Family Trip

Derek and I took our first vacation (post-honeymoon, of course) as husband and wife.  We flew out to Illinois to visit his family.  I had pushed for this trip because there was a significant number of relatives, including Derek's grandparents (94 and 95 years old) who were not able to make the trip for our wedding.  It was very important to me that we take a trip out, and I'm so glad we did. 

I do have to say that the whole trip was a bit nerve-wracking to think about.  What started as a small trip so that I could meet his grandparents turned into a family reunion weekend, with lots and lots of new people to meet.  George, Derek's grandfather had recently been having some health issues, and was in a nursing home when we arrived, and so we stopped at the bursing home frequently throughout the weekend to visit with him.  Dorothy, Derek's grandmother, was still at home. 

First, I'll begin with some highlights of the trip.  Friday, when we arrived, Derek's mother was there to greet us, and take us over to the nursing home where we met up with Dorothy and George.  I didn't really know what to expect, not having had much contact with people as advanced in age, and was pleasantly surprised at how "with it" they were.  My favorite moment of Friday was being presented with an exquisite hand-made jewelry box as a birthday/welcome to the family gift.  I admit, I did tear up.  It was very touching that George would give me something so dear and special to him.  We stayed at the nursing home for a bit, then went home for some food and much needed sleep. 

Saturday, Derek's mother's side of the family (These were her parents we were visiting) all came over to the house for a bit of a family reunion.  It was nice to meet them all, and apparently, I only missed out on meeting two of Derek's cousins.  They were all very nice people, and I had a good time getting to know them all.  Brian and Paula, Derek's aunts, are not in the picture below, but they were at the gathering as well.  As you may be able to tell, Michelle and her husband Chris are expecting to grow the family at the end of the summer. 

Sunday, Derek and I had gotten up, and Dorothy was looking at the paper.  We were chatting about some of the different stores in the area, when she let us know about this one grocery store chain that gives discounts every Tuesday.  She then proceeded to inform us that sometimes she doesn't bother going on Tuesday because of all the old people in the store, and how some couples take up the whole aisle, looking at every label and the aggrivation is not worth the discount.  She's 95, as I said previously.  That may have been one of my favorite moments of the entire trip.  Granted, she is much more together than I would have imagined.  She still drives well, and she can get around, and her mind is still sharp as a tack.  George is having more trouble in the moving around department (though therapy is doing wonders in the nursing home) but he too is very sharp. 

After breakfast and our daily stop at the nursing home to chat with George for a bit, we took off to Starved Rock, a state park that was amazing, where we met up with Derek's father's side of the family.  In driving out to the park, it became very apparent that there isn't much in Illinois but corn and sporadic farm houses.  Living in such a congested part of the counrty me entire life, it's funny to see the cities all clumped together, with nothing inbetween.  And the flatness!  Quite different from what I'm used to.  In any case, the park was amazing, and Derek's family was again very welcoming.  His cousins Dana and Holly have the cutest kids, and there were definitely some "kids say the darndest things" moments, such as when one of the little ones (either Ava or Courtney) complained that she souldn't walk anymore because "my shoes are tired" or when one of the older ones (Katie, I think) kissed her biceps in response to Derek commenting about how strong she is.  There's a "photobomber" in the picture below on the left behind our group.  Multiple pictures were taken of the group, and she stood, quite purposefully in the back in all of them. 

All in all, it was nice to get out and exercise some, as we had been eating horribly all weekend, and meet new people.  On the way home, we stopped at a Steak and Shake, which is apparently a big thing out there.  It's a neat little place, a burger and dogs 50's style joint with milkshakes, of course. 

Monday, Derek and I left early, stopped by the nursing home one last time, and then headed to Chicago, where we were disappointed to learn that the Sears Tower was renamed the Willis Tower in '09.  Really, the rest of the little exploration of Chicago was pretty good.  It's so funny how the little changes can irritate us so much sometimes.  If I were to be more dramatic, I could even go so far as to say that it invalidates our childhood to change things like that.  Dont's even get me started on the "planet" Pluto. 

Silly rants aside, Derek and I had fun looking down on the city from 103 stories up.  They have these little glass cutouts in the side of the building where glass cubes suspend people out over the city, and I enjoyed them.  It was a bit scary walking out on what they affectionately call "the ledge," and poor Derek was more than a bit freaked out by it, but we did get some cool pictures of us appearing to stand on nothing (or at least they would have been cool had the glare off the glass not been so obvious). 


The picture to the left is one I pulled off the internet, showing these little glass people aquariums stuck to the side of the building.  You can see a bit better how the "Ledge" is formed.  It looks a lot freakier when you're standing in front of it, about to walk off the edge of the actual carpeted floor. 

Now that I've shared some highlights, I want to share a short story.  It's about a man who was separated from his wife of 70 years due to unfortunate circumstances, for the first time in a very long time.  And it's about the woman, who for the first time in a very long time didn't have her life-long partner at home with her.  The man was so eager to get back home to his wife (who visited him several times a day, but it wasn't the same) that he was able to put aside his stubbornnes, and his opinionated ways and realize the importance of listening to his therapists and nursing home staff because he feared that if he didn't he would not be able to go home to his loving wife.  When Derek and I were sitting in the room listening to George speak of how much he missed Dorothy, it brought tears to my eyes.  And all I can hope is that Derek and I are still so deeply in love in our 90's as these two obviously are.  I'm glad I was able to meet them this weekend, and they have proven to be quite the role models for me.