family memories

Farewell, Pheasant Run

Tonight is Pheasant Run Resort’s last night in business.

What can I say about a place that in just a few short years brought our family so much joy, and helped us create so many special memories?

The first time we went to Pheasant Run in 2016, I was the one who was excited. It had always been that “fancy place out west” when I was a child growing up in Chicago’s suburbs, and I couldn’t believe we were actually going to have the chance to stay there! And we had so much fun exploring the resort that first trip…swimming in the indoor/outdoor pool, visiting Bourbon Street, and of course checking out Combo Breaker (my first, but definitely not last, fighting game tournament experience), at the Mega Center.

After that first long weekend, it became a place we all looked forward to visiting. As we approached St. Charles, no matter which direction we were coming from, we’d compete to see who would catch the first glimpse of Pheasant Run’s impressive tower. And as soon as we were settled in our room (seriously, the should have named it the Markel Room, because we stayed in the same tower location three out of the five times we were there!), and admired the view from the top of the tower, which on a clear day included some of Chicago’s tallest buildings, we always wanted to hit the pool first thing. There were also lots of Combo Breaker memories made over the years in the Mega Center.

Pheasant Run made me feel like a rock star, and helped me make some dreams come true. In 2018, upon arriving in our room, we found fresh cookies and milk and a lovely note waiting for us, and I felt so special. And in 2019, we had a full goody basket of cookies and candies, chips and sodas, plus Kane County Cougars caps and vouchers for tickets to a game during our stay, which was an experience I had always wanted to have…do you see what I mean about feeling like a rock star? And in between those two stays, Pheasant Run hosted us for a Christmas weekend, which allowed us to make some extra special family memories, including taking the children into Chicago to experience a full city Christmas, another dream of mine.

I am so sad that the sun is setting on Pheasant Run, a Chicagoland staple for hospitality and entertainment since 1963, but I will always be grateful for the memories we made there!

Washing Dishes

The other day, when I went to make the children’s breakfast, I realized that I had forgotten to run the dishwasher the previous night. As I stood at the sink, hastily washing the dishes I’d need to prepare the meal, I started thinking about dishwashing. Aside from the fact that I don’t particularly enjoy washing dishes, I always feel like they haven’t gotten clean enough in the sink. As I was washing that morning, I kept thinking that I’d feel much better about the cleanliness of the dishes after they had a trip through the dishwasher.

Then I started remembering my grandmother’s opinions on the dishwasher. They weren’t good. She didn’t trust the dishwasher to get things clean enough, and would rewash dishes after the cycle was complete. Her own dishwasher was used to store bakery items, certainly not for washing dishes, not even on a dish heavy holiday like Thanksgiving. She wouldn’t want to take any risks with her good china, after all.

It’s funny how things change from generation to generation–she didn’t trust her dishwasher, and I’m just the opposite–I don’t trust myself. At least we’re consistent, albeit in different ways!