The Bicentenary Event We started at 5 pm on October 21 with a special reception for our friends and partners in the wider community. At 6 pm the doors opened for everyone, and people were greeted with a chocolate in…
Category: Chicago
Event Day setup for the Chicago Bicentenary event In part 1 of this series I highlighted a little bit about the planning process for the Bicentenary. Now, I will review the actual setup of the event. We arrived at the…
The Planning Process for the Chicago Bicentenary event So there is this funny thing that happens in my brain and heart when I get asked to serve the Faith by planning events. Since I am a certified meeting planner in…
I live about one mile from the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the last free zoos in America. On a summer evening, we may ride our bikes there, stroll in the gardens, or look at the animals. It is a…
I have lived in Chicago for the majority of my life. We moved here when I was 8 years ago because my parents wanted to live near the House of Worship and my dad was offered a job in the…
Chicago has been angry and confused recently. Thunderstorms, dark skies, rain, cold weather, mixed with warmth and sun. I had to wear my wool winter coat today and…
We saw a red-winged blackbird attacking a hawk, protecting its territory. It seemed to be winning. We played golf with pine cones and sticks, and stood on a stage with no audience but our own words and thoughts. We are…
As a kid, I watched Bulls games with my family, mostly because Michael Jordan was playing and the Bulls were the hottest team out there. We are not a sports-watching family (thank God) so that was the extent of it….
As much as I can’t stand the weather here, I love this place. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Cityscape Chicago from Eric Hines on Vimeo.
1. Discovered the Skokie Lagoons a few weeks ago. The animals there are a bit odd…a heron that dove underwater and never seemed to come up, a squirrel that seemed rather fearless and acted a bit too human…but it is beautiful! Of…
I am trying to accept that cold weather is coming. I am shopping for a winter coat, switching my wardrobe, and throwing myself into fall cooking (pumpkin pancakes, anyone?). I went apple-picking with some friends last weekend, which is more…
This winter has been a strange mix of busy/quiet. I haven’t traveled, though I wish I could get out of Chicago. Every event that is completed at work is a victory, but then it seems like no matter how many…
We fill the house with smoke and the smell of thick-sliced bacon, and the snow is turning to slush outside but blankets wrapped tight surround us. We will put on a good movie, or a really terrible one, or both…
When we met, she was sitting on the curb in a parking lot, surrounded by bags of groceries. Her lined face was a story of decades, her hands curled up. The unrelieved black of her dress framed eyes that had…
On Friday night I went to the Gene Siskel Film Center to see a documentary film that a friend (Aaron Wickenden) edited called The Interrupters. The cast and crew answered questions after the showing, which was a powerful experience after…
I “suited up” and braved the snow and cold (it is 23 F outside right now) to take photos. Obviously it isn’t a good idea to drive yet, so I stayed local. Everyone that I saw was smiling & friendly….
And now the cleanup begins. This is what I woke up to today at 9 am: By 11 am, I ventured downstairs to do laundry, opened the back door to see this snowpile AS TALL AS ME. Our snow removal…
I have been home since 3 pm today. You may have heard that Chicago was anticipating a blizzard. Well, the wind is the strangest part for me right now. Everything is white outside my window at the moment, and snowdrifts…
Last night I went to the Delorean & Miike Snow show at the Metro. It was fantastic. I enjoyed myself immensely. It was pouring rain when we parked and went in, my feet were aching at the end of the…
This morning was a Haifa morning. I stepped outside and the air smelled like (home), like stone paths, the bay, flowers, and a breeze off the mountains and desert that lifts you up… Warm and cool, the kind of cool…
It seems like I spend a lot of time snapping photos, editing, and posting. I try to post photos within a week of taking them, mostly because I feel like it is a waste to just keep them on my…
I am still here. In silence with the water forming lakes around my boots, with the golden red leaves forming islands around my feet. I am…in a few places at once. With tall buildings, cold people, fascinating streets (that dream…
After several years of desperately wanting a digital SLR camera, I finally gave in and bought a Canon EOS 1000D. I am having fun, and I actually do carry it everywhere with me. Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to…
The sun was gliding past the trees, we found a wide patch of sun that set the grass aglow, peered into our eyes, and warmed our skin. The proper ingredients for a picnic are: 1. a thick blanket, large enough…
1. Gluten-free sugar cookies dipped in chocolate pudding are heavenly. 2. Aprons never fit me correctly. I always have to adjust them, which makes me ignore them altogether. But I really like the idea of an apron. 3. Driving a…
These last few weeks have really done a number on me. I finished up my work helping organize the 3rd Annual Baha’i Choral Festival at the Baha’i House of Worship. The Festival was wonderful, you can read about it here,…
We went for a walk on Sunday near the river, and I found my frog prince (ok, he is a toad, but the principle applies). Unfortunately, he did not change into a human being. Mr. Toad was quite adorable, however. …
Last night I went salsa dancing for the first time in nearly 3 years. I couldn’t believe it has been that long. And then I stepped out on the dance floor, and it was painfully obvious that not only was…
Superbowl Sunday in the United States tends to be a day that people have parties, eat lots of junk food, and are glued to their flatscreen televisions to watch American football. On Saturday night I went to a friend’s house…