Review: Brightline, Miami to Fort Lauderdale (Return)

Earlier this week I needed to be in Fort Lauderdale to attend a workshop for my job. The start time was 9am, meaning I would need to fight rush hour traffic to get there. I thought about taking an Uber so at least I would not be the one doing the driving, but sampling fares at a similar time a few days before showed it was going to be quite expensive.

Then I realized that the workshop was just a half mile from Fort Lauderdale's Brightline station, and with the Miami station being just a 20-minute walk from my apartment, I decided to look at Brightline's prices.

I found a promo code, and within no time had booked a round-trip ticket for just $20.25 (in full disclosure, my employer will be reimbursing this expense, but even so it was less than reimbursing my mileage at the current IRS rate). The purchase process was simple, as was the post-purchase account creation and syncing my ticket to my account.

Most unfortunately, there were some issues the morning of my day to be in Fort Lauderdale. Brightline's reservation system was malfunctioning, meaning I could not retrieve my ticket via the app, the website, or the in-station self-service kiosk. It was only when I approached the agent at the turnstiles that I learned it was system-wide and not just me. She found my name on a passenger manifest and I was admitted to the passenger-only area. Security screening consisted of putting my backpack through a conveyor belt scanner and then I was free to relax in the departure lounge.

I had plenty of time to explore the lounge as my train was delayed some twenty minutes. In Miami, the turnstiles and lounge are on the second floor of Miami Central. Within the passenger area is a cafe, with pastries, packages snacks, and assorted hot and cold beverages, as well as gift items, available for purchase. There is assorted seating, with plentiful power and USB outlets, overlooking the street below. To the rear of the passenger area is the Select Lounge, for passengers on the first class fare, where they have complimentary beverages and snacks along with similar seating. Wi-Fi was free and useful throughout.

Boarding was announced, late as expected, and passengers rode escalators (elevators also available) up one level to the platform. I found my coach and my seat, which I realized was an accessible seat, and found it odd that I had been assigned to such a seat by the reservation system.

When the train began rolling a few minutes later, realizing the coach was not even half full, I moved to another seat. Seats were in a 2-2 configuration, with some facing another pair across a table, and others with a tray table available in the seat back ahead. I found a window seat of the latter kind and still had an empty seat next to me. Power and USB outlets were available for each seat.

A few minutes after departure, an attendant came down the aisle with a beverage cart. I declined as I had brought my own snack, and opened my laptop on the tray table and did some work during the 30-minute ride to Fort Lauderdale.

Arrival was announced a few minutes beforehand, giving me ample time to unplug and store my laptop and walk to the vestibule to be ready to disembark. I had a moment of trouble navigating my way to the exit (despite Fort Lauderdale being a smaller station than Miami Central), but a station agent kindly pointed me the right direction.

After the workshop, I had an hour before my return train (unfortunately I had missed my chance to change to an earlier train by just minutes), so after clearing security, I found a high-top counter and chair in the lounge and caught up on emails and phone messages. I checked the train status a couple times as well as the seat map. Noticing I had again been assigned an accessible seat, I reseated myself to a mid-car window seat.

Boarding was similarly announced and I once again found myself in a half-empty cabin. I mostly enjoyed the view on the return journey, including a nice view of the ramp at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's Terminal 1.

All in all, a comfortable and convenient way to get between Miami and Fort Lauderdale (and there is one additional stop further north in West Palm Beach, with plans to extend to Orlando).

2018: The Year's Travels and Reading

This will not be a unique end-of-year post, except for possibly because I am combining two lists posts into one. Here I will recap the books I read and places I visited in 2018. I set a new post-college record for number of books read in the year at 14 (with two others started but never finished and two more in progress but will not be finished by year's end), and my traveling this year took the number two spot in my personal annual record number of miles traveled.

