family: City girl returns to the country

Over the past week we've enjoyed a visit from our city girl, Elizabeth. She moved to Chicago with her mom at the end of May and since that time we've had contact primarily over the phone with a couple of Skype visits added in but nothing in the way of a true visit...until last Saturday! Her mom did some research into "Unaccompanied Minor" air travel and found that Southwest airline has a pretty good program that won't break the bank; her mom could take her to the gate and I could pick her up from the gate in Columbus. She was a bit apprehensive about flying solo, but from the smile on her face when she came off the plane I think she did fine. When asked about her flight, she replied that she sat by a couple of ladies who kept her company. She spent a few days with her dad and the rest with us. She got right back into country girl mode by helping to weed the garden, picking blueberries and running around the yard. We then drove her back to Chicago on Friday where we stayed over night in Schaumburg, IL. While in Schaumburg we tried some Chicago deep dish pizza, swam in the hotel pool and wandered a bit around the town. Saturday morning we drove to her new place to drop her off. She gave us a tour of her new home and neighborhood; then introduced us to her favorite breakfast place nearby. We had a great visit with her both here and in Chicago. We are making plans for the next visit.

Pics from the week: