Home again!

We're back from our trip to the Midwest.

Here are a few of the my trip highlights:

• Taking showers at the farm house! I had the honor of being the first person to enjoy the luxury of a shower at my parents' home (instead of the usual bath we had to take before the installation of this wonderful modern convenience just days before our visit.)
• Several visits with my (soon to be 90 year old) grandpa, including a hike with him by the lake.
  
• Finding some book treasures (4 boxes to be exact) to bring home from both the small town libraries (one library has a free book shelf and the other has a 10 cent book sale shelf,) and from my grandfather's shelves (the grandpa that died in October.)
  
• Spending time with 6 nephews, each of whom have their own unique personality and interests.
• Going "up to the hills" (our farm is in a valley,) to my uncle's ranch to see the new spring fillies and colts. One was just 2 weeks old and stole my heart!
  
• Seeing and visiting with some relatives of Brent's that we hadn't seen for seven years.
  
• The 50th wedding anniversary party of Brent's parents. A fun celebration with about 200 friends and relatives to mark the blessings of Bill and Mary's marriage. Erin performed two songs from the Broadway musical, "Wicked" for everyone. We're so glad we were able to be there and be a part of this very special occasion.
  

Disappointments:

• Not being able to take time to visit friends who live in both SD and Iowa. We just didn't have the energy or time on this trip back - I had a short visit with my best friend from highschool, who lives just a 1/2 mile from my parents' farm. She brought her cute 1 yr old granddaughter over, but there we so many more of you I wanted to see as well.
  
• My health deteriorated from flares with allergies (the different summer pollens such as grasses/trees) and probably from the overall stress of the trip - Brady's health was not good when we started out and he continued to have trouble during our stay.
  

Now I am more ready than ever to start our diet (from the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle.) That is my next goal. I can see our need for the diet as I've studied it more, and I'm very hopeful that we will be helped by it.

I'll try to post some pictures soon. Thanks for stopping by and thanks to all who prayed for us while we traveled. Also, special thanks to our moms and sisters for all the time they spent party planning, grocery shopping, and working in the kitchen cooking and washing dishes, so I could have the fun I've just shared with you. We've been truly blessed.

P.S. I did get to see an Oriole, not in IA, but in South Dakota, flitting around the big elm tree outside my grandpa's window. We also enjoyed seeing the fireflies twinkling over the cornfield next to my in-law's house. Erin said they looked like hundreds of little fairies coming out for the night.