My sister came to town.

It seems like we've had so few opportunities to spend with family in the past few years. But for the last few days we've had the privilege of having my sister and her family stay with us here in Chicago. They said that they came to visit the Brazilian consulate and a school south of Chicago, but I like to think that they came to spend time in the girls' dorm. One of the greatest things is that we've got to spend time with our nephew Sam Jr.. It has been a blast getting to know the little guy. He has got to be one of the most ridiculously, jovial children I've come across, but of course, who wouldn't laugh their head off if they had an uncle like me. A few notes to make about their visit:

1. We ate some of the best pizza in town.
2. We played Killer Bunnies.
3. We visited a new church, which we incidentally loved and plan on going back (this is good news if you are familiar with our woes of finding a church).
4. We drank a lot of Starbucks.
5. Sam and I had hours of discussion on theology, church, and Christianity, which I'm pretty sure was a ton-o-fun for both of us.
6. We ate Thai food, which didn't give us diarrhea. Sam Jr. didn't have the Thai food but had diarrhea all the way up to his chubby, little shoulders and had to have a bath in our kitchen sink.

*brandon

Booyah!

Please pray.

Please pray for my grandparents. My grandmother, yesterday, underwent a second surgery in under a week, dealing with her bout with colon cancer. There was much infection in her abdomen, so a second surgery was necessary to clean it up. She is struggling now and on life support. This is also very hard on my grandfather as he is watching his wife of 58 years struggle so.

A challenge has been issued.

If you are a nerd, you may want to take up my challenge here.

*brandon

Marathon!

Today was the Chicago Marathon. The above pictures are of us cheering for the runners. My sister's husband ran and did awesome. Joe finished in 3:29...I think that is really amazing! We started the morning right at 8 waiting to cheer for Joe with our signs and cowbells. If you will notice in the picture, we were basically the first people out there to cheer on the runners. It was freezing, very windy, but tons of fun. Watching the race at the beginning was so exciting, it was contagious. I was thinking "Wow, I really want to do this next year." But, at mile 25 it was a different story... it just looked painful at that point. I am really not sure it is something that I could ever do. Here's to Joe! Way to go!

*abbey

Yes!

I know, I know, it's my second post of the day. But, come on....

I'm in.

Brunneous.

Today was a good day.

It seems that days like today are few and far between for me in this city. It's not that the days are necessarily bad, they are just...boring. So what made today good? What made it less boring than most others?

1. Good Coffee - I got a new brew from Trader Joe's. It hit the spot this morning, and shook loose the cobwebs of another night of showers and toilets.

2. Good God - I've struggled spiritually since moving to Chicago. I can't hide it. I've struggled. I've been very focused on me, and without full-time work or school to date; I've had a lot of time to do so. I decided not to today. I got the guitar and Bible out and spent some time this morning focused on Him. It was good.

3. Good Lunch - We're kind of sick of the food here at Moody. But the food tasted better today, since I got to eat with my beautiful bride and chat in her lovely office (yeah, I am a little bit jealous that she has an office).

4. Good Friend - I got to have a brief conversation with a good friend. The update sounded good. I'm happy for him and awaiting more news.

5. Good Cider and UEFA - I watched Manchester United beat up on København while enjoying a hot cider on this cold, wet October day. Perfect.

6. Good Job - I work tonight. I am a janitor/doorman at an apartment building on the "Gold Coast" of Chicago. It's humbling, servile labor. But I thank God for the job. The lessons He's taught through it are priceless. The little money that I earn helps.

I hope you all had notable days.

Shalom.

*brandon

We love Joe Barrett!

Sorry, you haven't heard from us in a while. My life has been consumed with preparation for the GRE. But, that's all over now, as I took the test on Wednesday. It wasn't much fun, but I did alright. We are now just waiting for Wheaton's reply.

This weekend Abbey's parents are in town. The boys went golfing today and the girls shopped. Tonight we went to, what I believe to be known as, "Little Italy." My brother-in-law's boss, Joe Barrett, took us to a little hole in the wall Italian spot. Mama Mia, it was a-good! After dinner we went back to Joe Barrett's apartment for dessert and coffee. Before we did that though, we went 62 stories up to the top of his building to check out a beautiful view of Chicago.

Besides having great taste in Italian restaurants and a phenomenal apartment directly above the House of Blues, Joe Barrett is one of the greatest guys I've ever met. If you're ever in Chicago, you should meet Joe.

Thought I would include a couple pictures of our evening as well.

-brandon

(Abe and I)

(Joe, Andrea, Chuck, Sue and Joe Barrett)

(a view from the top)