Israel Trip: Layover in Chicago

Ben and I had mapped out a course to run our long run for the week in the cool weather and on flat roads in Chicago.  It was meant for us to get a run in before our trip started and to tire us out before our long Friday flight, so we could sleep on the plane.  When our flight was changed to Saturday, we decided to go ahead and stick to our plan anyway. 

I *LOVE* running in Chicago.  I made it 4.5 miles, but Ben finished a full 7 miles! 

We spent the rest of the morning on the back patio with Daddy and Sean, and playing with the dogs.  Sean got a schnauzer puppy named Duke the week before, and Roxy (Kelly's big lab/pit bull mix) was there to play too.

Even I fell victim to Duke's cuteness:

We made the most of our one-day layover in my favorite city, and had some deep dish pizza at Giordano's for lunch with Daddy, Sean & Kelly.

Then we borrowed a car and headed downtown for the day.  Ben usually misses all our downtown fun while I'm in Chicago with the kids, so I gave him a quick walking tour (on some tired legs) of some of our favorite spots, starting with the beach and bike trails along Lake Michigan.

We stopped in at Lurie Children's Hospital for a visit and tour with Jan (she was working all day), and sent a picture to the kids of Ben inside the Fire Truck in the hospital that they like so much!

Since we had no kids in tow, we took the opportunity to check out the Museum of Contemporary Art across the street from the hospital.

I won't lie. Contemporary art is kinda strange.

We grabbed a snack at Water Tower Place and then walked back along the lake and admired my favorite skyline from the pier at North Avenue Beach.

The sunset, the skyline, and volleyball -- all in the same view??? I almost forgot we missed a day in Israel.

On our way back to Daddy's house, we picked Jan up from work and stopped at Portillo's for dinner. 

The next morning, with our flights booked and confirmed, we relaxed on the back porch with the Nokes family and had Papa Chris' for lunch with Jake, Marisa, Isa & Ani before heading to the airport to FINALLY get started on our Israel trip.

Israel Trip Wrap-Up:

1. Israel Trip: Getting Ready to Go
2. Israel Trip: Layover in Chicago
3. Israel Trip: Traveling Across the World
4. Israel Trip: Jerusalem - The Old City
5. Israel Trip: Bethlehem & West Bank
6. Israel Trip: Yad Vashem & Ben Yehuda Street
7. Israel Trip: An Israeli Wedding
8. Israel Trip: Mount of Olives
9. Israel Trip: City of David
10. Israel Trip: Sea of Galillee
11. Israel Trip: Kibbutz, Gaza & Shabbat
12. Israel Trip: Dead Sea & Ein Gedi
13. Israel Trip: The Food