Holiday Fun

We had an absolutely fabulous Thanksgiving filled with friends, both new and old, and delicious food. Since it was our first turkey to cook by ourselves, we were a little nervous about how it would turn out. Travis did a fantastic job! With a little help from family members, he pulled out a succulent bird. I got a little caught up in all the festivities and forgot to take pictures. But take it from me everyone had a great time and made sure to go back for seconds.

Kim stayed with us through Monday which meant extra days of fun. Friday Kim and I went tooling around the Lake Forest area. They apparently were having their tree lighting celebration when we went. We watched a man create ice sculptures (once again I forgot my camera). We also got free samples of roasted chesnuts which neither of us had ever had. If you haven't tried them you are not missing out on anything. We both agreed they were not our favorite. I think it was the texture that got us. They look like a nut but are very soft, almost bread-like. That evening we went to see the movie The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Wow--all I have to say.

On Saturday the three of us ventured out to downtown. We hopped on the CTA (more commonly known as the "L"). It was our first time to be on the L. I felt like I was in the movie the Fugitive. I did remember my camera this time and took a lovely shot of Travis:

Our main objective downtown was to visit the special German Christmas Market. Before we made our way there we stumpled on Millinium Park and grabbed a few quick photos:



In the last photo I took a picture of our reflection in "the bean". If you look close you can see the three of us.

At the Christmas market we got some delicious bratwursts and hot chocolate. The market was fun but a little crowded. We also ended up finding the huge Macy's downtown. We were all overwhelmed by the size: nine floors full of merchandise. Here is a picture looking down from the 6th floor I think:


On Sunday night it began snowing. I think Kim and I both agreed that the best part about the snow was watching Travis. Every few minutes we would look out the window to see if it was still snowing. I wish I had taken a picture of it. By Monday morning there was a nice blanket of snow on the ground, and it was still falling. I never heard the actual amount but I would guess 2 inches, maybe 3. Here is a picture from our apartment:

The snow is almost all melted by now, but we are expected to get more today and on Saturday. It truly feels like it is Christmas!