Home, Home, Sweet God it feels good to be Home! Or, our fake home - in Ames, Iowa. While we were home we managed to do a lot. Visited family, friends and ATE more than I've ever eaten in my life. My parents made us MANY meals that we happily scarfed down. We also hit all the local spots that are a must when we visit: The Mandarin, Bruegger's Bagels, and let's not forget - Battle's BBQ - we had to eat there TWICE.Melissa and Kwanzaa came over to meet us for a 4 day weekend. Melissa and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to show our boyfriends how 'outdoorsy' we are - and took them camping at the Ledges, in Boone, IA. Little did we know, the biggest thunderstorm that would ever hit IOWA was brewing.
We managed to start a fire, set up camp, chop up vegetables, make foil packs, drink a few drinks, and wind down before we felt the first sprinkle. The DNR kid came by to tell us how bad it was going to be around 10pm so we knew it was coming but trying to sleep during a storm like that - while you are outside actually being a PART of the storm - well, let's just say we were all tired and wet the next day. Kudos to Melissa and Kwanzaa for staying in their tent all night, Wren and I took the spoiled route and crawled into our truck (with furnished mattress) early in the evening...
We saw a lot of family while we were home. We went to Bickford cottage and saw our cousin Doris Kinyon. We brought Bowser along and he was definitely the shining star of the group. We went to Carroll, IA and visited with the Huelmans - Grandma Lola, Aunt Marge, and Denny and Janette. Had a picnic and kept cool in the shade of the shelter house! My cousin, Monica, stopped by my parents house to say hello and make us laugh. The big party was on Sunday night, when my parents hosted a Kinyon get-together in our backyard. All my cousins came and my grandparents. My Aunt Susan hadn't seen Bowser in way too long - so she got down on the ground to take this great picture with him! My little cousins all came with their swimsuits on and all their water guns and super soakers!! Look how serious Lauren is about gettin' everybody wet! I made the mistake of trying to watch on the wrong side of the fence and got my new sandals all wet (Thanks Hunter!). I love the picture of all the *experienced* adults that know where to stand in order to be safe (notice though, some of them still seem concerned.)
I'm always bad at hanging out with friends when I'm back, but I'm so happy I got to see my PEETZ, Rachel. She's pregnant and having a baby boy this AUGUST! Yay! Notice our pose, I'm the dad and she's the mom. But, not really. Love you Rach!
All in all, I love Iowa and so does Wren. Trying to figure out how we can make it to the state fair in August!
I bet Bowser was happy to see that tree!
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