IL to NE to MN.....Oh My!

So the girls covered Illinois pretty well, but I just want to throw in a quick two cents about the place....it is my family after all! First of all, I have to admit to everyone that I was completely nervous about the visit as we inched our way to Peru on I-80. I rarely see this side of the family, so I just didn't know what to expect. But of course we had the greatest time at Aunt Kim and Uncle Mark's place! They fretted over our surprise engagement party and treated us to free hygiene products courtesy of Kim's unyielding attention to register reward plans and internet coupon tips. Since I regrettably only get to visit Illinois every three years or so, I always seem to forget how amazing my dad's side of the family is. There are so many members of that side of the family and each one of them is completely devoted to supporting the rest. That devotion has even trickled down to us Easterners. Aunt Kim has been tracking our every move since birth. She even remembered "that cute red head I used to date" (that was Inger and we 'dated' in 5th grade!) And Molly was also blown away by the generosity of everybody. She was especially excited about everything that came out of my grandmother's mouth. Her favorite was when Uncle Mark was giving Gram a hard time about something and Gram warned him: "You better be nice to me or I'll haunt you when I'm dead!" That one almost put Molly on the floor in tears. I love Gram!
Anyway, Illinois was a blast and I can't wait to visit again as soon as I can! Thanks so so so much to everyone there for hosting me, my friends, and the many animals we have traveling with us! It's so nice to know that we have a safe place to run in the middle of the country if we ever need it...

Okay, what did we see next....?
Windmills!!!! They are awesome. Truly mind-bending. Here's a short video that can't even begin to capture how incredible they were...

And what was next....?

 
Nebraska is awesome!!!!!!!! Well, Lincoln's pretty sweet anyway. I actually could do without all the anti-abortion billboards that dotted the highway after Omaha, but whatever.
We stayed with our beautiful friend Amanda in her cute little apartment across from Nebraska's capitol building. It was so nice to just relax for a day and watch movies and recoup, but I think all the lazing around we did on day 1 really gave us the jitters.....so much so that the next day we not only all got tattoos, we felt the need to go play beach volleyball right afterward!
Tattoos....yeah, that's right....we did it! And here's the proof:


Well I guess that only proves that Christie did it, but she's going to post some pics of the actual tats later.  That guy's name is Ryan, he was pretty cool, but he was so exhausted cause he just finished a huge cobra on another dude's arm.  Such a sport for doing us at the end of a long day!  Right after we got em Amanda carted us over to this crazy sports bar that has a dozen outdoor beach volleyball courts and just as many indoor courts for the winter. Pern and I subbed in for a couple of their teammates who couldn't make it. Even though we are terrible at beach volleyball and our best game was lost 3-15, it was awesome! Nothing is better than drinking a pitcher of beer and playing volleyball in the sand in the middle of Nebraska right after getting sweet tattoos with all your travel buddies and your host....it was a surreal day to say the least!

And this is Pern flying through the air to miss the ball (he had trouble staying on his feet)

So the stay with Amanda was awesome and if anyone is ever passing through, you should all check out Lincoln, it's a sweet town with lots to do. The only problem is that they have a strict one-gorilla-per-apartment-parking lot policy....I think Amanda's parking lot would have been more inviting if there were a pair of giant gorillas, but whatever....

Post-Lincoln, we found ourselves once again trapped in our vehicles creeping toward Minnesota.  Here is a taste of what it's like to spend a day with Molly and I in the Element: 

If you're lucky, you'll see some amazing views like this one...it reminds me of the set from that crazy Telletubbies kids show! 

Then maybe you could appreciate Molly's sweet new tattoo...

Or you could always stare longingly into the mirror to make sure the Subaru/U-haul that's ever present is still following...

Then you should probably check on the animals to make sure everyone is still happy/breathing...

Then I would probably try to take in more of the completely foreign landscape...

And I don't mind if you nap while I drive, but I reserve the right to spread pictures of you all over the internet if you do!

And eventually you will end up in some tired little town like Sheldon, MN where convenience store counters aren't manned and Christie can just leave her soda money on the already sizable pile of cash that's been left near the dusty register....

That's a normal day in the Element. Thanks for enjoying it with me! 

On our way to Meira's in MN Pern spotted a highway sign advertising a "60 foot Jolly Green Giant Statue!"  You can't convince me that you wouldn't stop for that! 

If you squint really hard you can see all four of us standing under him! 

And here are some sweet pics of us and the Giant's naughty bits....

It was a worth while pit stop! Especially since the locals were so nice to Christie! 

So that catches me up with the trip I think. Right now we are all relaxing at Meira's place just south of Minneapolis.  I'm writing this from her extremely comfortable bed where a splendid unicorn allowed me to sleep like a baby last night....this trip has been awesome! 

Sweet dreams dear readers....XOXO Jared