Chicago with Mom.

I've been a terrible blogger.

But I've had a busy and wonderful week, and therefore, I feel no remorse. :)

Mom came to visit on Thursday and just left this afternoon. We had so much fun with her! Shawn and I are both so thankful that she's not only an amazing mom, but an incredible friend and spending time with her (and Dad) never gets old.

Some highlights from our weekend:

Walking through Lincoln Park on the most gorgeous day

Sipping tea at Argo

Visiting Shawn at his job

Behind Shawn's counter

Beautiful Mom with her toasted marshmallow latte

Thrifting at the Ark

Riding many buses and one train

Eating lunch at the biggest Whole Foods you've ever seen

Getting pedicures

Dinner at RA Sushi

Caramel-cheese popcorn mix from Garrett's

Enjoying a free concert in Millennium Park featuring the stars of the Lyric Opera

On our way to Millennium Park

The concert from our amazing seats - this night was magical!

Buying pumpkins and honeycrisp apples at the Farmer's Market on Division

Shawn will love me for this. :) Enjoying his honeycrisp apple

Perusing the Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park

(if you're in Chicago this weekend, you should go! It's 300+ booths full of creativity. Soak it up!)

With Josiah and Jamie at the fair

Thanks so much for spending the weekend with us, Mom. We love you and are excited to see you again in 2 short weeks!

We're Moving

For all of our Chicago friends, I have some sad news. We are leaving town for a long while (i.e. moving) on Monday, September 28th. I know, I know. That is so soon! We know there will be no way to say goodbye to everyone, but we would love to see as many people as possible before we go. Chicago has been so good to us, and the Lord has blessed us immensely by putting some lifelong friends in our path. My heart hurts as I think about driving away from the city, but I feel so strongly that we are following God's perfect plan for us as we follow Him to Texas! We're excited for this next adventure.

Health Update

I don't always mention the health issues that I've been dealing with for almost 6 months now because a.) I still don't have all the answers and b.) I really don't want it to seem depressing. It has felt a little hopeless at times, mainly because just haven't known what's going on. But after a myriad of blood tests and a couple misdiagnoses, I think I have an answer. Gluten. From now on, I'll be on a completely gluten-free diet. I have so much to learn, and I'm sure some of the recipes I post in the coming days will look a little differently, but I hope you'll learn along with me. And if anyone has any gluten-free recipes or advice, please feel free to pass them along. I am thrilled to give this a try and am hopeful that I'll be symptom-free soon!

My Husband

I just have to brag on him for a minute. When he asks me, "What can I do for you?" on a daily basis, he means it. The other day, I answered, "You could make one dinner a week for us. That would help me a lot." So for the last 3 weeks or so, he has made fabulous meals from scratch and I arrive home on Thursday nights to this:

Breaded chicken, broiled zucchini with parmesan, and green beans, ciabatta with olive oil dipping sauce, and frozen grapes. Yes, please.

What a blessing. My Shawn is learning to cook... and excelling at it! I am one lucky girl.