Midwest Vacation

I'm not Chevy Chase, Aimee isn't Beverly DeAngelo, and we don't have a son AND a daughter, but like the Griswalds, the Buchers are on tap for an epic vacation. Today we left for Indianapolis, where we'll basically just stay at a hotel with a pool and eat pizza (the boys are excited). Friday morning we'll leave for Chicago where I'll be performing the wedding ceremony of Aimee's cousin, CJ Dugan and Jill Bzdrhtgpklx (approximate spelling). Then Saturday, immediately following the ceremony, we'll head to Goshen, Indiana and some time with Walters family (Max and Mitchell Walters are best buds) to catch up with some old friends. And then, finally, Sunday we'll make our way to Lima for the 15th Annual Fall Fest at Shawnee UMC (where I, as per my tradition, will serve as the engineer on the exciting train ride!). Finally, either late on Sunday, or on Monday, we will return to Wilmore.

(whew!)

Believe it or not the entire experience will be geared to Eli's inability to travel long distances for extended periods of time (hence the stop in Indy in Thursday, and Goshen on Saturday). Back in the day when I was but a whippersnapper, my folks would throw about fifteen pillows a blanket, a bunch of books and boardgames, (of course) my "puppy pillow", and me in the back of our old Buick Skylark. I'd just rattle around back there, sans seat belt cause in those days not only were there no seat belt laws but I am convinced that our parents believed very little bad could happen to us in every walk of life (as opposed to now, where every unknown car driving on the street in front of your house could be a potential kidnapper), stretched out and happy as a lark. Now, not only are seat belts mandatory, but toddlers like Eli have to be strapped in like an astronaut on the Space Shuttle in one of the world's most uncomfortable contraptions of torture (a.k.a. "the child safety seat").

So, by the end of the weekend I hope to have a few pictures up, and maybe a good story or two. Until then, stay tuned.