We might not be going on a big vacation like we did last year, but we did have a nice long weekend getaway to the Chicago area last weekend.

We got started bright and early last Thursday, but the bright didn’t last long, and we drove through a huge storm. Even with bad weather accompanying us on most of our trip, we still made good time, and arrived in the Chicago area just before lunch. The children had never seen a toll booth before! And they noticed immediately how crazy the traffic was. We even got a peek at the Chicago skyline as we drove towards Oak Park.

Day one of our long weekend included a culinary trip down memory lane, where we stopped at Mickey’s Gyros and Ribs in Oak Park for a lunch of Big Mickeys, Johnnie’s Sausage and Beef in Elmwood Park for an Italian lemonade, and Alfie’s Inn in Glen Ellyn for dinner.

We also had your standard trip down memory lane, as I showed the children things like where I went to grade school and high school, where I worked when I was in high school, and the Jewel grocery store where I used to shop. We spent some time walking around the Concordia University Chicago campus and regaling the children with tales of our college years, and hanging out with family. We found a Super Target (a store I’ve always wanted to visit) before checking into our room at the lovely Pheasant Run Resort, where we immediately headed for the pool!