“Just four more weeks”, I heard someone say as I walked from my car, through the crisp air, to the doors of Gurnee Mills Mall. “Four more weeks until what?” I thought. And then it hit me as I saw the beautiful white lights cascading from the ceiling. Four more weeks until Christmas!

I planned to run into the mall to pick up a gift for my nephew’s birthday and immediately changed plans for the day. I was swept into the holiday spirit of shopping for my friends and family!

I had to say a quick “thank you” to Gurnee Mills (in my head) because as I walked into the mall, there was a pleasant voice reminding me what entrance I had walked in. I didn’t know how important that would be until I had strolled down corridors of hundreds of stores for several hours. Knowing which entrance I left my car parked would be a benefit in the end!


As I walked toward the stores I noticed the wonderful decorations; trees and presents, beautiful wreaths and candy canes hanging everywhere and Christmas music was playing over the loud speakers. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”, I hummed along immediately.

A couple things caught my eye immediately, that probably wouldn’t have, had I only been “running in”. I saw groups of service personnel in the Cyber Arena internet café, contacting family and friends on quite a few computers. What it must be like to be serving your country and be away from the ones you love around the holidays. I am humbled.


I quickly had any thoughts of summer or fall leave my mind as I saw many people taking advantage of the ice skating rink at Rink Side Sports. It was wonderful! There were many people just learning to skate (around the edges) and there were several “little pros” in the middle. It made me want to grab a cup of hot chocolate and warm up by a fireplace.

And then I saw him, the jolly old guy, with rosy cheeks and beard as white as the snow. Families were gathered taking their holiday photos with Santa from Worldwide Photography – IPI. How fun it was to see the awe and wonder in the eyes of those kids!


Off I went, onto my shopping! I hadn’t taken the time in the past, to realize that there are so many stores in Gurnee Mills Mall. You can find ANYTHING you need. There are over ten anchor stores and retailers in apparel, shoes, sporting goods, toys and hobbies, jewelry, electronics, accessories, hair and nails…the list goes on!

After I had walked around for a while, I realized I was getting hungry so I decided to see what was available. There are so many choices – you can choose from a quick bite to eat to a more leisurely lunch. I decided to enjoy a sandwich and a great cup of gourmet coffee and headed on my way. I set out to do a few more stores after lunch and thought, “I really need to come back, to see what I missed!”

I popped on the website after I got home and found that the mall will be opening at midnight on Thanksgiving night! Doors will open at 12:00 a.m. on Friday, November 28th to ring in 2008’s Black Friday! Hmmmmm...after a turkey dinner during the day, a leftover turkey sandwich later in the evening…should I take a ride?

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On a sunny autumn day last week, I took a trip down to the Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda to check out a photographic exhibit entitled "The American Soldier". I had read that the exhibit contained photographs from every American war dating back to the Civil War, but aside from that I wasn't sure what to expect. As I entered the corridor that began the gallery, I was greeted with huge, beautifully rendered photographs portraying scenes from 19th-century American history. The first word that struck me was the same word that I would use to describe the exhibit as a whole: powerful.

The first black & white prints showed small battalions of American soldiers, their faces reflecting emotions that formed a recurring theme throughout the gallery- a mixture of weariness and pride. Two portraits showed black soldiers embracing, former slaves who had fought for their freedom amongst thousands of others. Many photos stood out, and it was interesting to see shots that dated back to near the birth of the camera. A striking photo of a Union Women's Volunteer Unit showed a couple of dozen women in matching dresses, each holding matching rifles. A caption below the photo explained that the women in the unit came from every segment of the society, "from debutante to prostitute".

I entered the World War I section and marveled at a picture of smiling American soldiers drinking from steins. The caption told that the photo was from Verdun, France, 1918, and the soldiers were enjoying recently captured German beer. A nearby shot showed a massive parade of soldiers, thronged on each side by cheering citizens, marching down 5th Avenue in New York on November 11th, 1918, after the signing of the armistice. Flash forward a few decades and I found myself in the midst of World War II, where photos from early June, 1944, showed American troops during the famous siege of the beach in Normandy. A poignant picture nearby showed a fallen soldier with crossed rifles placed near his body in tribute.

Bundled-up soldiers rested in a snowy forest pass in La Roche, Belgium, in a photo from January 1945, and a crowd of cheering figures in striped uniforms eagerly greet soldiers in a shot from the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria on May 6th. Many photos were particularly solemn, such as one of the infamous "March of Death", where captured American soldiers were made to march 90 miles over six day from Bataan to Cabanatuan in the Philipines, their hands bound and without food or water. A fascinating portrait showed three American soldiers known as Navajo Indian "Code Talkers", a special unit that assisted in radio communication by speaking in their native tongue, which was indecipherable to outside forces.

