Thursday we went to a pretty good BBQ place in Murphysboro, IL, 17th Street. Due to their exhaustion from the drive, it was a pretty early night (although I did sneak in one karaoke song at a bar called Key West).
Friday, I had the joy of working and Mark the joy of schooling so the Brewins were on their own. They came to visit me for Thai food and loved it so that was good. There was one thing that we all felt we must do while the Brewin elders were in town and, believe it or not, that one thing was to see Jackass 3D. Yep. Awesome. So when I got done with work, that's just what we did. It was everything we hoped it would be and more. Afterward, we had a great dinner at Quatro's (deep-dish pizza) and lots of Coors light at the local favorite, the Cellar. Note to self: always go to places with Buzztime trivia consoles, because the Brewins love it as much as I do. Also, Kings is much more fun with people that have never played it.
Finally, Saturday was the most fun day of all. Why? Because it was spent on Southern Illinois' wine trail. We began at Pomona, which is the one and only apple winery (also, kind of my favorite). Here we are on the deck after our first glass...
After our visit at Pomona, we headed to Mark's favorite: Hickory Ridge. It does, by far, have the best vibe and view so it was great to go there next, and for our lovely lunch/snack time.
I also love Hickory Ridge because it has doggies roaming around at all times. Here is my favorite pup, Bud D...
After splitting a bottle with Miz Dawn, and the Marks having their bottle, we decided to pack up shop and head to the next stop on the trail: Von Jakob Vineyard.
I had only been to these places once before and last time Mark and I traveled the trail we ended the day at Von Jakob. It was lackluster--mostly because I was pretty tipsy by that point and It was the end of the day there so there wasn't much going on besides people closing up. THIS TIME was a whole other story. There was a live band and TONS of people. The highlights for me were definitely watching one particular older man dancing up a storm and dancing to "Stand by Me" with Mark. The man can move...
Note: The lovely Janelle, MSY, and Brenna (not pictured) are three of Mark's fellow grad students
and they were enjoying the wine trail alongside us (but not "with" us) all day long. It definitely
added to the fun.
After having yet another bottle of wine with Mrs. Brewin, we were ready for dinner. Mark had raved about Hedman's food and, though I was skeptical of Swedish cuisine, he was more than right. Hedman Winery was another winery that I got a weird vibe from the first time I did the trail. This time, I was blown away by the scenery and the outdoor, beer-hall-esque dining area. I also would have never expected the meal I got but it was one of the best I've ever had. Since we were all feeling good (yeah wine) by this point, the camera was not utilized, so here is a generic picture of Hedman:
So yeah, I'm re-exhausted just writing all that out, but it was surely worth the exhaustion. Good times were had by all and it was fantastic to see Mark's folks. I couldn't have asked for a better early birthday present.
NB: There may be readers out there (though I'm doubtful) that don't realize my birthday is
this upcoming Tuesday. Warning: You'll be hearing a lot more about it. A sad, sickening amount.
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