1700 Miles in 17 Days, Parts 2, 3 & 4

This summer has been crazy-busy, to say the least. Hence why what was going to be three separate blog posts written gradually over the course of the last month and a half has turned in to one abbreviated post a month and a half later.

It's so late, I considered not writing it at all, but these days I haven't been journaling as much as I used to, so I rely on this blog to fill that gap. I write more for me to remember than anything else. It's fun to share what I'm up to with friends and family, too, of course!

So, without further ado, back to July...

We were home from Missouri for only a few days before I was on the road again- this time with Stacy (and Eva!) Mackey and Leia Brown on our way to Sterling Colorado to visit the Messers. It was a long car ride, but really fun to spend some time with Stacy and Leia, and to bond with baby Eva, who was with me in the backseat.

This display was outside of a museum really close to a gas station we stopped at. We had to take an extra minute to get these funny shots. That's Eva and Stacy above and Leia and I looking very stoic below.

The trip was full of good conversation from start to end. It was really, really great to see Liz. We were all so glad we could come and encourage her, love on her, grieve with her, talk with her, just be with her in person. I really enjoyed seeing their place and her hometown. It was a pretty low-key visit, but that was exactly what everyone wanted/needed. Sunday night Liz made us a tasty dinner and then we just stayed up late talking, and then Monday we went out to lunch at a cute Italian restaurant, explored a fun gift shop, and drove halfway to Denver to pick up Charlotte, who had been home with her family, so she could be with us for the rest of the trip. Then it was pizza at the Cummings' (Liz's parents' place, and the Messers' temporary residence), and a movie. And on Tuesday it was back to Nebraska.

Micah's getting so big and is so beautiful!

I'm really glad we were able to go visit Liz. I really miss her! (But I'm glad she's back home and with her family). Still, we all miss her and love her and can't wait to see her again soon!

Our Colorado trip segued into my third July trip. On their way back to Omaha, the girls dropped me off at in North Platte, Nebraska, where I met up with my co-workers Mike and Anne for what we call an "Office on Wheels" trip. Our staff goes on a number of these trips every summer- it's a way for us to meet our constituents in greater Nebraska and see what's going on in the arts across the state. The trips are always pretty fun, and I've really enjoyed getting to explore more of Nebraska through these trips over the years.

So I got to North Platte that Tuesday and Anne, Mike and I did a grant workshop, had dinner with our board chair, and then went on the search for some socks for Mike, who forgot to pack some. We couldn't find Wal-Mart, but we drove by Menards and I said, "I bet you they have socks at Menards. These days, they have everything at Menards." It's true, just ask my dad. So in we went and sure enough, while Anne and I were checking out the light fixtures, Mike found some socks. Unfortunately, they were way too thick for the summer, but oh well. It was just kind of a funny excursion for the evening- three Arts Council employees exploring Menards.

The rest of the trip was good- we went to Holdrege, where I had one of the best sandwiches I've ever tasted at this quirky (yes, Stacy, quirky!) little restaurant called Flippin' Sweet, then had some meetings with some people from various Hastings arts organizations at Blue Moon Coffee Shop, and then even got to take in a production of the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Kearney Community Theatre. On Thursday we visited Grand Island, had a meeting and some Danish pizza (!) in Dannebrog (the Danish capital of Nebraska), and then it was finally back home to Omaha. Both Colorado and the Office on Wheels trips were fun, but I was so glad to be back home...

...But then we left again the next day! I got back to Bellevue Thursday night and then on Friday afternoon it was off to eastern Iowa for me and Matthew. First we stopped in North Liberty and had dinner at Panchero's with Ann and Ben. They have since moved to Wisconsin, so it was sad saying goodbye since we knew we wouldn't see each other as often... but at least I have the "home field" advantage of living in the same area as their families, so hopefully I'll still get to see them every so often.

Ann and Ben with the cute tissue box cover Matthew made for Baby Morris...

I'm so proud of Ann - she graduated with her PhD in English this spring and got a fancy tenure-track teaching position at a small private college near Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Yay! And in the time since I saw them in July, they welcomed their first child, Julian Michael, into the world just about two weeks ago. Isn't he so cute?

After Panchero's, Matthew and I went up to Cedar Rapids to meet my parents for a late showing of Harry Potter (so good!). On Saturday, we had breakfast at the Colony Inn (the best breakfast in Amana) before heading back up to Cedar Rapids to spend the day with Knoxes. While Matt and Kevin played some board games, and then some video games with Cainen and Jonas, Aroea and I went to a nearby coffee shop and sat in the comfy couches and just chatted. She's one of my most special friends, and I really cherish any time I get to spend with her, especially one-on-one time. She's simply fabulous. Back at their house, she prepared the best meal for us- it was a fondue party! We had chicken and beef and bread and veggies to dip in the cheese fondue, and then fruit and marshmallows for the chocolate. Yum, yum, and so much fun! Then the boys were off to bed and the four of us played a good game of Ticket to Ride. Matt and Kevin then played something else, so Aroea and I cuddled up on the couch and fell asleep watching a movie. It was a great day!

Jonas and Cainen, my favorite ring bearer.

Fondue!

On Sunday we went back to Cedar Rapids once again, and this time headed to the Allans' where we got to meet little Lucas for the first time. He was sweet as can be and it was so great seeing new mommy Staci Mae (I now call her Momma Mae) in action. I told Matthew that I want to order one just like Lucas. :-)

From C.R., we took a more scenic route back west, Highway 30, so we could stop in Ames and see Nancy, who had just returned from a week in New York City with our cousin Hillary, who was there on a summer internship. We took Nancy and her roommate Lia out to dinner at Hickory Park before heading back to Omaha. It was nice seeing their new apartment and getting to see a little more of Nancy's life.

Whew! We got back to Omaha late Sunday night and I was pretty pooped for the rest of July. But it was great getting to see so many wonderful people! I feel blessed to have all of these friends and family in my life.