I browsed through stunning portraits of soldiers from the Korean and Vietnam wars, and many of the images began to bear more familiarity to me as I entered the gallery of more "modern" wars- the first Gulf War, and the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Photos from Kuwait in 1991 showed soldiers dwarfed by a backdrop of a massive wall of fire, which turned out the be the blazing Burgan oil fields. Aside from combating enemy troops, soldiers were also made to fight against the elements, as shown by shots of soldiers hunkering down in near invisibility during violent sandstorms.

It dawned on me that American troops throughout history have fought in just about every environment imaginable, from snowy mountains to steamy jungles, to barren desert and urban streets. A photo from Afghanistan in 2002 showed soldiers patrolling rocky outcroppings as they wound their way through mountainous caves. I reflected that though the wars and soldiers were different, common threads seemed to run through the war-time experience. The faces of the men and women portrayed reflected grief and shell-shock, but also great courage, strength, and hope.

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I always love driving into the town of Antioch. It has an old fashion feel that is very inviting. One of its hidden charms is a little theatre on the north side of town called the PML theatre. PML stands for Palette-Masque & Lyre. This is its 48th season! Parking for the theatre is plentiful in the lots behind it.

Walking into the theatre is an experience in itself. You can feel the ambiance of a family atmosphere as everyone starts to greet each other from the last show when they were together. The actors are local talent, with auditions always open to the public. The theatre is a very personal experience with about 150 seats throughout. At the beginning of the show, an announcer, who is also one of the lead actors, comes out and does a raffle with the audience for a prize if their seat number is picked. And then the play begins-All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Five actors doing the whole show talking and singing and only using five boxes as their props. The play was made up of many different stories throughout, representing different stages of life from youth, to parenthood, to old age.

An intermission was held and we went downstairs to enjoy the punch and cookies that were being offered. The lights dimmed so we all knew when to head back up for the second half of the play. When the play ended the audience applauded loudly for the actors. The play was very inspiring.

Afterwards my husband and the two couples that we were with walked over to a restaurant called Oliveri North. It was a chilly night but looking into the stores as we walked made you forget the cold. The men’s store had every Chicago Team jersey on display in one of their windows and in the other window they displayed dress clothes for men. Then there was the antique store, a resale store, an exercise place and a hair salon. As we crossed the street to get to the restaurant you could smell the popcorn coming from the one-show theatre that was showing a children’s movie. Then we got to the restaurant and all enjoyed our Italian dinners so much that we decided to do this whole evening over again in Antioch. The next play at the PML Theatre starts in January and is called What the Butler Saw-a British Adult Farce.

Sounds very interesting!

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On Saturday, November 1st, I had the pleasure of taking my four year old grandson to see the 5th annual Jackie's Magic Show at Warren Township High School in Gurnee. We went to the children's matinee and the auditorium was filled with parents and their young children. Music played while we waited and the opening song was "That's Entertainment".

The show started promptly at 1pm with the emcee coming out to welcome everyone and to tell them that they could make noise during the live performances . The first act came out and one of the things we watched him do was tear up a newspaper and put it all together again! After his act was done the emcee came out to introduce the next act who told the audience to follow your dreams. Then he performed with magic circles and shared a new magic trick with the audience in which he made a smashed banana disappear in a scarf. My grandson will probably be going home and trying that one out.

The next act actually did the amazing Siberian Chain Escape with help from a boy and his mom from the audience. They chained and locked his wrists together and he came undone in one minute's time! Then he levitated the boy that was helping him. Next act was a magician with scarves that kept coming out of an empty tin can and then they all got magically connected.

The emcee came out then to introduce the last act for the afternoon. This magician lighted candles that he then made disappear. The lights in the auditorium were then turned down for the dramatic effect of red fire that he seemed to be pulling out of thin air all around him. Even coming out of his ears and mouth! After that act he came down off the stage and went thru the audience pulling coins out of children's ears. But the best act of his was the last when he went back on stage with a little girl from the audience and did a dancing scarf routine to Elvis music. To end the sho the emcee came out and so did all the magicians and teh crowd all clapped and cheered.

After the show the magicians stayed to sign autographs and there were two clowns making balloon scuptures for the children. My grandson and I had a very nice time at the magic show and I do plan on taking him back for the 6th annual show because "That's Entertainment".

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