Illinois Getaway

Good times in Illinois for the fourth of July this weekend. Got there at dinner time on Friday, grabbed some BBQ then played games and watched Sports Night (anyone remember this Sports- TV themed dramedy that played briefly?) - not as good as I remembered it being, but it was a pleasant evening. We played trivial pursuit, and while I did not win, I did beat DH, which is a big accomplishment for me, being trivia-challenged.

Saturday morning we watched Germany beat up on Argentina in world cup soccer, then headed out to see the library (and get some movies), and grab lunch. For dessert we went to this really cool Frozen yogurt place by University of Illinois. Its called Coco Mero, and was delicious. It is self serve - you go in with a bowl and mix and match frozen yogurt flavors and toppings as desired, and then it is weighed and you pay by the ounce. I had Tart and Rasberry yogurt (tart tastes like an Indian Lassi, if you have had one of those), and then put blueberries, kiwi, mango, and walnuts on top. It was delicious. We spent the afternoon watching more soccer, then went and through a football around for awhile. As tradition dictated this concluded with me throwing the ball for a game of 500 between B and DH. Back when we were in undergrads this always would end up being the activity. It was usually me and 2-4 guys playing catch, and I had no desire to wrestle them for the ball, so I would be the thrower. Not to mention my general inaccuracy makes it hard for me to "cheat" and favor someone. Saturday evening we grilled steak and had a real sit down dinner, very nice. The evening was filled with Zombieland, which is hilarious and if you have not seen it, and you like that sort of thing, should definitely try it!! (By that sort of thing I mean zombie comedy, like Shaun of the Dead). Remember -- Limber Up.

Sunday morning we went rollerblading -- three miles! It was great, but very hot and sweaty. We grabbed some mexican for lunch (I know, mexican on the fouth of july? But hey, hispanics are largest growing US population and most of them are American's too, so its fitting perhaps). We wiled away the afternoon on Scrabble (ALL TIME CHAMPION!!), a funny kids movie that I subjected them to (the hobbit), and napping. I didn't nap, but the boys did. I read half of Into the Wild, which is interesting but somewhat disturbing. After leftovers for dinner we headed out to claim our spot for the Champaign Fireworks. We got a good seat and enjoyed waiting by playing Beggar Thy Neighbor (also called Egyption War or Egyption Rat Screw). Eventually the fireworks came, and they were quite good. We sat closer than I have ever sat and it was really cool. After the fireworks we hung out a while to wait for some traffic to disipate. DH and I passed the time by throwing around an imaginary football, imitating nearby children that were rolling down a small hill, and generally harrassing B. We made it out of there after not to long and headed to bed.

This morning we got up nice and early and headed to Springfield to visit the Lincoln Library and Museum. It was pretty interesting. They had some cool videos and some cool artifacts. We also had a chance to drive by the Illinois state capital, which was pretty cool. I would rank it second only to the Minnesota State Capital, but I may be bias. It certainly is way cooler than the Ohio one!! After that we drove back to Urbana/Champaign, grabbed lunch, and headed out.

It was a great weekend. Very relaxing. It was also interspersed with Skype conversations and updates from R, B's wife who is currently doing pre-PhD research in Germany. Fun to hear her adventures as well. Very worthwhile trip. Hope everyone else had a good fourth as well!