Anyone still around?  WELL, good!  I didn’t update our last day yet because I’ve been back to work and didn’t have a whole lot of time.  But enough about work, let’s talk about our last day of our vacation!

We woke up around 9am, it was time to check out of our hotel after a week of being in Elkhart.  Today was our last day! !  We were both happy that the reunion the night before was a success!  However I was a bit groggy from all that coffee from the night before. 

If I remember correctly (it is all kind of a caffeine-induced blur) Heather had pretty much passed out after we had returned back to the hotel from the reunion, however because of the 10 shots of espresso or so that I had, I had spent a few hours bouncing off the walls and gibbering like…well, like a gibbon actually!  I also completely packed my suitcase and finished reading a book I had brought with me and I think I may have also crocheted a quilt. 

Too much coffee can have weird effects, it may explain why I had a dream that night where my arms turned into huge catepillars.  You know, sometimes I think I share too much about myself on this hah hah.

The worst part about ending a trip is packing suitcases, so it was great that I had already done it the night before.  So that morning all I really did was watch Heather pack while I made sure to give Heather words of encouragement such as, “You should put your socks there on the side!  HURRAY!  Now the shirt, WAY TO GO!   HIGH FIVE!” 

We finally checked out of the hotel and started driving to Heather’s grandma’s house, but as we pulled out onto the street we saw a really suspicious looking character on the side of the road. 

Doesn't something look suspicious about this guy?? I don't think I trust him.

Doesn't something look suspicious about this guy?? I don't think I trust him.

 

We arrived at the house to find it pretty full already!  There was a lot of leftovers from the night before so everyone who was still in town was gonna stop by for lunch.  I went downstairs to the basement to watch ping pong being played and to have a nice discussion with one of Uncle Paul’s sons, Titus.

"So in my dream, these small catepillars somehow got inside my body and layed eggs and then my arms turned into catepillars!" I said.

"So in my dream, these small catepillars somehow got inside my body and layed eggs and then my arms turned into catepillars!" I said.

 

"CATEPILLAR ARMS?"

"CATEPILLAR ARMS? GLAAaaAaAAARG!!"

 

Heather found one of our wedding favors in the basement! Coooool

Heather found one of our wedding favors in the basement! Coooool. But she was kinda bummed that the chocolate dipped macadamia nut cookies weren't still inside (she completely finished the other cookies stashed in the basement freezer.)

 

We decided to go outside to play some baseball as it was a beautiful day

We decided to go outside to play some baseball as it was a beautiful day. Philip was at bat and he's a natural and totally cranked it pretty much out of the ballpark.

 

 

Unfortunately another errant hit cause the ball to go into the bushes which was filled with poison ivy. We figured maybe we should abandon the ball instead of poking around for it.

Unfortunately another errant hit caused the ball to go into the bushes which was filled with poison oak. We figured maybe we should abandon the ball instead of poking around for it. Also, Titus and Matthias are actually practicing some of the tap moves they learned from Uncle Mark at the reunion.

 

So off we went to the next game

As the threat of poison oak killed our baseball game, off we went to the next sport.

 

Hoops! Here I am showing my infamous hook shot. It's infamous because it sucks ass.

Hoops! Here I am showing my infamous hook shot. It's infamous because it sucks.

 

I think Heather got tired of watching the basketball game so she took some photos of her cousins who were playing nearby. That's Englebert on the left, Henrieta in the middle, and Morgan on the right

I think Heather got tired of watching the basketball game so she took some photos of her cousins who were at the playground nearby. That's Englebert (Owen) on the left, Henrietta (Olivia) in the middle, and Penelope (Morgan) on the right. The names in parenthesis are their actual names, I had to ask my wife Heidi since I'm horrible at remembering names.

 

I like this photo cause you got the slide and in the background you can see Uncle Tim watching the kids spin themselves silly on the merry-go-round

I like this photo cause you got the slide and in the background you can see Uncle Tim watching the kids spin themselves silly on the merry-go-round

 

I don’t know about you, but being out in the sun with a bunch of kids playing baseball and basketball can be pretty tiring! 

Meanwhile I headed back into the cool basement to play some more ping pong.

So I snuck away and headed back into the cool basement to play some more ping pong.

 

OHHH baby, lunch is almost ready!!!

