The Magnificent Mile

My best friend, Bernie, came from Canada last Monday to visit with us for the week. We hadn't seen each other for a few years, but it was as if we hadn't been parted. Being friends for 45 years, we know each other inside and out, forwards and backwards, and everywhere inbetween. She's been my anchor through some pretty stormy seas, helps me to see that life really is 'that simple', and makes me laugh so hard that my belly aches.

It felt like a whirlwind kind of trip and by Friday we were on our way to Chicago to take in the sights. Thank the Goddess for the GPS . . . how did one ever survive without one? I'm a small city/town kind of girl and driving through Chicago, not knowing where I was going, was almost more than I could bear. We did, however, make it safely to the hotel. That night we had a lovely dinner and a BIG glass of wino!

Saturday morning we leisurely got up and got ready to head out to the Magnificent Mile. It was cold and the wind was blowing, but we headed out bravely to face the day. We did some shopping at Macy's (where we had our brows shaped . . . yeeouch!) and the Hershey store (yummy!). I bought some lotions at the H2O store and Bernie bought a couple of hats from Eddie Bauer. We got Green Tea Latte's from Starbucks and took a picture under an enormous Marilyn Monroe statue.

We walked the mile up and down. There was Tiffany's and Cartier, Nordstrums and Saks Fifth Avenue. I can see why they call it the Magnificent Mile, but honestly, unless you're rich the likes of Oprah Winfrey, it can be a little intimidating and well, not quite so magnificent. One day maybe, but for now it's Target and JCPenney for me!

Afterwards we hopped in the car. We had a few hours before it was time to take Bernie to the airport so we decided to check out Schaumburg and have some lunch. Getting out of Chicago was harder than getting in and after taking a few wrong turns we ended up at the mall in Schaumburg. Ours hopes at eating at the Cheesecake Factory were soon dashed as there was a 30 minute wait, so we ended up eating at McDonalds, looked around a bit and then headed back to the airport.

Bernie caught her flight and got home safely and my trip back to Madison was uneventful. We're already planning our next visit . . . which will hopefully be in Maui next year! Aloha!

Abraham-Hicks

Last Friday my friend, Carl, and I headed down to Chicago to participate in the Abraham-Hicks workshop scheduled for Saturday. We took a leisurely drive down, taking the scenic route and stopped at the quaint little town of Lake Geneva. We stopped over for about an hour, checking out some of the cute little shops along main street. Then we got back in the car, after stopping at Starbucks, and made our way to Lincolnshire.

Beautiful sunrise from my hotel room.

After spending a very restless night, I awoke the next morning excited and anticipating the day. We started with breakfast at Panera Bread and then made our way to the hotel where the workshop was being held.

Esther and Jerry Hicks

Esther came onto the stage, said 'hello' and then 'goodbye' and Abraham was front and center ready to deliver his message and then was ready for the audience to ask their questions. I had put my hand up throughout the morning, but each time I did I felt the pangs of nervousness and well, quite frankly, unworthiness. Fortunately for me a man went up to the 'hot seat' and asked the question, "What is worthiness?", whereupon Abraham delivered the answer.

After that I felt something shift within me. After the final break, I sat in my chair, grounded and centered myself definitely feeling 'different'. No sooner had I finished my little exercise, I put my hand up and to my amazement, Abraham called ME to the hot seat! Admittedly, I was nervous, but I managed to get my question out and have it answered. I can't quite remember everything Abraham said to me, because I was nervous, AND he was emitting such a strong and powerful energy, AND he was looking directly into my eyes, that I couldn't quite focus on what was being said. I did, however, order the audio CDs so I'm looking forward to sitting down with a cup of tea and listening all over again to the amazing and wonderful workshop I had participated in.

If you don't know who Abraham-Hicks is perhaps you have heard of 'The Law of Attraction'. If not, it's something that I encourage you to look into . . . it's empowering and helps you realize that 'yes, I am responsible for my life and how I create it to be' - something us Wiccans already inherently know.