Coney Island, Galesburg, Illinois

We rolled into Galesburg, Illinois (my hometown) in time for chili dogs at Coney Island. I remember going to this local establishment as a child, and it was fun to talk to the owners. Our family had not been back to Galesburg for 6 years but they remembered our boys, and even asked about my oldest son who was not with us on this trip. I was amazed. This place is so nostalgic for me. The decor is amazing, and it looks like nothing has changed since it opened in  1921. The kids had fun drinking soda out of glass bottles, and the girls were allowed to keep several bottle caps. The chili dog with onions is my favorite, and it instantly brought me back to my childhood. After Coney Island we headed to another one of my childhood haunts: Kastle Kreme, home of the Krunch Kone. The kids thought it was funny that all of those words SHOULD start with a C, but they had modified everything to start with a K…but why? Some questions will never be answered.

My kids remembered Krunch Kones from our previous trip in 2011, and they did not disappoint. I recommend the chocolate, it is amazing. I have never found a cone (or is it Kone?) like this one anywhere else. It is like a mixture of peanuts and jimmies…the flavor combination is amazing. I don’t have a whole lot to say about Galesburg that isn’t about food…this ended up being one of our favorite stops of the whole trip, and the amazing food was a big part of it. What can I say…our family are all foodies. As long as liking coney dogs and soft serve ice cream cones can qualify one as a foodie. I’m not sure if it does. But hey, this stuff is incredible. Trust me.

We also took time to visit Linwood cemetery (twice, actually) and place flowers on my dad’s grave. Our 2011 trip was for his funeral and I hadn’t been back since. It was a bittersweet time. I went into HyVee grocery store to pick up flowers to put on his grave. When I walked in, I immediately saw their coffee shop, where he used to go a few times a week to chew the fat with friends. I had completely forgotten about that, and burst into tears. I wasn’t prepared for it. We met my aunt at the cemetery and had time to talk about dad and pray as a family at his grave, thanking the Lord for giving us such a wonderful man in our life. We know we will see him again one day! We didn’t have enough time to locate my grandma and grandpa’s graves, so we went back another day and did that, too. I couldn’t remember the exact location but I was so thankful that one of the kids found them under a grove of trees after all of us had been searching for a long time.

Landmark cafe and creperie in Galesburg, Illinois

Dad always loved to go to Uncle Billy’s Bakery also, and their thumbprint cookies are one of my favorite things ever, so I stopped in and bought a few so everyone could try them. The thumbprints got a big thumbs up from all the big kids, tho the little ones didn’t like the nuts they were rolled in. More for me, lol. Some of these food memories were really nostalgic for me. We had Uncle Billy’s thumbprint cookies after my grandma’s funeral. I went to school across the street from Kastle Kreme and we used to bring coins to school so we could stop there on the way home sometimes. Another absolutely favorite of mine is the Landmark Cafe and Creperie on Seminary Street. I spent so much time there as a teenager. Their very very very best thing is the ice cream crepe. We literally ate all the top rated food network establishments we could find on this trip and at the end of the day everyone agreed that the Black Forest Ice Cream Crepe at the Landmark was THE BEST food we ate. Anywhere. They also have a spinach bisque soup that I crave, and it is so good with whole wheat crackers. I stopped drinking flavored coffee years ago, and so did my husband, but we gladly ordered the flavor of the day for old time’s sake just like we used to do back in the day.

There was truly too much good food to cram in to just a couple brief days, but we did our best. We left the kids at the hotel one night and celebrated our anniversary (a bit early) at one of our favorite old haunts, The Packinghouse, also in downtown Galesburg. The salad bar, homemade cinnamon rolls, french onion soup, and steak were all just as amazing as they had been 25 years ago. That place is so yumulous (yummy and fabulous). The atmosphere is awesome, too, as it is in an old meat packing plant (thus the name). We didn’t eat at Arby’s (as if) but it was fun to see that the old sign was still there. Some things never change. We drove by the mall and that was pretty sad. I remember spending tons of time there playing Ms. Pac Man at Aladdin’s Castle and listening to 45s at the music shop. Now it is a ghost town and slated to be demolished from what I hear. I saw a creepy video on Facebook recently, in which someone wandered through the mall. There were only two stores still open (a Bergner’s that is about to close and a GNC–so weird). The rest is all dark and encased behind bars, with occasional buckets scattered throughout to catch dripping rain. Really sad. We stayed at a hotel near the edge of town and the parking lot backed onto a corn field. I love being back in Illinois and seeing all the red barns and the rolling corn fields. I didn’t grow up on a farm but that ag culture was part of life there, and intertwined with the landscape. I miss that. 

