How to Spend a Weekend in Chicago (On the Cheap!)

This past weekend Loverboy and I headed to the Windy City for a few days. We got some cheap flights and thought, why not? And thanks to the awesome suggestions from Instagram/Facebook, we had a pretty great time. So I wanted to share some of what we did and saw with all of you... as kind of a pay it forward, ya' know? :)

We stayed at an Airbnb about 20 minutes outside of the city. We love Airbnb as an affordable (and adorable) option! Click here for a $20 credit!

Of course we had to check out the bean! A classic Chicago sight.

Going on a Thursday afternoon was a good idea! We also went on Saturday to meet up with some friends and it was way crazier!

We frequented Intelligentsia Coffee a couple times... my coffee loving hubby was in heaven!

The Field Museum was my favorite of the three we got into with our Science Museum of MN membership. $70 for the membership and you get into the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and Museum of Science & Industry. SUCH a deal, as it's $70 for two tickets into the Field museum alone!

Visiting Eataly was such a wonderful experience! It's a large building filled with all kinds of Italian foods... cheese, bread, wine, pizza, pasta, meat, fish, and more! They have a Nutella bar, as well as gelato and other sweets. 

Stan's Donuts may have been the winner of the trip. Brian and I both agreed that the nutella and banana pocket donut was one of the best we've ever had!

Plus, they had cute floors! :)

The other big winner was Nando's Peri-Peri. We went there for lunch one day and I was head over heels for the place.

We got to sit in swinging baskets. All the details were so cute!

And the food was delicious!

Brian loved the Museum of Science and Industry! This giant train model was amazing.

We spent our last evening at the Navy Pier. It was beautiful and sunny and we got to experience our first taste of Chicago deep dish pizza at Giordano's. Yum!

To see more of our adventures from Chicago, check out my Instagram!

5 Killer U.S. Travel Destinations

I have two strong gut reactions when I think of all the places I want to travel—1. Excitement! I can't wait to see the world! and 2. Sadness. I know I'll never make it to all of them. (Being a realist definitely has its ups and downs.) But whether it be time, or money, or most likely both, the reality is there just isn't enough to do everything. So I narrowed it down to 5 places that I want to travel in the U.S., hopefully in the next 5–10 years. Baby steps, yes?

After narrowing it down to the 5 places I want to visit the very most, I noticed that there's a nice combo of city and nature, with a little bit of child-like fun thrown in—the perfect mix, in my book! So here it is... my list of 5 U.S. destinations I'd love (insert heart eyes emoji here) to visit.

1. Seattle, WA

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I've been told by multiple people on multiple different occasions that Seattle is my city. Apparently I'd love all the sights and sounds. Apparently the quirk is just right and the food happens to abound in the seafood-variety and it just screams me. So how can I not want to go, right?? This one is a must, and I have plenty of pins on my "explore" board to prove it. Let's go!

2. New York City

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I've been to NYC a few times, but once was when I was a kid and couldn't fully appreciate everything, and the other two times were on mission trips where we went and helped out with summer VBS-type programs and did homeless outreach. So not super tourist-y. But holy moly do I love everything about this city! I love the lights and the buildings and the people and the noise. I love the food and the shopping and the transportation. Now don't get me wrong, I would go crazy living there, but to visit for a week? Count me in! 

3. Redwood Forests, California

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I've also been to the Redwood Forests, but also when I was a young child and just have a foggy dream-like memory of it. I remember being amazed by the huge trees, and ever since whenever I see photos I want to go back. Plus, it's California... sooooo, can you really go wrong? I think this would make a perfect pairing with the Seattle trip, but only if there was sufficient time for both.

4. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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In college I took a class called "Geology of Our National Parks." At the time, it was my sneaky way of trying to take the least-science-y science classes, but it actually turned out to be a pretty sweet class. After a semester of getting a virtual tour of many of our National Parks and all the wonders they hold, I can't help but want to see them! And Yellowstone is just one of the classics. 

