Visiting with my Illinois relatives

It has been 20 years since I have seen any of my relatives in Illinois! The last time I visited was in 1988 with my mom. I was a little apprehensive because it had been so long. I shouldn't have been as they were so excited to see me and we had a great time.
I did some driving around, just Chris and I, thursday morning and my first stop was Havana,
Illinois. My mom was born in Champaign but her parents moved to Havana for several years when she was little. Below is the house she lived in and her first school. (It is now boarded up and not in use)






When we got back to Champaign, Illinois (where we were staying Thursday and Friday) I met with my cousin Tim, his wife Pam, and three of their children. We had dinner with them and had so much fun. The little that I remembered of Tim when I was younger was that he was very quiet. That is not the case now. He is really fun and quite the jokester. We talked until very late. We met up with them the next day and he took us to the remains of the town Centerville,
Illinois. It used to be called Lickskillet because they would let their dogs lick the remains of their meals in the skillet : ) It only consists of one church and a few homes now along the Sangamon River. Centerville was started by my great grandfather Bates who moved from Ohio to Illinois. My grandfather grew up there. My uncle who just passed away in March had property along the Sangamon River that they named "The Boondocks" and all the relatives (including my mom) would come and sit by the river and fish and swim. Tim calls us
"kissin cousins" as you can see by the picture in front of the Centerville church : )








We ended our day in Champaign in front of the University of Illinois where Tim works.


I met up next with my Aunt Reba and cousin Lou Ann.


I told my Aunt Reba how much I missed her husband (my Uncle Bill) I could tell it was still hard for her to talk about him. They took Chris and I out to eat at a really good pizza parlor and then drove us past my moms old elementary and high school and the house she lived in from the time she was eight years old until she graduated from high school. Reba told me she lived down the street from my mom and her family.




I am so glad that I decided to make this trip. There were so many times during the last couple days that I felt my mom's presence with me. For the most part I felt happy and did not feel the
sorrow that sometimes overwhelms me. I want to dedicate this blog to my daughter Shannon.
I wish you could have been here to feel the spirit of your ancestors.

Well it is on to the lace convention!