Chicago!

Friday was Ryan's birthday so we headed up to Chicago so he could watch the Bears practice at training camp on Saturday. While he and his friends did guy stuff, his mom took me to a matinee showing of the off-Broadway play, The Color Purple. It was an amazing performance. Many of the actors were straight from the Broadway production of the show (including one person who was nominated for a Tony for their acting in that same role on Broadway). Michelle Williams, one of the members of the group Destiny's Child, played one of the roles, and LoToya London, a finalist from American Idol, played another character. The woman who played the lead character is, herself, a gospel music recording artist. It's rare that I've been to a play that had such a terrific caliber of vocal talent. (Before the play we had lunch downotown. To the left you can see my mother-in-law, Joan sitting at Potbelly's in front of the famous Chicago Theater.)