This week.

This week surpassed my expectations for how great a week without classes, but still around friends and Kristin could be.

Kristin and I did a fair amount of walking, both around the city of Valparaiso, and at Coffee Creek Reserve and the Dunes. Excercise and just wandering with no particular need to get back to campus was a good feeling. We also attempted to visit a "haunted" graveyard out in LaPorte. That could have been a much better experience had we gotten out of the car. We also made a trip out to Chicago to see Kristin's best friend's saxaphone recital where I finally got to meet her and vice versa. Amazingly, it worked out that Britta was able to meet us for dinner at an amazing deep dish pizza place right off of MI Ave that evening. One last chance to see Britta...excellent. Then yesterday was time for one last trip to the Dunes...Kristin and I visited Mt. Baldy for the first time and enjoyed the amazing view and a beautiful blue sky. Meghan and I had our final Taco Bell visit of my extended stay here at VU. We then capped the evening off by a staggeringly great (of course) performance on the local putt putt course. Meghan, Kristin, and I only found the water once between the 3 of us...and of course 'twas I who did it.

Now...off to get ready so that Kristin and I can ride back into Chicago to pick up my brother and family from the airport...and so begins the whirlwind weekend.