Josh o' Trades

Monday, November 27, 2006

Giving Thanks

Wow. So another month has come and gone. My apologies. It was never my intention to neglect this site for so long.

Well, a lot has happened. And, on the other hand, not much has changed.

It all depends on your point of view.

Fall has arrived, though not that you'd notice. A few leaves have dropped to the ground. I've seen a couple of jackets brought out of a few closets, but the weather here in Texas has maintained a steady course the past few months.

I just got back from a trip to the Windy City, and let me tell ya, it's nothing like Big D. I couldn't get over how close the homes were built to each other. There is maybe a foot of side yard between each one. Made this Dallas Boy more than a little claustrophobic. :)

Thursday morning started far too early, as we had a 7:15 flight. Thanks to an elevated Terror Alert, my alarm was set for 4am. As you can imagine, Pep was NOT happy. Nor was I, for that matter. :)

The ride to the Park 'n Fly was uneventful, and we made it into DFW with plenty of time to kill. It was a full flight and there were at least five wee ones boarding the plane with us. But all was well. Not a peep from the little tikes.

Arriving at Chicago O'Hare Airport was not without it's drama. Of the two bags checked, only one made it from DFW. And, of course, that bag wasn't mine. Grr.

All in all, the rest of the day was very good. Babs and I were taken in by her brother and sister-in-law. Got to spend the holiday being manhandled by her niece (age 11) and her 2 nephews (9 and 6). Three of her brother's students joined us for Thanksgiving dinner as well. Two from Africa, and one from New York. It was quite the smelting pot there. Dinner was fantastic and many stories were told (and retold, as in the case of how Babs and I met).

The evening was spent talking to Bab's parents via Internet phone (they’re in Afghanistan) and playing a family favorite card name by the name of Quiddler.

Oh, and my wayward bag finally made to to the house around 10:30 that night.

Friday was spent at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. A very cool NASA exhibit and a real U-Boat from WW2 were the highlights.

Saturday started with a trip to a local park where much swinging and horseplay was had. The weather was cool and brisk. And the elevated train running overhead was cool to see. It was my first El, so my fascination with it was pretty much lost on everyone else.

That evening, Babs and I struck out on the town. I finally got to see her in her own element. It was beautiful to see. We started at the school both she and her brother and sister-in-law went to (he works there as a teacher) and made our way downtown. The lights and sounds of the city at night were breathtaking. It was a long walk, but it was worth it. I even got to ride the El. And for dinner, we ate at Ed's. Too cool for words.

Babs showed me all the places she lived and worked at in the ten years she called Chicago home. Apparently she's worked in every building and lived in every house. :)

On Sunday, I was treated to a service at Harvest Bible Chapel. It was a good message and I got to meet a couple of Babs' good friends.

Our trip ended far too early and we soon found ourselves back at Chicago O'Hare. Our flight was delayed, but only about a half an hour, so we were back home a little after 10. Both households were greeted with bemused and hungry cats, but welcomed nonetheless.

It was a fun trip, but I'm beat. I need a vacation from my vacation. :)

Hope your turkey day was good!

See you next time-
Jos

"Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted." ~Paul Pearshall