Love on the Road

The clock read 5:10 am. I wasn't quite awake.

But then....

Okay, now I'm awake.

When one has the option to watch the sun rise behind a building designed by the same man who designed the World's Fair for Spain and the Trinity Bridge, and which has Lake Michigan as it's backdrop....well...is there really a decision to make?

There is no light as pure and golden as the light of sunrise. I want to witness that light as many times in my life as possible. I can nap later.

And now I'm really awake.

A relaxing start paved the way for the rest of the day. We stopped by cousin Ali's place to see if Uncle Jim and Aunt Ruth needed any help in preparation for Ali's wedding on Sunday. Aunt Ruth was busily preparing all of the flowers, which she is arranging herself. They are gorgeous! Pics to come later on those. They seemed to have everything under control, so we had the afternoon to ourselves.

We got on the road and drove. We do that sometimes. Leave maps and agendas behind and just see where the road takes us. While on this trip, we've taken to listening to episodes from the History Channel. Phill pulls them off YouTube and then we pipe them through the car's speaker system. We spent our time learning about Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills, as well as Custer's Last Stand, both of which we plan to see later on this adventure. Did you know there is strong evidence to suggest there was a sole survivor from Custer's regiment after the Battle of Little Big Horn? That was news to me too.

As we drove, we wanted to see more of the lakefront and Wisconsin in general. We found a great trail that occupied us for a good hour and a half, and led us right to the beach.

Here's another Washington, only Port Washington. I wonder how many states have Washington towns in them? One more factoid to look up on my ever-growing list of similar inquiries.

We finally ended our drive here:

A sleepy mid-western town, though a rather long stretch of downtown. We were too late to stop in any of the stores, but the writing on a small platter in one of the windows caught my eye and left a warm, fuzzy impression. It made me squeeze Phill's hand just a little tighter as we strolled along. How lucky and blessed I am to have him as my companion on this journey. In honor of our family wedding this weekend, I leave you with it:

His hello was the end of her endings
Her smile, their first step down the aisle
His hand would be hers to hold forever
His forever was as simple as her smile
He said she was what was missing
She said instantly she knew
She was a question to be answered
And his answer was I do
~Carrie Bradshaw