Chicago & Indiana
June 2004

This June, my oldest and best friend, David Jones, turned 40. In honor of this event, his lovely wife, Helen, put together a surprise birthday party at their suburban Chicago church where David is a pastor. Jeanne had a previous obligation, so I packed Matt in the car and headed west.

What an event! Helen worked hard for six months collecting photos and memorabilia from friends and family, and each table was decorated focusing on a particular stage of Dave's life, Their son, Nate, also created a slide show with about 100 photos from Dave's first 40 years. Once everyone was seated, a few of us who know Dave best were asked to say a few words about him, including yours truly. I've known him since preschool; he was my Best Man, and I his. He has always been there for me, and it was an honor to say a few kind things about him.

After the party, we stopped by the Jones home for pretzels, Faygo, and conversation. Matt had a nice time playing with their youngest son, Michael, and I enjoyed my time with Dave, Helen, and their eldest son, Andrew. I wish they lived closer to us so we could enjoy their company more often.

On the way to Chicago, Matthew and I decided to campout at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan. We loved the campground--probably the best we've ever stayed at--and got in some fishing in Michigan City (less than a mile from a nuclear plant), where Matthew caught his first fish (a small bass). We will surely return.

Chicago/Indiana Pictures
(hold the cursor over the thumbnails for a brief photo description and click once to view the enlarged photo)