Books I read in 2018, in order of completion

Jeremy Treat: Crucified King: Atonement and Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Theology

John M Gottman and Nan Silver: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

Neil Gaiman: American Gods

Tish Harrison Warren: Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

Mark Vanhoenacker: Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot

Joe Biden: Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose

Elaine Tyler Mary: Fortress America: How We Embraced Fear and Abandoned Democracy

Robert Kurson: Rocket Men

Daniel Hill: White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to Be White

Christopher Potter: The Earth Gazers: On Seeing Ourselves

Daniel Coyle: The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

Mark Dillon: Giving and Getting in the Kingdom: A Field Guide

Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians

Jimmy Carter: Faith: A Journey for All

Juan Francisco Martinez: The Story of Latino Protestants in the United States

Places I visited in 2018, in order of visit

January: My fifth visit to Florida. Florida is Naomi's home state, and she and I went to visit her parents in Orlando for a late Christmas. We took a day to go to Disney World, enjoying both Animal Kingdom and Epcot.

April: I generally take the weekend after Easter Sunday off, and this year Naomi and I decided to visit Austin, first time for both of us. It was unfortunately unseasonably cold there most of our four-day visit but even so we saw and did a lot of Austin's highlights and also visited an old friend.

In Austin in April

August: For our second wedding anniversary, we spent six days in Vancouver, first time for both of us. We again saw and did a lot of Vancouver's highlights and had a great time exploring the city and surrounding area. Read my full travelogue in two parts.

Also in August was a quick weekend trip to Baltimore for a college friend's wedding. My first time to Baltimore, and we squeezed in a few of the local sights.

November: Back to Florida again for Thanksgiving with Naomi's family.

All told, it involved over 11,400 miles of air travel across eleven flight segments, the longest being the return flight from Vancouver.

Looking forward to more reading and traveling in 2019! What did you read or what places did you visit in 2018? Comment below.

Vancouver 2018, Days 4-6

Read my report on days 1-3 here first!

DAY 4 (SUNDAY)

We were up early and drove across Vancouver Harbour to North Vancouver and Lynn Canyon Park, famous for its suspension bridge. We walked across said bridge, swaying the whole time, and then did a loop trail around nearby Rice Lake. There were few other hikers at that time of day, but sure enough as we walked back to the parking lot, we saw it almost completely full and lots of people creating a bottleneck to cross the bridge.

Rice Lake, within Lynn Canyon Park

Back at our room we had lunch and then in the afternoon we wandered around the nearby suburb of Richmond. Their combination public library/cultural center had an interesting exhibit about tiny houses and their use as a solution to lack of affordable housing in some communities.

As part of our stay on campus we had a coupon for The Point Grille, one of the on-campus restaurants, so we had dinner there that evening.

Buffalo chicken wings at UBC's Point Grille. Except instead of chicken, that there is cauliflower. And it was delicious.

DAY 5 (MONDAY)

As we found out upon arrival to Canada when we spent some time taking our loose list of activity ideas and making actual plans, this particular Monday was a civic holiday in Canada, comparable to Labor Day in the United States. So I was a little concerned that it would be extra crowded at Grouse Mountain, one of the Vancouver area's top tourist attractions, that day. But in truth the crowds were manageable and we enjoyed a half-day there.

Grouse Mountain features a variety of activities on the mountaintop, from wildlife exhibits, a few hiking trails, and a whimsical lumberjack show, besides restaurants and great spots for photos.

Grouse Mountain Lumberjack Show

On the peak of Grouse Mountain, with Vancouver spread out below

View of Vancouver on the gondala ride back to base camp. Stanley Park in the middle of the right edge of picture, with UBC's Grey Point just above it. Downtown Vancouver right in the middle of the picture.

We were both easily tired by about two in the afternoon after just four hours on the mountain. So we returned to UBC to relax and then finished the day with ice cream from a local shop and watching the sunset from nearby Wreck Beach.

The sun sets on British Columbia Day beyond Wreck Beach

DAY 6 (TUESDAY)

I had seen several dozen Tim Horton's whilst driving about Vancouver during our trip, so I decided that on our last morning of this particular visit to our neighbor to the north, I would have breakfast from Tim Horton's. So Naomi and I walked to one of the campus locations and I enjoyed a classic breakfast sandwich. Delicious.

