Friday, March 14, 2008

Walkin' in the Windy City.



Can you believe a 6 mile walk to find an Irish Restaurant? Our cab driver couldn't but it was true. Details coming up...

After breakfast at a place in Libertyville, IL, we hopped aboard the Metra Train for a ride to Chicago's Union Station. After an hour we had arrived and began our trek for the important stuff in life. You know, Coffee.

Visited a McDonald's for an Iced Coffee and a Starbucks, then decided to take the trip to the Skydeck on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower. Kathy will have pictures once we get home which I'll post.

We decided to head to O'Brien's for an early dinner. So we found Wells Street and started the walk. About 1/2 way there, as we were questioning our sanity, we stopped for a beer before finishing our journey. We decided to take a cab back after a delicious dinner, that didn't even feature any Irish fare!

The cabbie we hailed for our trip back to Union Station thought we were nuts, and that's when we discovered we walked not a couple miles, but over 4 (plus a couple more earlier in the day)!

Saturday we head to Indy!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Relaxing


Our First extended trip away together since, well, this is the first one of this length. 7 days and 6 nights on the road. The Springview Bed and Breakfast was our first stop Tuesday in Goshen Indiana.

We made a stop for dinner at the South Side Diner that was featured on the food channel. I'd give it about a 4, Kathy about a 2 or 3.

We hit the road and drove west forever (so it seemed). Coffee drinkers have to make multiple pit stops we discovered. Finally arrived at the Hampton Inn in Munster Indiana, which was a great place. They had a free Mexican fiesta dinner for the guests last night, which I was skeptical of, but it was great.

Between check-in and dinner we went to an Italian coffee house, cafe and then a place called Vino-Tini, (a combination Martini Bar and Wine Bar) and played name the dead movie star as we looked at the framed art on the walls.

Before we finished up at the Hampton, we made a stop to the Munster War Memorial. We were here a few years ago when they were dedicating the portion for the World War 2 Vets. Kathy's dad, (Oscar) Jack Luncsford served in WWII and there is a brick in his honor there.

Today's breakfast at the Hampton was mixed. The waffles tasted like cotton. At least the first bite, cause that's all we could attempt.

We then took a trek that we had never done before, and that was a trip to Libertyville, Illinois, where Kathy's sister Jane lives.

The sisters both outdid each other with gifts, cake and a delicious lunch. (Today is Kathy's Birthday, and Jane's is March 31st.) Jane and Tom have a wonderful home and I'm great full we finally got to see the place Jane calls home.

Friday we take the train to Chicago for a day trip to the Windy City. But for now, We Are Relaxing.............

Wednesday, March 12, 2008


Just a quick note that New Posts will be back after I return from Vacation after the 18th.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Officially on vacation

And here's a couple places we may stop and eat...



...or maybe not.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Don't get wet...

The 2nd Most Popular YouTube Video

This was featured as Kim Komando's video of the day:

Immortality

This is prompted by 3 events in the past few hours.

  1. Saturday evening our church has a contemporary service that Kathy and I attend.
  2. Saturday night Kathy and I talked about what life was like 10 years ago for each of us.
  3. This morning, while hanging out at the Firefly Coffee House, I spoke with my friend Pete and he mentioned how in 20 years after his death, will anyone remember him?

At church, we discussed how our life on earth is a small segment of our life, as Christians we will live forever, etc.

The discussion about 10 years ago, was eye opening because my father was dying, my kids were in middle school and it was incredible to look back and see what has occurred in that short span of time between 1998 and 2008 in my own life. Also, I am now at the age that my Dad was when I left home and my parents became emptynesters for the next 20 years.

Then this morning as Pete and I were talking it struck me how few people are remembered after they are gone from this life on earth. I have books by people that are no longer alive. There are buildings with the names of people long gone. But what about the common man? Will you and I be remembered 10 years after we are gone? Or by our grandchildren?

First, there are people that you most likely have had an influence on already in life. Last year when our church did a small group study for 6 weeks, we wrapped it up with a dinner dance and there was a couple that came up to us to thank us for something we had done about 2 years before. That something was we had volunteered our home for a small group study, and this was the first time this couple had been to something like this and it changed their lives.

I look back on people in my life that have had an effect on who I am today, and that is one way, these people have achieved "Immortality".

There is another tool that I pointed out to Pete this morning and it is free and easy to use. You are reading it right now. In this internet age, anyone with access to the internet can create a permanent log of their life, or of anything they want to write about. On my Collective Wisdom site, I have a map that shows me where in the world people are that have visited my site. 400 visits in 3 weeks. I have no idea if there was something I posted there that will change someones life.

8 years ago, I gave my Mom a tape recorder and asked her to start recording her life story. She never did, and the family she left behind is poorer for it. Perhaps you can leave something for your friends, family and generations to come by using this simple tool and leave behind a legacy, a history, an insight, a perspective that is uniquely yours, that will live forever. Don't wait until it's too late.

Here's a few pictures of my parents and their grandchildren: