It's Cold.

It's really winter.

As much as I wanted to avoid a cold winter, there doesn't seem any way to avoid it. Yesterday was a bad day in Chicago, one of the colder days we'll have. When I checked the weather online in the morning, it was 1 degree, and with the windchill it was -22. That's pretty cold, if you ask me!! It would have been fine if I didn't have to leave my house and could have stayed in the cozy warmth of my apartment, but I had to take Josh to the airport. So we bundled up the best we could, ran (though very carefully as not to slip on the ever-present ice) through the piercing wind out to our car, we pried the frozen doors open, and eventually thawed the car enough to drive it. When we returned we hurried back to the building as fast as we could. But even being outside for just a minute you quickly feel the burn in temps that low!

Owen stays nice and warm bundled in his winter fleece, jacket, hat, gloves, BundleMe, and weather shield to block the wind. He's finally getting used to putting everything on.

When the weather isn't quite so mean, it can actually be pretty fun to get out and enjoy the winter festivities in Chicago! Last week we went to the annual Kristkindlmarkt, a German market held in Daley Plaza. It's full of German food, beer, and handicrafts.

Then we went to Macy's on State St. to see the animated window displays. Every holiday season they put up displays of a fairy tale or other story. This year it was about sending Christmas wish lists to Santa at the North Pole. We should have (but didn't) gone inside Macy's to see the popular Walnut Room Christmas tree! Each year a huge tree is decorated with gorgeous ornaments and it sits in the middle of a restaurant. Every other year we went to see it. (and fun fact: this Macy's is the 2nd largest department store in the world. It really is huge.)

One other thing I hope to do this winter is go ice skating on one of Chicago's outdoor ice rinks. It's not often I get to go ice skating outside! And nothing says winter and romance better than ice skating with the man you love. :)