We've returned in one piece (well, three pieces) from our road trip up and down 35W. Truth be told, the drive itself went much better than I'd anticipated; Sara was a real trooper throughout the ride, and I'd even venture to say that I'd be willing to make the trip again.
On the way to MN, we stopped in KC and spent Friday night with Craig and Lisa in their beautiful home. It was the second time we'd seen them in two months, and - once again - we forgot to take any pictures. We also stopped in Ames to see our beloved ISU campus.
Of course Sara and I got a picture taken in front of 2118 Sunset. Seeing sorority circle made me want to hop on a bed with wheels and take a few laps around the block. (That's actually a lot more innocent than it sounds).
We made it to MN on Saturday evening. On Sunday morning we had Sara's baptism at Prairie Lutheran. Sara only cried for a few seconds while she was being baptized, and was rewarded with a stroller ride from Dad when it was all over.
A small contingent of the Wenck family was able to make it to my parents' home after the baptism. We were so thrilled to see them and to introduce them to Sara. You may remember this post from last summer that made mention of my Wenck relatives. Seeing them for Sara's baptism reminded me of how excited, delighted, and proud my dad would have been to have held Sara in his arms. I just love being related to these people!
On Monday we took Sara to the Como Zoo. She wasn't super interested in the animals, but she enjoyed the extended stroller ride. My thrill of the week, as always, came on Tuesday morning when we headed to Lake Ida. As soon as we arrived, I went into instant relaxation mode ... there is nothing like being at the lake. Our days up north consisted of going on boat rides, playing ladder ball, sitting on the porch, enjoying Miller time(s), and participating in other important activities like this:
Todd, Steve, and I braved the still slightly frigid water. We coaxed Melissa to jump in, too, after she took this picture!
Sara had her first boat ride! She enjoyed the boat itself, but loathed the "back-brace" (as Grandpa Todd called it) of a life jacket we made her wear.
We left Lake Ida on Saturday morning and headed to the Des Moines area. We stopped first in Ankeny to visit Rachel, Brant, and Ben. Merry and Ian where there, too, along with another friend and fellow Sunset Drive sister, Katie. It was so good to see them. Rachel made some really good chicken salad ... maybe she'll post the recipe on her blog (hint, hint, Rachel). Par for the course: we took no pictures.
We left Des Moines on Sunday morning, made one last stop in KC to visit the Stigalls, and then drove all the way back to Texas. This road trip turned into a true Memory Lane trip for us. There were many people we were unable to see, but the ones who were in town, etc. made our trip complete. While Minnesota is officially home to me, Ames, Des Moines, and KC feel like home, too. Our circumstances right now prevented us from flying to MN as we usually would, and I'm so, so glad that they did.
3 comments:
I'm so glad you were able to stop on Saturday - it was so great to see all of you! I'm glad your trip went well. I'll see what I can do about posting the recipe :)!
Great Recap of your trip! It was a fun as always to have you all here! Sara was really good considering all the different people and surroundings - A born traveler! I am sure Sara is wondering where all of her fans are now - center of attention! Does she miss my singing?!?!
Love
Grandma W
Chris and I loved seeing you guys and meeting Sara. I smiled all day thinking of her chubby little legs!!!! How I wish you all were here. Especially when Steve told Chris to "keep fighting the good fight." Nothing like reinforcement!!! Miss you guys!!!
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