Tuesday, June 2, 2009

the WINDY city (key word: WINDY)













here are LOTS of photos (i try to give the readers what they really want!) and if you keep up the good comments we will be posting LOTS more photos... we will do ALMOST anything for comments.... we might even get up early again.... might....

hey, did you know that today is grady and june's anniversary (featured in photo above as the unibomber couple)? they argued all day whether it was 8 or 9 years... and tonight they celebrated (either 8 or 9 years of wedded bliss) with a cruise along the chicago river with 60 of their favorite church friends and then a lovely little dinner at a diner... oh, and separate rooms too. no rooms for couples at moody Bible institute. how romantic... that grady really knows how to treat a gal...

did i mention in my previous post that it was chilly and windy? let me clarify that for you.... IT IS FREEZING and there is a NOR'EASTERLY WIND that is going to pick up and carry away some of our skinny middle schoolers.... andrew stahl it was so nice knowing you....

but we huddled together on the cruise and it was O'mazing.... this is a beautiful city and the kids were very impressed with all of the architecture. no one even mentioned that it reminded them of tallahassee..

then onto dinner at ed debevics. it is an old fashioned diner where the waiters insult all of the customers. my children said it was just like dinner at my house. john isaacs had the HUGEST hotdog that i had ever seen. and i had the "world's smallest sundae" for dessert. thank you matt nichols for taking that photo of me so i can be in ONE picture from this whole trip...

though NO ONE was surprised when our waiter referred to becky liner as "ms. high maintenance". guess her reputation precedes her even this far north.....

we had a little song for samuel mason's 16th birthday, which is TOMORROW! whoo hoo. hope he is ready to drive.... the bus home.

we are back at moody for showers and a prayer time (those are occurring at a separate location and time period) and then BEDTIME. 

true funny moments (as opposed to the made up funny moments of which there are none because with this group WHO NEEDS TO MAKE UP STUFF??????)....

*last night in the hotel, one of the girls' rooms opened their $4.00 water bottle offered in the room and when they realized that it cost money they REFILLED the bottle thinking that would save them the cost.... we told them that wouldn't help and we paid the fee for them (we are all about grace here people and the little teachable moments).

*and another girl (someone NEAR and DEAR to this blogger's heart) looked in the mirror yesterday and saw herself wearing her "forget myself" shirt and exclaimed, "oh my! the writing on my shirt is backwards!!!!!!!!!!!!" she gets that from her father....

oh and since SO many of you asked about col. sanders featured in the photos from earlier today... i will never tell.... until i get 20 comments on ONE post... then i will sing like a canary...

good night, God bless and may He sing all of our little angels to sleep tonight... like RIGHT NOW...

18 comments:

  1. Did John eat the whole hot dog and all the fries? I hope somebody gave him some TUMS if he did.

    Sheek says "hello".

    Susan Isaacs

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  2. And you thought it was called the Windy City because...? Could it be for the same reason Tally is called the Capital City?! Because it's WINDY?!

    LOVE your blogging and the photos; makes me feel like I'm there with you... only without the early wake-up calls, riding on a bus, middle schoolers, fast food and terminal tiredness. Other than that, just like I'm there!!!

    Erin's D.O.D.

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  3. Your blog is my first computer stop of the day...and that's early! I hope you are all still blissfully asleep at 5:45 a.m. Thanks for sharing your trip and making us laugh...and thanks for the wonderful photos. You have many fans back home following your trip. I hope my comment will be one of many today so we might find out who Col. BucketHead is!? :-) Linda

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  4. I am drawn in like a fire fly...checking your blog first thing in the morning, during the day at work and before I go to bed at night just so I can see what exciting adventure ya'll are on. Thank you for all of the pictures, they are excellent. Thanks for the all the laughs. Happy Anniversary to Grady and June! Happy Birthdat Samuel! Hugs to my Becca and may the Lord bless your deeds and fun today.

    Keep having so much fun--ALL OF YOU!!

    Thanks Lea

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  5. OH yeah, almost forgot, Col. Sanders--gotta love 'em!! I don't even have good guess who it is but can't wait to find out!

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  6. Love the photos and blog. I am sure Matthew was thrilled to get to use your camera. He wants to return next year as a chaperone and your backup photographer (should something unexpectedly happen to you!).
    I love the photo of Alison, Abby, and Sabrina. I hope these go up on your gallery one day so I can order some!
    Have fun today, Looks to be busy. Keep taking photos and writing! thanks again. Jill N.

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  7. JUST TO SAY - Thank you for getting pictures and text before going to bed. Ready - start with 1 - Colonel Sanders? Lea - YOU ARE FAMOUS! Colonel Sanders? Thank you for the precious picture of Megan. Cutie!!!! Colonel Sanders has great wristbands - a new super hero. Thank you to the girl who shared the jacket to keep her warm. Colonel Sanders? Grady and June look adorable of course-Happy 8 or 9 - your pick! Are we getting close to 20 yet? Loved seeing you in a picture with sheer delight over the sundae. Have I asked - Colonel Sanders? Happy Birthday Samuel! Colonel Sanders? My prayers continue for the crew in the Windy City. Colonel Buckhead? "O'mazing" - Harpo productions. I'm not getting to 20 comments on one post - have some mercy! Have a blessed day as you sing, reflect, and play.

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  8. Lee, thanks you for keeping us posted on all of the activities. Your pictures are great but I need more pictures of the Masons! How about one of Tina trying to help those 6th grade boys and setting off the alarm? Today is a great day in the life of the Masons (and the Creasmans) as we celbrate Samuel's birth.

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  9. Be sure to get your beautiful self in front of the camera more than once!

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  10. I just realized that I have been misspelling Lea's name. Sorry about that, Lea. Keep up the good work and I will spell your name correctly from here on out. Maybe I should be writing to Erin - I know how to spell that.

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  11. Lea, I just noticed something incriminating! Your blog clock indicates that my comments were made at 4:29 am and 5:14 am respectively this morning. While I do get up early, there is no way that I would be blogging at 4:30 am. I think you must have set this back just so everyone would feel sorry for you(?) or think that you are so very dedicated to the task?????????? All of the comments regarding how early you guys got up would be suspicious if I did not have a copy of the schedule.

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  12. Looks like everyone is having so much fun. Reading the blog and seeing your great pictures has been a blessing since I don't hear from my son. At least when I see a picture of him I know he is fine. I also miss him everytime I go by Kentucky Fried Chicken now for some reason! :)

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  13. Oops I signed my comment incorrectly. The previous comment was from me. So does this count as part of the 20?

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  14. I'm commenting
    a) to say that the wind you refer to reminds me much of a day of biking by Lake Erie and feeling like I was going to leave the ground in my oversized rain coat the year we biked to Niagra Falls
    and
    b) I wanna contribute to the 20 comments to find out who Col Sanders was.

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  15. Well..... we know it's not Todd! LOL!

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  16. Are you all Freezing???!!! Lea, we are enjoying your pictures so much. Have fun.

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  17. All those blog entries, all those pictures, all those comments....

    ...and still no indication that the choir director even made the trip?

    Still looking for 20 comments - come on, people!

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  18. Love this blog and keeping up with the mission trip, since I can't be there! Am sending a Starbucks to Lea at Moody for tomorrow morning.
    Steve Liner

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