Home at Last!

I hear that my adoring fans want to know the rest of the story.  Did I make it to Chicago?  Am I trapped somewhere between Bloomington and Evanston in perpetuity?  Rest assured, gentle reader, we are here, settling in to our own apartment and into urban life.

First, let it be said, that Jay did an amazing job of unpacking.  The kitchen was completely unpacked when we got here including the tricky drawers (baking, Tupperware, and candles), the furniture was all in the correct rooms, and all the beds were made.  Even so, with my in-laws coming on Wednesday, there has been plenty for me to do.  Particularly since as soon as we came Jay’s run of work-free weekends was over and he ended up working past midnight both Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday we ordered a real Chicago-style pizza.  I should have taken a picture, but you probably wouldn’t believe it.  Zachary’s does what it can, but the amount of cheese, butter, and over-all cholesterol levels are WAY OFF.  Needless to say, this was a wonderful, but only sometimes treat. 

Sunday John and I dropped Jay off at the office in the loop and I faced my first Chicago driving dilemma.  Some of you may know that I never actually drove in Chicago when I lived here in graduate school.  This was not because I didn’t have a car.  It was because I didn’t have LICENSE.  Jay taught me how to drive in California.

So here I am in downtown Chicago trying to follow GPS instructions on five-lane, one-way, three-tiered (that’s right, upper, lower, and other?) streets.  By the time John and I got to Lake Shore Drive I was so relieved without thinking I looked at the lake, and (thinking San Francisco Bay) decided to go LEFT for South rather than RIGHT.  “Mama!!” John shouts frantically, “You are going the wrong way!”  A quick loop around Navy Pier (Hello WBEZ!) and we’re back on track, and to church 10 minutes late.

Ah to come to church 10 minutes late – I can hardly even imagine it still.  Given the texts, and the holiday (Christ the King) I think I would have preached on the gatherings nation-wide this week to celebrate the story of one who came to his people, marked as a savior, yet who gave up his life to destroy evil and save them all.  You know who I’m talking about – Harry Potter of course!  Maybe it was good that Pr. Elizabeth Palmer was preaching and not me….

Pr. John Gorder, Augustana’s senior pastor and my mentor, and his wife, Gordeen, invited the Hines-Shahs over for a lunch party.  Invited were all the University of Chicago interns that have served under Pr. Gorder’s supervision over the last 11 years (I was the first).  We ate well and had a great visit.

After lunch John and I went to our first Chicago Target.  In case you are wondering, the only major difference between Bay Area Targets and Chicago Targets is that Chicago Targets carry a lot more sports branded clothing.  This would be the first of many Target runs, as we needed new shower curtains, school supplies, light bulbs, paper towels, etc.

The next day John and I brave the Whole Foods and Jewel grocery stores and, after driving incident-free over 2000 miles, managed to knick BOTH of my side view mirrors getting out of (left) and into (right) our new garage.  Jay says he’s so glad we’re here he doesn’t care if I knock them off completely.  It may be coming in the next couple days.

I also got John enrolled in school.  There were no issues at all, in fact, the secretary volunteered that he could start on Tuesday.  John was elated.  But then, thinking it over, since the Thanksgiving Holiday starts Wednesday, we decided to wait until next week.  I’m sure the disappointment will quickly abate when Grandma and Grandpa get here.

The weather has been very strange.  Yesterday it was 70 degrees, today it was 30 – the coldest it’s been in Chicago since February.  We hardly notice because with steam heat the apartment is positively balmy during the day.  I actually leave the back door open in the kitchen when I’m cooking even with the cold.

We have all our groceries, so I think we’re set for Thanksgiving.  After a little more unpacking, we’ll be ready for company too.  The apartment is very spacious – bigger than our house in Berkeley.  I’m still figuring out how to fill all the kitchen cabinets, what to do with all the closets, and how to furnish our sunroom.  I’m sure in the next few days it will all come together.

Your letters have been arriving (thank you!).  John has been thrilled to have so much mail – we’ve pinned the kids’ drawings up in our kitchen.  It helps to make Chicago feel more like home. 

We miss you and will post pictures soon.