Peoria, a Great Place to Live

It's easy to find problems with any place that you live, but it's just as easy to find great things, in my opinion. The past two days have provided some fun "Peoria" activities that I thought fit nicely into one post about the city in which we live. Each of these things are unique to Peoria. Although I'm sure there are similar activities in other cities, these were not the "we saw such and such movie" that you could have also seen where you live. Or, we ate at "insert chain restaurant name", that you could have eaten at anywhere. There are times when it is nice to participate in the same activity that you know friends and family across the country or even the globe are also enjoying, but it is also good to enjoy local fun, and find the joy in your own town/city. *I have to make yet another disclaimer about photos. The camera is once again acting up, this time going through batteries so quickly that it's ridiculous. It's time to just get a new one. So, the pictures are at times random, and it would seem that I don't have pictures of some important events. Sorry.

First up was the Arts in Education Spring Celebration. At the Courthouse square on Fridays during the month of May, you'll find live music at lunchtime from area school groups. This particular Friday, Dailie was playing with the Washington Band and Orchestra. They play over the lunch hour, and local restaurants set up vending carts, so people can enjoy their lunch and the music. After a week of rain, it was a beautiful afternoon. I got a yummy gyro from Haddad's, a local Lebanese restaurant, and sat and listened to Dailie play her cello. This year is the 25th year in a row that this program has occurred in Peoria, and I really enjoy it.
That evening, we attended the Peoria Jazz AllStars Annual Gala and fundraiser. After dropping Dallin off for the early sound check, Rick and I enjoyed some Vietnamese food at Thanh Linh on Main Street. I love the cultural diversity in Peoria, and one reason is for the food : ). After our dinner, we went back to the Holiday Inn City Center for the Gala, where we were joined by some of our local Peoria friends!! Dallin plays piano for the district-wide jazz band. They are such a talented group of musicians. In spite of the troubles in our local schools, music and the arts continue to be important in Peoria, and I am thankful for that. Along with the 3 sets (nearly 3 hours) of music, the evening included a silent auction, where we picked up some tickets to a local go-kart track. I know we'll enjoy those this summer. We also won a gift certificate to another very yummy local restaurant, Seven on Prospect. Here's a shot of Dallin jamming out on the keyboard, although the lighting was tricky:This morning was the Caterpillar Power Race. We participated as a family. We called ourselves Team Jeffs:Rick, Dallin, Audri and I ran the 5k, and Eliza and Daniel ran the 1/2 mile kid race. Dailie was an excellent T-shirt holder and cheerleader : ). It was a beautiful morning, and we got to run along the Illinois River. I was so proud of everyone. Each of us gave it our best and were able to reach personal goals we had set. Daniel was particularly fun to watch. He wanted to be a part of the race so much. The age limit was actually 5, but Rick asked if he could participate, even though he will not be 5 until August. He's been talking about running his "5k" for weeks. He never once stopped to walk, and ran his little heart out. Eliza finished 6th out of all the children. Here they are at the starting line.After the race, we debated what to do/where to go for breakfast. In the end we felt too dirty and smelly to sit somewhere and eat, so we stopped by a local bakery not far from our house, and let each of the kids pick out something. Then we took them home and made some scrambled eggs to go with our goodies from Apple's Bakery. This place is so yummy. If you live in Peoria, you ought to try them out.We rounded out the day with a soccer game for Daniel with the Peoria Park District, and great Peoria Ward Fiesta at the Church. It's been a great couple of days in Peoria!!

*I guess I didn't realize how much of this post focused on food. It's obvious we enjoy it. Better keep running those 5ks!!