Spring Break, Part I

Since there is a lot to write and the house is full of family, I will probably add to this as time permits, a little at a time. My daughter and son-in-law landed at Indy Airport right on time last Thursday afternoon. We went right to Buffalo Wild Wings to avoid the basketball crowd in order to get in Denis's wings "fix". (Apparently they don't have BW's in their neck of the California woods.) We were also doing a bit of a celebration because it looks, preliminarily at least, as though Megan has landed a job--the first one she applied for! After BW's, there was a little shopping and, of course, Culver's for ice cream...then home for rest and bed. Long day for them! The next morning--Friday, Megan's 32nd birthday--we packed the car and headed for Zion, IL, to pick up the children after school. (Zion is about 5 hours away, north of Chicago on the lakefront.) We were met by their stepmother and then met them at the bus. Megan and Denis got a short tour of the house before we packed everyone in my little car and headed southward. We stopped at Golden Corral (our second choice) for supper before leaving the Chicago area. A couple of hours later, we decided to stop for the night in Pontiac, IL. Nice motel! Unfortunately, Grandma forgot to pack the children's bathing suits for the indoor pool. It's just as well. We were tired! On Saturday, our destination was to be Springfield, IL, for my sister and brother-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary party. First, we drove around Pontiac for a look-see. We lived in Pontiac for 8 years when Megan was little. (We left the summer after her third grade year.) The place has changed a little, but it is still a delightful little town. We got to the party venue in Springfield about 45 minutes ahead of the party time. My nieces and thier families were there setting things up. All we had to do was wait for the guests and honorees to arrive. Since the occasion was also Megan and Denis's first anniversary, we (my nieces and I) had a cake for them, too. It was cold that day, but pleasant to be around family. the biggest surprise of the day was when our 88-year-old aunt (my mother's sister--our last living relative of their generation) came, unexpectedly, with our cousin. We don't all get together very often! My grandchildren behaved like angels, God bless them! After the party, we checked Meg, Denis, and the kids into their motel, provided by my sister and husband, then went to a nice restaurant where family was gathered for dinner. We ate well! I rode back to my sister's with family, and Meg and family went back to their motel. It had been a very long day, but totally delightful. Sunday was cold. Since we are rarely all together with the children in Springfield, we determined that we would see as many Lincoln sites as we could. Monday would have been a better day to do outdoor sites, but New Salem (where Lincoln spent six years as a young man) would not be open then...so off we went to Petersburg. We spent some time in New Salem and toured Lincoln's home on 8th Street. The outside temps definitely determined the enjoyment. Megan and I had both been there, but the children and Denis hadn't. I'm not sure anyone was terribly impressed, but I sure liked it in spite of the cold. Monday, we went to the Lincoln Presidential Museum. This was the second visit for me, but I enjoyed it more than the first time--not sure why. (Maybe because I had the children with me.) There is one theater program called "Ghosts of the Library" that is awesome. There is a real person behind panes of glass, but through special effects, magic happens. We all enjoyed that, and it set the tone for the rest of the museum. I think American-to-Be, Denis, probably learned a lot about our 16th President that day. Tuesday, we headed for home. Before we hit the interstate, we went to Lincoln's Tomb. Always awesome for me. The trip home was unenlightening. I was squished between the two children in the back seat (to keep them from fighting), while Megan drove. (The only other alternative was to have her sit back there--but her back is worse than mine and her legs longer. It would not have worked.) We made frequent stops--lunch, potty, snacks, leg-stretching--and arrived on Walton Drive in Plainfield almost exactly at 6:00 PM. It was a very nice excursion--expensive for everyone, including my sister and brother-in-law--but this is what we do. I am just happy that we were all able to be together for this occasion. God doesn't promise us endless times together!