HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRIS!!!

Madonna, Cris and I  enjoyed  a "Girls Weekend Out" together last weekend to celebrate Cris's 50th birthday!!  It just does not seem possible to me that she is now 50 years old .. but I guess maybe a mother always sees her children as children!! 

DAY ONE ...

The celebration began on Cris's birthday .. Friday, July 13th .. Yep .. it was Friday the 13th the year she was born too!!  So for those of you who believe that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day .. believe that no more .. for on that day in 1962 a beautiful dark haired baby girl was born .. and that was a lucky day for all those who are fortunate enough to have her in their lives .. for that baby girl has grown into a beautiful and loving Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Nurse, God loving Christian and Friend!!   

 We had plans to meet Cris in Ina, Illinois to check out an Antiques / Collectibles shop there that she had been wanting to visit and then on to Benton, Illinois .. which is FULL of Antiques / Collectibles shops!!    And from there Cris would follow us back to Hematite to spend the weekend.   Madonna had a long list of other shops and thrift stores to go "treasure hunting" in during the next couple of days!!!   


 We had quite a time getting to our meeting spot over in Illinois .. Madonna knew how to get to Chester, Illinois .. which is just on the other side of the Mississippi ..

There's the bridge .. we'll soon be at Popeye's park in Chester .. all we have to do is cross that bridge!!  

Crossing the Mississippi into Illinois!  

 

Right across that bridge is a small park dedicated to Popeye .. the whole town of Chester is dedicated to Popeye!!  More pics of Chester and Popeye later!! 

Once we got to Chester .. Madonna  was relying on the GPS to get us where we were going!!  Sad to say  her  Garman GPS system was in the Equinox and the Equinox and her hubby, Mike, were  on their way to Michigan to visit a friend!!  Sooooo  Madonna had borrowed Derrick's Tom Tom GPS.  Tom Tom wasn't a whole lot of help .. we were taking the "scenic" route through the country to get there and Tom Tom kept trying to get us to take every exit along the route because he wanted to get us out on the highway!!!  We soon stopped at a gas station and bought an Illinois map and Madonna plotted our directions for the rest of the way ...

Tom Tom went into the glove compartment ..

And Madonna decided they would be getting Derrick a better GPS system!!  

Cris was also having a difficult time reaching Ina .. before we ever got to Chester we had gotten a call from her  .. she was at a standstill on I57 South due to a traffic accident and had no idea how long she would be sitting there!!    We stayed in touch via cell phones as both vehicles made their way though Illinois searching for Ina.  Eventually traffic started moving again on I57 and
as we wondered through Illinois checking the map and figuring out our turns Madonna was so in hopes of beating Cris to Ina  .. but alack and alas .. about 10:30 or so we got a call from Cris .. "I'm in Ina .. where are you"??????  We missed getting there first by about 10 minutes!!  However .. we decided it was only fair .. after all .. Cris was the "birthday girl" .. LOL!!!  

Rend Lake Antique Mall at last!!  Big building .. lots and lots of things to see!!! 

One of the workers was kind enough to take this picture!!

Cris got the first "treasures" of the day .. the Salt and Pepper shakers to go with the "Hobo / Clown" teapot she has that used to be Grandma Carpenter's!!!  We stopped at another much smaller Antique Shop in Ina but there wasn't much to see there. 

Next stop .. Benton, Illinois.  There was an Antique Shop on all 4 sides of the town square and some that weren't on the square!!  However .. our first stop in Benton was the "Buzz Cafe"!!  

Checking out the menu on the front window!!  

We each had half a sandwich and chips and a cup of soup.  They had some delicious looking desserts but the sandwiches were served on huge crescent rolls and even though they were only half sandwiches they were very filling .. we decided we just might come back later and have dessert!! 

I just had to get a picture of the can cans in this shop .. needless to say these particular can cans are NOT vintage .. LOL!!  

I couldn't tell you who found what where .. but we sure had a good time traipsing through all the places on the Benton town square!!  

 

Benton also has a prison museum but we didn't take time to tour it.  These gallows are a reproduction of the gallows that used to be used here many years ago!!  

Mapping our way back to Chester and on into Missouri!

A family out enjoying the day on a pontoon boat on Rend Lake! 

Next stop .. Chester, Illinois .... 

The "White Buffalo" Antiques / Collectibles Shop in Chester. 

We each found something here .. 

 

This was my "treasure" of the day!! 

Madonna had been looking forward to getting back to "Wimpy's Park" all day!!!  

This is why Madonna could hardly wait to get back to Chester .. she loves these things with holes that you put your head through .. LOL!!  We set my camera up on a brick trash can holder to get this pic .. and then a young couple came into the park taking pictures with their cell phone and I said "Hey .. I'll take a picture of you with your camera if you'll take a picture of us with mine"!!  (Hard to believe I used to be bashful and shy .. LOL!!!)  Of course they agreed ..

and they took THIS pic!!!  Since Madonna was the youngest she HAD to be  Sweet Pea!!  

There are all kinds of murals like this one on the buildings in Chester but we were running out of time .. we wanted to get back over that bridge and back into familiar countryside before it got dark.  

Aaaahhhhh .. back to Popeye Park at last!!!  

And there is the bridge .. we'll soon be back in Missouri!!  

And lo and behold .. there is the couple that showed up at Wimpy's Park and took our picture .. LOL!!!  In visiting with them we discovered that they were from Kansas .. they had come to Chester mainly to see this bridge .. it was in the movie "In The Still of the Night"!!!   

Me taking a pic of Cris following us off the bridge .. LOL!! 

After a stop at QT right across the bridge for gas ($3.06 a gallon .. cheaper than in Festus!!) and of course a soda we were off again .. next stop .. "Bandanas" in Festus for Cris's Birthday Supper .. we all three love their BBQ Pulled Pork .. Yummmmm!!!  They didn't have little birthday cakes so we ordered a dozen of their donut balls for dessert .. and when the waitress brought the donut balls she also brought Cris a birthday cake made out of a bandana and Tootsie Roll Pops!!! 

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOO YOOUUUUUUU!! 

 And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOO YOOUUUUUUU again .. LOL!! 

We finally made it back to my house where Madonna got the plate of Birthday Treats she had created out of the fridge and we celebrated once more!! 

And Cris opened her gift from me .. a Mary Englebreit set of Salt and Pepper Shakers that looks like a teapot .. a book "101 Things I Will Never Do Again Now That I Am Over 50" ...

And a Precious Moments figurine.  Cris has been collecting Precious Moments for years .. she even puts up a Precious Moments Christmas tree!!!  

This is the "treasure" that I found the day Rob and I went to the St. Clair Antique Mall in Fairview Heights.   She was created in 1990 (the same year Cris's oldest son, Ethan, was born!) and she says "I'm a Precious Moments Fan"!   I had almost given up on finding a real "treasure" and could hardly believe my luck when I saw her sitting there in one of the very last booths we went through!!   

After eating just a few of the goodies on that plate of delicious birthday treats Madonna headed next door for the night and Cris and I headed to bed also .. we would be getting an early start the next morning and needed our beauty sleep .. LOL!!!   

TO BE CONTINUED!!!