Our day trip to visit “the lakes” could not have been more perfect.  My mom and I packed our lunch and headed out to see my sister who was already there.

Sister Jill standing on her dock.

Wood duck lake pictured above, was one of our favorite lakes to swim in.  It is small, but deep.  When we were young there was a cow path that encircled the lake and my sister and I loved to skip all the way around the lake and then jump in and swim all the way across the lake.

Seeing family on my trip back to Peoria lifted my spirit.  We spent time together in the great outdoors, I took some nice city walks, got my heart rate up in sister-in-law Susie’s water exercise class and shared meals and coffee while laughing and reminiscing!