Family Central

It is family central at the Medill. Within a series of 10 days, we've got four families popping in and out of the Medill in Chicago. (Now quick forewarning- because we never take pictures when we should, only the picture of Mark and Trinity is from the past two weeks. The other pictures are random within the past year. But at least there are pics!)

First, the lovely Majorins family of four enjoyed our Guest Room (that we set up with a pack n' play and toddler bed). They trekked from foggy Oakland and landed in steamy Chicago, exhausted and ready for a good Midwest meal. As we prepared dinner, two year old Trinity wandered through our house saying "What's that?", "Let's go upstairs!", and "Why is that door stuck?". It was really fun to watch Trinity explore her new surroundings and try to make sense of it all. Finally we sat down for grilled bbq pork chops, roasted rosemary potatos, corn bread salad, and chocolate stout cake with a Bailey's ganache, and enjoyed a great night of conversation with lovely Sarah and Phil. Ahh, it was great!

Then we had the Main DeLews over for dinner (slight clarification- although we're the New DeLews, we can't really call Mark's parents the Old DeLews because they are quite spry and not old at all. So for this purpose, they will be called the Main DeLews). They made the lovely train ride from Wheaton to Chicago, enduring through the 93 degree heat/humidity, and graciously suffered through the lack of A/C at the Medill. But with a meal of almond-crusted grilled salmon with caramelized onions, garlic potato salad, mediterranean salad, and ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce, I think we all ended up ok. So thanks for coming, Main DeLews!

For the past 5 days, Papa and Mama George have been visiting the New DeLews, doing apartment projects and eating a lot of good food. A few of our feasts included- Mediterranean Chicken Salad, pan-seared tilapia with arugula pesto, lemon parmesan risotto, grilled turkey burgers, sweet potato fries, homemade fresh tuna salad, blueberry muffins, and oh so many other things. We also went out to Ciao pizzeria- a new pizza place in Logan Square. In fact, we loved it so much, that we went twice! It was so fun to have my parents in town, experiencing our Chicago life a bit and also interacting as two couples. It's a cool shift in the parent-child relationship. Some of our activities included- playing pick up stix, Chicago Architecture boat tour, watching a foreign film, tango dancing in the park, shopping, and experiencing the craziness that is July 4th in Chicago. Oh man, it felt like we were in a war zone with all the illegal fireworks going off in our neighborhood.

And tonight, the lovely Carpenters are coming over for dinner! They've been doing a midwest tour, and we are so excited to see them because they have played a really important role in our lives as the New DeLews. Now we may be recycling one of the meals mentioned above, but hey, it was so good, why not?

Being with our family members and other close friends reminds us that the New DeLews are not alone in this world. We are who we are because of our communities. And I am so thankful for who God has placed in our lives. The past few weeks have reminded me of that over and over again.