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What we did on the way
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at 07:44AM 
Dagny at Buc-ee's in Richmond, Kentucky
Two weeks ago, TG, I, and Dagny set out for the Midwest.
Road trip.
Our final destination was the great city of Chicago, where we would do a tad bit of sightseeing (as Dagny had never been there) and take in not one but two late-season baseball games at Wrigley Field.
Dagny in the plaza in front of Rupp Arena
Our Cubbies are currently in the playoffs and of course we are hoping for the best. There's nothing quite like October baseball.
The first day saw us traveling about seven hours, to Lexington, Kentucky. Our hotel was attached to Rupp Arena, where the University of Kentucky Wildcats play basketball.
It began raining as we arrived, but that didn't keep us from brandishing umbrellas and walking to a place called The Goose for dinner. It was warm outside despite the precipitation.
On day two we crossed the Indiana state line
TG enjoyed a burger while Dagny and I shared a pizza. Then we walked back to our hotel and spent a relaxing evening watching Shark Tank and playing word games on our devices.
The next morning we headed for Chicago, gaining an hour along the way into the Central time zone.
You may or may not remember this but TG and I met in Northwest Indiana in the mid-seventies, when I was a Bible college student and he was working as a teacher and coach.
Becky, me, and Kathy
After we married in the summer of 1979, we lived in "The Region" -- otherwise known as the Chicagoland area -- for another twelve years.
And so it is that perhaps the best friend I have ever known in this life, still lives there. Her name is Kathy.
She is widowed now, having lost her beloved husband -- one of TG's best friends -- to Covid in 2021.
Dagny in front of what was our front door when her mother was born
Kathy's only son, David, lives right next door in the duplex that Kathy now owns.
What's interesting about the duplex in which Kathy occupies the left side and David and his family occupy the right, is that it was, many years ago, owned by TG's late parents.
In fact, Kathy and her husband bought the conjoined domiciles from my in-laws, along about the mid-nineties, after we had moved to Knoxville.
Dagny with my beloved friend Kathy
Because in 1980, a few weeks after our Stephanie was born, we moved into the right side of the duplex.
A few years later, Kathy and her family moved in on the left side. Kathy and I were already good friends but we became forever friends during those years.
Each side of the duplex has three floors (one being a basement with windows at yard level), with two bedrooms and one and one-half baths.
You are looking at a wise and wonderful woman
We lived there (on the right) until we bought our first house in 1986. Both Audrey and Erica were brought home there as newborns.
We moved to a house a mile or so away, when Erica was six months old. We lived there when our Andrew was born.
Kathy is an avid gardener and works every day during growing season to keep her flowers lush.
Dagny and Becky struck up an instant friendship
She has made a number of improvements to the duplex and it's got a great deal of curb appeal.
So we swung by there. I had gotten in touch with Kathy a week beforehand, to let her know that we'd stop in at around two in the afternoon.
Her eldest daughter, Becky, another of my most cherished friends, was there with her and that was an unexpected treat as I had not seen Becky in decades.
There was love all around
The weather was gorgeous and we did not have much time, so we stood around in the yard and then sat at a pretty table on the side of the house where Kathy had put out some snacks for us, and did a spot of catching up.
(The last time we stopped by to see Kathy was when we went to Chicago in August of 2019, when her husband was still alive.)
We have been friends for forty years
It was a too-short visit but Kathy and Becky enjoyed meeting Dagny and she loved meeting them, and we took some pictures and all assured one another (not for the first time and I hope not the last) that each of us loves the other forever, no matter what.
Then we took Dagny by the grade school where her mother and her Aunt Stephanie attended for the first several years of their educations, until we moved to Knoxville.
Dagny on the campus of her mother's elementary school
And we also took her by the small apartment building where TG and I lived for a little over a year in a ground-floor unit after we were married, and to the house we bought in 1986 when Erica was a baby.
I was sad to see that that house, which I loved and which was kept shipshape in our day, has been allowed to deteriorate. The present homeowners are not taking care of it.
TG knocked on the door but no one answered, although a dog barked inside.
Dagny and me in front of our long-ago house in Schererville, Indiana
You can't go back. It's perilous to try but we wanted Dagny to see that part of her mother's history.
Then we jumped back into the car and drove less than an hour, to Chicago.
Next time, I'll tell you what we did while we were there.
And that is all for now.
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Happy Tuesday
Reader Comments (11)
Awww! I just loved this post. It was so fun seeing the places you lived in. It's pretty incredible that your friend lives in your old home, a blessing to see her and the house too, plus it's a bonus that she takes good care of it. It's sad to see a place you loved and cared for be let go.
