Weather pushes us to...Illinois!

With weather on the east coast looking pretty crappy last week, the kids and I made a quick decision to hop on a plane to see some family for four days. It was crazy, busy, and so much fun! My parents dropped everything to provide airport taxi service with 18 hours of notice and loaned us a car so we could make the most of our brief stay. We toured town (great revitalization in progress!), visited friends and businesses, visited with my parents and my sisters, and enjoyed a night around the fire with friends. 

The highlights...

The kids loved looking through old photos at Grandma and Grandpa's house!  We found some real gems.

The downtown area of my hometown is really looking great! The "phone on the building" confused the kids a bit...I gave them some quarters so they could try it out.

Oh, so much emotion here! My dad is finally slowing down and will close the retail side of his HVAC business this summer. So many memories were made in this building and through the business! I learned so much watching him and working alongside him over the years. And the kids loved the collection of pinball machines he has in the store. 

Our trip included fireworks, walks on the railroad tracks, skateboarding with awesome borrowed boards, and visiting some of my classmates at their local businesses. So many great people welcomed us and helped us!

Family time included a trip to see my sisters/aunts/cousins for a night and a trip to clean up the resting places of the previous generations. 

So thankful for this friendship and the memories we've made over the years! The kids enjoyed some country fun and got to meet a lot of friends, old and new.

 

The kids also managed to get their first COVID vaccine while we were there which is huge for some of our upcoming plans... 😉

My soul needed this trip more than I realized. I have been away for a very long time...too long, but with travel opening up and us settling into our nomadic existence, I think we will be back relatively soon.

~Jo, 1st Mate