Now that we live in Florida, I was pretty sure that we’d go back to the Midwest to at least visit Chicago as tourists. I was right about that, as we went in 2017 for a show and more. We also had a few events in 2018 that brought us back. I would like to visit other Midwestern cities in the future, though. I think the Upper Peninsula of Michigan would be nice, and maybe even St. Louis. Of course, there are other parts that might be nice as well.

The Midwest

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June 2017—Chicago

This was our first chance to go back to Chicago and enjoy the city. We got show tickets for Aladdin at the Cadillac Theatre and spent most of the week near O’Hare, catching the Blue Line into the City. I actually worked quite a bit while we were there, but I did get to play one day and we ended up getting tickets to Hamilton. Madeline and Dana enjoyed the City more and then when we moved out to Schaumburg, we spent a day at Marie’s and went to church at CHS.

 

Madeline even returned the following week to be a part of the 40th anniversary of Family Fest.

August 2008—The Dakotas

I needed to hit all 50 states by the time I turned 50. When I was 46, I booked us a trip to hit my last two states: South and North Dakota. We started in Rapid City, spending a couple of days visiting the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, and the Badlands. We then finished off my list by going up into North Dakota and spending the night. I’m sure some parts of North Dakota are nice, but what we saw was boring. I achieved my goal nonetheless.

July 2010—Dayton

I had my class reunion in Greensburg and a business meeting in Dayton a couple days later, so Madeline and I drove down and while I was working, she went exploring the town. She found Jungle Jim’s north of Cincinnati and then the National Museum of the US Air Force. It was a short trip, but it counts as the Midwest.

May, Sep, Dec 2018—Chicago

We were invited to Michael Harris’s Confirmation, so we turned the opportunity into a long weekend trip. We spent a few hours in Morton Arboretum one day, but mostly we just had visits with different friends. We also went back to CHS for Sunday Mass, seeing lots of folks there, too. It was a beautiful weekend in the suburbs, which was a pleasant surprise after they had such a cold spring.

 

We went back in September while I was working on a project. We returned again in December for the Zonatherm Christmas party.

JUNE 2018—Indiana

The last couple of times we tried to go to Indiana, luck was not on our side. We missed one wedding due to a hurricane and then the next one due to someone getting sick the night before our flight. We were bound and determined to get there this time for my father’s 86th birthday. We accomplished our goal and had a great time with family at a few different meals. We took my parents to the casino and came out richer than we went in, and also played the required round of mini-golf, which is a Navarra family tradition.

July 1992—IOWA

It’s not like we went to Iowa for a vacation. This was a few days over the 4th of July. The fascinating thing about this trip is that it was rather spontaneous, and it resulted in some wonderful surprises and a couple of photos that will forever be my favorite. Who knew that Iowa could be so fascinating!

March 2019—Indiana

This visit back to Greensburg was to see family at a wedding. Lillie and Brian got married in Greensburg and had their reception in Batesville. Alicia and Mel were also able to go, even though they both lived in different cities at the time. We also had a chance to visit a little with John and Lauren Widau before Mel’s flight arrived in Indy. Most importantly, we had a chance to visit with my side of the family and see my parents.

June 2021—Indiana

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from seeing my family in 2020. We were hopeful that we all survived the year okay, not only because of the pandemic, but because there were other health issues with my folks. Things finally started getting better in early 2021 when we all got vaccinated. Tony’s family planned a cross-country college tour for Amber, so when he figured out his dates to be in Indiana, we booked our trip accordingly. We left on a Wednesday night and spent most of the next four days with everyone in Greensburg. As is typical when my family gets together, we had a lot of laughs.

APRIL & AUGUST 2022—Indiana

In April, we went to Columbus to attend the wedding of Emma & Jake. The ceremony was great and it was nice to see my father after he had a really difficult week in and out of the hospital. We spent most of our time around the hotel talking with Scott & Angie, Tony & Katherine, and then Mark & Sandi the morning after the wedding. In August, we went to Greensburg to attend the baby shower of Lillie & Brian.

June 2023—Indiana

This visit was not one that was planned very far in advance. My father passed away on June 12th, less than 2 weeks after his 91st birthday. I was lucky enough to see him just before he passed, and then Madeline and Dana joined me a couple of weeks later for his funeral. Alicia was very pregnant and had a somewhat serious complication, or else she would have gone as well. The funeral was nice, visiting with the family was great as always, and Mom did very well greeting people and celebrating my Dad’s long life. For the past few years, we sort of prepared ourselves for this event, but you can’t ever really be ready for it.