Wisconsin continued…

One morning we went apple picking down by Lake Michigan.  So fun!  Later, Lindsay made homemade apple cider.  Delicious.

We took a walk by the harbor…

…and visited the lighthouse.

That afternoon our family went through our first corn maze!  Kenny and I were so excited.  This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.  Our group of 10 split up into several groups and enjoyed using unique strategies to find our way out.

The next day we walked through a beautiful nature preserve. 

Our time with Brian, Lindsay, Jackson, Emerson, Ryland, and Eve was so special.  James & Anna played full steam every day and fell asleep exhausted every night.  They had a blast with their cousins and I’m so grateful.  Brian, Linds, Kenny, and myself enjoyed such relaxed times to chat and connect in ways that are nearly impossible from a distance.  We are so thankful the Lord provided this time for our families to be together.  

On our way home, we detoured through Orange City, Iowa to see some dear friends of ours.  Carrie and her family have traveled to CO for many years so it was very special to visit them this time.  

That evening we stayed in a hotel which may have been one of the highlights of this trip for the kids.  They LOVE swimming so the pool was such a fun treat.  

We spent nine days on the road visiting all of these wonderful people and we’re so thankful for new memories.  James and Anna were excellent travelers and we thoroughly enjoyed this trip together.  

In mid-October we loaded up the van and headed out for a nine-day road trip.  The kids had almost a week and a half off from school for fall break and parent/teacher conferences, so we decided to take advantage of that.  Our destination: Wisconsin.  We’d been wanting to visit my brother and his family for some time and finally made it happen.  

Since we were already driving through, we decided to stop along the way to see other friends and family.  We saw my parents in Ogallala, NE overnight and the kids got to help G’pa juice the last of the tomatoes in his garden.  He had 40 tomato plants this summer, they canned all they wanted, and then sold 700 pounds of tomatoes to locals.  That’s a lot of tomatoes!  

We also stopped briefly in Grand Island, NE for Runza and to visit the grave of Kenny’s great-grandfather.  

The next night we stayed with a childhood friend of mine in Omaha, NE.  Mary, and her sister, Ann, (now in Lincoln, NE), grew up in Ogallala with Sheila and myself and we did everything together until their family moved to Omaha when we were in middle school.  We’ve stayed in touch over the years and it was wonderful to see them all.  We were also able to visit their parent’s while we were in town.  Such a fun reunion!  

The following day we arrived at my brother’s house and it was so good to see them all again!  

Feeding Eve’s bunny, Meadow

MARS Cheese Castle

Surprisingly, the best photo we got of my brother and me

O&H Danish Bakery – the home of Kringle!

More pictures to come!

Several weeks ago Kenny and I stayed at Glen Eyrie Castle – something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  We’ve both spent time there over the years – I’ve attended retreats there and Kenny sang with the Madrigal singers for many years in the castle each Christmas.  This trip was special to be able to stay in one of the beautiful rooms and wander the castle and explore.  We so enjoyed learning more about the history of General Palmer and Glen Eyrie.  If you aren’t familiar with Glen Eyrie, I’d encourage you to zoom in on the picture of Palmer and read about this beautiful place.  

We reserved a Celebration package with our room to celebrate our anniversary.  They had delicious treats in the room for us, sparkling cider, and a beautiful cake which we enjoyed at home with the kids. 

Our good friend, Olivia, stayed with the kids overnight and they had a blast watching movies, eating pizza, and sweets.  Everything you do when mom and dad are away.  

We so enjoyed our time at the castle.  It was less than 24 hours but the beautiful scenery felt like we were miles away and was refreshing to our souls.