Beauty From Above

Putting our weary selves back on a bus felt good, and I thanked God we all found seats. Those who got on at later stops had to stand crammed together like sardines. We had a nice view of Lake Michigan as we traveled north to Union Station. One of the boys thought we were driving by an ocean. :) Can you tell we're from the Midwest?

the view from the sidewalk...

Our next adventure was to the top of the city. At Kaleb's request, we rode the 60 second elevator ride to the top of the Sears Tower. Officially called the Willis Tower, but to me it will forever be the Sears Tower! We couldn't have asked for a better view. Lines were minimal, and we spent a looong time at 1,450 feet above the city. It was actually relaxing to me after the noise and frenzy of the museum.

Besides the new name, the building also has some new windows. Glass boxes jut out from the building, giving you the feeling of walking on air. My stomach flip-flops when I climb our attic ladder, so I didn't know how I'd feel stepping out into this clear box. Looking down and out over the city felt fine, but looking back at the tower was freaky! The kids loved it and bragged about having no fear. Kaleb couldn't wait to show our pictures to his teacher, since he's convinced she wouldn't be brave like he was. :)

the very sunny view from above!

Kaleb's favorite thing to watch from the skydeck? A barge traveling down the river. Umm, we could have seen that from the bridge...for free. But he was happy, so I pointed out landmarks to whoever else would listen. :) Braylen bought a souvenir at the gift shop and we set out to find somewhere to eat supper. Craving some good pizza, I was overjoyed to see Giordano's across the street. My family would have been content with McDonald's, but not me. We watched some basketball and ate all the yummy pizza we wanted.

It was kind of sad to walk back to the train station that evening. Our adventure in the city had come to an end. But we had so much fun, and I wouldn't change a thing. That's a good way to end the day, isn't it? Grabbing some donuts and coffee from Dunkin' Donuts made it even better. :) As my mom pointed out on our way home from the train station that night, we'd traveled by car, train, and bus. All we were missing was the airplane! Standing above the city can count for our "airplane" experience that day. Who knew God would give us a warm and sunny March day in Chicago? What a gift. Especially since we drove home on Saturday in the snow. Back to reality, back to responsibilities, but filled with great memories!