Dagny is growing up - such a beautiful young lady!
PS - you look great and I really like the dress you're wearing.
It's so bittersweet to go back to places we've lived, isn't it. I drive by the house we lived in from 1978 to 1999 sometimes. It looks so much better than when we lived there! But its were we brought our babies hone and raised them to adulthood so it's always precious to me! Looking forward to the rest of your trip!
What a fun and memorable adventure. So nice that Dagny was able to go with you. She looks like she is enjoying herself.. Wonderful photos too.
It looks and sounds like you had a wonderful trip!! Old friends are some of the best friends and her flowers are just gorgeous. You can tell she spends a lot of time on them. My best friend and I have known each other for 40 years and she remembers more about me than even I do sometimes.
TBG has been watching every game anxiously. Go CUBS!!
Dagney is such a gorgeous young lady. I'm sure she was thrilled to take this trip with you both.
Goose looks like a really great place to eat. I'll have to remember that next time we're in that area.
I hope it's cooling off a bit there and that you enjoy October!! Big hugs!
@Mari ... Oooh thanks, I love that dress too! It weighs about six ounces and is so flowy and forgiving, haha! It's from Lucky Brand! Dagny will soon surpass me in height, as TG noticed the other day. I think she is going to be tall! Yes to go back to that address where we lived on the right and Kathy and her husband lived on the left for so many years, is always ultra-nostalgic. Kathy's husband and I used to love to play Scrabble. He was very good at it. On the day before Erica was born in late May of 1986, He and I sat outside under a tree (which is no longer there) and played Scrabble sitting at a card table, hahaha! She was born the next morning! Such wonderful memories. xoxo
@Jeanette ... bittersweet is just the right word. It was a lifetime ago and yet somehow it seems so recent! Ugh we have to have those moments because they enrich us, but it's hard sometimes to see our places aging and our friends aging! Hope you and Rich are doing well! xoxo
@Judee ... Dagny did have a great time, especially at the ball games! We packed a lot into a few days and she was so patient during all of the hours in the car. We listened to a Laura Ingalls Wilder book! Even TG and I enjoyed it! xoxo
@Lori ... UGH our beloved Cubbies are not going to beat the Milwaukee Brewers for three games in a row I fear ... and that's what they'd have to do in order to advance to the championship game, having lost the first two already! I was so frustrated with their performance last night! But then, as TG reminded me, the Brewers are the best team in baseball. So we will watch again tomorrow and maybe they'll have one more victory at Wrigley Field! Yes do try The Goose if you're ever in Lexington KY! It was good. And you have not seen the half of this trip yet! More to come! Happy October to you and TBG and Binx! xoxo
Hello my dear Cubbies Fan, I am smiling here as I write this, because my Brew Crew is doing very well. I do not want to jinx them, so I will not say too much. :-) Wink, wink!
I loved this post. We did something similar several years ago. We drove around the area that my husband and I grew up, showing our kids our old stomping grounds. It is always sad to see a place that you loved, neglected or even worse completely tore down!
@Carla ... yes they're doing well, except as we speak it's 4-1 Cubbies in game three! We have a long way to go but all good wishes for the Cubs, hahahahaha! How neat that you and Jeremy did the memory lane thing too! It's nostalgic in a good/bad way, hahaha! Love you 😘 xoxo
I loved this post and seeing you get to meet up with a forever friend. And how special that Dagny was able to see some of the history from her mother's childhood. Very special indeed.
@Dianna ... thank you for stopping by and yes it was a blessing! Hope you are doing well my blogging friend! xoxo
FALL IS FINALLY HERE, YAY! Loved this post Jenny and all the fun pictures. Dagny is adorable in her outfit with the white sneakers. (do the call them sneakers anymore?), jean jacket and pink pocketbook. (I guess they don't call THOSE pocketbooks these days either, do they?? ha ha LOL.) Looks like a great trip, I'm glad y'all got to go. And y'all had good weather. I'm so glad you got to see Kathy, and wow, I enjoyed seeing her well kept flowers, very pretty. I love the picture of you and Dagny in front of the house, your dress is pretty. Looking forward to seeing the Chicago pictures! Hugs, my friend. Take care and stay safe.
@Debbi ... hahaa yes they still call them sneakers unless they're wearing Chucks, which is what she is wearing in that picture, haha! But they would call that purse a crossbody and never use the word pocketbook, haha! Kids these days. And you did not see but a fraction of Kathy's flowers! I should have shown the other side of the house where her property is edged by a little creek. It's like a wondrous tropical jungle over there! She's amazing. Yes let's wring every drop of beauty out of this gorgeous fall weather! Love you girl xoxo