delara, interrupted

Oh my goodness. Family - particularly my family - is just the best thing in the world! Peeps were in town for the Persian conference this weekend, and Paul and I reaped the benefit of this visit by having time with family Sunday night and all day today. Woo hoo! Mind you, this is after having had two (COUNT THEM, TWO BABY!) evenings with Marc while he was in town last week as well. He and Tessera escaped the huge army of conservatives that took over NYC for a few days. (Thank you again, Lou, for dinner - spending time together with you was just so fun!)

So, Sunday evening after Anisa and Amechi's wedding ceremony we got to celebrate family anniversaries and good times together. It has been a while since we had a reunion of sorts out at Lake Arrowhead as we usually do, so time together was in order.

The evening was not to be outdone by the fun times we had in Wicker Park and at the Adler Planetarium today. An architectural boat ride was in order, but when it started to rain this morning we opted for plan B - a much more indoor plan. So, we started out by visiting Orangeskin at its Wicker Park location - a hip furniture store owned by my second cousin Mersedeh's hubby, Giuseppe. (She has her own claim to fame - she designs Nour sunglasses and is just a special, sweet, cool person in general.) Azin purchased a dresser and other items there, and we quickly had some pizza at Piece before zipping off to ORD to catch Azin's flight. Then we met up again with the family at the Planetarium, and despite my skepticism we had a fascinating time. You all know I'm a science geek at heart anyway, so it was right up my alley.

See how gorgeous the Chicago skyline was today. I love my city.

I feel satisfied and content - that feeling you get after eating a delicious, home-cooked meal and sipping tea in front of a cozy fireplace. Aaaaaahhh... the weekend was like a breath of fresh air.

And now, back to the hustle and bustle - first, we prepare for the week by doing some laundry. And then, sleeeeep. 'Cause really, all that fun is exhausting!

Goodnight.