chicago and becks

The family just got back from a memorable weekend in Chicago. Saturday morning we drove down with Nora's Grandma to visit Nora's uncle and aunt. They were kind enough to offer us two of their tickets to see the Chicago Fire close out their football season, which also happened to be the weekend that David Beckham was in town with the LA Galaxy. A Fire win would result in them making the playoffs, so there was extra drama on the line. The game was sold out at the new stadium, Toyota Park. In the second picture you can see the blurry figure in the middle is Beckham. The score stayed 0-0 until the 92nd minute when a Beckham mistake resulted in a turnover and a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and chip-shot win for the Fire! GOAL!


But aside from the drama of the game, the real fun of the weekend was spending time with great friends and family. We were able to visit Brian and Kendra in Oak Park and meet their new little son, Maximus. Holding a little boy again brought back great memories of how small Levi was just a over a year ago. I hope we didn't scare them too much, seeing how quickly their kid is going to be terrorizing cats, reaching for books and typing on keyboards.

Things don't get much better than eating dinner outside on a sunny October day. Levi found some balls and a truck waiting for him when we arrived, so the back yard became his favorite place too. We also got to see Nora's cousin Dylan, who came out to visit on Saturday.


Driving home on Sunday night, Nora and I said to each other, "It feels like we've been gone for a long weekend." That's a good indicator of how great the hospitality and company was.

community sayings (part 2)

"If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth." - Mitsugi Saotome

Community is far from harmonious, so I like the the little phrase in this quote, "the joy of challenge". In my experience, it is difficult to find joy in the challenge unless there is a greater purpose, achievement or something to lose. To realize that finding joy in community is going to be an ongoing challenge, makes the reaching for it less annoying and more fulfilling.