I have this goal in life. I want to travel the world, see everything I can and eat every kind of food there is.

That won’t happen, obviously, because there are millions and millions of places on Earth and thousands of kinds of food.

I have been out of the country about 15 times and have traveled to several places, but there is so much more I want to see and do and eat.

Since I have a job and classes to attend, I have begun my food and sightseeing journey on a much smaller scale. I have been traveling around central Illinois with my boyfriend trying new cuisine and seeing local architecture and sites.

We made this kind of a Sunday tradition, since we both hate Sundays and decided to make them a little better, rather than sulking at home or sleeping away the day.

The first stop was Lerna, where we visited the world’s fastest pop machine. As a native to central Illinois, I always wondered why I had never gone  so we went.

The thing was fast.

We also ate at Taco Amigos in Mattoon, because I love Mexican food and it was a place we both needed to try.

Verdict: new favorite Mexican restaurant.

We then traveled a little east in the world to India. Okay, well, we went to Decatur and ate Indian food at India’s Kitchen.

It is a newer place, and it needed to be sampled by our lovely selves. I highly recommend this place. We split a 22-ounce beer, so we blacked out, obviously. I got paneer tikka masala, and he got butter chicken. Sides we got included naan bread and samosas.

I overate and felt like an obese whale afterward, but all in all it was an excellent experience. Ten out of ten would recommend.

Another site we crossed off our list was the Edward P. Irving house, also in Decatur. This architectural beauty was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and two other houses on the street were designed by people at his firm.

Ever since I took Art Appreciation my freshman year with Dr. Stephen Eskilson, I fell in love with architecture and the various types. This house designed by the legendary Wright, was a must-see.

Those are just some adventures we have been on to spice up our Sundays. I know many more are in store. Hopefully this summer, we can branch out of the 217 and eat more fantastic feasts and see funky spots.

Kennedy Nolen is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at kdnolen@eiu.edu.