thanks for visiting

After quite a busy fourth of July weekend full of visitors and time out in the sunshine, its time to attempt a little recap of the excitement.

Although I have been enjoying spending time cooking and reading and doing other solitary things, it was really great having friends come visit. The fun started with fireworks on lake Michigan (that's for you Val, and any other Kanye fans out there) on Thursday. My only complaint was that it was cold! The combination of the breeze off of the lake and the low temperatures called for a sweatshirt which seemed sacrilegious for fireworks but it turned out to be more than necessary. Friday was beach day featuring great conversation for all and a sun burnt bottom for me. Saturday was our day out on the town and we went out to one of Mari's favorite restaurants in Chinatown, shopping downtown, visiting the Taste of Chicago and going out to a beer garden in the evening.

I think my favorite part of the visit was not all of the summery Chicago things that we got to do but rather the good conversation, which sounds cheesy but is true. For me the hardest part of moving somewhere new and meeting new people is judging other people's humor and conversation styles. It just takes me a while to figure out who will appreciate my jokes etc. It was very refreshing to be around people that I know will follow even the strangest of my thought patterns (Marg). So basically, thanks for visiting!

I am already looking forward to seeing the family next weekend, the ultimate followers of my silly jokes and strange thought processes.