Illinois Wrap-Up

Our time in Illinois was good. It was relaxing, rejuvenating and eating a ton of delicious food was like icing on the cake!

Our dear friends Mike & Mandi drove to Bloomington/Normal from Goshen to see us! It was so kind of them, especially when they weren't feeling their best, to drive four hours to see us. And then we made them ride in the car another hour to get to Springfield to the Lincoln Museum. :-) 

Well hello Mr. President.

It's a good museum. We got to visit the White House and learn a lot about Lincoln the man. The museum is very nice, Mike can tell you about the excellent and creative craftsmanship. :-) The artifacts and images presented were interesting and in the end made me more curious about the Civil War, the different perspectives and voices from that time and how those dynamics continue to work in the United States today.

We had a great time with Mike and Mandi - and it was a great birthday gift (Mandi and I share birthdays on Dec. 30).

Otherwise, to wrap-up our time in Illinois. Here are a few photos captured on phones by others:

Oh and to explain the photo below: it's from the evening that Sue and I took Noah to see the Wizard of Oz at the Normal Theater. It's the original movie theater in town that has been showing movies since 1937.  I think Noah took this picture on Sue's phone. :-)

Andy and Lia's dog Otto was with us the entire time. He's a sweet dog, with stinky gas. The boys just loved Otto and I think Otto loved them right back.

Our drive home took exactly nine hours and while we were sad to leave it was also good to return home. It seemed that as soon as we got home, Christmas was officially complete.