Texas Vacation

Dale and I recently returned home from a twelve day vacation in Texas. We did a pretty good job of exploring some of the cities and rural areas, but it's a big state and we did not see all of it. We were impressed with many thing and had a great time. Texans are obviously proud of their state for good reason. I finally got my photos from the camera to the computer and I will be posting more very soon.

April in Iowa

It's absolutely gorgeous in Iowa this week! We have had enough sunshine and warmth to open many blossoms. The daffodils have been just perfect the last couple of weeks. After the warmth this weekend the magnolias and many tulips have come to a full bloom. The magnolias smell wonderful and my favorite place for a magnolia fix is the Drake University campus. Tulips are my favorite flowers of all and the best tulip beds in town are blooming this week. Last week when I drove past Anderson Erickson dairy the tulips were all closed but after a perfect weekend, the flowers were opening quickly on Monday. This is just the most gorgeous time of the year. Well, this and October are my favorites! So although I am very excited, I am asking myself why we would leave Iowa for a vacation this week. It's so beautiful here! Of course I am looking forward to exploring new areas on vacation and plan to take lots of photographs of all sorts of beautiful places and things.

Birthday Weekend

Dale's idea of a birthday weekend was fantastic! Sunday was another gorgeous day. I met my friend, Jackie at our neighborhood coffee shop for a leisurely latte outdoors in the sunshine. Dale and I spent the afternoon at the I-Cubs game. It was a beautiful day to be at the ballpark. We saw Ryne Sanberg, the new manager and we ate hot dogs and peanuts! Too bad that the I-Cubs didn't win but we thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. To make the weekend even better Dale got a device and successfully got all of my documents off the computer that seemed to crash a couple of months ago. Now the documents and all my photos are on my brand new computer and I did not have to deal with the hassle! I just love that!! The birthday is officially over and now it's time to get ready for work on Monday. Just four more days of work before our next adventure!

Fifty-One

I just love birthdays! This was a very good birthday. So many people were so wonderful. I got lots of cards in the mail. Since I have been developing some self control I actually saved them to open on my birthday. I got off work at 2, came home and sat on a lounge chair in the sun to open my cards.

I work with the best volunteers! They are wonderful people all year round, but they were especially nice to help me celebrate my birthday. They brought flowers, cards, candy and balloons. Gladys baked my very favorite red velvet cake and it was yummy! I got lots of hugs and birthday wishes reminding me of how fortunate I am to work with such wonderful people.

Dale did a beautiful job of helping me celebrate my birthday. He took me to my favorite spot for artichoke dip and Merlot. He even told me about it a couple of days ahead so that I could look forward to it and answer my friends when they asked what we were doing. We took a sunset stroll at Gray's Lake after our dinner which was wonderful! He brought me flowers and wrapped presents too. I have to admit that I told him after the first couple of years that the birthday dinner didn't count as a gift. I guess that's part of my history with birthdays. I love the celebration and I think I have passed that on to my children. They probably have higher birthday expectations too. . . thanks to me! (Sorry about that, Travis and Briana! But it is fun, isn't it?)

Dale suggested that it be a birth-weekend rather than just one day and I thought that sounded like a wonderful idea! When he asked what I wanted to do on Saturday the answer was easy. I wanted to go hiking in the woods, preferably at Ahquabi Lake near Indianola. It was a gorgeous day near seventy degrees and perfect for hiking. Tiny flowers were blooming on the floor of the woods and the trees were budding beautifully. It felt so good to be in the woods and near the lake. The trails up and down hills were also a great workout after the birthday cake and wine!

Last Week

Last week was wonderful with visits from both of my kids! Ashley was in town for two nights during the work week. I took one day off and we had lots of time to hang out, shop, eat and enjoy the perfect weather. We went for some walks and to the gym. She was registered for a photography seminar and because her friend ended up home with a sick babe, I was Ashley's partner for the seminar which was very fun.

The day that Ashley left Jay and Briana arrived for two nights. We

had a great time hanging out at the house and exploring new places. The photos are from our Saturday trip to the zoo. After the zoo we played a few holes on a disc golf course that was new to us. Jay got to try two foods from our list of 100 things to eat in Iowa, Claxon's ribs and Tasty Tacos! All four of us also made a trip to the gym. It was fun to learn some things from Jay's experience at the gym.
It was wonderful to have the kids around the house for several days. Having family in the house is one of my very favorite things. I love waking up in the morning and remembering that the kids are here! Jay and Briana brought birthday gifts too and that is always fun. I have to admit that it felt awfully quiet around here when the visits were over but the sheets are clean and I am ready for the next visits!