I got this whole Chicago transportation thing down!

My oldest daughter, Nae, finally came home yesterday from her internship in Colorado.

Just like always with her, it was a whirl wind experience....that girl is always go. go. go.

I was hoping she would get here around 2 or 3 pm. But I got a call in the afternoon that she had missed her exit and would I look on a map....this is very unusual for her. She is another one of my children who talk in "east/west/north/south" terms. She not freakish about her directional abilities like Tony, but she is very good (her freakish thing is birthdays---she can remember the birthday of anyone she has ever met--it's really bizarre!) so anyways...the minute she asks me to do that my heart beats a little crazy because, as you know, I'm directionally challenged. Let's just say I got her here in a "round about way"....I kinda forgot that Colorado was out west (duhhh!!!), I'm so used to bringing in people from Michigan....you're judging me right now aren't you? I can feel it.

Nae and her friend, Jake got here at 6pm. Which was really lousy because I had to leave at 6:10 for one of those "beginning of the season, meet the coach, I'm just gonna stand here and read the handout I gave you" parent meetings. Ugghh! And they were supposed to catch the 6:29 train into Chicago for dinner with Jake's brother and then be gone for the rest of the evening. So I had 10 minutes to give them directions to the train station and information on which bus to take (cuz I'm the expert now...HA!).

So I'm feeling pretty cool with a little "hey maybe I'm gettin this whole Chicago transportation thing" attitude. I'm looking at my map and telling Jake he's gotta take the blue line in...and Jake is on the phone with his brother....they need the brown line to get to him....and Jake is relaying between us trying to figure it all out. Finally, he says "my brother wants to talk to you". I get on the phone and Jake's brother says "the blue line?" and I say "yeah" and he says "I'm talking buses are you talking trains?" I suddenly feel like the biggest idiot! All I can say in my defense is that the Metra map I was looking at for the Union Pacific West Line is blue....wow I'm a ninny! Good first impression Tori!

He finally says "can you just tell them how to get to a blue line station? I can get him here from there". "Um, sure..." I say. I'm not sure I can do anything involving the Chicago transportation system anymore. I showed him how I "thought" you got there....all the while pretending that I knew exactly what I was talking about...cuz...I'm good at that. And hey, they are both brilliant...they can figure it out if I'm wrong. I spent the rest of the evening second guessing myself and only lost a little sleep....

I'm assuming all is well. I heard them come in sometime after 1 am. Jake is crashed in Bud's room for the night. They are still sleeping...they are on Mountain Daylight Time, after all. I can't wait to hear how it went for them and if I made it even worse with my directional advice. And if they got lost.....I'll just pretend that he misunderstood my flawless directions.