Then it was a leisurely walk back to our room to pack, check out, and return to the airport. This would be our first time using our brand-new Global Entry status, and it was very satisfying to move quickly through security and border preclearance before settling in the departure area with great views of planes taking off to the west.

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.

We arrived home after a smooth flight halfway across the continent, tired but very pleased with our extended weekend Canadian adventure.

Vancouver 2018, Days 1-3

For our second wedding anniversary, Naomi and I decided to vacation in Vancouver. It was Naomi's first trip to Canada and my second, though the first was during my elementary school years and to the Niagara Falls area and I remember very little.

DAY 1 (THURSDAY)

We left on Thursday, August 2, from Chicago, connecting in Las Vegas. The first leg was on United Airlines (on a Boeing 757-300 retrofit to include 21 more economy seats, and I was pleased to find no change in the comfort level for the nearly four hours on board), but the second was aboard Air Canada Rouge, my first time flying the carrier. A two-hour maintenance delay at LAS rather ruined what might have been an interesting experience for me as a minor avgeek.

Still, we arrived to Vancouver only 90 minutes behind schedule, and enjoyed the display of First Nations artwork along the arrivals corridor. The immigration and customs process was effortless as was getting the rental car and without too much difficulty we found our way to the University of British Columbia. UBC has convenient guest housing available to tourists, and it was fun to have the gorgeous UBC campus as our base for our exploring the area (more on the campus later).

View from the starboard window on approach to Vancouver. Airport is in the middle of the picture, UBC campus on the end of the Point Grey peninsula just above. Suburb of Richmond in the foreground.

One of the First Nations art pieces in the arrivals corridor at Vancouver International Airport.

After getting settled we went into town to Whole Foods for grocery shopping (our room had a full kitchenette, pardon the oxymoron), and happily discovered that this Whole Foods had a burrito bar, so we had "Chipotle" for dinner! And then promptly collapsed into bed, exhausted from the full day of traveling.

The Burrito Bar at the Whole Foods in the Kitsilano neighborhood of Vancouver

DAY 2 (FRIDAY)

We went running along one edge of campus in the morning, and then headed into downtown Vancouver for breakfast at Smak Fast Food, which despite the name was nothing like a McDonald's or a Dunkin Donuts. Naomi had a smoothie bowl and I a bowl of scrambled eggs with sweet potatoes and a sausage patty. I thought the paper bowl presentation was odd but I suppose it makes it convenient for people to take to their downtown offices.

We then proceeded a little farther across the downtown peninsula to Stanley Park, one of the largest urban park in the world (30% larger than Manhattan's Central Park). We rented bikes from a nearby shop and biked the Stanley Park section of Vancouver's seawall, affording gorgeous views of downtown, Vancouver Harbour, the North Shore, and English Bay. The seawall path had separate lanes for joggers/walkers and bikers/rollerskaters, making it a safe and convenient way to enjoy an hour of exercise.

We returned the bikes and walked to the Yaletown area of downtown for lunch of burgers at Meet. Five stars for food quality and service!

Meet at Yaletown's outdoor dining area (where we sat, of course!)

The Crispy BBQ burger with side salad (fries in the background)

Back to UBC, we set out to explore the campus. We walked along the main thoroughfare admiring the varied buildings, browsed the modern art gallery, walked through the lobbies of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (sadly the performance spaces themselves were locked), and visited the bookstore for a souvenir (we picked a refrigerator magnet with an aerial view of the UBC campus).

University of British Columbia: Library

University of British Columbia: Flagpole Plaza

University of British Columbia: Chan Centre

University of British Columbia: Fountain at intersection of Main Mall and University Boulevard

DAY 3 (SATURDAY)

After breakfast, we headed to Granville Island just outside downtown Vancouver and the Granville Island's location of Ecomarine Sports for stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) lessons. It was a great day for it, with sun, little wind, and not too hot. Our instructor was Holly, originally of Sweden. Naomi and I plus a Korean couple were out on the water quickly after Holly gave us the safety and technique briefings. We paddled around the marina for practice and then out toward Burrard Bridge, then under Burrard Bridge into English Bay. I fell in, twice I might add, but had a blast. Holly mentioned that we were only the second group she had been able to take beyond Burrard Bridge.

