Lightening Bugs and Sweet Corn

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After a long 14 hour drive, we happily made it to St. Joseph, Ill. It is nostalgic to drive into town and see it just the way we remembered. It's nice to see the high school that my parents and so many of my relatives attended, and the familiar houses down Lincoln Street. The hot, humid weather kept us inside for the most part. We watched Zookeeper at the theater, walked around the mall, and swam in the motel pool, but the most fun was had running through the sprinkler and catching lightening bugs at our family's home. How cool is it to have a little light show in your yard every night?! We wish we had lightening bugs in New Mexico. Christina and Akira had a blast riding in the little Hummer around and around the house. They were so wore out by the end of the night. Terrific food is always a part of our visits. We were treated to awesome pizza at Monicals and had good Mexican food at Chevy's, but the best is always homemade. Aunt Gay and Uncle Mike are great cooks, and the grilled steaks with sweet corn were the best treats.
It was a short visit and we were able to visit with almost everyone, but we felt the absences of Great Aunt Helen and Yvonne. Our hearts go out to our family who feels those new losses everyday, driving past their homes. We love you all, and hope we can see you before another two years go by again.

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