Road trip to Quincy, IL

This weekend, my wonderful husband offered to hold down the fort while my dad and I road-tripped it to visit my sister and her husband at their home in Quincy, IL.  My dad and I spent a lovely (though looooong) 13 hours in the car together between Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon (not counting the little jaunts in Quincy and over to Hannibal, MO).

We had a grand 'ol time just hanging out.  I'm sure it was a different experience for me than anyone else, being the only mother of young children in the group.  I was certain, leading up to the trip, that I was going to spend the time feeling elated, fancy-free, and unencumbered.  I did feel like that to an extent.  But I also felt awash in guilt, remorse, and homesickness.  Wow - what a wimp.

Arriving in Quincy, Illinois is quite picturesque:

In the few hours that we had together, my dad, sister, brother-in-law, and I visited an Irish pub called O'Griffs:

Consumed a few beers:

Consumed many calories from good food:

Watched the entire first season of "The Big Bang Theory", the movie "2012", and visited "The Mark Twain Cave", replete with bats, smelly, coughing people (which I did not photograph, but believe you-me, they were there), and rocks:

While we waited to enter the cave, Nikki and I fooled around in the wildly entertaining "Gift Shoppe" (think everything from mood rings and candy that looks like it's been for sale since last summer to authentic-looking Indian headresses and bows and arrows).  This Gift Shoppe brought back many fond and funny memories of loitering around in similar Shoppes while on vacation with our dad in various cities "up north" in Minnesota in the summer.

In summary, a good time was had by all; I was excited to finally arrive home, but was strangely frightened and edgy for the first hour I was back.  I didn't remember my three children being quite so loud, demanding, and rambunctious!