The Chignoli's

The first day we arrived in town, Nick and I visited with his parents and older brother, Joe. We exchanged presents. Nick got a few new sweaters and shirts and a White Sox book. They gave me an ornament and a beautiful scarf. Also, they very much enjoyed the picture collage I made for them, including several pictures from hiking adventures we've had in the past year. Later that night, we went to dinner with his parents, Joe, and Joe's girlfriend, Nicole. We went to an Italian restaurant, named Greco's. They have famously delicious fried chicken, which is what most of us ordered. Unfortunately, Joe left the next day on vacation, so we did not get to spend much time with him. However, we did spend most of the rest of the time in Joliet hanging out with Nick's parents and his extended family. He has a rather large family, and all of his Dad's side resides in or around Joliet. Several of them work together at Chignoli Auto, which was started by Nick's grandfather in 1974. They are a very close and extremely affectionate family. They took to me rather quickly, and I felt at home in Joliet. He and I both had a hard time leaving because it was so comfortable and relaxing. Also, a couple nights Nick and I hung out in his basement, where we played pool and Cricket (darts). I lost every time, unfortunately, with no sympathy from Nick. We still did not have enough time to visit with as many of Nick's family and friends as we had hoped. However, we are tentatively planning a trip back for the summer.