Busy Day

Greetings from Chicago! We've been up since 4:15 a.m. today, and have been on the go since then. We flew out of Omaha basically on time at 6:20 and arrived in Chicago shortly after 7:30. We got to see the sunrise from a whole new view, and will take that as a sign that the sun is definitely shining on us.

I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about traveling with Brian and dealing with his physical limitations. It is very different than putting him in the van and driving somewhere. I knew things would go well, as those we encountered today deal with people who need extra help on a daily basis. For us, it is still new, and we are still trying to get used to it all. Southwest was very accommodating, and we even made it on and off the L with ease, aside from a few extra sets of stairs Brian had to tackle.

We are here with my cousin John, and his wife Maureen. She is running in the Chicago marathon with her friend, who was also on our flight with her husband. They have been so great to help us get all of our luggage to the hotel, and get around with ease. After a nice breakfast at the Grand Lux Cafe (Brian had 3 eggs, 4 pieces of bacon, hashbrowns, 3 blueberry pancakes and toast...appetite still good!), we hit the Signature Room at the John Hancock Bldg. What an amazing view! Then we went one floor down to the Observatory (see picture above), for another breathtaking view. The lake looked simply beautiful. After walking around Navy Pier, we took an afternoon architectural river tour of the city, and really enjoyed ourselves. It was easily 85 degrees here, and we were really wishing for a breeze off the lake!

By then, Brian was beat. (nevermind that I pushed him nearly everywhere) John and Maureen helped out with the wheelchair navigation, and by the time we got back to the hotel, we were both too tired to go to dinner. Brian is really battling pain in the back of his left leg. This part of his leg has always been hard as a rock, following the surgery and radiation in 2005, but it seems to really be acting up now. He was just done riding in the wheelchair for the day, so we ordered a pizza, while the rest of our group went out for pasta (marathon carbs!)

It has been a nice, quiet evening together. Brian was happy to get settled in time to watch the Missouri/Nebraska game...go Tigers!

We have another busy day tomorrow, starting early with catching the marathon running past our hotel. Then we'll meet up with Team Melanoma at the charity mile (mile 15). Hopefully, we can make it to the finish line and not get caught in the mess of 45,000 runners (yes, five digits), in order to see Maureen. We have 2pm tickets to Wicked, so we're not sure how that will work out, but it should be fine is she runs a 6 minute mile...no pressure! They don't have a time to beat, and are instead focused on enjoying themselves and not getting lost from each other...and hopefully not overheating in this unseasonably warm weather!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend too,
Jenni