DAY TWO

  Day two started after a glorious deep sleep. I got to "sleep in"
and that was wonderful. Doc said he wanted to shop, which is a surprise because the man doesn't shop, hates to shop and avoids it at all costs. But hey, we're in Chicago and the man wants to shop, so I'll tag along.   We headed off to the Water Tower Shopping Complex. We've been going there for decades. We always go to the top floor and work our way down. It helps with the crowds. Our elevator ride up revealed that several of our favorite stores were no longer there and a few had just left the complex to open their own independent stores down the street. Oh how we miss Aunt Diana's Fudge shop. Not for the fudge mind you, but we always got the best chocolate covered strawberry there. The flooring of the store was wood and had pennies imbedded in it. It was fun to watch how many people would bend over and try to pick them up. The Water Tower complex always reminds me of the first time we took our family there in 1983 and it was so exciting. We had just taken the escalator down to the 5th floor when we saw  what appeared to be a body fly by us in the atrium. We ran towards the atrium, only to discover than some young man had chosen to end his life at that very moment. He had a gun but chose to jump instead. Doc went down to check on him and indeed he had passed away.  Welcome to Chicago....it's a big city and we now aware of just how fragile life can be. Back to day two......and shopping with my husband. It's still an unusual experience for me, but hey, I'm along for the company and the entertainment. (Hope nobody finds out we are on the airport security list)After finding shoes and CUBS "stuff" he decided he needed some cologne. Marshall Fields was the store of choice....1st floor. Now, Doc hasn't learned how to run the gauntlet of the perfume women who are in every major department store of the USA, so it was fun to sit back and watch how they approached him. They were on him like cheese on crackers, explaining how THEIR line was just right for him. It's also interesting to see how they describe mens cologne compared to womens' and fleur is never mentioned......oh no, never. It's words like, clean, crisp, woodsy and sexy that grab a man around his "brain" and they are instantly tranported to THE MAN every woman has ever wanted in their entire lives.  He started out with a quick spray to the left hand......Ferrari....bold and sexy! A couple of other ladies got ahold of him and then he started spraying himself. He ended up with Obsession about 8" under his left shoulder. NOW, he deemed, it was my time to smell him. [talk about an olfactory overload...geesh!] So I guess the concept that "less is more" has not donned on him.  Let me start at the Ferrari hand and end up 8" from his left shoulder and Obsession, it wasn't. Without missing a beat, I looked at the saleswoman who was intently watching and asked, "Do you have PIT?" 'cause it's what I am smellin' and with that she broke out in laughter.  INVENTORY TIME........2 prs of shoes, countless Cubs wear and Calvins' Obsession along with Ferrari and a little red ferrari car!   (I'm really gonna need ice cream or chocolate soon.) We parted ways soon after and I decided to make my way down the magnificant mile to the Nordstroms complex. I was hot, dehydrated and tired.....but I was derterminded to find chocolate........and I entered the complex only to discover something I never could have imagined. It's called ETHEL'S CHOCOLATE LOUNGE         I could never in my life image how wonderful this concept could be. It has very comfortable seats and tables with everything you can ever imagine that is chocolate.......premium chocolate, that is. http://www.ethelschocolate.com/ I think that this is going to go over big time. I know it was hard to decide which ones to pick. I chose 4 pieces, 3 fruit and 1 carmel. (insert moaning here)  Oh MY...............it was really good. I was sorry that Doc wasn't with me because they had a chocolate fondue for 2 and it included the most beautiful fruit I have ever seen. If you haven't had a chance to try Ethels chocolate it is out of Las Vegas and known there as Ethel M's. Oh Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus but there is also a CHOCOLATE lounge. Like Candace said.........Oh YES, there is a GOD, even if her name is Ethel. (I think I am going to turn into a lounge lizzard)