Some of the trips I take aren’t as meaningful as others. Some of them, I take because they’re places I just want to go or things I just want to do, just for the sake of saying I’ve been there and done that. Chicago was one of those places.

Chicago was never high on my bucket list because 1) I didn’t think there were enough things to do to keep me busy enough to justify an entire weekend there, and 2) it simply wasn’t high on my priority-list because it’s not a destination that had any special meaning or awe to me. There were things I wanted to do and see but didn’t really have any reason to do it outside of experience. But the opportunity arose in which I was able to throw in a quick day trip on the way to a friend’s wedding. So I went.

State #1: Illinois

My first stop in Chicago after picking up my rental car was to Firecakes. I saw a picture on Pinterest (of course) of this ice cream-stuffed glazed donut that I thought looked pretty amazing. Unfortunately, they don’t serve that until 11am, which I didn’t find out until I got there at 10am. So I settled for a butterscotch praline donut instead, which was also pretty good, so I’m not sure “settled” is the right word for it.

One thing that surprised me and that I wasn’t expecting, was that Chicago looks a lot like Gotham City; from the silver, boxed subway cars that traveled between buildings and over streets, to the many draw-bridges that crossed the river that cut through the town. It doesn’t seem like a big deal but I was surprisingly awed and entertained by it.

The two main reasons I wanted to go to Chicago were to see the Bean, and to eat a Chicago-style pizza IN Chicago. So my next stop, of course, was to the Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. The Bean was larger than I expected, and having gone there on a Thursday, it wasn’t too crazy either.

Since parking was going to cost me $25 for three hours anyway, I decided to use up as much of that time and walk around the area, and headed a few blocks into downtown to see the Chicago Theater. You know, just to say I did it. I thought I’d walk down to the Navy Pier as well, but couldn’t quite figure out a walking route there. Besides, I was feeling kind of paranoid walking around downtown and I like to listen to my intuition. And I was getting hungry and kind of eager for that deep-dish pizza.

Surprisingly to me, I had used up the three hours walking around, people watching and sight-seeing, so I hopped back into the rental and headed up out of town for a little bit to a spot called Pequod’s, which I had seen on Pinterest, and heard from another person (I can’t remember who), that was where some of the best Chicago-style pizza was. I was so excited to try it, I burned the crap out of the top of my mouth on the first bite of that pepperoni, extra cheese deep dish pizza. Like, to the point I had skin peeling off. But it was sooooooo good. Chicago-style pizza in Chicago. Done.

State #2: Minnesota

That evening, I flew into Minneapolis and spend the following day with my cousin and her family (Tara and I have known each other since we were children, our families are still very close friends… I mean obviously; she’s like a cousin to me and her dad like my uncle). Anyhow, after her husband got out of work, we took their eldest daughter out of school and headed out for a day around Minneapolis. We picked up my rental car, just so I wouldn’t be in a rush to do it later, and dropped it off somewhere safe while we ran around town. I love it when rental agencies run out of the car you reserved and you end up with a free upgrade. I love it even more when that free upgrade comes with satellite radio. Double favors; praised God!

We started with a stop at a place called the 5-8 Diner, which has been featured on Man vs. Food and Food Wars. Back in the 1920’s, this place was an old speak-easy and today, it’s home to the famous “Juicy Lucy”, a cheeseburger with the cheese melted inside the patty, rather than on top. So of course, I ordered the Juicy Lucy. It was a pretty tasty burger, but to be honest, nothing too special. Oh, and I had cheese curds for the first time, which were also delicious.

We headed over to check out the spoon and cherry sculpture over in the Minneapolis Sculpture Park, which Tara had never been to either, only to find that the entire park was closed for remodel until summer 2017!! We could see the spoon and cherry from outside of the fence, but the place was definitely under construction. What a bummer! To salvage, we went to the Mall of America for a little walk. For those of you who don’t know; the Mall of America is the biggest shopping mall in the US. At first, I wasn’t too impressed; it looked like a regular mall to me. Until we started walking around. It kept going, and going, and going!!! I think Taylor (Tara’s husband) mentioned that each of the 4 floors were one-mile around. A mile!!!

After enjoying some Cold Stone ice cream, I said my good-byes and headed out to Wabasha, where my aunt and uncle live. It’s a really scenic 1 1/2 hour drive south east, crossing the Mississippi River twice on the way out there. When I finally arrived, before I could even put my bags down, my uncle and his step-daughter urged me to follow them to his in-law’s house where they had found a baby deer earlier. I mean it was so tiny, I almost missed it! Later that night, I also so fire-flies for the first time. They look like the embers of a fire, only bigger and whiter. It was a sight to see, and I got lucky because they don’t come out if it’s too cold out.

