Brrrrrrr

The last week spent in Chicago was wonderful in so many ways. First of all, a chance to see John again is always a plus :), and reconnecting with all of my Northwestern friends adds to that even more! Each day I got to spend time with some of the nearest and dearest--sharing a meal, or distracting them from work, or even celebrating the fact that I'm real. Haha.

I also loved seeing the campus again. Although, strangely enough, just walking on campus gave me this weird sense of stress; as though I was supposed to not be having fun, but busy with papers or studying for exams. That's Northwestern for you. Oh, and it was also a blast to join John during a math class that was way above me. My notes included quotes from the professor that I thought were funny, but turned out (usually) to just be funny to a communications major who doesn't understand math.

Additionally, I got to spend practically a whole day with Ariel, which was certainly a highlight. We ate at Lulu's, watched Slumdog Millionnaire and just talked and talked.. I was also thankful that she ended up coming to the party that was thrown by the two freshmen boys who had questioned my existence since the beginning of the school year.

With Janna, we played some Mario Kart, talked with Tim through video chat, enjoyed classic Ethel's hot chocolate, and caught up mostly during a lunch at Wendy's (Janna + Wendy's = fantastic combination. just sayin). I have seen a lot of growth in her, and I'm excited for her coming graduation!

To end the week (and a lot more happened, but I figured you'd most enjoy the highlights), John and I went downtown for the night! We ate at Maggiano's (MMMM!!) and then went to Navy Pier to watch The Dark Knight on the IMAX screen. That was really cool because most of the film was shot in the city and at Navy Pier. Crazy! The only thing was it was super cold. I would say that was the first time I've purposefully walked into a liquor store. But if you were as cold as we were, you would've done the same thing--trust me!

Overall, a beautiful week, and it was capped off with the Midwinter Covenant Conference. There I got to learn some helpful tips on leading a small group and asking good questions. I was also challenged by a couple that I met who purposefully lives in South Chicago in order to be good neighbors. That, paired with a talk by Shane Claiborne, is a graceful slap to the face as to how I can be more intentional in my living and serving others.

Pics in the next episode.. er.. blog. Shalom.