over the weekend we were able to spend time with our friends sal, renata and mirko from yvr. mirko was keen to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo (a free zoo right in the middle of chicago, apparently established in 1868!) which seemed like a great idea.

we were quite impressed; we saw rhinos and bears and penguins and merkats and more…

the lions were amazing, especially when we heard one roar!

this is a good story. a couple of months ago, my mom received a call from a stranger. the woman on the line explained that she had a box of photos belonging to our family. confused but curious, my mom went to pick it up and was shocked to find it filled with photos which our family had been missing for the last FIFTEEN years! we had lost a variety of important albums, including my parents’ wedding photos and my mom’s old black and white photos from childhood. this woman had found the box in her sister’s basement after her sister had passed away. in fact, she had been holding on to this box for half a year trying to find our family and didn’t let her husband throw it away because she recognized its value. our guess is that the box was left behind in a moving truck years ago and somehow ended up in this stranger’s basement. we’re amazed by this small miracle and touched by this random act of kindness. now if only i could find my childhood rock collection…

things have been busy with work and school. one night, too tired to cook, we found our way to “dixie kitchen” a small neighborhood restaurant. i’ve always wondered what fried green tomatoes were, so we couldn’t resist when we saw it on the appetizer menu.

they were… interesting. kind of firm and sour on the inside, with fried corn meal on the outside. not sure i would want to order it again, but at least now i know.

our church held an overnight retreat in ‘Sunshine Cove’, Michigan. although the time was short, it was a nice break from the city.

we played…

we learned…

and we relaxed.

last week i spent a day in yaletown with liz, julie and stella. stella was particularly excited with the shopping and doggie treats.

nice bag. what a lucky dog.