First stop, 7-11 at Gross Point & Lincoln Ave in Skokie. "Why there?" you ask. Easy: it's one of my happiest places. From when I can remember, I have always loved frozen treats, 'Slurpees' especially, and that particular 7-11 has always had the best ones. Not only my favourite flavours, but the perfect consistency, too. My sister, Abbie, used to take me there as a wee lad, and I've always gone there. When we were kids, Vince and I would sneak out during sleepovers to go get Slurpees, Funnyuns, and Candy. It's sorta the 'cornerstone' of my childhood, so I figure, "What better way to start the journey towards my new life than something that makes me so incredibly happy?!"
Slurpee in tow, we hit the road. I-294S to I-88W, merging onto I-80W. We stopped at the Iowa 80 Truckstop: "The World's Largest Truckstop" for breakfast. Full of bacon, eggs, and biscuts n' gravy, we continued on I-80W to West Des Moines to visit Vince's family, Tony [brother], Karla [sister-in-law], and Isabel [niece]. It was great to see them and hang out. Isabel has gotten SO big (she's 3), and has a pretty full vocabulary. She'll repeat almost anything you say. Funny enough, she kept calling 'Uncle Vince' "Beast."
After a couple hours, we said our goodbyes and made our way back to I-80W towards Omaha, Nebraska. Traffic was nuts, as there were lane closures and merging was a foreign language to many travelers. We finally got to Omaha about 7pm and as I suspected, the munchkins (Samantha & David) were waiting frantically at the door. As I pulled up, they ran out to give their Uncle J big hugs and kisses; they acknowledged Vince as 'Uncle Vince', as well.
We put the kids down for bedtime about an hour later. Sam chose Uncle J to read her a bedtime story, which she usually does when I'm around. She's gotten so big and she's SO smart, practically reading along with me. I kissed her goodnight, and made my way downstairs for dinner. Steak, corn-on-the-cob, and grilled tomatoes: yum! After the table was cleared, we all sat around and had some beers and laughed our faces off. Mom brought my favourite dessert: Eclair Cake; so we dug into that and furthered our food comas.
The night ended shortly thereafter; Mom and Bill headed back to the hotel, while Abbie, Pat, Vince, and I talked for a bit. We, then, commenced with our 'goodnights and see you tomorrows'. Tomorrow is a new day, and most likely will be a rough one...for all.
Until Tomorrow: Rock & Roll!
-Uncle J
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