Fish-Bird --- So I stayed about 3 days in Evanston: I did some driving with Midge and Robbie to help move the latter in with Brent and Liza on the occasion of his beginning his internship with the Youth Desk at the National Baha'i offices there.



The drive was fun! Lots of conversation between Midge and me, we saw the gorgeous view all the way, including rain (we took the "long way" through the mountains), I watched a couple more episodes of Farscape, etc.



The stay in Evanston was as fabulous as it could be!


***Pause for name introductions***


Falconers:


Robbie - my closest companion these last couple of years in Richmond, VA, moving in with Brent


Midge - Robbie and Brent's mother


Brent - one of my two or three first friends when I moved to the US


Liza - Brent's wife, who moved into Evanston with him for further practice/education in speech/hearing therapy (just got her masters)



Allmarts:


Suzanne - Liza's sister who lives with her family in an appartment right across the street from Brent/Liza


Husayn - Suzanne's husband


Amia - their daughter


Annya - Liza and Suzanne's sister, living with the latter (family name, Mitchell)



Liz and Nate Davis, friends that live nearby



All of the above (except first two) were in Champaign-Urbana while I lived there a couple of years ago!


******



The first morning we went out for breakfast with Brent, Liza, Midge and Robbie. Brent's and my favorite breakfast place in the world, Le Peep!


We visited the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, or House of Worship ("Dawning Place") in Wilmette - also the "Mother Temple of the West", one of the six continental such-termed temples. We visited it each day, actually, and on one day, we even went up to the second and third levels - which I had never seen in my previous visits.


Along with Robbie and Briana, the two interns for the Youth Desk this year, we got a full tour of the National Baha'i Center, learning about the various offices, meeting all kinds of amazing, nice people, and even running into two of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly!


Brent, Robbie and I played plenty of video games (mostly Capcom vs. SNK 2), some Warlord (collectable card game),


We had a couple of dinners & lunches with various people from the list above,


Nate, Suzanne and I met to discuss the possibility of holding a regular meeting focusing on spiritual parenting, where participants could discuss the matter, along with specific issues they might have, and where they might learn more about Baha'u'llah, the Baha'i Faith, and some of its principles.


Amia continued to be her usual adorable and sociable self.


I was happy.


Very happy.