A week ago Friday Blake and I hopped in the van bright and early with these two cherubs to take a little road trip!
We were headed to Illinois to visit grandparents!
Our first stop was in Dubuque, Iowa.
It was a beautiful day for a drive!
When we arrived in Peoria right at noon, we decided to see if the hotel would let us check in early.
It was empty, of course, so we did!
We made some lunch and ate quick so we could head over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house.
SO, so great to be there!
We spent the afternoon there, made a plan for the next day, and then headed to get some dinner.
It was Chipotle for dinner, of course, of course!
Blake and I both had gift cards to Chipotle and we FORGOT to use them, DUH!
Chipotle has cauliflower rice now and it made me SO happy!!
After dinner we headed over to my dearest friend’s place and sat in front of her fire and chatted for hours while the kiddos played.
It was fabulous.
Breakfast the next morning was hodge podge, but it was ok because we were headed to the most amazing coffee shop we have ever been at!
We met Blake’s Mom there and had a wonderful morning together.
This coffee shop used to be a gas station – it was gorgeous!
They had delicious scones – even vegan gluten-free ones!
That cute coffee shop is in walking distance from our very first home!
Blake and I were married in March of 1989, and bought our first home in October of that same year.
Where it ALL began!!!
We headed back into Peoria and were going to pick up some lunch.
Finding safe restaurants to eat at is getting easier and easier – and is MUCH easier than asking someone to cook for us!
The restaurant was not open yet, so we did a little shopping for a few minutes to pass some time.
These two are HILARIOUS when we have them all to ourselves and kept Blake and I smiling and laughing all weekend long!
Lunch was from CoreLife Eatery – soup and salads – and was very yummy!
We went back to Grandpa’s and Grandma’s to share lunch together and spend the rest of the day together.
Grandma bought the kiddos some safe ice cream bars!
They have been asking for me to find them here because they loved them!
We got our traditional photo on the stairs before we had to say so long and until next time.
I treasure these photos!
And yes, those are really Eliza’s legs!
She is getting so tall!
As we drove away I counted backward from five, turned around to look, and these two were sound asleep!
They are under there, I promise!
We had planned to head to Indianapolis to visit my Mom and brother as we left Illinois, but the weather did not allow for that part of our trip to happen.
Winter will be over soon and we will try again!
The big kids all had a great two days at home while we were gone – even though they had to work, someone was always with Lane – and they had friends in for dinner and games!
I am sure it goes without saying that we left a piece of our hearts in Illinois as we drove back home to Wisconsin that evening.
We have never, ever doubted the Lord’s plan of us living in Wisconsin, but we sure wish our family’s were not so far away.
Looking so forward to our next visit already!
Little road trips are fun!
See you again soon, Illinois!!