Anyway, when we weren’t busy eating we took time to visit Knox College. I have a son named Knox, so we wanted to get some college swag from the bookstore. The store on campus had good sales on Knox gear, so we came away happy. Also, Knox College was the site of the October 7, 1858 Lincoln Douglas debate. My older sons have been in the Classical Conversations Challenge Program, where they have gained experience in the Lincoln-Douglas debate style, and it is neat that my hometown was the site of such a historic event. It was fun to visit Knox College and learn a bit more about the debate. We also did a driving tour and saw where I used to live and the schools I went to. Everything looked so much smaller than I remember. When I was home in 2011 for dad’s funeral my sister and I went to visit our old home. The woman who bought the house from our parents over 20 years ago was out in the yard and we stopped to speak to her. She invited us in to look around and literally nothing had changed. Things our dad had built were still there (the garage, the playhouse, the deck, the kitchen remodel) and even the pink bathroom remained untouched. It was really amazing to walk through our childhood home and relive those memories.

I wish we would have had time to get on the restored old train car. Also, I had planned to visit Carl Sandburg’s Birth Place but it was closed while we were there. I have read some of his poetry and stories to my kids over the years. The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was In It is a favorite. And I would have loved to show them the inside of the old restored Orpheum theater. I have happy memories of going there as a kid, and of watching the movie West Side Story there with my dad when I was celebrating a birthday in my 30s.

Orpheum theater in Galesburg, Illinois

Carl Sandburg birthplace

I sure do love my home town.

Our six week epic road trip began with a journey to Belhaven University in Jackson, MS for our oldest son’s college graduation. We were in Jackson from May 11-14 and the time was filled with an honor society induction, baccalaureate, graduation, and moving our son and his wife out of their apartment as they headed to another state for new jobs and their post-college life.  We did have time to enjoy some of our (and their) favorite restaurants, as well as a trip to the Mississippi Children’s Museum.

We always have to make sure to stop at San Marco’s in Meridian, Mississippi for shrimp nachos, and Bop’s Frozen Custard in Jackson for a brownie sundae or a Snappy Turtle. Priorities, right? We also celebrated the big graduation at a couple of really nice places: Shapley’s steakhouse for dinner after baccalaureate, and brunch at Amerigo Italian–wow, that was some yummy food.

My girls had a great time at the Mississippi Children’s Museum.   We try to spend a few hours there every time we are in Jackson, as it is really a highlight for our girls. They love spelling their names on the giant scrabble board, climbing through the digestion themed play structure, fishing water play, making spin art, the music room, and dressing up in costumes and putting on a show. This museum is kind of pricey, but they sure do love it.

We usually stay in a hotel when we are in Jackson, but we have a big family and we planned to spend a few days in Jackson. It seemed easiest to rent a house this time, and I found a great place on VRBO. It was really relaxing to be in a home, and it gave us so much more flexibility. We had one child graduating and another trying to fit in a college visit and a variety of formal celebrations and ceremonies that not everyone planned to attend (read: there were too many quiet, structured events for 2 busy little girls). Staying in a home allowed us to stretch out, and if some of us had to be gone, others could be at the house playing games or watching a DVD, playing in the backyard, etc. It was really ideal.