OHHH baby, lunch is almost ready!!!

 

Lunchtime!!!!

Heather posing as the food procession goes by

Heather posing as the food procession goes by. Heather has chipmunk cheeks because she was chomping down on some grub when I snapped this photo.

 

Good thing there's enough people to eat all these wonderful leftovers, otherwise Heather's grandma would have fried chicken and pulled pork for 6 months

Good thing there's enough people to eat all these wonderful leftovers, otherwise Heather's grandma would have fried chicken and pulled pork for 6 months

 

Heather's mom realized it was a perfect time to make a skype video call to Heather's brother and his family up in England. Everyone gathered around to say hi. Isn't technology from the internets outstanding?

Heather's mom realized it was a perfect time to make a skype video call to Heather's brother and his family up in England. Everyone gathered around to say hi. Isn't technology from the internets outstanding?

 

Mira, Chris, Kian, Danielle, and Kai up in England. HELLOOOOO!!!

Mira, Chris, Kian, Danielle, and Kai up in England. HELLOOOOO!!!

 

HELLOOOOO!!!

HELLOOOOO!!!

 

The tradition is to take a photo of the three of them together in the backyard. Three generations right there folks, three generations! That's like more than two!

The tradition is to take a photo of the three of them together in the backyard. Three generations right there folks, three generations! That's like more than two!

 

One by one the families left until we were almost the last ones.  It was time to go because we had another long drive ahead of us back to Chicago. 

 

Too soon it was time to say goodbye. Charles is saying goodbye to Maryann because she's going to stay up until the end of June.

Too soon it was time to say goodbye. Charles is saying goodbye to Maryann because she's going to stay up until the end of June.

 

Heather says bye to grandma

Heather says bye to grandma

 

Goodbye!! See you later!!!

Goodbye!! See you later!!!

 

Because I was driving, I didn’t get on the freeway and instead veered off towards another direction.  “Where are you going!??” asked Heather.

OH YEAH, Culvers baby!! AND LOOK AT THE FLAVOR TODAY! Butter Pecan Chicken Dinner?? That's a weird flavor

OH YEAH, Culvers baby!! AND LOOK AT THE FLAVOR TODAY! Butter Pecan Chicken Dinner?? That's a weird flavor

 

We couldn't possibly leave without one last snack now, could we??

We couldn't possibly leave without one last snack now, could we??

 

Even the little one in the back seat got his very own chocolate shake for the long ride ahead.

Even the little tyke in the back seat got his very own chocolate shake for the long ride ahead.

 

It’s a good thing we made that side trip, because who did we see on the side of the road??  YOU’LL NEVER GUESS!!  It was Heather’s most favorite purple furry blob in the entire world, Grimace!

We asked for just a photo with Grimace only, but the hamburglar had to steal a place in the photo and jumped into it. And I really don't trust the fact taht I can't see what he's doing with his hands!!

We asked for just a photo with Grimace only, but the Hamburglar had to steal a place in the photo and jumped into it. And I really don't trust the fact that I can't see what he's doing with his hands back there behind Heather!!

 

We drove all the way to Chicago without any stops and made it to our hotel.  The Hyatt Regency which was cool in a 70’s retro sort of way, but was still really nice, especially the rooms.

Check out this chandelier at the hotel?? It was MASSIVE. I want to get one of those for our house.

Check out this chandelier at the hotel?? It was MASSIVE. I want to get one of those for our house.

 

We were pretty tired so we decided to rest up for an hour or two and then grab some dinner.  There’s a certain Greek restaurant in Chicago called Greek Islands that we’ve been to 4 times previously.  Twice just Heather and I.  Once with my parents on a trip back from Spain and we had an overnight layover in Chicago (yes I dragged my parents through 40 minutes of subway and taxi even though we were all exhausted just so we could go to Greek food).  And once with Heather’s mom when we were in Chicago on another trip.  So there was only one other parent we had not taken to Greek Islands.  Heather’s dad!  What a perfect opportunity!

At 9pm on a Sunday night, there luckily wasn’t much traffic so it only took us 20 minutes to drive to the restaurant.

Greel Islands! OPA!

Greek Islands! OPA!

 

"I'm ready to eat some food, are you ready??"

"I'm ready to eat some food, are you ready??"

 

"Yeah!! Let's do this!!"

