MIDWEST MEMORIES - JUNE 2010

It has been many years since I've lived in the Midwest, specifically Illinois; however, I have visited the Midwest three times now..... three times to Iowa and twice to Kansas. For me, visiting the Midwest during the summer months, as we always have, stirs up a wee bit of uneasiness; why. you might ask......one word, TORNADOES!

We flew into Omaha, Nebraska, picked up our rental car and off we went to Iowa.This day (24 June) was an important day for Arlo and Myself as it was our 21st wedding anniversary .....I have a gem  of a husband, he puts up with me, after-all.

I have never experienced a tornado and I pray that I never will but this visit, last month, we came close. While we were enjoying the company of relatives the sirens blared and we who were visiting knew what that meant just as well as the relatives who have lived there all their lives. So down to the basement we went. (Sure wish I had a basement). Thank God the tornado did not visit Everly, Iowa. But let me tell you what did: Heavy rain, gusty winds (two nights), lightning like I never have seen before....the sky stayed all lit up for a very long time.....a power outage that lasted all night long which meant no air conditioning and what my body does not like at all, HUMIDITY, HUMIDITY! We stayed in  the relatives travel trailer and experiencing the aforementioned in a travel trailer was a first for me. You see, for me camping is staying in a well equipped, modern, well anchored  cabin and I will leave it at that. The hospitality shown us by our host and hostess, Darlene and Russ Hughes, outdid the storms....thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Now you might think that this portion of our trip was not at all enjoyable but you would be very wrong. The Wenell family, Arlo's maternal side of the family, is one AWESOME family. They are warm, loving, caring, welcoming, most college educated, God loving and very hard-working people. Being in their presence is always a pleasure for me. A reunion was held in the social hall of the Covenant church in Albert City, Iowa and many wonderful and long-lasting memories were made there and during our entire stay. Thank you Wenell's for being who you are and always making me feel like one of you. To the right is the oldest attendee, Wenetta Wenell who is the widow of Cousin Virgil and she is holding the youngest attendee, three week old first grandchild of Alan and DJ Wenell.

The second leg of our trip took us to Ottawa, Kansas to visit our son, Jeff, his five children and one granddaughter. I prayed that we would not even hear the word tornado while there and my prayers were answered ten-fold........the weather could not have been more gorgeous, even the humidity was very low.

Jeff was a wonderful host; he cooked up fantastic meals, took us on a walking tour of downtown Ottawa, and took us to Pomona Lake. Downtown Ottawa is a beautiful old town and so well preserved. I alwasy enjoy seeing the old courthouses and the old architecture in these old towns. Here granddaughter Bella is picking a flower for me. And I must not neglect to mention  the games of Apples to Apples....what fun. Bella created a new word which we all enjoyed and that I will use whenever possible - focuntrating....come on now, you all know what that means...she was focusing and concentrating.

In this photo is Bella, Jeff, me, Peyton and Brennen. Jessica, Jaime and Paesen have not yet arrived. I meant to have a photo taken of me, the grandchildren  and great-granddaughter but forgot, AGAIN.
Peyton baked and frosted a very tasty chocolate cake for Jaime's birthday....what a great job she did too.
Additional photos can be viewed at
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/photoPicker/albums.jsp

 My favorite photo of Jeff  and his granddaughter, Paesen. This trip was a wonderful memory maker, one I treasure with all my heart.

Family, there are not enough words in the English language to adequately describe "family' or how I feel about our family and all of its branches.

I thank God every day for this family - an indescribable blessing.
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Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. 
ROMANS 12:10