"Is this heaven?" "No, it's Iowa." - Field of Dreams

So, where was I? Ah yes, dinner Monday night. Went to O'Charley's for dinner, and had a wonderful time! Uncle M. and I had pasta (prime rib and 12-spice, respectively) and Aunt W. had ribs -- all was delicious! O'Charley's is great because it's a chain restaurant but is still atypical. Places like Chili's and Applebee's are good, but they're really common and not great places to find original, different dishes. O'Charley's, however, changes their menu relatively frequently and offers up more originality. We started off with cocktails, of course, Aunt. W. w/ a mudslide martini, and Uncle M. and I with margaritas (see picture). They were huge! (And yummy!) With the trifecta of drinks, dinner, and dessert (trio sampler; brownie, mini-doughnuts, and a mini-caramel pie) none of us finished our meals, so lots of leftovers for later (always a plus!).

Margaritas @ O'Charley's:


Dessert trio @ O'Charley's:


Headed back to Aunt W.'s, watched Law & Order: SVU (so good!), then went to bed.

Woke up early Tuesday morning, and left Missouri after a great breakfast at Cracker Barrel (Wild Maine Blueberry pancakes...yummm...).

Headed north to Iowa and enjoyed great music (thanks, iPod and XM radio!) and pretty scenery. (City picture is going through Cedar Rapids, IA.)

Welcome to Iowa!:


Cedar Rapids, IA:




There's something about the cornfields, flat prairies, and rolling hills that's very Norman Rockwell classic Midwestern America to me. I love passing the farms and picturing families working that same land for generations, it's neat. (I thought it was funny to see like "200-something street" so I took pictures of a couple such signs.)

Thought this was funny, "Hi, we're looking for 283rd street.":







Got to Dewar, and was so happpy to see Joann! Debbie came over and we chatted while polishing off a bottle of wine (yes, bottle), then Joann and I went and watched her grandkids' little league softball game. Afterwards we stopped at David's house, had some more wine, then over to Julie's to chat with her. It was the Dewar/Dunkerton/Raymond, IA party loop! :) Headed back home, chatted until 1 a.m., then headed to bed.

Up at 5:30, out the door around 7, breakfast at Hardee's, and we were off to Melrose, IA!

Breakfast at Hardee's!:


Welcome to Melrose, IA!:


Approaching Melrose!:


Saw my great grandparents' house where my grandma grew up, visited everyone in the cemeteries, and drove around Melrose where my family lived and visited for several generations. Melrose has declined in recent years, but it's still so wonderful to be able to see everyone's headstones, the old houses, and really feel close to my family and its roots. (We were forced to get some frozen yogurt on the way home, I blame the car! It just somehow swerved over to Jersey Freeze, and twisted our arm into a malt and a cone!) :-)

Entering the old Irish cemetery:




My great great grandparents' headstones:




My great grandparents' headstones:



Uncovering headstones of my great uncle and great aunt (who died very young, around age 2, around 1910):



My uncle's old barn (circa early 1900s):


The house my grandmother (and her 9 siblings) grew up in:



My cousins' headstones (designed by Joann):



My great aunt and uncle, who I never met:


Frozen yogurt from Jersey Freeze; so good!:










My other great aunt:



Afterwards we headed to Chariton, IA, to see my cousins Al, Dee, and Denny. Had a great time visiting with them, a yummy lunch at Dee and Al's, then back on our way! Headed back to Dewar, went to Joann's grandson's baseball game, and then back over to Julie's for a yummy dinner and drinks. Back to the house, watched some TV, and turned in pretty early.

As I left Joann's Thursday morning, we saw that the Tahoe was leaking oil. Took it down to Dennis' shop (so handy that someone SO knowledgebale was so close) and he tightened the o-ring and replaced the oil. Only charged the $3 for the oil, and I was so grateful that he was able to help, before it damaged the engine and turned into a bigger problem! I definitely owe him one.

I had such a wonderful time in IA catching up with everyone, and really appreciate Joann's taking the time to take me down to Melrose and share so many great stories -- I loved hearing about relatives that died before I was born, and others that I have vague memories of, etc. I felt really close to my family during those conversations, and hold that time together really close to my heart -- I look forward to sharing all those stories with my children someday, as well, so they know where and from whom they came.

Had a pleasant drive to IL with great scenery that really made me miss the Midwest. Made it to Rockford, and had lunch with Bob and Shirley. It was so great to see them!! We talked for a while, then I headed further east to Chicago to meet Molly and Carrie.







They were waiting at the Howard Johnson downtown where we got a killer deal ($100/night for the two-room suite right downtown near Old Town, split three ways, pretty good deal!). Got there around 6:30, changed, then walked to the theatre to see Second City. Saw an INCREDIBLY HILARIOUS show at Second City that we enjoyed thoroughly. We laughed so hard our cheeks hurt! It was awesome! Left Second City, and walked through Old Town, to eventually get a wonderful dinner at Topo Gigio. It was easily the best spaghetti I've ever had, mixed in with scallops, mussels, and calamari. The sauce was light and very fresh-tasting, but still had a robust flavor that was perfect with the fresh seafood. Spaghetti and a glass of Riesling ran around $30, which was totally worth it.

Continued to an Irish pub where we had a drink, chatted, and people-watched (so fun!). Back to the HoJo, and called it a night.

Up early this morning, and met Renee K. for breakfast at Elly's Pancake House, reputed to be the best breakfast place around! It was great to see and talk with Renee, and breakfast was delicious! (Club #2 -- ham between two pancakes, covered with eggs; SO good!)

Lunch this afternoon with Sully in Elmhurst, IL at The Standard. I had a cheeseburger, and Sully had the pulled pork sandwich. Both were great! After lunch I was off to see the Johansens and Heuermans in Stillman Valley, IL. We had dinner at Fiesta Cancun. I had the tamales, Kris the chiles poblanos, Kent the Santa Fe chicken, Phyllis the shrimp burritos, and Rich the fajitas. Everything was delicious! I even enjoyed some horchata and it was the best I've had. Very authentic! Enjoyed some great conversation, and headed back to the Johansens for some after-dinner drinks (Bailey's!). It is so great to see them - I miss everyone so much!

Tomorrow (Saturday) we head to Kris' granddaughter's birthday party; yahoo! :)