We arrived in Belivedere, IL and were thankful to be able to take a bit of a break from traveling and rest for a week in one place. Not that we actually did much resting 😉
Katie had Tuesday and Wednesday off from work. Tuesday we were able to spend some time with Katie’s aunts and uncles from her dad’s side of the family for a lovely party hosted by Katie’s Auntie Mar. It was so wonderful for us to spend time together as we don’t get to see them very often. The boys loved their time there, especially the dogs!
Wednesday we ventured into Chicago and took the 90-minute Chicago River Architecture Tour by Wendella. We had a blast! We all really enjoyed the tour, especially going under the bridges. The tour guide was hilarious and extremely knowledgeable. The day started out beautiful and sunny but by the end of our tour, it became overcast and a bit chilly. We would definitely recommend the tour.
Before we left downtown, we had to stop by the Ghirardelli shop for some sweet treats. Also highly recommend 😊 We were working our way back to the truck, stopped for a bathroom break before the long drive home, and when we stopped outside it had started to rain. There was a huge flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap. We went back inside the building mostly because it wasn’t the correct way to the truck but also because the boys were a little scared. We explained about lightning and thunder (which we have done before) and for the next few days Sidney talked about lightning and thunder every day.
Thursday Katie was back at work and it was a really warm day. Plus it was windy and overcast with some rainstorms. Katie was a bit concerned about tornado potential (she is quite scared of them, especially when our home is on wheels) and as Katie and Kyle were talking about tornados and trying to make a plan, we got a “tornado watch” alert from our weather apps. So Kyle went and talked to the office about what we should do and we tried to stay calm but be ready to leave if needed. Thankfully nothing ever came but winds and rain, and that were used to.
Friday was a work day for Katie and a work around the camper day for Kyle. Sidney made a friend with our neighbor so they were playing together.
Saturday we had a visit with Katie’s Aunt Beth (her mom’s sister) which was so nice to see her again and catch up. Her apartment is very nice and close to some train tracks so the boys were in heaven watching the trains.
We ended our time in IL by, of course, getting some Chicago deep dish pizza from Rosati’s Pizza in Belvidere and it was so good! Very filling for sure.
Monday morning we left very early for our next stop on the trip!