The wonders of Chicago unleashed.

Curt and I are busy people. We have no time to spare, this is no joke. Despite this, we were able to set an entire day aside for THE TEMPLE. yaaaay. our favorite. It took a daunting 3 hours to get there, mixed in with a TON of traffic -- but it was all worth it for the Lord.
Upon arriving at the temple, two great things happened.
One. Dear family friends (the Zhuels) were down at the Chicago Temple at the same time. The reason for this was because their beautiful daughter, Emily, was able to be sealed to her husband and daughter! AHHH. I cannot tell you how happy I was! They looked sop happy. Barb Zhuel, Emily's mother, has been in my life since I was about 13 years old. She is the sweetest woman I will ever know. I love her. Emily is a few years older than I and was always my Young Women's camp counselor. She is great. So being there, at the very moment they happened to be leaving their sealing, was incredible. Such a blessing. God loves us so much.
Two. Callie (the woman who I wrote a blog about earlier) also entered the temple for her first time! What a glorious day. She was able to do baptisms for the dead and we were so so so SO happy for her. This is another big step closer to our Heavenly Father which opens a door to his everlasting love.

And on top of that, the temple was wonderful for us as a couple. It was my third time and our first time as a couple, on our own. I felt the spirit so strongly. It was incredible.

But wait, there is more. We ended our wonderful evening with one of Curt's favorite restaurants...Portillos! (I have to point out it took us a good fifteen minutes to find the place. Curt knew the general area, but not quite how to get there. Finally, we stopped for directions and made it there before we starved to death.) It was my first time and I loved it! They had pasta and chicago style sandwiches and dogs. Lovely. Delicious. Scrumptious. My stomach was very happy. And the experience was heightened with the presence of two of our dear silly friends, Jamesy Wamesy and Sheree(ka). They are great. love them.

So, next time you are in Chi town-find one of many portillos and go there. You will not regret it. map of Portillos
And to find the one near the Chicago Temple...It is here. Portillos----8832 W Dempster St, Niles, IL