Monday, May 25, 2009
Another B-day!
Friday, May 22, 2009
A Pair o' Docs
A pair of docs- Dr & Dr! Well done and congrats, Mark and Gina! (It is so hard to believe that this all happened only a week ago!!!) After the ceremony, the extended family enjoyed a meal together in celebration of the graduates. Then, we bid the kids farewell and God's blessing as they left on their honeymoon and we went back to our hotel room to pack our bags for our trip back home.The next morning we drove to Des Moines where we had brunch with Marilyn's aunt and uncle. After the meal, they took us to a nearby lake where they had often camped the past several years. The sunshine felt good, but it was a windy day.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Travelin'
and Great Aunt Glenda...
and brought their dogs. Great Grampa immediately provided a lap for this one! Thanks Dave and Margaret, for giving us a fun evening together as family! On Wednesday morning, we left my parents' home and headed south. It was refreshing once again to see the wide-open countryside.
Because the winter snows continued late this year, and the weather has been cold and rainy, very few fields had been planted yet. But all the farmers are getting anxious to start.
Our next stop was in the city that we used to live. Both of us spent a couple of hours together with our former colleagues catching up on the latest news. Marilyn worked for five years with these gals and enjoyed spending time with them.It was exciting to see the progress on the new Cancer Center building.The work is ahead of schedule and opening is slated for next year.
I even spent a few minutes relaxing in the "Butterfly Park," remembering the many times that I would eat my lunch there and enjoy listening to the birds singing in the nearby trees.
Next stop was Minneapolis- the Mall of America!
The interior part of the mall is a theme park complete with plenty of rides!
We stopped for a delicious brunch at our friends Jim and Karen. It was great to see the latest pictures of their children and grandchildren and also to catch up on their latest news. We love reminiscing about our days together in Africa!
But soon it was time to move on again. We enjoyed the lush green grasslands of Iowa...
and seeing the family farms. We were engrossed in reading a book while we traveled, (Jim drives and Marilyn reads) when suddenly we saw a sign pointing to a tourist attraction.
The Little Brown Church in the Vale
We heard from the pastor and his wife the history of this famous church and also the song that was written by a man who envisioned this building.
Although the congregation is small, they continue to meet every Sunday. And each year, on the first Sunday of August, the church hosts a Wedding Reunion. Thousands of people have been married in this church, and the annual event is a time to recommitment to their wedding vows.
Most of the original fixtures remain in the church.
This carving stands in front of the church to the left.