Reese’s 9th Birthday

We did Reese’s birthday party today instead of on the 3rd because of the fireworks that were going to be going off.  He had a bunch of his friends over, and was really excited to get the Wii out and start playing some of his new games.  A good time was had by all, and it was good to see him so happy and obviously enjoying himself.

2011 Reese’s Birthday Run – Day 2

Back on the road, heading for Peoria, with no stops other than lunch planned.  I stopped for lunch at Pappy’s Barbecue in St. Louis.  That place is popular.  The line was out the door, and it took me about 30 minutes to get to the point where I could place my order.  It was well worth the wait!  On the way out of the parking lot my GPS fell out of its cradle and slid down the road.  It’s fine, a little scuffed, but in working condition.  I’m going to have to make some sort of safety wire setup for it while I’m up in Peoria.  After that I had to get some fuel and disarm before crossing into Illinois.  The trip from St. Louis to Peoria took longer than from Springfield to St. Louis thanks to the Illinois D.O.T.’s bright idea to do bridge work on I-55 on the Friday before the Independence Day weekend.  That was a moment of genius on their part.  Looks like I’ll be going a different route on the way home.  I finally rolled in to Peoria at around 17:30 and got to spend some time with Reese.  That made the construction traffic totally worth it.