Sunbeams, 4AM Flights, & Three Iced Coffees Later

Wow, wow, wow. That is truly all I can say about my time in a city larger than anything I have ever experienced.

We spent Day 3 at Kole’s Aunt Dianne and Uncle Tom’s house—watching football, eating amazing food, and watching the boys throw the football around and play gaga ball. I spent part of the afternoon curled up in a beam of sunlight on the back porch with my book, just soaking every bit of the day in.

sweet thank-you gift for Dianne. It was so special getting that one-on-one time with her, listening to stories about her childhood growing up in Illinois. We stayed at Uncle Tom and Aunt Dianne’s well into the evening before heading back to pack up and get some much-needed sleep before our early flight.

Which brings us to today! We woke up bright and early at 4:00 AM to head over to O'Hare and catch our flight back home. We grabbed some Chick-fil-A while waiting to board, and I practically devoured an iced coffee (fun fact: that was my third coffee of the morning... safe to say I was running on pure adrenaline and caffeine).

Once we boarded, I slept for almost the entire flight. When we landed, Kole and I headed back to his place where I took another nap, and now I’m snuggled up under the blankets writing this post before heading home to see my parents and my kitties.

This trip was such a needed season of pure awe and rest. I have so many thoughts, but almost no words big enough to articulate how it felt to experience it all. The people, the families, the city dogs, the architecture, the river, the lake... everything was beyond anything I’ve ever seen.

As I wrap this up from under a mountain of blankets, my heart is just so full. Chicago, you were bigger, brighter, and sweeter than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for the memories, the moments with family, and the reminder of how big and beautiful the world is. Now, if you need me, I’ll be cuddled up with my cats, reliving this entire trip in my head. Until the next adventure!