Ten things I did during my vacation in Illinois and Wisconsin:
- Had lunch with my grandmother at Johnny's Charhouse in Sycamore
- Visited Marbles: The Brain Store in Naperville with my old friend Pete
- Watched the movie Seems Like Old Times with my dad and stepmom
- Talked with my fourth grade Sunday school teacher following the 8:40 AM service at First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton
- Ate an Italian beef sandwich at Portillo's
- Read Zeitoun by Dave Eggars and What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
- Interviewed for a job with the Madison Metropolitan School District
- Watched American Idol with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew
- Beat my dad at a game of Six
- Visited the expanded and remodeled Wheaton Public Library
This was the first time I'd visited my childhood hometown since 2004. I would have had to stay much longer than a week to have seen everyone and done everything I might have wanted to see and do—For example, I didn't have the chance to go to Steak 'n Shake, or to get into the city—but nevertheless I'm satisfied with the trip. I was especially glad to see my grandmother and my friend Pete; I'd not seen grandma since 2004, and it had been even longer since I'd seen Pete. And the interview was a bit unexpected, in that I had planned and scheduled the trip well in advance of even applying for the job; that they contacted me to schedule an interview while I was already going to be in the area (relatively speaking; Madison is about two and a half hours from where I was staying) was a pleasant surprise.
