There were three receptions planned after the wedding. We made our way to Wisconsin for a cookout the beginning of the July 4th weekend. Mostly family attended this one. It was a great time. The second was held in Chicago. Our Jakes reception was perfect. Friends drove in from the suburbs for a tastes city life. Jakes was empty that afternoon and we took over the back room. It was the perfect choice for our Chicago reception.
The following Monday, Brain and Austyn filled the jeep with gifts and any items that had been left behind and headed back to Colorado. Jeff and I flew to Denver the following weekend.
Brian’s parents had made the arrangements for the reception there. They had reserved a brewery as the location. Excellent choice since finding great breweries is what Jeff and Brian love to do. Not only was there great food and drink but also personal tours of the brewery itself. It was a perfect end to what seemed to be a month of celebrations.
Jeff was flying to Florida immediately after the reception for a convention. This meant that when he had left for this weekend he was packed for the next month of transition. I was returning home for our final week in the condo. The packers would be there on Thursday and the moving van on Friday. Unsure of the emotional effect this week may have, I had asked my sister Sue to spend it with me. We both arrived at Midway Airport, she much earlier than I. We made our way to the El, boarded the Orange Line and headed into the city. We had two days to play, get the last tasked completed on the to do list, which included having the car tuned up for the trip west and go to all the fun restaurants in the neighborhood that I had been waiting to share with her, of course Jakes was top on that list.