After a week of hellish ordeal...

...here's what Paradise I have for the night:

I'm...
In my own suite in gorgeous Chicago
Sitting here in my pj's
Covered in a huge flannel blanket
Tapping away on my wireless laptop
Watching Wayne Brady on TV
Eating my penne alfredo, chicken, and spinach
And an amazing salad with chickpeas
And a huge slice of praline cheesecake
Drinking sweet tea
And I'm not paying a dime for it :)

The best part is, this is the first time in long time I think I am truly content with myself and with being by myself.

Back tracking (is that one word?), yesterday was ridiculously overwhelming between packing, taking the dog to get neutered, cleaning for possible house showings, getting everything set up to take with me to Chicago, catching a flight, finding our way to the hotel, finding our way to Ricardo CTC, and actually focusing on work. Plus I got a huge surprise last night after the exhausting day I had.

Yesterday evening, Reggie took Catherine and me to Papadeaux's: a high-class seafood restaurant with $20 plates. I had the most amazing plate of salmon in a lemon, buttery sauce and thick, juice asparagus all grilled on a palate.

Today was actually a little more laid back for how work usually is. I have to say that Reggie is a great guy and I hope that next year, Claude will send me back to CTC to work with Reggie. He is definitely one of those people I would love to learn from in an internship.

It was hilarious - after lunch today, Reggie took Catherine and me around in our little, black PT Cruiser rental to see million dollar Burr Ridge houses. There was a For-Sale-By-Owner house, and as a joke, Reggie had me call the owner to ask about the house. It was a $999,000 house (yes, not $1,000,000)!

I talked to Bobby the other day and I'm feeling better about this whole school situation. After taking Tim back to Big Rapids on Friday and helping him unpack, I realized he was one of the last to leave for school. I'm jealous that everyone is leaving to go back to school, but excited for the opportunities to come for them and for me. It'll be a blast to visit! I think Vonnie and I have already planned a weekend at State, and I'll be going to Grand Rapids to see Colleen and Joe for sure.

I'm not even sad that this trip is ending tomorrow because just a few moments of feeling spirited was more than I could ask for to rejuvenate me before school and work really pick up again.