Tulip Time!

Two and a half years of doing life with a Dutchman and, prior to this weekend, I'd never been to Pella's infamous Tulip Time. So, this year we decided to remedy that and this weekend made the trip out for the festival.

We picked a perfect year for my inaugural visit- they said it was the best weather and best flowers combined for the festival in ten years.

We had such a great time. On Friday night, Matthew and I went into town to grab dinner from one of the many delicious food booths. I got a lot of the Dutch must-haves in one meal: Poffertjes (tiny pancake like treats), a Pella Bologna sandwich, and a Stroopwaffel (a caramel-waffly thing that's hard to explain but quite tasty). All were delicious.

Matthew with our plate of Poffertjes.

We then grabbed a seat in the grandstand for the night parade. I don't know that I've ever been to a night parade before. I didn't know what to expect- it was really cool. It was basically the same parade we were to see on Saturday, but all lit up. The weather was perfect and it was great start to Tulip Time.

On Saturday, I really enjoyed the craft fair and still more Dutch (and American) food. Then Arlene, Kristine, Elise and Rachel joined us for the rest of the day. We watched the parade, looked around at the vendors, took a city tour of Pella which was really interesting, and of course took in the beauty of more tulips than I've ever seen at one time. It was a great time.


We got back to Matt's parents pooped and sunburned, but it was well worth it.

And the Van Zante family excitement didn't end there. Yesterday afternoon, our newest niece, Natalie Grace, was born to Ben and Michelle. They live in Illinois now, so we obviously haven't seen her yet or anything, but Ben did send pictures, and she's oh so cute! We can't wait to meet her sometime this summer.

Congratulations Ben, Michelle, Hannah, Livia, and Jaeda!