Blogs from Illinois, United States, North America - page 146

Well I got my visa. It was surprisingly easy. I decided that consulates are very good representations of countries. The Chinese consulate in New York was large and had marble and granite as the main construction material. The French consulate in Chicago was naturally smaller than New York, but it also had a whole different feel to it. Still bureaucratic, but with more opportunities to interact with the officials. And the decorations were more plush, modern and vibrant than the Chinese consulate. And there was almost nobody there. I was very surprised. Overall it was a good day. Mom and I got there at 9am and were out by 9:30am. Then we walked over to Marshall Field's to pay our last respects, and were lucky enough to eat breakfast at the Walnut Room, without much wait. ... read more

This is the first entry into our Costa Rica Journal and this one should prove to be a scorcher seeing as we don't actually leave for another three weeks or so. As I write, Elise is researching options for the first leg of our Costa Rican Journey - which thankfully has nothing to do with Steve Perry (the Chicago White Sox should learn from our example). At this point we have our flights arranged which will actually start from Cleveland, and allow us a few extra days to bookend our trip with a stay in the Windy Ci... I mean the Big Ap..., um, the Motor Ci...crap, does Cleveland have a nickname? I guess we'll just refer to it as "Elise's Home Town." Anyway, we're going and coming back through Cleveland and will undoubtedly spend lots ... read more

So I just wanted to send out a "test" blog to see if it was working and if your reading this then it means that it is! I finished all the last minute packing today. Got the phone card, my sea band bracelets (good thinking Sus & Kristen!), snacks for the plane, etc. I can't believe that it's come so quick, and I know the trip is going to go by even faster. I am very excited to get out of the cold weather but just I am just as nervous about leaving as I am excited. I won't go through all the reasons - no need to make it worse, but I did just realize that I am flying back home on Friday the 13th - uh oh! But it's all superstitions....right :/ Anyway, I ... read more

We're off to the airport for an evening departure. We fly into Paris and arrive early Wednesday morning. We'll rent a mini-van and head toward Rouen before moving on to our house in Normandy. Here's a photo of Mark going over a gear check with the family before leaving the house.... read more

The first stage of our journey has begun. We're in Chicago now, the Windy City, that is living up to it's name tonight. It feels like winter began this afternoon. After a long night of thunderstorms in East Lansing, the morning was warm and pleasant. Leaving work though, the temperature had dropped about 20 degrees. With the newly cold weather and the Legislature in marathon sessions the rest of this week, I couldn't have picked a better time to take off. It was nice to drive into Chicago tonight and see the city all it up. This is the first time I have ever driven in at night. Gary looks scary but Chicago is much more elegant at night. Well, I think we are going to make this a relaxing evening before we head to the ... read more