A Wonderful Journey (and food too!)

I've been gone a while but I promise it was for a good reason!  I got so busy planning my wedding I just didn't have time to cook dinner let alone blog about it!  Peter and I got married September 24th in our hometown which is all the way up in Illinois.  We decided to drive.  Ugh!  What a long drive it is too!  There was a lot to look at while the sun was up and when it wasn't raining.  Which it did until we hit Illinois on the way up.  I hate driving in the rain.  The trip back down to Florida was more pleasant with better weather.  We went through Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky and it was gorgeous.

Of course on such a long journey we had to stop to eat.  And stop and eat again.  And stop and eat again.  We didn't stop anywhere really special.  On the way back we stopped mostly at fast food joints.  Our first stop though was a Bob Evans right at the Florida/Georgia border.  I remember it was just starting to drizzle and we were both so excited to be starting our journey (and to finally tie the knot) when we decided to stop at the Bob Evans.  Mostly because I'd been driving 5 hours by this time and was ready for a break and also because we were both curious about the food.  Neither of us had ever eaten there before.

It was so wonderful to be sitting still!  I was also very hungry!  It's a cute restaurant with a country theme.  They had a little store that you could by jams and candles.  Sort of like a Cracker Barrel but tinier.  I was more interested in the display case full of baked goods though!

They had chicken and dumplings on the menu so I knew what I wanted right away.  Peter loves meatloaf so that's what he ordered.  I also ordered a side salad which was so delicious.  I was just really craving it but it was also so crisp and fresh too.

My chicken and dumplings were a bit of a disappointment though.  They tasted canned when I was hoping it would taste like my Grandma's or my Mom's.  Nothing ever comes close to their cooking unfortunately!  My dumplings were served over mashed taters and a biscuit.  I could have done without the biscuit.  When I ordered I thought it came on the side.  It would have been more pleasing covered in butter and honey.

Poor Peter loved his meatloaf but it didn't love him.  I tried it and it was delicious, kind of like the recipe that's on the Lipton French Onion soup box.  Which is why it probably didn't agree with him.  His was served over mashed potatoes and a piece of Texas Toast.  For some reason he was craving hash browns too.  I've never seen him eat so much potato.  Usually I end up eating them for him!

It was a nice little stop that unfortunately caused us to stop more times than we wanted later on down the road.  We drove all the way through Atlanta that night and stopped at a icky hotel in a town I'll never remember the name of.  We were just so tired and I was worn out from staying on the road in the rainy downpour.  It's amazing how fast people speed by in that kind of weather.

The next morning we headed out and made it home to Peter's parent's place around 5pm or so.  Illinois has the worst roads I have ever had the displeasure of driving upon.  Seriously bad!  So you can imagine I was glad to get home and get to hang out in his parent's garden for a bit.  The leaves were just beginning to change color and it wasn't quite that chilly yet.  still very nice and definitely not what we are used to in Florida.  It was wonderful.

I looked up and happened to see a cicada shell.  My Dad had said that they had a bumper crop of them this year and that their dog liked to eat them (Ew!).  I briefly toyed with the idea of grabbing it and chasing Peter with it.  He absolutely hates the things.  I think they're neat and would 'pin' the shells  on my shirt as a child.

While we were up in Illinois we had to stop at my all time favorite restaurant.  Olga's!  I really wish that our mall would get one down here, they are so yummy.  I ordered my usual white bean chicken chili and a large side of their snackers.  It's their bread which they use for their gyro's and sandwiches cut up into wedges, deep friend and then covered in spices and served with this almond cheese spread stuff that is just divine.  I was in heaven and had to rolled out the restaurant in a wheelbarrow.  I'm surprised I fit into my dress that weekend!

My mom lives across the river so I drove over to hang out with her and make some Rice Krispie treats for the rehearsal dinner that night.  I love getting to cross the river on the ferry.  I ended up getting to cross 4 times that day.  That was very unplanned.  Also, I ended up forgetting the treats I made.  Don't worry I ate them for breakfast the morning of the wedding.  Good times.

Here is a picture of the river on our way to the reception.  Prettiest day ever.  We were actually trying to get a photo of a sun-dog but the sun just blurred everything out.  Believe me, there was a mini rainbow up there from the sun reflecting on ice crystals in the atmosphere.  Very pretty.

The journey back to Florida was pretty uneventful.  It just kept getting hotter and more humid.  We stopped in Georgia and I declared, yep!  We are definitely back in the south.  So not fun weather.  I miss the autumn weather we got to experience again, oh so briefly.

I shared a Cheerwine with my new snail thought I bought at the flea market.  Cheerwine.  Interesting, kind of reminded me of a very cherry Dr. Pepper.  I had never seen one until this stop but now I see them everywhere (or at least at our local Wal-Mart.).  I'd drink one again if it came in diet.

And now I leave you with inspiration for the title of the post.  It's from one of my favorite movies, Anastasia.