The One With the Impromptu Excursion

As someone who works a full-time and part-time job, things can be a bit of a blur. You don't always know what day it is and you feel like you spend the majority of your day on the go. No breaks, just go-mode. I think I'm slowly, subconsciously, transitioning away from my part-time gig. I love it. I get to work in athletics and with kids, but what a time suck. They're 3-5 hours shifts and I usually bring my laptop to do work for my full-time job, since I have the time. I'd much rather be at home. I'm a manager and since COVID, our responsibilities have dwindled. I still get paid the same, but I have the same role as a base employee. I should be excited about that, but I value my time much more.

Last week was rough. I felt like it went on forever. The kiddo had no weekday games and my boyfriend was tied up with work the majority of the week. I attempted to do some things with a couple of friends but one is in Miami and the other is seven months pregnant with a little tike on her hands. She's also balancing going back to work in-office. I had the urge to drive down to the gun range but also didn't want to spend the money on gas or range fees. I know I would've walked away with a few boxes of ammo, too. Cha-ching! I ended up running errands and returning a bunch of stuff I ordered on Amazon that didn't work out. I never know sizes, colors or styles so I order it all to save time.

Early on in the week, my boyfriend and I planned to go to this awesome looking Italian restaurant called Via Roma. He was going to pick me up and we're were going to head over, wine in hand (thank you, BYOB) and enjoy a quiet night to ourselves as that's pretty rare. He ended up having to work a little later than planned so we nixed that. Since it was gorgeous out, about 90° and sunny, he came over and we went on a little adventure instead!

It was a surprise, but the first place we went was called Schiller Woods in Schiller Park, Illinois. It was a forest preserve that had an awesome Snake Mound. It also had a ton of space, sections and mellow wildlife. We saw a raccoon gathering spare food and a bunch of the cutest looking deer! We were a little sad we didn't have some bread or anything to give them. Guaranteed they would've came right up to the car. We ever saw a biker get a couple feet away from them and it didn't even phase them. I'm not sure if you can tell, but the majority of the deer we saw were actually fawns. Adorable to see!

We slowly drove through the park - It was huge! Lots of families out, which was also great to see. Many people with their charcoal grills out having a good time. Being stuck inside the house really takes a toll on you. The fact that summer is rolling around and you aren't shamed to be out and about enjoying life is a great feeling and a freedom that never should have been taken away from us.

We also came across a mound called Serpent Mound. This was also within the Forest Preserve. I'm pretty upset I didn't get any photos despite walking to the top. I have no doubt we'll be back but it really is a sight to see. You can't miss it. Mounds always interested me. I always found it funny that we see massive mounds in random places with no explanation. What's underneath them? Why are they where they're at? Is there a reasoning or backstory? I'll get into the mound theories later but this was a cool one and my theories definitely back it up. Next time we go, there will definitely get photos.

Once we left the Forest Preserve, we made our way up North. Again, I had no clue where we were going. I didn't mind. I typically don't care where we go or what we do... I hadn't seen my boyfriend in four days and I was just happy to be "there." We quickly made our way up to the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. Phew! I don't have a lot of love for Illinois, not that Wisconsin is much better, but I was super excited for where we were headed. We ended up traveling to Kenosha, Wisconsin - about 10-15 minutes past the state line. We made our way up to Carthage College where my boyfriend had gone for part of his collegiate career and where I attended collegiate Track meets. It's such a beautiful campus. Updated from the last time I was there, but breathtaking nonetheless. We managed to time it perfectly with the Carthage Firebird graduates. We noticed a few groups taking their graduation photos with the jaw-dropping backsplashes of the river and the lake. I wanted to get out and take photos ourselves but again, we'll be back! We were on our way to the 'downtown' portion of Kenosha. If you're not from the midwest, you've probably never heard of the city of Kenosha. It was most recently in the political news front as being home to the Kyle Rittenhouse incident. Let me tell you - It's more than it seems. The architectural structures are gorgeous!

We saw the First Congregational Church on Eighth Avenue. It's a Gothic-styled cream brick structure that was said to be built in 1874 by a local contractor Chris George. It can be seen from blocks away due to its 150-foot spire. It doesn't lack its fair share of glass windows, stone arches and sills. Very cool building if you ask me. It is one of many churches within a close proximity, which is also interesting if you look at the layout of the town. Another building that stuck out was a 'castle-looking' structure with a large red door. St. Matthew's Episcopal Church was located on Seventh Avenue, also Gothic-style. This church was organized in 1840, over thirty years before the First Congregation Church. I find that interesting as they look the same in terms of wear and material. This structure was designed by an Aurora, Illinois native, A.H Ellwood. He was an architect who specialized in designing churches, schools and public buildings. According to the Library Park Historic District, this took about seven years to erect. Unlike the other church, this was constructed from Joliet and Racine limestone. Brick and limestone took up the vast majority, if not all, of the structures in the 1850s era. Look around and you'll see that statement proves true. Every single time.

First Congregational Church

St. Matthews Episcopal Church

St. Matthews Episcopal Church

Some other buildings we saw included the Kenosha County Soldiers' Monument in Library Park, the Masonic Temple on 61st Street, and the First Church of Christ on Eighth Avenue. Some of the homes we saw in the immediate area were also of similar style that we see in other parts of the U.S. The Urban J. Lewis House on Seventh Avenue has many similarities to the Hornibrook Mansion in Little Rock, Arkansas. Very cool to see and compare.

Urban J. Lewis House - 1892

Hornibrook Mansion - 1888

I found this map which I thought was very cool. You can view how close knit all of these historic buildings are. If you could imagine, one-hundred plus years ago that within these boundaries was a small town within what we know today as Kenosha. It's close to both railroads and water sources, which are two things that people would've have relied on heavily for in the 1800s. I highly recommend checking this out if in or around the Kenosha, Wisconsin area. I hope we can go back and spend more time dissecting the different theories and appreciating the architectural designs.

Once the sun had started to set, we made our way to the pier. I immediately noticed the lighthouses. So pretty. The sky was mostly clear and it was a bit chilly - Only because we were only several feet from the lake. I got this nice little shot in a circle drive - Thank you to my lovely boyfriend who stopped so I could get a few photos! My dad was a huge lighthouse fan. He had a large wooden one that I had gotten years back. It was one of those 'craft-your-own' models. I put it together and then painted it in red, white and blue. I don't think we still have it, but he had several mini-model ones, too! Definitely a nice touch to end our night.

North Pier Lighthouse

Before we knew it, eight o'clock rolled around and we headed back to my place. I was super excited we got to do this on a week day after a very stressed few days at work. I was even more excited because none of this was truly planned and each place we stopped was a surprise to me. I never get surprised. I'm already looking forward to the next time we go adventuring!