After graduation our trip began in earnest. Seven of us piled into our Toyota Sienna, which seemed WAY too small for such a trip. Everyone had luggage at their feet and behind their head and on their lap. It was kinda stressful, to be honest. We put the pedal to the metal and headed to St. Louis, Missouri, stopping only to purchase a DVD player for the car. It had become clear by day 3 that we were gonna need one if we hoped to spend another 6 weeks on the road. We slept at a Drury Inn that night, which was really nice. We had never stayed at one before. They had free popcorn and sodas in the lobby, and serve a free dinner and breakfast every day. They had some suites, so we only had to book one room, which was also great. The food was kind of meh, but it was FREE. And it was on site, which was awesome. No one wanted to get back in the car that night to find dinner.

The next morning was hot, and very bright. There was some construction going on so we had to park a few blocks away from the arch. The parking garage was right by Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. I have many fond memories of attending Cardinals games there as a girl, so it was nostalgic for me. My dad was a big Cards fan. I am glad I did some research BEFORE going to the arch. I had not realized it was such. a. big. deal. There are days that it is sold out, y’all. Admissions are timed. You have to get tickets in advance. Thankfully, it was under control and we had timed it perfectly so we could go up in the arch, watch the movie (which I recommend highly–it was really informative and made this trip actually educational as well as fun), and visit the gift shop. There is supposed to be a great museum, too, but due to the construction it had been moved off site, a few blocks away, so we skipped it due to time constraints. We had only budgeted a half day for the arch before heading to Galesburg, Illinois, my home town.

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882

Our family recently completed a 6 week long cross country road trip. We traveled from Atlanta, GA to Jackson, Mississippi and from there to Chicago, IL. After a week in Chicago my husband flew home and I traveled on with 5 of our kids (ages 4, 6, 12, 15, and 17) all the way to  Maine and back to Atlanta. I had big goals for keeping a journal on our trip, but I was too busy having fun with the kids (and driving 6,000 miles) SO….it didn’t happen. Now I am in a rush to record some of these precious memories before I forget the details.

I’ll start with posting my goals at the beginning of the trip, and the rest of the posts in this series will cover where we went, what we did, and where we ate!

Goals for the trip

To rejuvenate and be refreshed–to REST.

This year marked the half way point of my homeschooling career–16 years down, 15 to go. Adopting a child with some significant special needs almost 4 years ago have made the last several years extremely busy. I spend a lot of time driving, doing therapy, teaching school, keeping house, and trying to keep all the plates spinning.

I was tired. Really tired. And I have not had much time to really enjoy just being with my kids for quite awhile–many of our interactions had become focused on getting school done, rushing to get out of the house for an activity, and me correcting their behavior or telling them the bullet points on their to do lists. My husband offered me this priceless gift–the chance to go away for SIX WEEKS, to step back from my many responsibilities and put all of our kids activities and therapy on hold so we could spend time just relaxing and reconnecting. He referred to it as “the summer of Molly”. He sacrificed not only money but time with me and the kids so that we could have this opportunity. I can never fully express how valuable and precious this time was for me and for the kids.

To have fun with the kids, make fun memories and break out of the rut of having most of our one on one time devoted to school.

I wanted to spend extra time alone with each child, as well as enjoy doing fun things together as a group. I have one “easy” kid who doesn’t get a lot of time and attention from me because he always does everything “right” and just floats under the radar. I have other kids that need a lot of help with school or therapy, or a lot of correction, and many of our interactions focus on their particular needs. All of that is important but I wanted a chance to just enjoy being with them, appreciating their individual personalities, and loving on them in ways that are meaningful to them. My 6 year old had been expressing a great desire for me to take an entire day off to just play with her and spend time together and I was having to look at my calendar and see when I could pencil her in….um, how is two weeks from Saturday? This was a chance to set cooking, cleaning, school, activities, and all the other pressures aside.

Rest, by William Adolphe Bouguereau

To change our family culture to one that is supportive and cooperative.

We are under a lot of pressure and many of our interactions with one another had become rushed, and over time, even rude. I felt like my kids were often not speaking respectfully to one another, and we had all grown very impatient with one another–a symptom of the many days when we seem to have more things on our schedule than what we really have time for. I have always believed that when people aren’t getting along or treating each other as kindly that it is good for them to spend MORE time together, rather than less. It gives an opportunity to really work on the issues and confront them head on. By the end of Day 1 we had dubbed this trip our “Family Sanctification Journey”. Being crammed together in the car with too much luggage showed us just how far things had digressed. One major focus needed to be improving the way we treat one another, and growing in patience was another area we wanted to change. To help achieve this goal we listened to various Christian audio messages, prayed together about these issues, and worked hard to change our thinking and our habits. Some people say it takes 40 days to change a habit, so we set out to do just that.