Naomi and I paddleboarding into English Bay

Following our two-hour lesson and workout, we headed to Virtuous Pies for plant-based pizza, most delicious. We wandered through a nearby Chinese garden and then back to our room to nap, tired from the paddleboarding.

That afternoon we went to Spanish Banks Beach, just around the corner from campus on the north shore of the university's peninsula, with great views of downtown, Stanley Park, English Bay, and the north shore.

Panoramic view from Spanish Banks Beach, looking north across English Bay. Vancouver skyline to the right.

DAYS 4/5/6 COMING SOON!

My Flight History

I read a few travel blogs, primarily The Points Guy and the network at Boarding Area, and yesterday on the former I found myself directed to explore Open Flights, a free (though there are paid options) website where one can log all flights taken and then analyze the component data. The website also gives you a map of all the flight paths overlaid.

See my current map here.

As of this writing I am 20% of the way to the moon! And before the end of the year I have five more segments already scheduled and two more planned but not yet booked.

I must say, for a minor #AvGeek such as myself, it was quite the distraction during my lunch break yesterday!

2017: A Hobby-Based Look Back

My biography indicates that in my spare time I enjoy attending concerts, cooking, reading, and traveling, so to recap 2017, I will summarize my accomplishments in those areas.

Concerts

The irony is that managing concerts, as I do, sometimes makes it difficult to attend them. Nonetheless, I was in the audience for several concerts in the last year and a few in particular I really enjoyed.

In April I heard Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 5 Reformation, appropriate given this Reformation 500 anniversary year, as well as Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Yafim Bronfman.

In December I heard the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under Nikolaj Znaider, perform Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. On both occasions I was hearing these symphonies performed live by a professional orchestra for the first time, and on neither occasion did they disappoint!

Over the summer I attended a couple performances at the Grant Park Music Festival in Millennium Park, including, in August, one featuring the Mariachi Cobre, which may have been only the second time in my life I had heard live mariachi music, at least in concert.

Cooking

Naomi and I are regular Purple Carrot users, and a few of the recipes we have gone on to reuse, particularly the delicious (and simple) red bean burger. We have been introduced to new ingredients and new twists on familiar meals. One of my long time favorite recipes, which I first learned when Naomi and I were dating in college, is a zucchini and kidney bean chili. I am also now very partial to the use of dates as a sweetener, though that is more for baking than cooking; my skills are very much still in the cooking realm.

Reading

I read eleven books from start to finish this year and read bits of some others, but I really do want to increase that total in future years. Three in particular are:

• John Bateson's Building Hope: Leadership in the Non-Profit World, anecdotes and experience-based advice on many facets of the non-profit institution
• Andy Crouch's Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, a compelling analysis of the ways power is often abused and how it could and can be used for so much good instead
• Christopher Gehrz and Mark Pattie's The Piestist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity, an encouraging look at the principles of pietism and how they can inform most other traditions

Traveling

In addition to my home state of Illinois, I found myself spending time in Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Carolina, and Vermont this year. (I also changed planes in California but I am of the school of thought that that does not count.)

My visits to Hawaii, Oregon, South Carolina, and Vermont were my first times in each of those states. The Hawaii trip was Naomi's and my honeymoon in January to the island of Kauai, and it was very much the perfect time of year to go and an all-around enjoyable trip. I chronicled the Vermont trip in detail previously on this blog.

What's Next?

I already have tickets for two CSO concerts in 2018, we are due for our next Purple Carrot later in January, I have two books waiting for me on my desk to read, one of which I am sure I will take on our January trip to Florida, and after that who knows to where else I will take books for the plane ride - New Orleans and Canada are on our list!

I hope 2017 had many satisfying moments of those things you enjoy doing in your spare time, and that 2018 will have no less!

