life changers church

another morning that started with continental breakfast, but this time i chose cereal and toast. it looked like a 'smart toaster' as no lever to use, just buttons to program it with. then it was on to Hoffman Estates, for a church service. it was at life changers church, attending with a former coworker and her family. this included her husband, and youngest daughter, my guess is she was fourteen. i sent a text saying i could be found inside near the cafe. the service lasted about ninety minutes, starting and ending with music and most were standing. when we got to the scripture and sermon part, we sat down. it rang true with me, with mention of 'power', as i thought of how a favorite word from working in corporate America for a while became 'empowerment'. we had lunch at a nearby place, i had a wrap sandwich but needed a 'to-go' container for half of it much like the others did. eventually, we all needed to leave. i had another Wolves hockey game to attend, and the others had the daughter's soccer game to attend. i said i would like to make it back to the area next year. since my final payment on the car loan is this summer, i can more easily afford an annual trip. the hockey game felt different from the word 'go', compared to the previous night, and the result was different. the wolves might have trailed just like the night before, but there were more shots on goal this time. the wolves beat Manitoba, 4-3, in overtime. i enjoy the music played by the organist at this venue. 'Keep them separated' by offspring, when a fight was broken up early. 'Afternoon delight', from the movie 'good will hunting', during the 'kiss cam' segment. i bought one souvenir, a sticker with the team's logo on it, with the state of Illinois outlined. it pairs well with the free 'breakaway' magazine from the night before. it was nice relaxing back at the hotel after the game, nothing else planned for the rest of the trip. for the evening meal, i finished the wrap sandwich and fries, and got a donut and coffee at the nearby Dunkin Donuts. i watched some of the day's football playoff games, then on WGN i liked finding a show called 'backstory', which included a segment about 'donut day' from the salvation army. i found some peanuts at a nearby gas station, and another souvenir. it was a model racecar, with 7-11 as the sponsor, though i found it at a Mobil 'supreme station' which had a grocery store cart on the sign. it told me there would be more merch than a typical convenience store, and i was right.