Time for a little R&R

I just returned from a nice week long visit to Illinois in which Dani and I were able to spend some quality time with her family. It was a short, but nice visit and we were able to just relax and enjoy ourselves. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, the girls were not able to join us on this trip because they were in Hawaii with their mother (I know...I don't feel sorry for them either). Dani's sister Nikki picked us up in Chicago on Sunday and we enjoyed a nice 2.5 hr trip home with her. We enjoyed time at the pool, good food, great conversation, and some much needed rest (this working from home thing can get quite tiresome...lol).

The weather was "nice". It was in the 90's and the humidity was a bit high, especially after the first rainshower. We went to a Peoria Chief's baseball game (affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) with the whole family. It was a sticky night and the bugs were out. Dani was, for some reason, the main target of the little annoying flies that were out. It just wouldn't stop. They didn't really bite, but they sure were annoying...landing everywhere and just making a sticky night that much more uncomfortable. The Chiefs did win and the game was a good one, but I could have done without the bugs. I was able to see Ryan Sandberg (lifetime Cubbie and now manager of the Peoria Chiefs). He is like a legend in the Peoria area...at least thats what I gathered. People were lined up for an hour before the game just to get his autograph...and there were still plenty of people that had to be turned away because the game was a bout to start.

Being in an area great for farming, we went to Tanner's Orchard (a farmers, crafts market just outside of Peoria, IL). It was pretty cool I'll have to say. There was produce and all kinds of things you could buy from corn salsa to apple butter bbq sauce (which was pretty good based on the sample I was able to try). The apples weren't in season so we weren't able to buy any caramel apples and the corn maze was only about waist high...but it was still a cool place to visit.

Ok...so I've been wanting to learn this card game of Euchre. For those of you that may not be familiar with it...it's like Spades except you play with fewer cards and it's just as fun. The first night I played I was partnered with Marti (Dani's mom) and Dani and her father Rick were our opponents. Learning the game was relatively easy and Marti and I took 2 of 3 games that night. The next night, Dani's cousin Travis came over and he and I were partnered up against Dani and her dad again. Yes...Travis and I took 2 of 3 games. I have neighbors in Phoenix from the Indiana region that want to play Euchre so that should be fun to have someone to play with and then Dani and I can partner up.

On Saturday, Rick and I snuck away for an hour or so to get some fisining in. We went to the local marina and then "docks" (on the river) and just talked and fished. Rick caught a nice looking bass, but it was only 7-8 inches long and I guess they have to be at least 12 inches to keep. I did my thing with the pole and was "fortunate" to catch what locals call a "Billy Gar"...but my research shows me they are known as Alligator Gar. Trust me...this is one of, if not, the ugliest fish out there. I didn't even want to touch it to get it off the hook. Luckily, the thing moved so much it fell off the hook by itself and I was spared the nasty duty of having to free it myself. It was nice to just get away for a bit and enjoy some quite time and conversation with Dani's father.

All in all it was a very good trip. Dani was able to see her family for the first time since moving out here to Phoenix and I was able to spend more time getting acquainted with her family. Her niece Kiara (hope I spelled that right) even took to me more and I actually got several hugs from her...awesome.

Our next real trip will be to see my family when we all meet in Las Vegas for my mother's 75th birthday...good times. That will be a short weekend trip...but a much needed one for me to see my family...it's been a while.

Hasta!