Whirlwind Visit

Any time I get to visit with my son and his wife it is always fun and interesting...I'm guaranteed to be worn out by the end of the visit.

After picking me up at the train station we went out to eat at The Noble.
What a wonderful surprise to find out that one of the owners was a childhood friend of my son's...and this friend David Kressin had left an indelible impression on me when I'd last seen him over 16 years ago.

Funny, comical, and always easy with a smile...I'd often wondered what and where this young man had gone.

What an incredible place he and his fiance, April Woelfel, have created!

The next morning was a whirlwind shopping blitz. REI & IKEA.
We were all over northern Illinois.
Northbrook
Schaumberg
& Lincolnshire for supper at The Cheesecake Factory.

I must stop here a moment and talk about the IKEA experience.

Really? 3 Floors of displays? A map to get around the store?
Arrows on the floor to help you keep track of your directions and headings...

While I sat on furniture, tried out beds, I guess the most fun I had was...
in the kitchen 'supplies' area.
There it was.
A bin chocked full of kitchen timers.
Just waiting for a mischievous elf like me...[and son].

Couldn't help it.
The child in me took over.
How many timers could I set to 10 minutes in 10 seconds?
How many timers could I set to go off at 2 minute intervals?
It was a wonderful challenge.
We did well.

The timers kept going off at intervals even as we left that floor.

I think one should have to take a sanity test to go shopping with my son and his wife.
Actually I am just kidding.
You just better be in good physical shape to keep up with them.

Our nights are filled with 'movie' marathons. I don't have many movies at home, so this is something I really look forward to on my visits.

Also...it is one of the reasons I decided to take the train for travel. I won't be making a 4 hour drive tired!