Gina, the boys and I took advantage of the cool weather on Saturday by riding bikes to Washington Park, which is just down the street from our house. This was the first time I actually pulled the bike trailer behind the bike. I had just been using it as a glorified stroller. I can tell you, I am not sad at all that I never tried to pull the trailer in Charlottesville. The boys are HEAVY, and C'ville has a lot of big hills. I'm thinking Illinois is a much better place to start this tradition! After a brief ride, we stopped off at the playground and let the boys play for awhile. Nate, as usual, wanted to swing, and Sam liked the slide. It was a little big for him, though, and I had to slide down with him. It won't be long before they are doing these things independently, so I cherish these opportunities to play with them and watch them experience new things. The only thing I was nervous about were the Canadian geese. After a few run-ins with those things in Fort Collins, I am not a big fan. After they hissed at Sam and Nate, our time at the pond quickly ended.

We are going to a BBQ and Blues festival downtown this afternoon, where Nate is going to demonstrate the Virginia Shuffle for all these Illinois folks. I'll be happy to eat a pulled pork sandwich and watch all of the people. I think Gina wants to try the ribs. It seems like a fitting end to my first week of classes at UIS.