I think I have a new love! At my age, it is exhilarating to fall in love with something new. I feel like a school girl with a crush. Chicago is my new favorite city. It was supposed to be yucky the whole time we were there but instead, I believe, we got the last gasp of beautiful Fall weather. The apartment was just like the brownstone that Meg Ryan bopped down the stairs in the movie "You've Got Mail." The streets were tree lined and unencumbered with people. Around the corner and down a few blocks, the situation was entirely different. I found myself on crowded sidewalks, sandwiched between tall buildings. The fabulous shopping goes without saying and the restaurants were endless. Somehow, at mealtime, we found ourselves at several "Chicago institutions." You can never go wrong with great Itallian food and a good burger.

But when it was all said and done, it's like the commercial says, the lake ... stunning, the food ... scrumptious, my girlfriends ... priceless!

CD

I love band contests. I don't like to sit there and freeze but it is the nature of the beast to be cold while you watch endless horns and flags march about on semi frozen tundra in October. Who knew when we picked our town 17 years ago that it would have such a kick #*& band program. I sat in the shuttle bus listening to a woman sing the accolades of one of my son's. Evidently he was not only very smart and very talented musically but he was also a very nice guy. She had a story about him racing after her daughter at a District competition when she rushed from the classroom after a perceived poor tryout performance. Nothing warms a mother's heart than to hear about a kindness that a child exhibits. I'd shuck all the honor rolls and scholarships for a story like this one, any day.

CD

Well...I am definitely not a writer, I would much rather doodle, but Caroline says I must write, so here I go...
It's saturday and my 3rd one on my own. Basically, I'm thinking in bullet points: Went for coffee this morning with my sweet friend Joy and caught up on life for her. It was great to see her. Went to work for a few hours and stayed busy. It's nice to feel appreciated and needed. Now I'm at home and Joe wants me to take him to the store - he wants a charger for his camera. So I'm off doing the Mom shuttle thing.

Kim is a very cool girl who is running around trying to raise support so she can go on staff with CCC. She is also the ex-girlfriend of my oldest son and the boy down the street. I love Kim because she is fun and very full of life. You have to be pretty spunky to be the mascot of both your High School and College teams.

She is coming over to watch a movie and grab dinner as well. I am hoping she will choose Callendar Girls but I will let her pick among a carefully selected few. I actually cooked something for her because I am not sure that she is eating well where she lives. Of course, my daughter can benefit by this as well.

Dinner is ready and she is late.

Hi Carol