Note that the next blog down has pictures from our trip.
Jill and I set out for Racine, Wisconsin on November 17th so that she could do her clinicals to complete her testing to become a registered nurse. We drove straight thru(about 15 hours). I have never in my life seen so many toll roads. What is that about?? I am guessing that from beginning to end we spent about 40 bucks on tolls. We left Racine and I aged years driving thru Chicago..OMG it was Sunday and the traffic was horrible. We traveled 5 hours to Perrysburg, Ohio to see my sister Barb and my nieces. My other sister Patti couldn't come over from Iowa and was greatly missed. I have several favorite foods(as evidenced by the size of my Grannie panties) but my very favorite thing is shortbread Christmas cookies with butter cream icing that my sister Barb makes. They are a pain in the butt to make and my sister made me a box full. I am not sure what points to assign them in my Weight Watcher's plan but it doesn't matter. I ate the whole box over 4 days. My bad. Carrie and Barb put us up in a great hotel for two days and kept us entertained. We went out to eat, went to a great church, and just spent time with family and friends. It ended too soon. We left Perrysburg and traveled to Wooster, Ohio to see my oldest sister, Joann Page. Wooster is a small town in Amish country and somehow even using GPS we got lost after we left Jo's to get to the interstate. We arrived in Columbus a good hour late to visit with my Aunt Edna who is in a rehab unit recovering from a TIA and pneumonia. When I saw her I cried. Don't get me wrong, she looks good and is alert but she made me realize how much I miss my mom. She is my mom's only sibling and we spent so much time with her family while I was growing up. I told her that we would be back thru Columbus in April and that we would stop again. I love you Aunt Edna, and when it's your time, remember to tell mom how much I miss her. My plan was to be in Tennessee by that night but only made it another 15 miles down the road to Grove City. I was lured by the promise of White Castles, a soft bed, and good company. Angela and Paige Jacob and her dad Lee Amos welcomed us into their home for the night. We drank beer, ate sliders and had the best time. Lee gave up his bed to Jill and I with the warning to try to stay away from his underwear drawer. In the morning Jill said that we should have both come downstairs with a pair of his drawers on our heads. We should have done it... Lee would have been hysterical. I went by the old neighborhood showed Jill my elementary school(I don't know what made me think that she would be interested... I really don't), drove to my old house to take a picture. The house is a mess. The only thing missing is a car jacked up on cinder blocks. The poor neighbors. Any way I went next door to the Gormans, walked in to sing Happy Birthday to Fran for her 70th. I cried at her house too. Traveling down memory lane has been tough on my tear ducts. Blessings to you, Fran and Roger and I am so glad I was able to visit. This trip has been a bag of mixed feelings. Jill will have to return to test again and that is a heartbreak but we had such a good time visiting with my family and friends. Jill saw her first Amish ( she thought he was a statue), ate her first White Castle, learned to love Blue Collar Comedy and willingly sang happy birthday to a stranger. I drug her all over the state of Ohio and she laughed a lot. As for me, I have learned that I will never, ever harbor a desire to live in Chicago. I have visited my past and the memories nearly bowled me over and I spent time with my friends and relatives and laughed with joy. I ate "sliders" and drank beer, and smoked too much. I talked so much my throat hurt. I actually entertained the idea of wearing a pair of men's underwear on my head( and wish I had). And last but not least.... I got Christmas cookies with icing. All in all it was such a great trip and is one that I will make again. This next time I will take more time.
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