Chicago is a great place to take a vacation

Ben is goofy and Daniel tries not to laugh.

Sarah is on the left with my buds Ben and Daniel.

Ben and Daniel lounge around during the Lord of the

Rings marathon.

Michael, on the left, now lives with his sister and works

in construction. Daniel and Ben join him for a bros photo shoot.

Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s even more special when I get to go there to spend time with friends.

It all started during my senior year at Moody Bible Institute in 2000-2001. I was a layout editor for the Moody Student newspaper staff and Mark was the photo editor that year. As the school year was ending, I was looking for a place to live while I did my Communications internship that summer. Mark said I could stay with his family on the north side of Chicago. It turned out to be a great way to close out my college days in Chicago.

In their house not far from Wrigley Field, Dave, Chris and their four children, ages 5 to 13, sacrificed some space to give me a place to call “home” that summer. Mark, who graduated with me, was gone most of the summer. When I wasn’t working at SportMart or doing my internship at US99 in the John Hancock Tower, I spent time playing baseball with Michael, Daniel and Ben, and sometimes Dave. At other times, all of us just hung out at the house. I really felt a part of the family during those three months.

I have been back a couple times since but this last weekend I had visited the family in at least four years. Today, “little” Sarah is still flitting around but she’s 12 now. Ben is 15 and Daniel 17. Eighteen-year-old Michael now lives with his older sister Becky not far away. Mark, who was not in Chicago for Thanksgiving, lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with his wife Amy and child.

I enjoyed seeing their family photos and videos Friday. Saturday, we slept in, and then raked leaves (which only took about 10 minutes!). Then, we left for Michael and Becky’s apartment for a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. Unfortunately, I had to leave about halfway through to go home, but I did get through the newest abridged edition of Beowulf while I was there.

It was a very short visit but one I will treasure dearly for a long time. It was nice to relax and renew friendships. I’m already thinking about when I might to be able to visit again.