Last Saturday was our last day in Chicago, and it was only a partial one since Mer was catching a flight to Romania that evening. So, we decided to have a mellow, but still touristy day. We slept in, and then wandered over to Tre Kronor, a small Swedish restaurant that we were fond of when we lived in the area. They serve a good French toast, and an amazing raspberry Danish. Can a Swedish restaurant serve a Danish? Anyway, it was a good and welcome brunch.

We then wandered across the street to walk around North Park University. Mer used to work there, and it is where we got married (in the small on-campus chapel) and had our reception. The campus looks great – they have bought up several of the streets that used to protrude into campus, torn down the old library, and opened up a lot of green space that makes the campus feel more rural than it really is. As we were wandering slowly toward the chapel where we were married, a woman came out of a building and asked if we needed directions. I started to tell her we were okay, but Mer was laughing – this was a woman who had been teaching in Hungary when Mer was in Romania, and had started at North Park about the same time Mer did. The woman was not normally there on a Saturday, but she was giving tours to families of new students, and she happened to glance out the window and see Meredith. That was happy! We stood and chatted for about 15 minutes, and then Mer’s friend had to get back to work. We proceeded to the chapel, and were able to get in. I had forgotten how small it was – our wedding had about 100 people in attendance. It really is a pretty chapel, although it has been redecorated for the better since we were married.

We took our time crossing campus as we went back to Shannon and Jolene’s place. We packed everything up so that it would be ready to go, and we decided that we had time to get in one last thing that Mer wanted to do – go get cupcakes at Molly’s. Molly’s is a Chicago bakery where they specialize in cupcakes. They have dozens of varieties, most of which are “filled cupcakes” – cupcakes with a center of frosting. Brilliant idea! Anyway, we jumped on the El, headed toward downtown, and then walked the six blocks or so to Molly’s. There was no real wait, and we both got two cupcakes (I figured it might be months or years before we get back). They certainly hit the spot. My only regret was discovering that Molly’s had forks available after I had already messily eaten my cupcakes (although Mer still had one left to eat with a fork). I’ll try to remember that for next time.

We swung by Border’s on the way home so Mer could get a book she needed for school, and then got back on the El. We got home and packed up the car, and we left around 5:30 for the airport. It only took about 30 minutes to get to O’Hare, and we parked the car and went in to Terminal 5, the international terminal. I wanted to stay with Mer as long as possible, so I went with her. Mer was flying Lufthansa, but we could not find the desk for the airline. After going up and down the entire terminal, I finally asked. It turns out that Lufthansa, the German airline, flying to Romania, is not in Terminal 5, the international terminal, but in Terminal 1, a domestic terminal. As we found and looked at a map, it appeared to be the only international carrier not in Terminal 5. Live and learn! We were both happy that we had left some time for security lines, and so we jumped on the inter-terminal rail line (after just missing a train – an ongoing joke with us all through Chicago – we always seemed to just be missing the pulling-out train) and took the train to Terminal 1. Mer checked in with a minimum of trouble, and just before security, I reminded her to empty her water bottle so she would not have any fluids going through security. She dumped her water in a nearby fountain, and then we walked back to security.

I could not go any further, so we hugged, and Mer got a little misty. I did not say much, since I was trying not to cry. Mer was going to be gone ten days, which is the longest we will have ever been apart since we were married. After a long hug, Mer proceeded to the security line. She looked back a few times, and I kept waving, finally crying a little bit now that she could not see me. I’m afraid I lost her in the security line, so the last time she waved, by the time I saw and realized it was she, I did not have time to wave back.

I walked back to the train to get back to Terminal 5 and the car. I was sniffling the whole time, and rather morose, but still managed to smile as the train pulled out just as I got there. I caught the next train,and got back to the car. I found out later that Mer was snuffly through security, and then went to a bathroom for a good cry. She then ate dinner, and even had some chocolate, which she said helped some, but did not make up for me. That’s love for you!

I was going as far as Mom and Marc’s place that night, so I caught the 290 ring-road around Chicago. It was very fast, but a little stressful in that it had four toll stops in thirty minutes, all for 85 cents or less, and only two lanes on the far right of the road took cash. I crossed into Michigan, and hit some lake-related thunderstorms, but only for about twenty minutes of real hard rain.

Once I got to Bridgman where Mom and Marc live, I stopped at Subway to get a sub and some cookies. I was not feeling hungry, but I figured I should eat. I got it to go, and went to the house. When I got there, I was surprised to find Mom, Marc, Aunt Linda, Uncle Kenny, and two other people up and talking over glasses of wine. I’m afraid I was not in a conversational mood. I hope I did not come across as rude, but I pretty much ate my food, which I was now grateful for as I got very hungry while eating it, then I went downstairs to check on Mer’s flight. She had arrived in Munich, so that was good. I e-mailed her, and while I was doing this, everyone went to bed. When I went back upstairs to try to be sociable, everyone was asleep and the lights were out. So, I followed suit. I went to bed. Because of the time difference with Romania, I knew that I would not hear from Meredith until Sunday around noon, so I would have to wait until I got home before I heard from her.

All in all, the Chicago trip was a great success. We saw a lot, and had a good time.