Journey to the Bean!

Saturday was such a fun day! My husband & I had about 5 hours to kill in Chicago. He asked me what I wanted to do. I knew shopping wouldn't be high on his list, so I suggested the Bean. Mind you, I had just completed 3 days of radiation, was struggling with a rash, & not quite sure of my capabilities.

It was early in the morning, like 7am. The weather was cloudy but nice, not too windy, & not rainy. Wow, we lucked out! We didn't really know what we were doing. We parked in a parking garage, & began our journey. I wish I knew how far we walked. I have no idea. I can tell you we walked for about  2 hours or more.  We made a few stops along the way. I got my double chocolate donut at Duncan Donuts, & he got his vanilla long john. We watched the people while we indulged in our guilty pleasure.

We continued on our quest. We read directories, & asked a few questions (of course, that was against the rules). We took a few wrong turns. We had to buy bandaids as blisters were forming on my heels. I was wearing out, but not about to give up! We had to reach our destination...

We laughed along the way at our own silly jokes. I think we were both stunned that I was putting one foot in front of the other. By the end, he was carrying my purse, but I was still traipsing along side of him. Finally, we reach the Cloud Gate (also known as the Bean). What photo opportunities for me! I was on a roll, enjoying every flash of my camera.

We then did the unthinkable; we decided to walk back to our parking garage. I now had double bandaids on my feet. My eyes were burning from all the fresh air. The tulips were in full bloom everywhere. I was beside my self with joy! I was shocked that I was still tracking. I was afraid my legs & my body would regret our fun. Honestly, I was scared, but I wasn't about to trade one moment of fun in for a tired body.

That night as I crawled into bed, I popped a few tylenol & said my prayers. I have a few worries on the horizon (things I'd just as soon forget). At Christmas, I had asked my family to take me to Chicago. They all felt terrible, but they just did not think it would be good for me. As I said my prayers, I felt like my Christmas came late, but the tulips were truly as pretty as the twinkly Christmas lights.