Vacation Day 1--SMALL FRIGGIN' WORLD!!!

A couple of weeks ago, Beth's brother called us and made an incredibly generous offer.  He said that since we've had a crazy year so far (new baby, hospital stay for Emerson, hospital stay for Peyton) we needed a few days away.  So Rob and his wife Caroline arranged for us to have a lovely house in Galena for the week.  It turns out that the house belongs to their very good friends Ann and Michael.  

We've met Ann and Michael several times and they are lovely, generous, warm, wonderful people.  They also have a life to be envied--a condo on Michigan Ave. in Chicago, a house in Kiawah Island, SC, this house in Eagle Ridge and a place in Santa Monica, CA.  So, we aren't staying in a typical rental house--we are talking a beautifully well-appointed, art-filled home.  

So, we arrived yesterday and unpacked all the things necessary when you travel with children.  I must say that Emerson requires a disproportional amount of stuff!  We needed to run to the local Wal-Mart to buy the stuff we couldn't bring with us--milk, juice, more Malibu Rum.  While we were out we decided to eat at Culver's.  

Now, I must say that our family is rarely inconspicuous.  In Flossmoor I like to think that we don't stand out as much.  But, Galena apparently is not the hotbed of activity for two women with three African-American children.   While we were getting seated, a woman walked up to us and asked if we were staying at Ann Weiser's house in Eagle Ridge.  She went on to say that she lives in Los Angeles and was in town for a family reunion.  Last week she interviewed for a job at Ann's company.  During the course of the interview and a discussion on diversity (Ann and this woman are both in HR) Ann mentioned that our family was staying at their house.  So this woman said she took a chance that we were the family that Ann had mentioned.  The woman was very nice and absolutely astounded that she had met us.  She decided it was the sign she needed to accept the job offer from Ann's company!