Rachel and I went to Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. It took four hours and included dinner at Jimmy John’s. We had a great time exploring, looking at different stores, and talking. The mall was super crowded and we had difficulty finding a parking spot. Rachel played in the Children’s PlayCourt. I enjoyed visiting the salt water tanks at Rainforest Cafe.

This date was a nice trip to the park and then Dairy Queen. We stopped by Veteran’s Acres and walked around the frozen lake – the snow was all melted but the ice was still thick except around the edges. Alexis stood on the ice by the dock. We saw a herd of deer, eight in total. They allowed us to get within forty feet of them. Then we visited the pet shop and had a swirl ice cream cone at Dairy Queen.