America 2015: Day Eight (6 August 2015)

He's got the red, white, and blue flyin' high on the farm
‘Semper’ Fi tattooed on his left arm
Spend a little more in the store for a tag in the back that says ‘USA’
He won't buy nothin' that he can't fix,
With WD40 and a Craftsman wrench
He ain't prejudiced, he's just Made in America

                                                                                                                                  - Toby Keith

Thursday 6 August

Another seven-hour sleep, and a beautiful summer day, and I’m feeling great. Normally, I adjust to the time-zones pretty well, but I think the ridiculous amount of flying and the short sleeps we’ve had so far this trip have made it more difficult. It was great to sleep to nearly 8:00am today. We’ve been here for one week now, but with all the places we’ve been and flights we’ve taken, it seems much longer than that.

It was great to sit down to a leisurely breakfast – coffee, juice, fresh strawberries and blueberry waffles – this morning with Jaimie, Brooke, Miles and Paige. Unlike at a hotel, they didn’t glare threateningly at us when we’d taken our last bite, as often happens in dining rooms, where they want you off the table immediately when you’ve finished eating. I can’t even tell you how much Matt and Jaimie’s hospitality means.

Being in suburbia is so wonderful. Especially out here in Illinois. They have an awesome dog named Ozzie – named for the Chicago White Sox manager when they won the World Series a few years back, but we like to think it’s more about us! Those who know me know that I don’t really like dogs, but Ozzie is great. Pretty much the friendliest dog on the face of the earth.

 

Ozzie!

Caught up on some blogging, uploading photos and washing this morning before heading downtown to eat lunch with Matt. The place we went to is called Meatheads, and that would be a very accurate name for what they serve! It’s massively American – when in Rome, right? – complete with the giant meals that challenge even me! You actually have to indicate if you want something other than just a hamburger bun and a 1/3lb slab of beef, but it’s a fun place, with the coolest automated touch-screen soft drink machine you ever saw!

After lunch we went to Super Target, which basically sells everything you can think of and a thousand other things, in a barn that’s at least the size of your typical Bunnings joint back at home. It’s a pretty amazing place to wander through, and definitely a one-stop shop. Picked up some awesome 312 beer, a local brew that’s named for the Chicago telephone area code. A nice change from Bud or Bud Light.

We all took advantage of the good weather and had dinner outside tonight. Matt and Jaimie prepared an amazing dinner and we sat around a table in their backyard eating, drinking and laughing. It was a great end to a relaxed day.

 

Tomorrow promises to be a busy one. Lunch out in downtown Wheaton tomorrow, before the rehearsal dinner in the evening, and – hopefully – another big sleep because Saturday night at the wedding is going to be a mammoth one!