Tasting Central Iowa

*** Okay, so I tried to post this on Monday while borrowing Sharon’s internet. Of course, I was in a hurry and didn’t have much time to post my pre-written thoughts. Unfortunately blogger didn’t like some of the formatting and wouldn’t post. I didn’t have the time or patience to figure it out. So now, I just sat for a few minutes going through the text again to remove some of the auto formatting. Here’s my Monday post:

I had one particular goal for the weekend: for Tera and me to take Grandma out for a few hours to spoil her. Of course I decided to make a weekend out of it. I had places to go, things to do.

Saturday morning Uncle Mike took us downtown to the farmer’s market on Court Avenue. I loved every minute there. That afternoon, Ryan and I took the kids to half priced books and let them pick out a few things. When it was nap time, Tera and I left to pick up Grandma. It was great to spend a few short hours spoiling Grandma - as much as she would let us. It was sweet, in so many ways.

Saturday morning didn’t go perfectly as I planned. I didn’t get a new pair of running shoes. I didn’t get to the African store that has injera. I didn’t get alone time with Ryan. I’m so thankful for our weekend though because I did have a great time with Ryan’s family, with my family. In addition to that, I enjoyed some traditional Dutch pastries.

Sunday was another day full of blessings. We ventured over to my old stomping grounds. Though it wasn’t my stomping grounds for long, Ames was a time in my life that God used to grow me. Ames and Cornerstone Church are more than just our old stomping grounds. My dear friend’s husband recently started his new position with The Salt Company which is part of Cornerstone. Though Michelle has officially lived in Ames since Wednesday, we haven’t connected much this summer and I was excited to visit my friend. More than that though, being at Cornerstone Church was a time for me to be challenged in my walk... to put my words and thoughts into action. In addition to that, I briefly got to meet and chat with Janel. After leaving church, we were able to stop by our friend’s new apartment before heading back to Uncle Mike’s for lunch.

For a while now I’ve jokingly asked Ryan if we can move to Ames. This weekend made me miss living there. Ryan’s Uncle invited us to come more often so I could get my taste of the city. We might just do that... and quarterly may not be enough!