I'm back...finally!

Thanks to my hubby (who has more patience and computer smarts than I) I am back. I have not been able to login for the past few days and it's been so frustrating! I'm glad to finally
have access to my account again.

We had a great weekend. Friday night we had some dear friends over for dinner. They are a wonderful couple (both of them English teachers), and they came so that they could help Jerry brainstorm about his master's project. (For those of you who don't know, Jerry will complete is Masters in Education degree at Vandercook College in Chicago in July. His final project is to be completed during the school year, and he's very much looking forward to the end! It has been a wonderful experience, but a bit stressful too. Anyway, we had a really productive evening and got much accomplished.

Saturday, we went into Chicago to the Rainforest Cafe to celebrate my niece's birthday. We had a fun time...the boys were loving the ambiance and they really enjoyed themselves. We had been given tickets to see a show called "Too Hot to Handel" playing at the Auditorium Theatre for that night, so my mom and husband took care of the boys so that Jerry and I could have a date night. The show was awesome. If you are familiar with Handel's Messiah, it's basically a jazzed up, gospel-filled rendition of the original. What I loved most about it was that it was so worshipful. Handel took the entire text from scripture, and to hear it updated with a contemporary feel was really cool. We loved it. The musicians, vocalists, conductor and choir were outstanding. (The below picture is blurry, but you get the idea.)

Even better was the fact that we got the tickets from our friend Jim who is moving his way up into the music producing world. The man who sang the tenor part in the concert is one of his clients, and so he got us box seats and an invitation to a reception backstage with all the artists following the concert. It was wonderful. As it turns out, the tenor and soprano are husband and wife, and they are Believers I knew that before I even found that out. It was obvious to me in the way they sang and worshipped! (FYI, their names are Rodrick Dixon, one of the "Three Mo' Tenors", and Alfreda Burke.)

At about 10:30 p.m., I looked at Jerry and said, "We need to go. I'm concerned about the baby." Caden has been very fitful in his sleep lately. He has a nasty cold and cough and I think he might be possibly teething again. Sure enough, when we arrived back at the hotel where my mom kept the boys, they were both awake, and Caden looked puffy-eyed. My mom was holding him and said he'd been up since 10:30. I knew it! This is why they say a mother's instinct is always right! Anyway, I was so grateful to my mom and her hubby and very appreciative to have gotten a night out. Both Jerry and I needed some musical inspiration, and we definitely got it.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't say I was thrilled that the Bears won the big game yesterday. I remember being a little girl when they went to the Super Bowl and I am really pulling for them to make it there this year. They are certainly deserving! GO BEARS!