The view from my room was beautiful. I didn’t realize my uncle’s “house” was actually a cabin in the woods, 30 miles outside of town, with a river in the back yard. So needless to say, it was really quiet!! The view from my room was beautiful; you could see the river from the window. The next morning, I got up and drove the 30-miles into town to pick up a couple things I had forgotten to pack, and had a little breakfast when I got back. Before it was time to head to the wedding, my uncle took me out on his kayaks for an hour, launching from the back yard. We paddled, chatted, checked out some wildlife as he collected lost/abandoned fishing bobs.

When we returned, he cooked me up a lobster lunch (he spends winters in San Diego, and brings back a bunch of lobster he catches while he’s out here), and I got ready to head to Wisconsin for my friend Jen’s wedding.

State #3: Wisconsin

When I received the wedding invitation to Jen and Meg’s wedding, I had never heard of Pepin, Wisconsin. So when I googled it and saw it was on the other side of the river from Minnesota, I checked to see how far away Wabasha was. 15 minutes. You’ve got to be kidding me haha… When my aunt and uncle found out, they insisted I stop at Nelson’s Cheese Factory and get a scoop of the Rum Cherry ice cream. They said I had to. So I left the cabin a little early so I could stop at this cheese factory, got the rum cherry ice cream and you know what? It really was yummy!!!! Great flavor! On my way to the winery where the wedding was being held, I caught a glimpse of what I thought was an eagle or hawk flying overhead. No big deal; we have hawks in California too. But at the last second, I thought I saw his head was white. A bald eagle maybe? I made a mental note to ask my uncle about that.

Something the brides did differently at this wedding was to greet guests immediately after the ceremony, row-by-row as we awaited the reception. Meg was the first to greet me, and it took a second for her to register who I was haha. When she finally realized, she excitedly whispered to me that she had gotten Jen a gift and was really excited to give it to her. Being as that I met Meg while Jen and I were riding buddies, I knew it had to be motorcycle related, so I was excited to watch Jen receive it. Jen greeted me next; it was just really great to see her again. She’s always been an amazing person and friend.

I was a little bit nervous attending the wedding, because I wasn’t sure I was going to know anybody there. As it turns out, there were a couple girls there I used to ride motorcycles with, with Jen, 5 or 6 years ago. I said hi to the Maid of Honor when I saw her, but there’s some weird tension there from years ago, I don’t know what… Luckily, Dani (who had relocated to Florida, by way of North Carolina) was also there, and I was able to chat and catch up with her during the 3 hours between the ceremony and reception. We missed the presentation of Meg’s gift to Jen though; a black 2016 Yamaha R6. Apparently Jen had sold her black 2006 R6 to help pay for the wedding, so a brand new one in the same color and model must have been a great treat for her. It kind of reminded me of a drawing I saw on the internet where a little girl was holding a teddy bear that Jesus was asking for. She said “but I love it…” and Jesus, with an even bigger teddy bear behind His back, asks her; “Do you trust me?” A lot of times, when we let go of something that Jesus asks for, He replaces it with something better.

I went back to my uncle’s house after dinner at the reception. He had gone out fishing with his step-daughter, but when I got back, I asked my aunt if there were bald eagles in the area. She said “yeah” like, of course, and asked me if I wanted to go see some nests. Um, YEAH!!! So we hopped into my car and she gave me a quick tour of Wabasha, showed me where she and my uncle had their wedding reception, and then we drove back across the river to Wisconsin, and walked back onto the bridge to see this HUGE next with a bald eagle perched on either side of if. First of all, the nest was huge. Second, those eagles are big birds, too! I wish we were close enough to get a decent picture, but the tree was a little ways off, and my phone isn’t exactly a cannon; I couldn’t get a real clear picture of the scene. It was still pretty cool to see, though.

Besides getting to do all those cool things and check the Chicago bucket-list off, I got to knock off some things I didn’t have on my bucket list until I actually did them haha. I saw fireflies for the first time, as well as a bald eagle. Leaving the next morning was a bummer. I promised my aunt that the next time I come out, I’d stay for longer, and I meant it. The place is so far off the beaten path, so peaceful… I can totally see myself there on one of my retreats where I turn my cell phone off for a few days and just be still. I actually really look forward to that trip. <3

Thank you Tara, Taylor, Aunt Debbie and Uncle Karl for your hospitality over the weekend and offering me a bed! It was so great to see you guys and spend a little time with you on my quick trip out there! Love you guys!