February 19, 2001: Kelsey

Kelsey wrote me a wonderful email. She had been sending me friendship emails and wanted us to be close.  That meant a lot to me.  It’s something I have prayed about for some time.  She wanted to go back to school.  Her first choice was Cornerstone College, but they made you sign a lifestyle agreement where they think it’s a sin to dance and stuff like that.  So, she may go to the community college which was $85 a credit hour and finish up at Grand Valley which was $185 a credit hour.  Matt graduates in June.  She would also like to have a 3^rd child.  It meant a lot to me that we are getting closer.

February 18, 2001: Ashley & Jewelry

We kind of took it easy this morning. Ashley read the newspaper with me. She liked combing my hair all weird. Then, she helped untangle my jewelry and get it all organized. I gave her my barrettes and some jewelry. I felt like a mother for a few days. It was so cute. She was so full of energy.



Then, we took the 151 bus to the Water Tower and had lunch at Food for life. I got a real cute hound dog stuffed animal at FAO Schweetz and a sucker. Ashley named my new stuffed dog, Fluffy. We also went through a few stores.


Then, we got home to get their luggage and took the 151 bus to Union Station. Ashley said she wanted to stay with me. That was so cute. I told her I would be home in a few months for good, so that made her happy.

February 17, 2001: Sue, Ashley, and Sheila's Visit

Picked up Sue, Ashley, and Sheila at Union Station and showed them the Great Hall.  It was sunny outside, but mighty cold.  Took the brown line from Adams/Wells as Ashley had never been on the subway before.  Took it around the city and up north to Diversey.  Walked to my apartment.  They were tired out.  Ashley and Sue liked my apartment.  The first thing Ashley did was sit on my bed, hug my dolls, and say she was sleeping with Aunt Amy.  That was so cute.  She was by my side all weekend.  I was a mom for the weekend. 

Then, we had brunch at the Golden Nugget Restaurant on Clark St. Ashley sat next to me. Then, we took the bus to the aquarium.  We got off on Michigan Avenue to switch buses, but it was only going to the auto show, so we took a cab to the aquarium.  Ashley and I walked towards the planetarium so we could see the Chicago skyline. It was freezing outside.  Got some awesome pictures of the city and Ashley.  Then, we went inside the aquarium and saw the dolphin show.  We also went through the gift shop.  Took the bus to Michigan Avenue and walked over to Ed Debeviks for dinner. It was crowded there.  We had a 1 ½ hour wait.  Our food took awhile to come.  Ashley fell asleep for a bit.  Ashley liked the Beatles songs.  We came home and Ashley went to bed.  I did my monitoring as it was my weekend.

February 15, 2001: Jenny Jones Show with Ceylon

Ceylon Hayes and I went to the Jenny Jones show. The topic was about pimp daddy wannabees. We couldn’t stop laughing through the whole show. We got a great seat---4th floor from the front. It was in the row where Jenny Jones talks so I hoped we would be seen on TV. I wore my hot pink blazer. We got hot dogs on the way back to work.


Got on my email and one was from the manager, Mark Devries, giving his farewell as it was going to be his last day at work. Wow, that was such a surprise! His father had died the day before of a heart attack.

February 10, 2001: Auto Show with Nina, Nandesh, and Adenike

Went to the Thai Restaurant for lunch with Nina, Nandesh, and Adenike.   It was located on State Street near Delaware.  Then, we were by the John Hancock building so I told them we should go up to the top as it was a sunny day.  We went to the 95^th floor and got a table next to the window and looked at all of the buildings.  It almost made me want to stay in Chicago, as I looked at the buildings and the city.  But, I knew that it was more of a fantasy world.  Then, we took the bus to the McCormick Place to see the auto show. 

This was Nina’s first bus ride in the city. We all sat in the back. Got to see some of the cars I was interested in buying.

Nina, Nandesh, and Adenike left before me. I really wanted this picture of me in this car with the background of the city. They didn’t want to wait in line. It felt lonely being the only one in the picture. I wish they had stayed to be in the picture.

On my bus ride home, I got back to reality. I took the #3 bus to Michigan/Wacker and then had to wait outside in the cold for the 151 bus. Finally, got on the bus and it was packed. A rude lady pushed her way behind me to get to the back and pushed me into this man sitting down. He got mad at me and then I told him loudly that he better talk to the woman behind me who so rudely pushed her way through. She mumbled something. The guy standing next to me agreed with me.