day-to-day life, but I loved this, too. I was practically bursting with the reading time to myself, glancing out the window at the towns going by and sipping my delicious chai.
My husband has worked in the city long enough now for me to be familiar with the way to his office, and I love that I know exactly where to walk, where to stop for the bathroom, which bridge to cross, and which elevator to take. After stopping at his office, we proceeded to the Sears Tower. (I know it's now the Willis Tower, but I really have a hard time not calling it the Sears Tower.) After getting passes and going through security, we rode the elevator to the 67th floor, not something I do everyday. We were escorted to the private Metropolitan Club where we enjoyed a wine and appetizers night spent talking and networking with people, all there supporting the ONE campaign. Did you know that in recent years, extreme poverty has been cut in HALF? This is amazing news!! But there is still so much work to do, and it was such an honor to attend an event for such an incredible, worthy cause. I really loved getting to be a real "grown-up" for this event, sipping wine at a fancy club, talking with people about the world's problems and what we can do about them. Best way to spend a Tuesday night. And I was so so proud to watch my hubby in action, watching him describe what he does and how he does it. So thrilled to be connected to this awesome work that is his job and essentially, his ministry.
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| Our view of Chicago from the 67th floor |
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| Not a good-quality pic by any means, but here we are at the German restaurant where we went for dinner. Our friends ordered this pretzel that was gigantic! |
Our train ride home was definitely not lacking in excitement, either. Zach and I were so tired that we drifted off to sleep. And you know there is drama on the train when you are swiftly woken up by a man screaming at the conductor, and you know there is even more drama when you hear the conductor announce on the overhead speakers, "If you are intoxicated, pretend you are not." Yep, gotta love late-night Metra trains.
We crashed into bed that night, exhausted but full. Full hearts, full minds, and grateful, so very grateful, for our lives that are ours.
If you are interested in more about poverty and hunger issues that are happening at home and abroad, please check out the websites for ONE and for Bread for the World. We CAN make a difference!!
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