Fun in Chicago

Hello all,

Friday morning we began our trip to Evanston, IL. My good friend Nicole can down on Thrusday and we left out on Friday morning. We had so much fun together. The six hour trip went by so quickly. We talked the entire way. Once we arrived in Chicago the traffic was crazy. I don't understand what the rush is in this town. But we made it to Folk Works Gallery about 2pm and it is the most wonderful shop. It is decorated so lovely. The artwork is just amazing. It was so nice to walk in and see my pieces on display. All the artists pieces looked just wonderful. After perusing the store for a minute. I got to finally met Cease Giddings the store owner. I have talked with her on many occasions on the phone but it was so nice to put and face to a voice. She is wonderful and sweet lady. I also got to meet Cher. She is also a sweetheart. She helps Cease make the shop look so beautiful. The opening was scheduled for that evening at 5pm so we headed off to our hotel to check in and clean up from the 6 hour trip. We decided to get some lunch from Nevin's it was okay not the best but I was hungry and I needed something to eat.

After returning to the gallery. It was quite busy filled with people. They also served hors d' oeuvres and wine to all the guest. I decided to just get sparkling water and snack on a few hors d'oeuvres which were quote yummy. They had waiters and everything. Really nice. the show went really well. People were buying like crazy which was a good thing. By the end of the night I was really tired and ready to go to sleep. I felt like a cold was coming on. My dear hubby was sick earlier during the week and I think he past the bug on to me. So, we made it back to our room and I doctored myself up with a home remedy that Cher suggested I try out. She suggested I try orange juice,mixed with , cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey and warm it up and drink it while it's hot. I tried it out and it seemed to help me out a lot. I know that It made me go right to sleep and helped me with my cough.

So, Saturday morning Nicole and I set out to check out Chicago, so we made our way downtown. We went down to Navy Pier. That was a lot of fun but way to expensive. We did somethings but not all. We also visited the glass art that they had on display at Navy Pier. How beautiful. I would love to have one of those pieces in my home. We decide to take a trolley ride which was fun. One of the stops was Michigan Avenue which people call the Magnificent Mile. Boy was that fun! Window shopping is all I could afford on this mile. We went into alot of the shops and looked around. I did manage to buy me a pair of JLo glasses that I like alot. The shops also had the most creative window display. They were also featuring different bodice pieces that each store had created. I didn't take photos of all of them just the ones that I really liked the most. After all of our window shopping we decided that we needed something to eat. I told Nicole of this great hot dog place called Portillo's so we stopped and had lunch. She said that she really enjoyed it. That was her first gourmet hot dog. After lunch we decided to head back toward the hotel and hit some of the shops along the way. We found some really cool shops. One was a bead shop. They had hundred and hundreds of wonderful beads. They also had scrapbook stuff so we loaded up on a few things. We also found a great little boutique that sold everything from jewelry to funky handbags which I fell in love with. I wanted to take a photo but I thought it would be rude to do so. A lot of the bags were recycled plastic from different countrieswhich gave them a distinctive look. We also find a great little books store in the area. Nicole loves to read so she really cleaned up in the book department. I found a few that I thought would be inspirational.

That evening we had dinner with everyone from the Gallery. They are the nicest people on the planet. We had the best time and the food was excellent. I will definitely visit that restaurant again. After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some much needed rest before our 6 hours drive. After a well nights sleep.

Sunday morning we began our drive back to Ohio. Remember when I first told you about how crazy the drivers were in Chicago. Well, on our drive back this guy in a black VW decided he wanted to jump in front of us to get onto the express way and he cut me off. So, I had to make a sudden jerk to avoid hitting him and there we were spinning out of control on a four lane highway. We spun around about 4 times, at one point I felt the car lift up, I thought we were going to flip over. I just prayed that no one would get hurt. So when my SUV finally came to a stop we were faces oncoming traffic on the complete opposite side of the highway. I couldn't believe it. I looked around and no one was hurt and no other cars had been hit and both Nicole and I were okay. So, I thought. I need to move this car off the freeway. I tried twice and the car wouldn't start. After the second try, I realized that the car was still in drive. So, I switched the gear to park and tried it again and it worked. I managed to turn the car around an proceeded to the exit ramp. I just want everyone to know that miracles happen everyday and I know angels were looking out for Nicole and I on Sunday. Thanks be to GOD.

Speaking of angels, I wanted to tell you all about an auction that I am participating in starting Sept. 16th to help one of God littlest Angels. her name is Ava Grace. Visit the website to learn about Ava Grace's Story and come back on the 16th and place your bid on one or more of the beautiful pieces.

Thanks and have a wonderful week.

Elaine