Five inspiring experiences from this past week:

1) Dinner and a bottle of wine with HeeJai at Mado. The homemade tagliatelle with Japanese eggplant was scrumptious and so was the company. I would highly recommend a visit to this restaurant and soon - before the BYOB status changes.

2) Adjusting to life in the South Loop and joyfully finding that nature resides nearby at Burnham Park and the McCormick Place Bird Sanctuary. Enjoyed the last remnants of summer flowers and the view of lingering sailboats.

3) Dew feathers on the Harbor Country shoreline of Lake Michigan during our last visit before the big day.

4) Collecting wine along the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail for a special Thursday night dinner party before our wedding. Finding the gem of the group – Hickory Creek Winery - and leaving with a bottle of 2006 Chardonnay that deposits the taste of butter on the palette.

5) Discovering a peaceful and private community that reminds me of Sea Haven, the fictional town in one of my favorite films, The Truman Show.

Cream container for coffee and espresso at the Rabbit Run Inn.

Last Thursday, N surprised me with tickets to the annual Green City Market BBQ. I was jazzed to meet my favorite Top Chef superstar, Dale, from Season Three along with Sara N and Stephanie, the winner from Season Four.

Many of Chicago's top restaurants were present and it was a rare opportunity to be able to chat with the chefs along with some of the restaurant owners. There were so many tasty savory dishes (N really enjoyed Rick Bayless' creation - served with a smile by the chef himself), but of course - I enjoyed the sweets. A berry cheesecake and corn ice cream were among my favorites.

On Friday, we left for Harbor Country, Michigan for another weekend of wedding meetings. Super exhausting, but also wonderful beyond words. More and more, it feels like "home" there...


Photos:
* Detail of yellow flower in Mahogany Room of the Rabbit Run Inn (one of our host Inns).
* Bench fabric at the Bentwood Tavern in the Marina Grand Resort (our reception hotel).
* My favorite dog on the entire planet, dear Lulu (her owners are Linda Jo & Rodney, the fabulous inn-keepers at the Rabbit Run).
* A wooded area on pristine Lake Shore Road.

The last few times N and I have been to our special place, other people have joined us. This past weekend, we had a chance to break away - just the two of us. All of our weekends away have been memorable, but this past one was magical. It felt like we were in a different emotional space marked by a shared vision and readiness to move forward together.

Over the weekend, we spent time with inspiring locals. The first is a developer who converted an historic winery into modern lofts. He reused as much of the old winery as possible in order to limit waste and also create a sense of historical integrity. His quiet and peaceful demeanor was calming and renewing. Before we parted ways he looked at us with sincere eyes and shared some nurturing wedding advice.

Next, we met with a husband/wife team who designed and furnished a tiny Inn (the Mrs is an interior designer). Their vibrant and fresh take on inn-keeping, devotion to the small details and desire to incorporate the natural surroundings will make lodging luxurious for their guests. They opened their home to us and we fell for their Tiffany-blue kitchen cabinets and playfully feisty French Bulldog, Lulu.

We ended the day with dinner and a trip to the Tradewinds Casino. I've never gambled and often question the value of such a past-time, but agreed to go out of curiosity. Good thing I did! N took me to the roulette table and encouraged me to pick our numbers. My first win was selecting our wedding date number of 18. Then we divided all our chips between red & my number selection - 1. The ball landed on 1 and we walked away with $540!

On Sunday, we prefaced our drive back to Chicago with a visit to a conservation community in IN. We met with a dream team of a couple (both architects and artists) who work with the community developer to build progressive homes that respect and incorporate the natural preserves they are surrounded by. In the home they are living in, they salvaged a beautiful slab of jasper for part of their bathroom wall and barn doors to serve as sliding room dividers. They asked what we like about the area and I told them about our ritual of watching the sunset on each visit to MI. The Mrs shed some tears reminiscing about the sunset that made her realize they had to buy the acreage they now live on. I think my favorite part of the visit was talking with their young daughter and swooning together over our shared love of minerals and gemology.

After saying goodbye to the family, we spent some time on the land and the magic was everywhere. But, the best place was between us.