Iowa 2010

This summer we had the chance to fly back to Iowa to spend time with family and friends. It was so nice to be back in Iowa for a while and just catch up with people I miss. The corn was tall and the fire flies twinkled in the summer nights. :) We were able to catch up with some of my childhood friends at my 10 year class reunion which was a long over due get together with some dear friends.

Spending time with family was definitely the highlight of our trip. Our niece, Mariah, was a blast to spend time with! She's such a little ball of energy and quite the comedian as well. She has such a great imagination. We loved hearing her talk about things and tell stories from her 4 year old perspective of the world. :) She's growing up so fast and it's just a so sweet seeing her little personality blossom.

During our visit we were also blessed to be able to drive down to Missouri with Mom and Grandma. We were able to spend time with some of my family that Cliff hasn't had a chance to meet. Great Uncle Charles and Aunt MaryLou live on 80 acres in Missouri. It's a very special place and they are very special people! We had a wonderful time! It was so great being able to spend time with them. They adored Cliff and were thrilled to finally get to meet my husband! :) In addition to getting to spend time with Charles and MaryLou we were also able to see my Great Aunt Dorothy and some of Mom's cousins. It had been a long time since we all had been together so it was a great trip and we hope to come back again soon. Thank you Mom and Dad for working so hard to make our trip so special, we appreciate all you did to make us feel welcome! We love you all! Here are some pictures from our trip, Enjoy! :)

Sophie :)

Me and Katie

Max :)

Ryan and Mariah :)

the picture that Mariah drew for our house:)

Riding the train at the Zoo with Grandma :)

Uncle Cliff's little buddy :)

Aunt Katie and Mariah

Mariah and Great Grandma :)

Ryan and Mariah :)

Lance :)

Sure do miss this girl!

Me with Grandma, Mom and Sadie

Dad and Cliff with Max

With Ryan, Mariah and Grandma at the Farmer's Market :)

Grandma with her sister Dorothy and her brother Charles

They are adorable and A LOT of fun! :)

Great Uncle Charles and Great Aunt MaryLou
Married 56 years and still in love :)

With cousins Karen and Larry

Cliff, me, Great Aunt Dorothy, Grandma, Sadie, and Mom

Exploring their 80 property with Uncle Charles and family :)

beautiful

bzzzz

Cliff and Cousin Larry (Karen's husband)

They were talking about their guns

Cousin Karen and Mom :)

Looking at old photographs

with Mom and Grandma :)

with my honey :)

Such a special trip, lots of great memories! :)