November 9

It was an Adventure Sunday. After I had my coffee and Brady had the chance to compact and throw some of the snow that fell overnight, we picked up Abby from her dorm, swung through the Mickey D's drive-thru to satisfy her desire for a McMuffin, and then drove into Chicago.

Our first stop on this (literally) freezing day was the Museum of Ice Cream, where we sampled several different flavors and interesting creations, from plain scoops of vanilla to ice cream served up in hot dog buns. (And cherry sorbet swirled with candy corn ice cream, topped with candy corn. A little weird for Abby's palate, but somehow tasty to mine.) Adam favored the pineapple sorbet, while I particularly enjoyed the super berry, which with its bits of crumble, tasted very much like cobbler. Brady was taken with the pool filled with giant (plastic) red and pink sprinkles, and Abby appreciated the pink-ness of it all. It matched her overall vibe quite well.

After departing the museum and mulling our options, we chose to go for the 17-minute walk to visit the Lego Holiday Lane at Water Tower Place. It was a cute experience that included a Cataclaus scavenger hunt (with a prize for completion), Lego displays, and a photo area. After collecting our booty and snapping our photos, we trooped back to the car and returned to the hotel. When we arrived, Abby noted the amazing sunset in the distance (which was especially amazing given that it was cloudy with intermittent flurries all day long). Following a rest, we went to dinner at The Burger Social in Wheaton, where our server explained football to Abby in the simplest terms I've ever heard (and it was impressive) and we all enjoyed delicious burgers (them) and grilled cheese (me). Adam said it was the best burger he'd had in months.

We head out to the airport early tomorrow morning (and we'll go extra-early because there's snow in the forecast for Chicago) so we said our see-ya-soons to Abby as we dropped her off at her dorm after dinner. We'll see her when she comes home for Thanksgiving in a few weeks so I'm looking forward to that. And I'm praying the next few weeks of class go super well for her, too!

It's been a good visit, and I am thankful to God to have had the opportunity to be here.