September Sojourns

September is probably one of my favorite months of the year. It's the start of fall, my favorite season. It's the anniversary of when Matthew and I started dating (two years ago today!) and when we got engaged. Plus, my birthday is in September. This particular September has been a real blessing. Yes, it's been super-busy and I'm looking forward to a calmer October, but September was a lot of fun and brought some really sweet time with family and friends.

Trip 1:
Labor Day weekend, we trekked down to Springfield, Missouri to visit Natalie and Kevin. I enjoyed being able to see their place and explore the area. My parents and Nancy came down, too, so it was good to have the whole family together. We had some good meals around the table- Natalie and Kevin made their famous apple pancakes, Kevin made a German soup and noodles recipe, and Dad made good ol' spaghetti. And Natalie and I had fun chatting and giggling while making an apple pie. I learned some very important things about making apple pie that night. The first is to make sure that you have enough flour before you start baking the pie. The second important thing I learned is that you should be sure you have enough margarine before you send your dad and Matthew to the store to buy the flour. Luckily the store is really close by, and Dad and Matthew are such good sports!

We spent some time in Branson, which is much too busy for my taste, but we still had a good time. We got to play at a Pirate's Cove mini golf course! Pirate's Cove! You don't understand- mini golf-- especially Pirate's Cove mini golf-- was a staple of Palof family vacations when I was growing up. SO it was very exciting indeed!


We also visited the original Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. We girls actually did some clothes shopping there. Who knew?

All in all, it was a great time at the Furnesseseseses...

Trip 2:
Two weeks later, we went on another 6-hour road trip, again on I-35 for part of it, but this time we went North to the great land of Minesoooota. The occasion was my good friend (and B5er) Angie's wedding in Chaska. I loved being up in the Twin Cities again- it had been awhile. We arrived Thursday night and Matthew and I were able to go out for drinks and appetizers with my good friend (also from college) Natalee. I saw Natalee briefly at the wedding, but other than that, it had been years. So it was great catching up, and great that she and Matt got to know each other better.

Then on Friday we girls celebrated Angie's last day of singlehood with pedicures, lunch at this charming place on Waconia Lake called Lola's Lakehouse, and a trip to an apple orchard/winery. Wendy and Toni (also from B5) met up with us by the end of the day, and then Christina joined us all for the rehearsal and dinner. It was great having some B5 time! I got to see everybody at my wedding, but hardly had time to talk to anyone. It was very bittersweet. So now it was good to have some extra time with my girls.

The wedding itself was beautiful. Angie was radiant, Mike was absolutely smitten, and a great time was had by all. I love, love, love those Lindemeiers (Angie's family). I've stayed with them on multiple Minnesota trips over the past nine years and just adore them. They're a very friendly, hospitable family. They're pretty dramatic, too, but that's what I love about them. There's never a dull moment.
Oh, and Mike has decided to start a "B5-In-Laws" club for all of our husbands. I really do enjoy and appreciate how well Matt gets along with Clint and Mike and the others. He and Clint did a great job of being Angie's 3rd and 4th personal attendants next to me and Wendy!

We stayed and boogied until the end of the reception, and then on Sunday it was off to IKEA for awhile before heading back south. We stopped in Ames on the way home to visit Nancy at Iowa State. We took her to dinner at Hickory Park, Matt helped her hook up her brand-new printer, and I got to check out her new tattoo. Yep, little Nancy got a tattoo. Crazy! I'm so glad we got to see her!

And finally...

Trip 3:
We ended our whirlwind month with a trip to Pella. Ben and Michelle and the girls were back for the weekend (they recently moved 3 hours east of Pella to Macomb, Illinois), so Matt's parents threw a birthday party for Livia (and me, too) on Saturday night. It was kind of fun having the other Van Zantes also staying at Matt's parents' house. A bit more chaotic, but also fun. I got so many hugs from Hannah! I was really excited to find out that she's reading Boxcar Children books now- those were my absolute favorite when I was a kid! Friday night we had s'mores out by the fire pit and just enjoyed fall in the country.

And then Saturday my parents came down for the day so that Larry and Arlene could show them the sights around Pella. Ben and Michelle took Hannah and Livia to Des Moines, so it was Matthew and I and our parents and little Jaeda walking around the town square in the pouring rain. Despite the weather, we still had a good time in the shops, at the windmill, and at other historical sites. And then it was back to the Van Zantes for the birthday party. Livia and I had fun being birthday buddies (she turned 4 on September 12) and blowing out the candles together.

On Sunday we went to church and out to lunch and then drove Elise back to Dave and Kristine's in Des Moines (she wanted to stay overnight with her cousins Saturday night), and then it was back to Omaha, finally. It was a month of good times and good memories, but now it's good to be home, and to be home for awhile. Fall is simply so nice and cozy, and I'm looking forward to resting in it for a bit...