Thankfulness

On this Thanksgiving Day, some of the things for which I am most thankful (and surely this is an incomplete list):

• Naomi, my wife (pictured below)
• Ed and Becky, my ever-supportive parents
• Paul, my brother, Velia and Dorothy, my grandmothers, and my entire family
• Gerald, my boss at Calvary (and Todd, his boss and our senior pastor), and Tony, my boss at Wheaton (and Michael, his boss and our dean)
• Ana, Cassidy, Cheryl, Cindy, Collin, Danielle, Ellie, and Madison, whom I have the privilege of having as direct reports at Calvary and Wheaton
• My colleagues at Calvary and Wheaton, too many to name for fear of missing someone
• The privilege of serving on the staffs of these two organizations, and for all the invaluable kingdom-building work in which I can take part
• The provision of new facilities for the Conservatory of Music
• Friends from my college days with whom I can still talk by phone every so often, and the encouragement those calls are
• First-time visits to four states in the last year (Hawaii in January, South Carolina and Oregon in May, Vermont in July)
• The privilege of serving on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Overture Council Executive Committee with Erika, April, Danielle, Elliott, Haley, John, Jonathon, Kristin, Belinda, Claudine, and Jessica and our ongoing growth and success
• The generosity of many people, some of whom are at most second-degree connections, taking time to provide professional development advice
• Timely and helpful words of wisdom and counsel from Derrick and Gayle and Kirk
• The many thoughtful, reasonable voices, even with whom I disagree, speaking with charity and humility and using their platforms to inspire hope and determination in the midst of so much divisive, negative rhetoric
• The relentless, limitless, abundant, and undeserved grace of God

I'm thankful for Naomi, my bride of 15 months and counting, this Thanksgiving

Vermont Vacation

Last weekend, Naomi and I spent four days vacationing in the Green Mountain State, Vermont. It was the first time there for both of us. Naomi had registered to run the Mad Marathon, so we made a long weekend trip out of it.

We flew Southwest Airlines to Manchester Boston Regional Airport, New Hampshire, on Friday, and after lunch in Manchester drove to the Seasons Resort in Warren, Vermont. The Seasons was a quiet and convenient location to base our Vermont explorations. It is just 10 minutes driving from the start and finish of the marathon in Waitsfield, Vermont, and an hour or less from the other locations we visited.

The Seasons Resort, Warren, Vermont

The Seasons is about half a mile from the Warren town center, so after check-in we went to see the town. Warren has all of 1,705 residents, per Wikipedia, and the town center is, proportionally, a quarter-mile stretch along which one finds the real estate agency, the general store, the inn and restaurant, the post office, the fire station, the town hall, and one church. No stoplights. Very peaceful, and I enjoyed morning runs along the main street and through the adjacent residential streets twice during our vacation.

On Saturday, we went to Waitsfield (population 1,719, also no stoplights, but does have a busier and denser central business district) for packet pick up, where the race staff gave me some tips for the best spots to spectate, and the Waitsfield Farmers Market, which is also a craft fair and had samples.

That afternoon, we went a little farther up the road to Waterbury, Vermont, where we saw our first stoplight in 24 hours and visited the Green Mountain Coffee store and museum at the Waterbury Amtrak Station.

Sunday was race day! As an aside, the forecast had called for lots of rain over the weekend, but we had very little. A short shower here and there, but none during the race morning. After seeing Naomi off, I enjoyed driving around to the various spectator points and joining the other runners' friends and family members to enjoy a beautiful morning in the mountains of the Mad River Valley.

She's off!

3 mile mark!

In the afternoon, we went back to Waterbury to visit the Ben and Jerry's Factory, and have some ice cream. After, we went to Montpelier to stroll the main street and have dinner at the Positive Pie. I had a delicious burger and also decided who I would vote for in the next elections.

Ben and Jerry's Factory, Waterbury, Vermont

The party of deliciousness

On Monday morning, we went to Burlington, Vermont's most populous city, and the least populous city that is the most populous city of a state (Montpelier is also the least populous state capital city). We strolled the main outdoor shopping district and then walked over to and along the Burlington shore of Lake Champlain. Lunch was at New Moon Cafe, an indie version of the Panera Bread concept.

Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vermont

Tuesday we cleaned and packed and checked out and headed again to Montpelier to get coffee and tour the Vermont State House, which allowed self-guided tours.

Vermont State House

Then we were on the road back to Manchester for lunch at the Portland Pie Company and then over to the airport for our flight home. It was a great vacation! I highly recommend Vermont if you have never been.

Points and Miles

Last year, I began following The Points Guy, a combination travel blog/financial advice/life hack website. It has given me significant insights in how to leverage my own use of credit cards and loyalty programs to, as The Points Guy himself might say, turn everyday activity into exciting rewards. What follows are musings on my own use of credit card and loyalty program rewards.

Credit Cards

I currently carry three Chase credit cards. (I began banking with Chase in college and they have always taken good care of me and made me feel like a valued customer -- even as a comparatively low net worth young adult -- so I am happy to give them the opportunity to service all my banking needs.)

Chase Freedom, since 2015
Chase Freedom Unlimited, since 2016
Chase Sapphire Preferred, since 2017

Chase Freedom has rotating bonus categories; each quarter purchases in a category or two of merchants earns 5% cash back, over the usual 1%. They are usually everyday-purchase categories, like gas (as was the case in the first quarter of 2017) and groceries (as is the case in this current second quarter).

I picked up the Chase Freedom Unlimited to use for my non-bonus category spending, as this card has a universal 1.5% cash back on purchases.

Chase Sapphire Preferred is my first higher-level card. I use it for its bonus categories, restaurants and travel (and the travel category is broad, it even includes local public transit fares), where it earns 2 points per dollar.

Having the Chase Sapphire Preferred means that not only can I get cash back on my Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited purchases, I can combine the Chase Ultimate Rewards points from all cards and transfer to travel partners. I transferred 40,000 of the 50,000 points sign up bonus on the CSP to Southwest Rapid Rewards to redeem for my wife's and my flights to Vermont this summer. Which brings me to...

Airline Loyalty Programs

Living in Chicago, I am fortunate to be in the hub/focus city of three major U.S. airlines: American, Southwest, and United. I've chosen to primarily split my air travel needs between Southwest and United. I like Southwest because of the ability to easily and freely change flights as needed, plus of course the free checked bags, and United because of the diversity of its product, the potential for great mileage redemptions, and its international network access, as my wife and I desire to travel internationally during our lives -- and, of course, as a Chicagoan, I like to give my business to Chicago-based companies.

Since becoming a United MileagePlus member a couple years ago, I've earned close to 25,000 points (some through flying, and some through MileagePlus Shopping portal and the MileagePlus X app), and earlier this year redeemed for my first award flight, and found Saver Award availability to get me to Charleston for my grandma's 80th birthday party this month.

And, as I mentioned above, I moved 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which I could do once I obtained the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, to Southwest Rapid Rewards for a pair of round-trip flights to Vermont.

What credit cards and loyalty programs do you use?

From Meadowgate Farm

This past weekend, members of Adelphoi, Calvary Memorial Church's young adult community, gathered at Meadowgate Farm (the retreat home of one of our elder's in-laws) in North Central Illinois, for our winter retreat. There were seventeen adults and three children, and we made good use of the home's nine bedrooms and plentiful common areas. A relaxed schedule of games, conversation, and an almost constant flow of food was the order of business for the weekend.

Meadowgate Farm, outside Orangeville, Illinois

Saturday morning sunrise over North Central Illinois

Kirk Baker, who with his wife Amy leads the young adult ministry, led our group devotional times. His topic for the weekend was, simply but profoundly, growth. He challenged us young adults to think 20, 30, 40 years into the future: would each of us be more mature in Christ at that point? We are always and constantly responding to something, to some situation or another, he observed, and it is the sum of those responses over time that either make us more like Christ or less. This is the process of sanctification, essentially.

