in the chicago area

Although my first stop in the United States was through Chicago, I never actually made it to the city; nor did I have time to see everyone I hoped to run into while I was in town. I spent 12 days in Illinois; some straightening out my bank account, depositing foreign currency, ordering a new adapter for my computer, and such as well as a lot of time catching up with friends all over the place.

Part of the time I had a car and was able to hop around for dinners, coffees, and a few other events. The rest of the time, I relied on other folks to swing through and make an extra effort. I also was able to spend a day with my dad drinking coffee and catching up after a year and a half.


I saw lots of kids who definitely took on an extra year or two since I had seen them last. I am embarrassed at how few pictures I have, but I did spend a lot of time playing with Ashley (above) every day and watching her parents try and stay one step ahead of her!

Chicago was a great stop to catch up with myself and some friends. I worried less about logistics and more about spending time around as many people as I could! Thank you to everyone (too many to name) who was part of my extended stopover in Chicago; especially Phil and Jen and Dave and Mary for having me over at your homes!