Looks like the Spring flowers weren’t too happy about the snow either. We’ve got some droopy daffodils this morning. At least the clear blue skies & bright sunshine make it all a bit more bearable… and beautiful.

Welcome to Spring in Chicago!!!

I must admit I was a little surprised and taken aback this morning by the surprise snowstorm overnight. My mind has already shifted to Spring mode… and not snow! And not just snow, but a fun crusty layer of ice underneath. Guess I need to pull the ice scraper back out?!

A beautiful morning for a brisk 8K run through downtown Chicago. Chilly with a bit of a breeze, but with the right layers it was quite nice for me and 23,500 of my fellow runners. What a difference a day makes… can you even imagine if the run was during yesterday’s crazy blizzard conditions?!

The toughest part is deciding what clothes to wear… and how many layers you can take off and pack away into Gear Check. The morning is cold. The breeze is chilling. You know you’re going to warm up when you start running. But you also know you have at least a half hour to stand out there and wait. At this point, Tracy and I were pretty sure we had made the right decisions.

Here’s the view of the Starting Line as we wait for our turn to start. I was in the second wave, Corral G… which means we had plenty of time to wait.

My friend Kristin was doing her first “official” run… we’ve been “training” at Spin Class together. So it was fun to see her there in my same Corral. We ran the last half of the race together which was a lot of fun. She did a GREAT job today!!!

And THIS is what you get when you ask someone to take your picture at the Finish Line… apparently the nice lady had extremely large thumbs?!!!

Such a difference a day makes… clear skies and NO SNOW!!!

Some of the Shamrock Shuffle “swag” back at my lace…. some sweatier than others!!!

On my way home, I stopped off at Ann Sather’s for some I-deserve-these  “reward” cinnamon rolls!!! Always fun when you know you’ve already burned off those calories!!!

A sneak peek at the new Ferris Wheel being built at Navy Pier.
It’s coming together nicely… opening Memorial Day Weekend.

After yesterday’s amazing warm temps, we were back this morning with a chill in the air.
Chill & LOT of clouds. Great colors on the horizon as the clouds continued to blow through.

Kinda breezy this morning… with one crazy cool cloud blowing through the City.

Meanwhile, over the Lake, the clouds were adding a moody tough to the sunrise!

Last Saturday, I went to the Field Museum of Natural History with my friend Nancy. We went with the intention of seeing the current special exhibit “The Greeks : Agamemnon to Alexander The Great.” But it’s such a beautiful museum that it is hard not to get distracted by the grandeur, architecture… and the salted caramel brownies in the Café.

The entrance on the south end of the museum has wonderful marble columns & ornamentation. The huge doorway has turned a beautiful green patina over the years.

Inside Stanley Field Hall, the vaulted ceiling adds to the magnificence and grandeur.

And with so many antiquities everywhere, it’s tough to stay focused. So just wander…
there’s SO MUCH to see in every part of the Museum.

Beautiful clouds with a mix of streetlight silhouettes.

First ride of the New Year. A little chilly, but it felt great to kick the year off right!!!
Would it have been too much to ask for a real sunrise???

Okay… well, we had a glimmer of sunrise… and that’s it.

One last morning bike ride for 2015. Sure, there’s snow on the ground and it’s a little cold, but the streets & bike trail were pretty clear… so I had to squeeze in just one more! Unfortunately, the clouds were there squeezing in one more too!