Little Illini

Elynor enjoyed her first *live* Illini basketball game last Thursday night (anyone who knows her daddy knows she's been watching/listening to games on TV/radio since she was in the womb). Rye had to be in Champaign for work on Friday and it just so happened that the Illini were playing Minnesota (alma mater of Elynor's Grandpa Lyle, Grandma Sue, Uncle Robby and Aunt Katy... to name a few) on Thursday night. So we turned it into a family outing. Elynor was mesmerized by the stadium activities through half-time, when she found running circles around the stadiums' hallways much more exciting then sitting in a seat to view the game. The Illini win plus some of our fave campus foods equaled a superb trip. As a side note, I highly recommend the Champaign Country Inn & Suites to any families venturing to C-U. The price for a king suite was great and the 2 rooms separated by a door allowed us to put Elynor down at her normal bedtime without then having to sit in dark silence ourselves. We all slept well and woke to enjoy a sweet continental breakfast (along with the Wisconsin women's track team). Clearly my days of Westin-only snobbery are behind me.

A windy (though warm) walk to Assembly Hall.

Amazed at the pre-game activities!

Racing to uncover top-secret information at the high-security Beckman Institute. When I caught up to her she was pulling on the locked door with the security guard laughing at her.