New to the Blog

Abe sent some info to get Grandma started on the blog, and I'm setting it up for her (this is John). Please use comments and e-mail to encourage her full participation on this site. With some encouragement, she'll be the Big Blogger.

My Weekend

Well, Karla and I both had the weekend off last weekend, which is a pretty rare treat for us. On Saturday, we found ourselves just sort of bumming around the house - doing nothing.

I was just sort of staring out the window, and I wondered, as I had many times before, where does Lake Shore Drive go? That's Lake Shore right there, looking north out of our window.

So, we decided to check it out. We fired up the car, picked up a couple cups of coffee and just started driving north.

We found out that Loyola University is up there. Very nice campus.

After we passed Loyola, we found a magical land called "Evanston" - where Northwestern University is.


Also in Evanston, we found this really neat Baha'i temple. I had never heard of the Baha'i faith before, but it turns out it's pretty neat. It's a very inclusive sort of religion, which believes very much in the unity of all mankind. They also believe that all of the prophets of the major religions (i.e. Buddha, Christ, Muhammed) were messengers from God. It's just a very inclusive and non-judgmental faith. Also, the temple was cool.

"Unity is very highly emphasized in the Bahá'í writings. Three core assertions of the Bahá'í Faith are the unity of God, the unity of religion, and the unity of mankind; a single, all powerful God, revealing His message through a series of divine messengers or educators, regarding them as one progressively revealed religion, to one single humanity."

Then, after touring around the northern suburbs for a little while, it was time to hop on the highway and head home.

Happy Birthday, Connie!

Happy Birthday this Friday (March 31) to Connie Jeanne. The past year has blown hot and cold, and we wish you and Bill all the best. We're hoping to see you soon and deliver birthday greetings in person!

Reporting from Travels ...

Ann and I just returned from a Pacific Northwest trip -- a couple days in Portland, a couple days in Renton. I'm happy to report that all family members are feeling well and doing well. Here's picture of the new sign at Briana's spa. She and Peter keep very busy, yet find time for Tai Chi and other activities. They've also added some nice touches to their house, such as a bamboo floor in the main living-dining area.


In Renton, Rileigh and Bridger are both doing very well in school. They anxiously await the arrival of brother Truman, probably mid-May. Maurika is the picture of radiant health. The possibility of the family moving to Portland didn't pan out. However, the possible relocation to Chicago will become clearer over the next couple weeks. I couldn't resist posting this picture of the dogs, Nala and Dakota.

Meanwhile, happy birthday to Carter last Monday (3/20), and happy birthday to Maurika coming soon (4/1)! Hope to see other news on this site soon.

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Hay, everybody -- Monday, March 20, is Carter's birthday. I hope y'all get the chance to extend your best wishes. Happy birthday!