Chicago or bust! (sort of)

Yesterday we pulled out for Chicago - or so I thought! Tim surprised me by booking a night at the bed and breakfast we stayed in last year in Saugatuck when we got married. We stopped at the beach where we got married and did some reminiscing. It's been almost a year (June 30 it will be a year exactly) since we got married and the time has really zipped by. Starting out here for our trip really solidified in my mind that this trip is really about our lives and an amazing journey together, more so than just individual adventures.

As we were leaving the beach, we heard some crashing about in the brush. A minute later, a grizzled biker stepped out of the trees looking very puzzled. Turns out he was geocaching and couldn't find his cache. We started poking around helping him look while he explained the ins and outs to us. We found the cache hidden in a tree stump. It was full of useless baubles, but the thrill is more in the hunt than the catch, I suppose. We bid our goodbye to truckdrivers (his geocaching handle) and looked at each other gleefully: thanks to Nicole and Chris, we'll be able to do some treasure hunts soon also...as soon as we figure out how to work the GPS.

It really sunk into me as the day progressed that we were really gone, that this big adventure I've been dreaming about and planning for is really happening. It's a strange feeling of exhilaration, slight disbelief, and a little bit of anxiety. I know we're not really "cut loose" because our friends and family are amazing, but it still feels a bit that way.

This morning we're heading to Chicago for real...by way of Grand Rapids. We have to go back to the city because we both realized as we tried to get things out of the van that it's impossible. I can't even move the box of books we have. So we're going to try to go back to Catye's house where we're storing our stuff and sneak in without her noticing so we don't have the embarrassment of having to explain in person why we're there. The goal is to eliminate at least one of the huge white chair boxes that we're using as drawers. Neither of us is very excited to make this detour, but an hour and a half now will save us a lot of frustration later.

There's a lot of lessons in this, but Tim is waiting for me in the van so you'll have to come up with them on your own.