Toto, We're Not In Virginia Anymore

Happy Memorial Day! It has been a wonderful weekend having Mike home. We were blessed with a wonderful get-together with some of our friends sending us off. It was such a fantastic time seeing everyone, despite the circumstances. Mike is definitely feeling like life is in Chicago, so he is not as emotional as I am. I am definitely not ready to say goodbye yet to so many things, so luckily, I don't have to yet.

Mike, Luke and I went to our local Hanover County winery today for one last tasting (and of course to purchase a few bottles for the road). It was a perfect day - beautiful and sunny with a light breeze. Perfect for sipping a little wine on the porch. We're starting Luke young. :-) Anyway, we got home to find a message on the machine from the Arlington Heights Police Department calling about damage to a red Audi. So, Mike calls the number given and waits for the officer to call us back. We start asking ourselves if we could be so lucky to have someone have hit the Audi.

I know, it sounds strange, but the car is on its last legs. The check engine light has worked a little too well for the last two years due to a computer glitch. The power door locks no longer work and nor does the dome light. Only a few of the lights in the dash work. It's been a great car, and as long as it runs and passes inspection, we do intend to keep it as long as we can, recognizing that we're pretty close to the inevitable. And, if God intended to help us along a little with a parking lot mishap, so be it.

So, the officer calls us back and asks about whether there were any valuables in the car. That's where I knew it wasn't as we might have hoped. I guess Mike and I have taken for granted that you can leave a car at work for the weekend without worrying that someone would bust a window out of it to see if there was anything that could be pawned for a few bucks. We thought we were so smart to avoid the $30/day parking at O'Hare for the weekend and have a taxi pick Mike up. Reflecting back on it, parking at O'Hare would have been cheaper than replacing a window. Luckily, they are on special for only $200. Welcome to the Windy City! Hopefully, this is one rite of passage that we can check off our list and not worry about again for a long time.