Hustled up the Hancock-A Great Weekend!

I had a great weekend in Chicago. Steve and I travelled to Chicago to see my sister and brother-in-law, and then to see my cousins at the Hancock. We arrived in Chicago Saturday midafternoon. It was cold, but a gorgeous sunny clear day. After Steve's exceptional parallel parking, we walked two blocks to catch up with my sister and brother-in-law. We dined, took the L around the city,and visited the Lake. The waves were amazing! I was annoyed that my digital camera was not charged. After we walked and dined at Goose Island (a yummy place known for its goose beer--I opted for the Shirley Temple in-between a couple of sips of Steve's beer.) We took a taxi back to the house, rented a movie (Wedding Crashersit was okay. Vince Vaughn did sneak in a few Chi-town references.) Then I went to sleep anticipating the big day. The next day, my sister woke me up around 5:30a.m. Surprisingly, I jumped out of bed, managed to eat breakfast. My sister (bless her heart) drove me to the Hancock Building. On a Sunday morning. Way before 7a.m. The orange sun rose gloriously over Lake Michigan as we drove down Lakeshore Drive. The Hancock Building was full of Hancock hustlers and supporters. It was amazing! We found Kari's Climbers (a sea of lime green tee-shirts) and found my cousins. My sister took my coat and sweats, and made sure I was there for the group shot. There were so many Kari's Climbers (over 50) that there were two group shots. How wonderful. The media was everywhere, interviewing my cousin Steve (5+ year lung transplant survivor--he received Kari's lungs.) We went up the escalator and lined up. With my sister's Ipod in hand, I was ready to go. Remember, steady and slow, my sister said. Drink a lot of water. They took my photograph on the first flight. I didn't realize how daunting the climb was. For the first 10 flights of stairs, my legs revolted with every step. I thought oh my goodness, what in the world have I gotten myself into? But I made a committment, and will follow through. 10th floor. Water opportunity. I took it. Kept moving. Slowly. Baby steps. One step at a time. 15th floor. 20th floor. More water. People cheering us on. I can feel my face reddening from the climb. 30th floor. Starting to get a small groove. 40th floor. Listening to the Clash. 45th floor. More cheering. 50+ floor. Another water break. 70th floor. Still going. 84th floor. Found another Kari's Climber struggling with me. I turned off the music and asked if she wanted to finish with me. She did. We stopped for a quick water break and cinnamon candy. Then up the final ten flights. On the 94th floor, my teammate and I mugged for the photograph and climbed into the observation deck. We were greeted with cheers and medals. I happily accepted the towel, water bottle, and banana, and tried to recover from my adventure. I looked over Chicago. Gorgeous. Buildings and Lake Michigan. Then the wait for the elevator down. You think I'm going to walk down 94 flights of stairs? You're nuts. It was such an honor to be on a great team. My sister retrieved me at our meeting spot, and we travelled back to the house, where I cleaned up and we all celebrated by going out to breakfast. I swear Chicago has the best restaurants. It was a wonderful day. We left in the early p.m. and travelled home. Good-bye Chicago. See you again soon. Love, Lolo xoxo

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