Willow Creek weekend

Friday: had a bad headache, which is weird for me because I never get headaches! I guess I was still recovering from Wednesday when I functioned on three and a half hours of sleep. Wednesday night after the Greek party I went to bed. I did get the 10 page paper done. So I
called Kristin and said I’d be in later…I slept until around 1:30 and then went to work at 2. I did get nearly everything finished for Friday that I had to, and I left the office at the regular time.

Friday night Jeff Navis had a party at Howl at the Moon, a piano bar on Hubbard Street. I met Kate at her last day at work at the Cultural Center. She had to stay late and make an appearance at a gallery display. Wine and cheese and horderves with the rich members of the cultural center and the Grant park community. So we made an appearance, met a few collegues of Kates and then took the train over to Howl at the Moon.

As much as I tried to be honest, not borrowing someone else’s ID and pretending to be them, I decided to just talk to the doorman and try to let him in under the agreement that I wouldn’t drink. I told him he could even put a black X on my forehead to make sure no one gave me a drink, but he said “It’s not gonna happen.”

Still not an adult yet.

I realized that what I really don’t like, what brings me to tears, is NOT being able to do something. Not being allowed and just not able, but really not being allowed to do something. I felt really left out that night. I went home with a few tears. Usually, if there’s a way, I’ll do it. This time there was a way, but there was no one around to help me get in.

I know I’m going to Sioux Center this summer. I don’t really care how much it costs…I need to go to see my friends and hang out with them.

Saturday

I had to be basically at the Midway orange line stop by 7:45, and that meant getting up very early to count ballots in a Teamsters election. To sum it up, the Teamsters are a Union of people from hospitals to truck drivers and this election was to pick people to go to a national convention or something like that. But it was a huge deal. We were basically picked apart and hovered over while we counted ballots. The counting was a very detailed process. We had to alphabetize and alphabetize by number , then go through the names and check off on a list (that's when the people hovering could challenge a ballot because they thought the person never received the ballot) and then open the envelope to reveal the secret ballot, then go through and tally each name or group voted for. It definitely took the 7 hours! THIS WAS AWESOME BECAUSE WE GOT PAID!!! Saturday night I met with Dave to head west to the beautiful suburbs for the night. Dave's got some family friends in Elmhurst that we stayed with...slept in a queen sized bed, ate meat and fresh fruit, etc, etc. It was wonderful to get away for a bit and see how nice the suburbs are. Green grass, lots of space. I'd love to live there.

Sunday morning Dave and I took his white 96 Jetta to Willow Creek Community Church. When we drove past it looked like a college or hospital campus. HUGE. It was probably as big or bigger than the Pine Center Mall in Prince George. The auditorium holds 10 THOUSAND people, and it was about 3/4ths full at the 11:00 service. We walked in after trekking the parking lot and heard the most amazing music. I had to know what it was: an E.S. Posthumus compilation called Nara. I downloaded it right away. It's a song that you turn all the lights off in your house, sit on the couch and close your eyes to listen to. It's awesome.
We had the pleasure of listening to a special speaker, Lee Strobel, author of Case for Christ and other bestsellers explain and shoot down those people who take the Davinci Code as truth. He sure did his research!

After the service, Dave and I walked around the church a little bit. Dave's friend was right, you CAN spend a whole day in that place...there were coffeeshops, bookstores, more than three auditoriums, wonderful children's outreach programs, and even more than I ever expected in a church!

We arrived home later in the evening in the pouring rain and I tried to do some homework.