springfield - day 2

continuing the springfield visit...we awoke saturday morning to another "picture-perfect" day. the weather was soooo super wonderful the entire time we were there. debbie and i walked friday and saturday morning...i couldn't resist the charm of the old country road they live on and i absolutely wanted the crisp, cool air in my lungs. so we laced up our walking shoes, both mornings and let me tell you...it was invigorating.

after breakfast we headed into town for a visit with uncle teddy and aunt carolyn. these two people were amazing. i loved their energy - you wouldn't ever guess their real age. i loved aunt carolyn's style and her love of the arts. (as well as her love of jacqueline kennedy-onassis - whom i adore as well). and uncle teddy really struck a chord with me. he has such a sweet, pure spirit - i can't really explain it...it's something you'd have to feel. they both really left an impression on me.

* keeping it real...i had to turn the pics to b&w due to my inability to "see" the exposure was producing blurred images...i need glasses...seriously. i think the b&w works?

ella, great-aunt carolyn, j and great-uncle teddy

(ella's holding an adorable little giraffe they gave her as a gift - so sweet).

aunt carolyn & uncle teddy with ella

i LOVE that ella is touching teddy's arm & looking at him - super adorable.

aunt carolyn & ella

after our visit we headed to sam's club so debbie & j could purchase the garmin wayne has been wanting - it was a "belated" father's day gift. ella and i waited in the car so i could feed her some carrots - think she was enjoying them?

after ella ate, it was time for the rest of us to eat. i wanted to "really" experience illinois and so we went to d'arcy's pint for an authentic "horseshoe sandwich". (come to find out, the "man vs. food" crew had been there earlier that week...filming. cool).

wayne @ the entrance to d'arcy's

(yes...i was the epitome of "tourist" with all of the picture taking)

wayne and debbie...preparing to order.

and here's the infamous horseshoe sandwich...actually, it's the smaller version called a "pony"

(this is MY plate...but you can see deb's in the background...we all had one)

it's eating like i don't ever normally do. under that pile of fries is your choice of meat, which for me was buffalo chicken, 2 pieces of texas toast all topped off with a heavy amount of white cheese sauce...mmmm...*stomach gurgling*. trust me...i paid for it later - but that's another story. and by the way...can't figure out why it's called a "horseshoe sandwich"? it's not shaped like a horseshoe and you certainly can't pick it up and eat it like a sandwich. hmm?

i snapped this picture on our way out of d'arcy's. i loved it - it felt sooo "midwestern-ish"?

j wanted me to make sure we sent this picture to uncle mike. *laughing*

and then we wrapped up our day with a visit to great, great aunt onita. she's 92 years old. still drives. takes zero medication and is a walking family history resource for the schnapp family. she sent ella the baby blanket ella is covered up in. we brought it with us to get a picture of all three of them together.

great, great aunt onita & ella

again - blurry...therefore b&w...and i still love the feel of this picture.

we ended our day with another feast...this time it was smoked ribs wayne had left cooking all day while we were out and about. and then deb and i made cookies and texas sheet cake for the "meet and greet" the following day. (you know what that means...more pictures tomorrow).

have a super tuesday. i'm off to meet up with my good friend, natalie. we are finally getting together after running into each other in the grocery store the other day. it's been since high school that i've seen her. sooo fun!

updated...after thinking about it, i think we all ate BEFORE little miss ella. we went to sam's club AFTER lunch...can't keep it all straight?