She flew out and we took a road trip to see another good friend of ours, Lisa who is now living in Iowa. It was so wonderful to be together again.
I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. We definitely need to make our reunions an annual event!
Lisa decided to take us to one of the "hot spots" of Davenport, IA. She took us to this piano bar that was... hopping! I know I do not get out much, but this was hilarious and strange. First of all, there was quite an age range. From middle aged women and older donning their pumpkin embroidered vests and candy corn earrings to the, "Are you sure you are old enough to be here?' College students. If that weren't enough to make us stay for a few drinks, there were the dueling, yes I said dueling, pianos singing everything from Elton John's, "Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza I mean Private Dancer" to "The Devil Goes Down to Georgia" by ...Garth Brooks? My favorite, of course was the beat box included version of "I like Big Butts" by Sir Mix A Lot.
I was actually pretty amazed at how many opportunities they found to throw in a little beat box. Needless to say, it was a night I won't soon forget. I have to say, I was impressed with Davenport. It is a cute little city with a lot of charm.
After Coleen flew out on Monday, Jake's friend John arrived Wednesday night on his road trip to his parents in Iowa. It was fun to visit with him and hear how things back in Pullman are going. Then, on Friday, my parents arrived and were here until the 4th. We had a great time. We drove out to where my dad lived until he was 11 (about 2 hours from here). It was so amazing to walk around my great grandparents' farm and put all the stories I have grown up hearing into context.
My dad was able to walk around and tell us things like, this is where we had family parties, one of which, when he was 7, he and his cousins got a hold of the keg and became intoxicated for the first time.
We also met many relatives still living in the area, like my Dad's cousin, who was the first to escape from the town jail. He and his friends hit a police officer with water balloons and once thrown in jail, found that they could just pick up the wall of bars and move it to get out. We are talking some serious lives of crime. We saw my dad's old school house, where my grandpa also went. The old outhouse is still original, even after my grandpa and some friends knocked it over with a security guard inside. No, my family is not a bunch of hoodlums, but these were the stories that made me laugh the most. All of this to say, it was a very special trip for all of us. Even though it isn't his side of the family, Jake said that it was so amazing to watch our kids play around on their Great Great Grandfather's farm. Very cool.
My mom and I also took the boys on a walk through this park down the road from us. It was a beautiful day and the trails were covered in leaves. We just had to take some pictures...
I will stop there and post Halloween stuff another time. We have had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends and look forward to future visitors as well! Come on out everybody! South Dakota- Great Places. Great Faces. That's our motto.
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