To play games and have down time to relax together, to laugh, and to have some times with NO agenda.

This may seem like a silly goal, since it should go without saying. Since I am a “maximizer” it was important for me to write this down and articulate it to our family. I don’t enjoy playing games much and I HATE having no agenda. And when I have an agenda, I want it to be full–even overly full, if possible, because I like to “maximize” my time and get as much done as possible.

I sure do get a lot done, but Maximizing can also be stressful. And when faced with the opportunity of planning a long journey, with very few specifications (other than budget and a couple of locations which were “must do”) the temptations to maximize were many. Planning such a long trip with  many interesting field trips along the way was, for me, a homeschooler’s dream! But during my planning and even more so once we were underway, I maintained a commitment to keep the kids involved in the decisions about what we would do on any given day (giving up control and compromising when their goals were not the same as mine). I was also committed to letting plans go when they interfered with our broader goals of relaxing, having fun, changing our culture, and having some unstructured time. I could have easily filled the time with “must do’s” and “must sees”, but we had to let some important sites remain unseen to accomplish our bigger goals.

Also, life happened. If we were having fun one day and decided to spend extra time at one place, it meant another place may have gotten squeezed out of the schedule. Case in point: Boston. We went to Boston Burger Company (thanks, Guy Fieri and Food Network–it really was a highlight). But we didn’t do (gasp) anything else there. We skipped it all saved it for another time because we were having too much fun relaxing at Cape Cod to leave for a day of planned field trips.

Ekvall Knut The Reading Lesson

To read together, about the places we were visiting.

I am a homeschool mom, after all. I brought a ridiculous amount of books along on this trip so we could read most nights about something we had done that day or something we would be doing the next day. We didn’t finish all the books I took as there wasn’t always time or energy to read…but we got through a lot of the books I took, and we will be working through the others this summer. I LOVE that kind of synergy–it was one of the truly exciting parts of this trip for me to be able to plan neat field trips and then read books to enhance and enrich them. When my bigger kids were young we read a TON and that was my favorite part of home schooling. In the past few years I have been pulled in SO many different directions that I haven’t spent nearly as much time reading to my younger set as I wanted to, and this was an opportunity to seize time for reading and set another new pattern that we can, with the Lord’s help, carry forward from here. It was SO GOOD to stop feeling guilty for not reading and instead to start doing it!

To redeem the time in the car

My kids have tablets and ipods and, of course, they like to play games on them. And we bought a DVD player for the car before we started our 6,000 mile journey. But I did not want ALL of our time to be consumed by things that separate us from one another and which don’t engage our brain or imagination. I had a goal of redeeming the time in the car. My kids were not too excited about it, I admit, but thankfully they are compliant and go along with my ideas without much fuss. I took some school work along (which we didn’t do much with, I admit) and some great audio resources (which we thoroughly enjoyed!) We listened to R. C. Sproul’s series Chosen by God together, and the Lord used it to really encourage us. We are also reading Sproul’s book Everyone’s a Theologian and we had some opportunities to read that aloud, too. We began a series on church history (by Robert Godfrey), which I am hoping to finish with my older teen boys in the fall. I also wanted to listen to one book our rising Challenge A (Classical Conversations) student needs to read in the fall (we chose The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe). I had hoped to listen to more audio books and sermons, and I had envisioned some serious License Plate spotting games, but that didn’t materialize. Instead, we filled the time with conversation and that turned out to be even better than what I had planned.

To attend church somewhere every week that we were gone

We managed this all but one Sunday when circumstances arose that prevented us (ahem Acadia, Maine…you are large and kinda remote). We were truly blessed through visiting several different local congregations from Mississippi to Virginia and points in between.