Our Iowa Minimoon

After the wedding, neither Dirk nor I had either the time off from work or the funds to go on a honeymoon, so we decided to take a big trip on or around our one-year anniversary, and go on a series of "mini"moons, Atlanta in July being the first, and Iowa, this past week, being the second. Who knows what's to come?

We left at seven o'clock at night and drove straight through. I only puked once. And if you know me and the sensitivity of my gag reflux, you are not surprised. All I have to say is that I will never again drink a 5-hour energy drink at 3:30 a.m. on an empty stomach. Lesson learned. We knew we had gotten into Iowa when we got stuck behind this:After being on the road 17+ hours, we were both screaming our heads off trying to pass this guy.

But then we made it to the farm and it was BEAUTIFUL! I know that all of you Iowans are sick of rain right about now, but look how green and lush everything is!

The farm is pretty much summer camp for Golden Retrievers. Seriously. We'd look outside the kitchen window and see two doggy butts rounding the bins on their way for a dip in the lake.

I think we probably drank 86 Fat Tire (IN CANS!) We even brought back a couple of cases in the U-Haul.

There was a street dance in Galva on Mama and Daddy's anniversary, so we made an appearance and boogeyed a bit. Dirk loves "going out" in Galva. We had to drag him away from all of his newfound friends. Seriously. I don't think it would be hard to turn him into an Iowa boy, he's always talking about moving up there. Hmmmm.

Piper became a bona fide farm dog. She was outside except for night-time sleeping. She'd run down to the pond, swim around, roll in the grass, chase birds, you know, dog stuff. At one point Dirk turned to me and said, "She's not our dog anymore. She's the farm's."

This is where we'd catch her taking naps.

Sipsey loved to swim in the pond, but she's such a titty baby she did not want to be away from us. Except on the last night when she'd kind of had it and wanted to be inside by herself while we all sat on the deck and relaxed. Then we found her asleep on Mama's loveseat, the sneaky B.

All in all, it was a super relaxing time. Not once did I log onto the Internet, and I only turned my cell phone on once. I didn't miss the internet time, but I did miss playing games on my phone. Sad, huh? I did, however, finish "Water for Elephants", a book I cannot seem to shake, no matter how hard I try. It was amazing. Tremendous. An absolutely beautifully told story. Read it!

Dirk drove a tractor. And compared the experience to being on "Son in Law"

We love the farm!

And sitting on Mama and Daddy's deck!

And then we slept all the way home.

Addison & Colton

I was hoping to squeeze in a few photoshoots while I was in Iowa, and was so honored that Juli and Travis drove to Storm Lake to meet me last weekend. Not only was it great catching up with Juli, but her kids are too cute for words (and almost photographs). I told Brooke today that I could take photos of Addison all day long. Seriously. The biggest challenge was trying to whittle down the eleventy billion photos I took into just a few to share with y'all! I'll share four of each here and then give you a link to a few more, even though I'll have over a hundred for Juli to go over when she gets the disc ;)

Okay.....Colton. This kid lights up at his mama's face. He was always happiest when looking at her or being held or snuggled by her. The cutest thing on the planet. SUCH a laidback kid, already.



Tyra Banks will one day be crowning Miss Addison "America's Next Top Model." She is more photogenic than my sister (and we're talking about the girl who has had the same smile in photos since she was 18 months old.) She knows, almost instinctively, where the camera is at all times, and even when she is biting her lip she is irresistibly adorable. Oh, and have I mentioned that I would kill for her curls?!




More:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libbadibbado/sets/72157624713165810/

So yeah, it's always fun to catch up with old friends, and even funner to see kids I feel as if I already know through the blogosphere. Going through Juli's photos has been more important than editing mine, but I promise to post about Dirk and I's trip to Iowa this weekend!

A little bit about Taylor Lake

About a month ago construction started on Taylor Lake, my parents' new farm project. The lake will eventually be 15' deep and about 5 acres in size. It's being fed and filled by a natural spring (super clean and clear water), there's a sand beach and will have a floating dock. Daddy's also planning on tearing down an old grain bin in order to reclaim the wood to build a one-room cabin with electricity on the beach. It's going to be awesome. Oh, and the sunrises and the animal life are already pretty amazing.


This is the natural spring that is pumping water into the lake. It will take about a year to reach full capacity. A couple of catfish are already residing in the lake, but Daddy has a call into the DNR to get it stocked with fish in the next month. Within a few years the fish will be the perfect size for the grandchild to catch.
Here's a little diagram to show where everything's going to be. You can see the water line will reach to the point where the flag is in the foreground and also where the grass starts. The dock will float and not need to be removed during the winter.

Blogger Babe Bash

First off, cheers to Meghann for both hosting the shindig, as well as giving full tours of her beautiful home. It was great to finally meet everyone's adorable children! There are many ways in which the Internet makes my life a lot easier, but one of the most fulfilling has been reconnecting with all of you via the blogosphere. To those who missed the party, I'm sure there will be more opportunities in 2009, and until then, keep blogging!

Now for some pictures (what would one of my blog entries be without them, right?)
Who's going to volunteer to get this photo to the advance?! Let me know and I'll email you a full-resolution copy!

chillin' on the farm

For some reason, I can't nap in Iowa. I feel like I'm wasting time if I spend even an hour of it napping. So while everyone else "reads" under the covers, I've been riding bikes or walking around the farm. The Grove has so many childhood memories, and Sipsey enjoys her time there as much as I do.

The Wild White Women

It's not just their wild hair, either :-)
Heather's one of the few people I've grown CLOSER with since high school, and her friendship has meant a lot to me over the years. She always has such a different perspective than any of my other friends, and I'm sure it's her Midwestern upbringing that help her maintain her laid back attitude.
After spending a few hours with Heather and her children, I deduced that the laid back 'tude is also what makes her such a wonderful mother. Her children are well-behaved, well-spoken, and I really did want to take one or both of them home with me.
I love this gal and am so proud of all she's accomplished!

The McAtee Babies

I was so fortunate to get to spend a few hours with my cousin Erica and her two little chirrens: Cole & Ava. Cole was pretty much bouncing around the farm, hunting animals (he's an animal lover like his mama), but Ava spent her time capturing "ooohs" and "ahhhhhs" with her amazing smile. She is truly sweetness personified!
Ava is a wild woman in perpetual motion. But anytime you say her name, she'll look at you and flash a glimpse of her little pearly whites.
Cole found this baby frog in the grass and it spent some time on his arm.