Just some random pictures from the quickly pulled together gathering we had for some of the Illinois crew after I flew up to help Mom and Dad drive down to Florida. Dad was put on a new medication that needs to be regulated for six months before he will be cleared to drive again, so, he is being chauferred around--hopefully temporarily! He is taking it very well--he is basically bossing us around a bit more than usual! LOL
Jeff and Matt after dinner.
Jodie (part of her anyway!) and Roger.
Ali came a bit late--she was at her cheerleading practice--thus the costume. And she is holding baby Tai Lynn, Matt's third daughter!
Morgan and Baby Tai Lynn!
Ma and Pa Cummings.
Cousins Roger and Barb.
Garry and Travis--I don't think Garry is buying whatever Trav is trying to sell!
Anyway, the flight down was fun. Rod drove me up to Sanford on Friday--one of his days off and we had lunch and a drink at the airport before the flight left. We met several Rockford area people before the flight and had fun talking. The flight itself was FAST thanks to my seat mate--Dave the Wave, a guy from Mendota. And it was fun talking to him--we had a very interesting, wide ranging conversation ranging from buying houses, Florida real estate, amphicars, etc. I had no idea what an amphicar was until meeting him. Here's his website if you are curious:
I got into Rockford about 20 minutes late. We immediately had to get home to meet up with some of the crew who were going out to dinner with us. After dinner, we had to get home to be able to meet up with one of my friends, Robin. She stopped over for a quick chat after she got out of class. It is always so nice seeing Robin--she is such a positive force. Love that gal!!!
We got to bed early. We woke up about 7 a.m. so we could get in and out of the shower, get the car packed and get on the road. This is what Rockford looked like from the road. I didn't get any pics of the piles of snow...but they were there! Oh, the greatest thing about our drive out of Rockford is that the construction is now DONE on Interstate 90--no more 45 miles an hour!
The trip itself was great. We stopped the first night at a Drury Inn in Paducah, Kentucky. We love Drury Inn's for a lot of reasons. First after a long day driving, you check-in, get your bags in the room and then go down for a nice glass of wine and a snack. And now they even have hot food from 5:30 until 7 p.m. The website showed pics of meatballs, chicken nuggets, eggrolls, hotdogs, baked potatoes, salad...and of course the night we were there--it was hotdog and chili night! So, while we weren't thrilled with that, I was able to scrap together a meal from the salad bar, the chili bar and a baked potato with a couple nice glasses of Merlot...and some other snacky things. We did opt for a cheaper hotel on Saturday night as the menu was the same on Friday and Saturday nights at the Drury chain. Darn it!
The next night we stayed at a Day's Inn in Morrow, Georgia. All these places take pets and we have used them frequently in our travels back and forth to Illinois. This trip we had Mom and Dad's cat, so we were lugging the carrier and kitty litter box in addition to our own luggage. I can say traveling with a dog is easier...even having to walk Bonnie several times a night.
We really enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies at the Vancouver Olympics on Friday night and we caught some of the speed skating and moguls events on Saturday. The Turbot/Cummings household is a proud supporter of the Winter Olympics no matter where they are held!! LOL
So what did we learn from this trip:
1. Jackie is a backseat driver!
2. Mom and I really enjoyed driving only two hours at a time.
3. It was fun having people to visit with the whole trip.
4. We all loved the scenery--especially in Tennesee!
5. Dad has learned to keep his backseat driving to himself. (so there is hope for me!)
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