5. Universal Studios, Orlando, FL

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I've never been to Disney World or Land or any other iconic child-hood place, so when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, I knew that I had to go. I love Harry Potter, and I love theme parks. Win-win. Universal Studios kind of seems like the more adult version of Disney World, which is A-okay with me. This could be a fun one to do with kids someday, but it might also be a fun place for Loverboy and I to explore by ourselves. Or with friends! Any takers? 

What's on your U.S. travel list? Stay tuned for an international list!

Team Douglas is Going to Southeast Asia!

Happy snowy Monday! I'm so excited to share some fun news with you all today. I've been sitting on this one for awhile (well, if you are a close friend or family member you may have heard a bit about it) ;) so to get to share it with you today makes me so happy!

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This February, Brian and I will be spending two weeks in Thailand and Cambodia to learn more about sex trafficking. We're going with two other people from our church who are also involved in a new anti-trafficking ministry, BASE. We will be meeting up with different ministries who are fighting trafficking and helping restore women and children who have been trafficked. Most of our time will be spent observing and learning as much as we can while also helping them do ministry. This trip will also serve as an exploration trip to see if any of the ministries we'll be visiting would be good options for future short-term trips.

We're excited for this trip for many reasons—to gain a broader understanding and scope of sex trafficking, to observe and interact with different ministries and missionaries and see how they do their work, to travel internationally together doing something that has Kingdom value and impact, to see God work in the support raising and preparations of the trip, and many more.

Would you pray for us? We know we will need prayer during the trip as it will be emotionally trying and physically tiring as we see things that just shouldn't be and experience jetlag and difficult hours of ministering during the night at strip clubs (Heather) and waking up early for flights. We also need prayers as we prepare—for the protection of our hearts and minds as well as trust in God to provide all that we need to go on this trip.

If you'd like to read more about the trip and the background behind why we're going, see our support letter.

If you'd like to join our team of financial supporters, click here. For "Trip/Project" select "S/T Bangkok (Base) 2/16" and then select us as the individual. Let us know if you have any questions! We are incredibly blessed by the generosity and emotional and spiritual support of our friends and family. Thank you!

Four Months

After three months of doing these monthly marriage posts, I have to say, they've accidentally become somewhat of a tradition and something that I look forward to every month. Taking a moment to look back on the previous 30 days to remember and be grateful. It's kinda nice.

So this fourth month of marriage started out with a night's stay at a B&B in Stillwater, MN. Which was sooooo wonderful and came at the perfect time right as Loverboy and I were both feeling a lot of job stress. We have been strongly encouraged by multiple different people to take a little getaway 2–4 times a year... just some time for the two of us to be intentional, reconnect, get away from all the hubbub of life, and work on our marriage.

This first trip was pretty chill and we didn't have a ton of super intense marriage building time, but just to get away and have fun together was so great. We stayed at the Ann Bean Mansion, dined at Marx Fusion Bistro, and got a private tour at the Warden's House Museum. We highly recommend all of those experiences! Also, I am officially dubbing these getaways as #keepthelovealive weekends. Just because hashtags are #ridiculous, but I still #lovethem.

Ann Bean Mansion

Marx Fusion Bistro

Warden's House Museum Tour

Other highlights included a small group Christmas party, finally getting my name put on our Wells Fargo account, tons of Christmas celebrations, a fancy dinner with friends, lots of good family time (especially with some sibs), the beginning of what I hope to be a decluttering trend for the year, an epic date night at Dave & Busters, trivia with the neighbor, and quite a few new recipes.

This was a pretty sweet month of lots of time together, learning how to spend lots of time together without getting on each other's nerves (ha!), dreaming of the future and asking God how he wants to use us, and learning more about communication and openness. All good things. Not all easy, but definitely good. :)

I love you hubs and am so grateful for another month together. You've got my heart, boi.