Janis and Dave Take Illinois!

So, a lot has happened since my last post!  Since matching to the Residency that we were hoping and praying for, it has been a whirlwind of paperwork, apartment hunting, and making plans for our vacations to Canada, the Caribbean, and New York!  An interesting combination of excitement, stress, and a race against the clock to get everything accomplished!  As per usual, thank God for His hand in our lives!!

As a fun break from all we have to do, my parents came to visit us here in Illinois before the big move!  It was so much fun having them stay with us and doing lots of fun Chicagoland style activities we hadn't yet had a chance to do!  It sure is nice having some very familiar Canadian faces joining us in our little adventure!

The first full day of having my parents in Illinois, I took them to Harvest Bible Chapel to have them meet some of the amazing people that work there, as well as help out a little bit with bulletins and the usual Friday routine, including Lunch Club!  It was fun "working" with my parents and letting them see a little bit of what I have been doing here in Illinois!

We then joined Andee after he was finished with work by going to Ci Ci's pizza buffet!  We were starving, and it was a very delicious and reasonable place for lunch!  Nothing says America like a pizza buffet!  There was also a claw machine, in which Mom won the only animal!  Of course!

The next day was the highlight of our to-do list - a bus tour of Chicago with on-and-off stops, lots of photo ops, and free goodies!  It only took Andee and I a year and a half to finally visit all of the main tourist attractions in Chicago!  Highlights of the tour included a walk along the Pier, an indoor tropical paradise room, Chicago style hot dogs, free T-shirts, chocolate bars, and gelato, and a visit to the Bean!  We also learned a lot of interesting facts about Chicago on the tour, and had a lot of fun enjoying the sights with our family!  Enjoy the pictures!!

We took it a little easier the next couple of days, with some church in the morning, a walk along the beautiful apartment grounds with lake and ski-hill views, a beautiful walk in downtown Naperville, and a delicious dinner at Maggino's Italian Restaurant!  Speaking of delicious meals, we also had the privilege of eating lots of famous Chicagoland and American restaurants such as Calvers and Portillos!  We loved the burgers, fish, and Italian Beef, as well as Portillo's Chocolate Cake!!  Perfect!

The last day of my Parent's trip we visited the Brookfield Zoo!  The zoo is always one of my favourite activities, and we were not disappointed!  Leopards, tigers, lions, dolphins, bears, fish, penguins, and the most rare and beautiful, Canadian Geese!  Haha!  It was a cool but sunny day to enjoy so many of God's amazing creations!

The next day we had to say goodbye, but with the promise of reuniting in just over a month!  Andee and I are about 95% into a really nice apartment complex in Iowa, and we should be moving in late May to Waterloo!  We also have two family trips planned to look forward to, as well as a solid month in our beloved Canada!!  We are really excited for all these fun things coming up, and trusting God for all the new promises He has for us in this new location!  Praise the Lord!