Sunday.

Over the summer, I ended up with a few Sundays off here and there.  Having a Sunday off is a rare thing in my world and something treasured and valued--a day off together.  Don't get me wrong; I can definitely see the inherent value of having a Tuesday and Wednesday off while the rest of society is living in a world of Saturday and Sunday weekends, but every once in a while it's nice to inhabit the same plane of existence as my dear husband.  (It just so happens that I really like spending time with him.  In addition to being my husband and the love of my life, he's just incredibly fun to be around.  There is something reassuring about his presence and we happen to get along very well.  I am one lucky woman to get to spend my life with him.)

So we took advantage of these Sundays off as best as we could.  We drove up to Zion in the Civic--oh, that car is fun--got lunch at Culver's, and headed over to Illinois Beach State Park.  It's one of my favorite places in the area, and I really enjoyed spending time there.  I love living so close to something so beautiful and grateful that Illinois has a lot of fantastic state parks and forest preserves to enjoy.  We hiked around the beach for a few miles before we got hot and decided to head back to the car.

On another lovely Sunday, we meandered out towards the Greater Rockford Area, enjoying the scenery and the sunshine on a warm afternoon.  We ended up stopping at a tiny, old, hilltop cemetery, in the middle of sprawling farmlands.  It was so nice and we wandered around, trying to read the faded and weathered headstones from centuries' past.

T. and I also had the opportunity to go to another one of our favorite places, and a delightful repeat destination of ours--New Glarus Brewing Company.  We went there with my parents and had a wonderful time touring the brewery and the grounds, sampling the delicious beer, and enjoying some good company and good conversation.  After leaving the brewery, we went to lunch at a nearby sports bar and took a short walking tour of the town of New Glarus before heading back to town.  It was another one of those fantastic Sundays and is definitely up there was one of my very favorite summer memories.

As summer turns into fall, I know that the Sundays off will be come few and far between.  The busy season at work draws near!  But I am still hoping, and looking forward to, more adventures with the husband.  I have been to some of the best places with him and love that we are always seeking out new places, unknown to both of us.  Being able to travel around to all sorts of different and unique places nearby (and even maybe a little bit further away) helps to settle the wanderlust that stirs up in me every once in a while...  makes me feel like I'm 19 again, sitting in a car with a boy who made (who still makes) my heart skip a beat, adding more miles to our journey together.  Even more so now, at 26, seeing the world with him is one of my very favorite things.

(Some photos from his instagram, some photos from mine.)