Some of you are aware that my wife, Linda and I flew to Chicago recently. You may be wondering why two Floridians would choose to visit the Windy City during the winter? Well, as much as I enjoy spending time outdoors, there are very few reasons I would subject myself to freezing temperatures. As it turns out, Linda and I flew to Chicago to be there for our daughter Rebekah’s engagement.
Rebekah and her now fiancé Luke have been dating for almost two years. Kudos to Luke for starting 2020 with a surprise!
Chicago is very special to Rebekah and Luke. They first explored the city last summer and especially enjoyed sightseeing. One of their favorite experiences was taking in the Bean. For those of you who haven’t visited the Windy City, the Bean, technically named Cloud Gate, is a large metallic bean shaped sculpture. It is located in downtown Chicago and people flock to it for photos. Did I mention that the Bean is not housed indoors? Linda and I were joking that it might be frozen when we got there.
When Luke asked for Linda and my permission to marry Rebekah, he knew right away that he would like to propose at the Bean. We were thrilled when he asked us to come along not only to witness the proposal, but also to help surprise Rebekah. Linda convinced Rebekah that she wanted to take a “girls’ trip” to Chicago, but what Rebekah didn’t know was that Luke and I would be crashing this trip and she would soon have an engagement ring on her finger.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I believe relationships are so important. And when it comes to health, I truly believe that fostering relationships positively impacts each of our lives. For the past 27 years, Linda and I have been there to see Rebekah grow into the young woman she is today. Our family is incredibly close. Linda and I are thankful to share these types of milestones with Rebekah and our son Daniel.
In the weeks leading up to this trip, I was not looking forward to dealing with Chicago weather. But the weather cooperated and we had a wonderful time celebrating Rebekah and Luke. In addition to seeing the Bean, we rode bikes all around the city, visited the Shedd Aquarium, and rode to the Lincoln Park Zoo along Lake Michigan. I definitely recommend visiting all these sites. We rented bikes for 24 hours one time and road along Lake Michigan from Grant Park to the Aquarium area, to the zoo and back to Navy Pier. The four of us also attended a live showing of “Mean Girls." Fitting, for a disguised “girls’ trip,” am I right? We road bikes to the performance. Linda and I walked around Navy Pier and then walked back to Grant Park and our hotel. Between Friday and Monday, we walked between 15,000 and 20,000 steps daily. The exercise helped me keep my weight gain down and I have now lost all the weight I gained over the holidays. I guess I brought that rocket ship in for a landing.
My Fitbit was really put to work during this trip. Although it was technically a vacation since I was away from work for a few days, it wasn’t a time to just lounge around. And yes, I did enjoy a Chicago deep dish pizza and other great food. Again, it really helped to walk and bike around a lot, so I was still able burn some calories and get my steps in! Balance is important.
All in all, the engagement went flawlessly, and our family is so excited for Rebekah and Luke to begin this next chapter of their lives together.
Below are several photos from our trip.
Thanks for reading!
Thomas D. Marks, Esquire
|
|
|
|