"Yeah!! Let's do this!!"

 

We ordered this entire meal thing that included appetizers, salad, main entrees, AND dessert. 

First up, the appetizers! The fire is FLAMING CHEESE, that's right, FLAMING CHEESE. It's a Greek dish called Saganaki. Cheese is delicious, but if you haven't tried FLAMING CHEESE, you're missing out!

First up, the appetizers! The fire is FLAMING CHEESE, that's right, FLAMING CHEESE. It's a Greek dish called Saganaki. Cheese is delicious, but if you haven't tried FLAMING CHEESE, you're missing out!

 

There's eggplant on the left, similar to baba ganoush, gyros meat ont he top, and to the right all brown and shiny with a lemon wedge is the flaming cheese. They were all soooooooo goood

There's eggplant on the left, similar to baba ganoush, gyros meat on the top, and to the right all brown and shiny with a lemon wedge is the flaming cheese. Not shown in the picture is tzatziki which is a sauce made of yogurt, garlic, and cucumbers. They were all soooooooo goood.

 

The main dishes soon followed. On the left is moussaka (sort of like a Greek lasagna), on the top is dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), on the top right is Spanakopita (layers of spinach and meat in phyllo dough), at the bottom is rice, and the middle is lamb. If you're thinking, "Wow that's a lot of food for three people, especially after those large appetizers", well, you'd be right.

The main dishes soon followed. On the left is Moussaka (sort of like a Greek lasagna), on the top is Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), on the top right is Spanakopita (layers of spinach and cheese in phyllo dough), at the bottom right is potatoes, at the bottom is rice, and the middle is lamb. If you're thinking, "Wow that's a lot of food for three people, especially after those large appetizers", well, you'd be right.

 

"We need a game plan if we're going to finish all of this. I need your help Charles."

"We need a game plan if we're going to finish all of this. I need your help Charles."

 

"I'll eat ALL of that" I say.

"I'll eat ALL of that" I say.

 

"Well I can definitely eat all of that!" says Charles

"Well I can definitely eat all of that!" says Charles

 

"And Heather will eat the rest!" I say

"And Heather will eat the rest!" I say

 

I think we could make like 3 full plates EACH from all the food there was. After eating our entrees, there was no way possible we could eat anymore, the idea of any more food after this would be truly disgusting.

We ended up making a full plate EACH similar to Heather's plate from all the food there was. After eating our entrees, there was no way possible we could eat anymore, the idea of any more food after this would be truly disgusting.

 

But then dessert arrived. Baklava (nuts and honey in phyllo dough) and a custard filled pastry. And coffee too. They need a defibrillator to be included with this meal.

But then dessert arrived. Baklava (nuts and honey in phyllo dough) and a custard filled pastry. And coffee too. They need a defibrillator to be included with this meal.

 

That was our last meal!  After that it was back to the hotel to go to sleep cause we had a flight to catch in the morning.

Heather in the hotel elevator with her 80's jacket.

Heather in the hotel elevator, so ahead of the times in this 70's hotel with her 80's jacket.

 

We didn’t take any more photos for the rest of the trip as we were so busy getting to the airport, returning the car, and then catching the LOOOOOONG 8 hour plane ride directly to Hawaii.  But actually it wasn’t a bad flight and in no time at all….

 

We were back in sunny Oahu. Here's me walking to the curb where my mom was gonna pick us up. We love travelling but there's something special about having to go to Hawaii to END your vacation.

We were back in sunny Oahu. Here's me walking to the curb where my mom was gonna pick us up. We love travelling but there's something special about having to go to Hawaii to END your vacation.

 

We got to our house and found our yard an overgrown mess but otherwise everything was fine. 

We did see a family of chickens though who had taken up residence in our yard. Who feels like chicken tonight?? Like chicken tonight??

We did see a family of chickens though who had taken up residence in our yard. Who feels like chicken tonight?? Like chicken tonight??

 

Thanks for sharing another trip with us!!  Who knows where our next trip may be??  It has been a lot of hard work and FUN writing this trip journal as a way for us to remember our trips but I hope you also enjoyed reading it as well.  From Heather and I, we wish all of you the best and I hope if you get ANYTHING out of this blog, it is a desire to go and do some travelling yourself!! 

Love and Aloha,

Paul and Heather