Celebrate Kelly's Day -- June 1

Kelly's birthday is actually June 2nd but we went down to celebrate on the 1st instead. Left Ed's house in the mid morning and had an enjoyable hour ride down to Kelly and Jeff's place in South Beloit, Il. We reintroduced ourselves to the kids, Jessica, Erin, Karl. It's tough when you only see them once a year or so. Jessica remembered us but the other two really didn't. Erin probably will remember who we are the next time we come down.

We had a pillow fight with the kids a few minutes after we arrived. Petted the dog, Max. During the pillow fight we managed to get the pull chain on the ceiling fan wrapped around the blade shaft. It was a challenging task to get it untangled but we did accomplish it. Soon we were off to Olympic Resturant in Rockford, Il for lunch. The food was good and plentiful. I would recommend this place if you ever happen to be there. We had a good time with everyone at lunch. The kids are very well behaved and a joy to be with.

The next stop on the journey was Anderson Gardens in Rockford. This is a very beautiful Japanese garden that used to be a private residence and was later donated to the Rockford Rotary and run as a 501c (3) corporation. The garden is open to the public and well worth the admission price and the time to stroll though the graveled and stone paved paths. Do allow a number of hours to spend in the garden it will be well worth you time and effort. We spent many hours exploring the garden, relaxing in the many rest areas, and strolling on the many pathways. We had three young children with us and they didn't seem to ever be bored during our stay. I highly recommend this venue to anyone.

Late in the afternoon we went back to Kelly's house and had cupcakes instead of cake for her birthday. We finally got to see Jeff as well. He has been very busy at work and wasn't able to spend much time with us. We still enjoyed his company for a short time. All too soon we were off again to Ed's house to spend the evening. We had a wonderful time.