Mid-West Road Trip

Last Wednesday, October 17, 2007, Kim's Uncle Joe passed away.



Joe, "Dimples", and their three daughters, all of whom are married with kids, live in, or around, Joliet, Illinois. At first we weren't going to make the trip for the funeral, but on second thought, we decided to go. We were a bit hesitant to throw Palmer in the car and take off on a thirteen hour drive because he was in the middle of a bout with a cold, and he has started teething. Not a good combination. At least, not one that you want to trap yourself in the car with.



We decided to make the trip for a few reasons. Uncle Joe and company had made the trip down to North Carolina a few years ago for our wedding. I had never met the guy and Kim had not seen him in a few years, but he felt it was important enough of an event to make the trip. We saw them again just a few months ago in Tallahassee, Florida when we were all in town for Kim's sister's wedding, and what turned out to be Palmer's "birth day".

Palmer's birth also had a lot to do with our decision to go up for the funeral. Several people that would be in town for the funeral had heard about Palmer, but had not gotten to meet him. So, we figured we might try to bring a little joy to the event. Aunt Dimples and Kim's cousins were as happy as they could be to finally get to meet him, even under the circumstances.

Aside from seeing family, this trip was a great opportunity to see friends that we don't get to see that often. We spent the night with the Meisels in Countryside, Illinois on Friday night.



We saw the Bartons for the first time in over three years on Saturday night in Lebanon, OH.



Then, we made a small detour to see the Burys in Marysville, Ohio on Sunday.



It was an excellent, yet jam packed few days. If you are ever going to drive through West Virginia or go to Chicago, I suggest doing it in October. The weather was amazing and the scenery on the drive was incredible.