The next question Kirk had for us was what role does the Cross have in our sanctification. It has a crucial role, we agreed (I use the word "crucial" intentionally as it has as its root the Latin word for cross). On his handout, Kirk had written about the Cross: "Through Christ his out poured grace we experience comfort, cleansing, and the power to change." In our Saturday evening devotional session we looked at two passages from Paul's writings (Galatians 2:20 and Romans 8:9-10, to be specific), which describe this concept. Our discussion further led us to the conclusion that not only does the indwelling of the Spirit allow us to have godly responses to temptation and difficulty situations and circumstances, but it allows us to receive grace and have the courage to continue when we fall and do not have godly responses.

Thanks, Kirk and Amy, for leading our time of rest and reflection over the weekend!

About half the members of my small group were able to attend the retreat. In the back, from left to right, are Jill, Jason, and me, and in the front are Adriana, Matt, and Charlene.

Kansas City Vacation

This past weekend I took a brief vacation to Kansas City. The main event was the wedding of a good friend from college, Jon Young, but I also had the opportunity to visit family and explore a bit of Kansas City, a place I had not visited before.

I arrived by air on Friday, early afternoon, and without trouble claimed by bag, picked up a rental car, and checked into my hotel. It was hot in Kansas City (ninety-seven degrees!) and humid too! 

A short while later, I drove to nearby Leavenworth, Kansas, where my cousin Greg, his wife Melissa, and their thirteen-month-old daughter, Ava, make their home. Leavenworth is where they make their new home, I should add – they just moved there three weeks ago. Melissa gave me the tour of their house, a comfortable two-bedroom on a quiet street, and then Greg and Ava returned from a grocery store run.

Ava and Greg

I helped Greg distract Ava (out in the backyard, see the picture) while Melissa finished dinner, and then we all sat down to eat chicken tacos from the crockpot. I enjoyed the chance to see them all for a few hours and hear about their settling into their new home. I headed back to my hotel for the evening, taking a few minutes to visit the hotel pool before turning in for the night.

The following day was the wedding day, but not until four, so I took the morning to explore Kansas City. As I was staying at one of the official wedding hotels, I had been given on arrival a gift bag from Jon and Natalie (his bride) containing a few snacks and a welcome letter indicating some of their favorite tourist spots and restaurants in the area. As I said above, this was my first visit to Kansas City, so I took advantage of their suggestions.

My first stop was Loose Park, a large urban park with extensive gardens and walking paths. My only exercise in the last forty-eight hours had been a few laps in the pool, so I took a stroll on one of those paths, circling the park’s perimeter. The path led me past a few Civil War-era markers (Kansas City being an active location during that conflict).

Jacob Loose, the park's namesake

A view of Loose Park paths and some Civil War markers

Lunch was at a burger place in the Westport area of Kansas City, also recommended by the bride and groom, and then I headed to the one place in Kansas City of which I had previous knowledge – the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Though I love Chicago, one thing it does not have is a municipal performing arts center, so it is something I only get to see when I visit other cities. I spent a few minutes at Kauffman, taking pictures and taking in the grandeur of the relatively new facility.

I drove back to my hotel, changed, and headed to the wedding, held in a church not far from the hotel. I was almost immediately greeted by another good friend from college, Nathaniel Olson, who was serving as an usher.

My old roommate, Nathaniel, ushering

Vows

Given that both the bride and groom are professional musicians, I was not surprised at the quality and quantity of music that Jon and Natalie included in their service. They were successfully wedded, and exited the church to a shower of bubbles.

All of us guests made our way to a nearby country club for the reception. I found my table with several other Wheaton grads, with an excellent view of the bridal party’s introduction. It was a fun party – good food, a DJ who may have been having the most fun of anyone, and a photo booth. It was also really fun to see some of those Wheaton friends for the first time in over a year in some cases.

THIS GUY IS MARRIED!

As things were winding down, I said goodbye to my friends and headed back to my hotel, tired but refreshed by all the day’s activity. The following day I again without trouble checked out, returned my car, and flew home to Chicago. It had been a most refreshing weekend.