10 Highlights from our Brief Visit to Joliet

Not in any particular order:

1.

Joe pooped out his battery in Crackle Barrel. I guess it takes 8 days to pass a button battery. Who knew.

2.

The upstairs window blew out of our house in Joliet. Literally. The top of the window. Just fell out, and shattered on the porch roof. Must have been pretty recent, because there were only leaves in the upstairs, but no other damage. So, we (meaning Brent) got out on the porch roof, recovered the window, and brought it inside. We (meaning Brent) picked out all the glass, and took it to Lowes. We (meaning Brent) bought the supplies to repair the window, and we (meaning Brent) put the window back in. Good thing we found that! Imagine the mess it would have made after a few weeks.

3.

I had a meltdown in Walmart. OK, so maybe I'm about ready to "start". That could have something to do with it. Anyway, I realized about 1 1/2 hours into our trip that I had left my purse at home. That meant I couldn't go into Walmart alone and buy lunch. Brent came with me. I was upset because my camera was in my purse, and now I couldn't take pictures. We got the sandwiches, and some crackers, and I decided that I wanted chips.

No, says Brent. Those aren't very good for us. Lets get something else.

Just give me the chips, I say.

OK, how about we buy these single serving chips, and then we can each have a little bit.

I just about start to cry. Fine, lets not get chips, and just go. I start to walk away, almost in tears.

OK, we'll buy the chips, he says. Don't cry.

As we head for the front of the store, I do my best to regain my composure. Sometimes, you just gotta have chips, am I wrong?

4.

Visiting with Sister Simco. I do so enjoy her. She came over on Friday night after her work party, and saw us all. Then, she picked us up on Saturday morning and we went to her house. The kids think of her as an additional Grandma. They love their Sister Simco. She even watched the kids while Brent and I packed up the rest of our mess from the house. Thanks so much Joy. We miss you lots.

5.

A lesson on Metallica. OK, so it was a highlight for Jacob, not necessarily me. Brent showed Jacob his favorite Metallica songs, and explained why he liked them. Boys and their music :)

6.

Visiting with the Polyaks. It's always good to see old friends. The kids really enjoyed playing with Talya and her toys. The kids and Mirko played Legos while Tracy and I chatted. I haven't had a lot of girl chat since I moved to Ohio. I do miss that.

7.

Car food. Yes, car food is good at first, but then, not so much. Too much of a good thing is just too much. We had pretzels, Trails End Popcorn (cub scout), crackers, cheese ball, chips, sandwich, cookies. Lots and lots of food. I'm stuffed, and don't need to eat again until my parents come to visit, I think!

8.

Other peoples' cell phone conversations. I listened to Brent talk to Joe from Chicago and to his Dad. For hours. It's ok for a little while, be after a while, it gets a little old. Granted, on the way home, I was having a bad day, was tired, and my eyes hurt. So maybe not being able to talk was a good thing for me. Who knows what would come out of my mouth. You know the old adage. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

9.

Rest stop hand dryers. I'm telling ya, these were the most powerful dryers I've ever seen. They were so strong, they moved the skin on my hands. And super loud. I know I'd have hearing loss if I worked there. Insane! But the kids liked them. They were putting their face under it and squealing with delight!

10.

Northern Indiana gas prices. Gas here in Waverly is $3.19 ($3.06 in Chillicothe). When we got to Northern Indiana, it was $2.81. Can't beat that. Especially when your tank holds 34 gallons. About a hundred dollars to fill up. Nice, eh?