On Monday, we left early in the morning to start the drive to Illinois! We crossed the boarder and obtained our temporary visas, and then continued on our way in the U.S. We arrived in Illinois at around 3pm, and headed straight to the Towers at Four Lakes, an apartment complex in Lisle, Illinois, to check out a few apartments! After visiting another apartment and talking it over with each other and with God, we decided that the Towers at Four Lakes was the apartment for us! We started a 7 month lease starting on Friday the 14th, and then went on our way to find a hotel to stay in for the night! But of course, it couldn't just be that easy, could it? There just so happened to be a convention going on for the next few days, and every hotel we attempted to check into was fully booked for the next 3 days!! So, after 3 hours of driving aimlessly and stopping at hotels and debating sleeping in our car, we finally had a place to sleep! Upon telling Andee that they were completely booked, at the very moment someone called to cancel their room, and she gave it to us! God is Good!!
The next few days consisted of shopping for apartment necessities, finding hotels, and getting all the paperwork and everything together for our apartment! It was a tiring and expensive few days, but we did manage to make a somewhat smooth transition into America! A plus to the few long and annoying days was looking forward to all the American fast food restaurants that we have been dying to try! We hit up Chick-Fil-a, Panera Bread, Long John Silvers, and a few others that were very yummy, but we waited for my parents to arrive to check out the most delicious and exciting restaurants!!
On Wednesday though, we took the day off to celebrate my birthday at the Brookfield Zoo near Chicago! Zoo trip courtesy of some birthday money from my family! The Zoo was amazing, with so many interesting animals that I had never heard of, and lots of popular animals such as Leopards - Amur, clouded, and snow, tigers, penguins, polar bears, giraffes, and tons of fish, reptiles, and birds! It was so amazing!! And to top it off, it was 29 degrees Celsius that day! Perfect for walking around and enjoying the animals! We also experienced our first Chicago Hotdog at the Zoo! Loaded with relish, mustard, pickles, hot peppers, tomato, and onions, it wasn't exactly my favourite food in the world, but at least we can say that we tried it! Andee loved it though, and was craving another one later that week! Overall, an excellent day in Illinois!
On Friday, my parents drove all the way from Ajax with a van full of apartment goodies for us to furnished our new home! We got the keys to our apartment, and started sorting out all the stuff from our car, and at 3pm, my parents arrived with big smiles, hugs, and lots of stuff! We were SOO excited to see them!! After loading all the stuff into our apartment, and setting it all up while my parents found their hotel for the night, we headed to the Golden Corral Buffet for a delicious dinner! It was amazing!
On Saturday, we headed to a few stores to buy things such as a TV, and a few apartment furnishings that we needed! For lunch, we headed to Whitecastle, which we have deemed the most delicious fast food restaurant so far in America, even rivaling Canadian McDonalds!! Of course, we had to try all the little burgers, chicken rings, and fries, and all 4 of us were in agreement that Whitecastle is Amazing!! We will have to head back there soon! In the afternoon, we explored the grounds of our apartment on a beautiful warm and sunny day! As the name suggests, there are 4 beautiful lakes around the property, surrounded by Muskoka chairs, nature trails, and much more! A wonderful afternoon!
After all the exploring, we were hungry for a good meal, so what else could we get but Chicago Deep Dish Pizza!! We had all been anticipating this popular and famous meal, and we were certainly not disappointed!! The pizza was absolutely amazing, as were the appetizers of fried deliciousness! We even had leftovers and Andee and I to enjoy the next day! We decided that this meal was to celebrate the move to Illinois, Andee starting Clinicals, and my Dad's retirement!! It was an amazing experience, and I am so glad we were able to experience it with my parents! We really hope they come back and visit us soon, now that they are both lazy bums like me!!
It took us a couple more days to get completely settled into our new apartment, but now that we are set up and able to take advantage of all the fun things you can do here, we are really enjoying our stay here! Some added benefits to our apartment - not only is it warm and beautiful inside, with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, and plush carpeting, but there is so much to do! In the summer and early fall, there are 4 outdoor pools to enjoy, nature trails, boat rentals including paddle boats and canoes, with lakes stocked with lots of kinds of fish, tennis courts and volleyball courts! Year round there is a gym, and a free breakfast in the morning on weekdays, and in the winter, there is a Ski Hill with a lodge a few steps away from the apartment! And the best part - all of this is FREE for renters and their guests!!!! (I am trying to entice you to come visit us....I hope it is working!!) Amazing! PTL!! (I took some apartment pictures, and our beautiful lake view, but it actually looks much better in real life, the colour is weird in there....I guess you will just have to come visit and see for yourself!)
On Monday, Andee started his Internal Medicine Clinical Rotation at Adventist Hospital in Hinsdale, Illinois! Upon further investigation, the Hospital is Seventh Day Adventist, and they promote the healing ministry of Jesus! Amazing! Andee is enjoying his rotation so far, which is outpatient internal medicine, and in 6 weeks he starts inpatient, which will actually be in the hospital as opposed to a clinic! He also looks spiffy in his dress clothes and lab coat - like a real Doctor! Only a couple more years to obtain that degree!!
Just yesterday, Andee and I decided to take advantage of the limited amount of warm weather we have left, and went for a boat ride and some fishing! Since Andee gets off early on Wednesdays, we were able to enjoy one of the last beautiful Summer's day (still summer just barely!), and we are enjoying our little apartment more and more!
This weekend we are going to visit a church or two in an attempt to connect with some people from the area, and to hopefully get involved with some volunteer work for me! Please pray that everything goes well this weekend!
So there you have it, Illinois! Like what you see? Come visit anytime!! In the meantime, Skype and Facebook us to let us know what you are up to! See you soon!!
Your life is so exciting! Globe-trotters. Go Lukes Go. (Yes I still read these.. beats reading about Henry the 8th)
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