Oh man, we just could not agree on where to go for our June camping trip.
One wanted to go to the ocean, one wanted to go to the natural springs and tube the cool and refreshing waters, and one wanted to go up into Oklahoma. Nothing seemed right. And then it hit me that perhaps we should use the time to take a trip up to Illinois to visit our moms (and extended family).
I am so glad we did!
It's a long drive, one that typically takes 2 days of driving up and 2 days of driving down. We didn't have that amount of time this trip and still be able to visit everyone, so we drove straight through (up and down).
I am so glad we did!
(We left the older three ladies home since they have summer jobs and college classes.)
David's side ~
David is the youngest of six children. Two of his siblings still live in Illinois, one near his mother. We used the first half of the week to visit his side.
Father's Day (Sunday) :: The first stop, after nearly 14 hours on the road, was in East Peoria to visit David's sister, (Miss Clementine's godmother).
(Sara's granddaughter, Sara, and Miss Clementine)
Anytime we are visiting our mothers, Sara makes the drive up to see us. She always goes out of her way, so she was the first person I wanted to visit :)
David's niece has three kids (two close to Clementine's age). That made the visit really fun for the kids!
Second cousins?? First cousins once removed?? Not sure on the proper, lineage terminology, but they didn't mind!
On Monday, Sara and her husband took us out on their pontoon/house boat. The kids went on the Illinois River for the first time!
They saw their first barge, drove the boat, and even went swimming in the river (twice).
We had such a great visit with Sara and her family!! I sure wish we lived closer.
That Tuesday, while we hated leaving them, we needed to hit the road early and continue our drive to northern Illinois. Our next stop would be to see David's mom and stay at his brother's place.
My MIL Clare is 86 years old. She is one of the sweetest ladies I've ever known. (My FIL passed away in April of 2014.)
We introduced the kids to REAL pizza (Chicago style), and they found their own way of entertaining themselves at Grandma Clare's house.
(My FIL planted all of these gorgeous trees 45 years ago!)
That's David with one of his older brothers, Daniel. Daniel and his wife hosted us for a couple of nights, which was so kind of them.
David was able to visit with his godfather while in town. They are so funny to listen to!!
Buddy (David's godfather) and David are first cousins. Their fathers were brothers.
Buddy was the 2nd of 15 children!! Miss Clementine was so confused over the relation. We think it was Buddy's white hair. Ha ha!
There was a little music festival we went to one night. Miss Clementine had her face painted and met a "real live" fairy!
(Miss Clementine with our sister-in-law.)
This half of the trip alone made the 1,000 miles drive up so worthwhile!
On Thursday, we headed back south to my side. I'll post on that next :)
If you and your family are traveling this summer, prayers for a safe and joy-filled trip!
Patty
reade more...
One wanted to go to the ocean, one wanted to go to the natural springs and tube the cool and refreshing waters, and one wanted to go up into Oklahoma. Nothing seemed right. And then it hit me that perhaps we should use the time to take a trip up to Illinois to visit our moms (and extended family).
I am so glad we did!
It's a long drive, one that typically takes 2 days of driving up and 2 days of driving down. We didn't have that amount of time this trip and still be able to visit everyone, so we drove straight through (up and down).
I am so glad we did!
(We left the older three ladies home since they have summer jobs and college classes.)
David's side ~
David is the youngest of six children. Two of his siblings still live in Illinois, one near his mother. We used the first half of the week to visit his side.
Father's Day (Sunday) :: The first stop, after nearly 14 hours on the road, was in East Peoria to visit David's sister, (Miss Clementine's godmother).
(Sara's granddaughter, Sara, and Miss Clementine)
Anytime we are visiting our mothers, Sara makes the drive up to see us. She always goes out of her way, so she was the first person I wanted to visit :)
David's niece has three kids (two close to Clementine's age). That made the visit really fun for the kids!
Second cousins?? First cousins once removed?? Not sure on the proper, lineage terminology, but they didn't mind!
On Monday, Sara and her husband took us out on their pontoon/house boat. The kids went on the Illinois River for the first time!
They saw their first barge, drove the boat, and even went swimming in the river (twice).
We had such a great visit with Sara and her family!! I sure wish we lived closer.
That Tuesday, while we hated leaving them, we needed to hit the road early and continue our drive to northern Illinois. Our next stop would be to see David's mom and stay at his brother's place.
My MIL Clare is 86 years old. She is one of the sweetest ladies I've ever known. (My FIL passed away in April of 2014.)
We introduced the kids to REAL pizza (Chicago style), and they found their own way of entertaining themselves at Grandma Clare's house.
(My FIL planted all of these gorgeous trees 45 years ago!)
That's David with one of his older brothers, Daniel. Daniel and his wife hosted us for a couple of nights, which was so kind of them.
David was able to visit with his godfather while in town. They are so funny to listen to!!
Buddy (David's godfather) and David are first cousins. Their fathers were brothers.
Buddy was the 2nd of 15 children!! Miss Clementine was so confused over the relation. We think it was Buddy's white hair. Ha ha!
There was a little music festival we went to one night. Miss Clementine had her face painted and met a "real live" fairy!
(Miss Clementine with our sister-in-law.)
This half of the trip alone made the 1,000 miles drive up so worthwhile!
On Thursday, we headed back south to my side. I'll post on that next :)
If you and your family are traveling this summer, prayers for a safe and joy-filled trip!
Patty
