Miracles along the Miraculous Mile

This likely is our last blog as we roll out of Chicago, Illinois, and toward McLean, Virginia, to get back into the school and work routine.

But there is lots to say about Chicago and the little miracles and blessings along the way. We continued to have great weather. The wind and rain that had caused such destruction in the Chicago area had blown out and we woke to a magnificent sunrise over Lake Michigan. And we did see the sun rise as the family was interviewed on NBC5 Chicago during the 6am morning show. We always enjoy the opportunity to get the word out about how Americans can thank military families with the gift of education.

Our next stop was the fascinating McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum located on North Michigan Avenue next to the Chicago Tribune. There we met with the museum's Executive Director, David Anderson, and learned more about the museum and about the McCormick Foundation's involvement in efforts to support the military. Thank you Lisa and Jeff from the USO for arranging the visit. For those of you with school-age children visiting Chicago, you should make the time to stop by the museum as the interactive exhibits make learning about American history and, in particular, issues related to the First Amendment, fun.

Speaking of the First Amendment, we were also delighted to wake up and see a ThanksUSA op ed penned by Bob appear in the Wall Street Journal. You can find a link to it on our homepage.

We also had serendipity. Walking down crowded Michigan Avenue (in the section known as "The Miraculous Mile"), we spotted our long-time friends from Arlington -- The Katz Family. We had no idea we were all in Chicago, so we took advantage of the chance encounter and had a nice lunch together. We also got to congratulate Bev Katz on completing the Chicago Triathlon -- her first! She was part of a Team N Training raising money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Way to go, Bev!

We ended our day with a trip to the Navy Pier. We thought it appropriate that the last photo of our treasure hunt loving daughters is with some pirates!

Tomorrow, we turn the car for home, having enjoyed seeing more of America and meeting so many wonderful people along the way.

Thanks to all who read the blog and who supported scholarships with donations. We apologize to those who tried to leave comments unsuccessfully. We were never able to fix the technical glitch that was blocking the incoming comments.