Papa and Nana Visit

Grandpa Papa and Grandma Nana came to visit us from June 26-July 2. We had a wonderful time with them. Here are all the highlights.

Grandpa made a book about their African safari for the boys. They enjoyed looking at it together. 

The grandparents accompanied the boys at their yoga classes, art camp and music class throughout the week and watched them while I worked. They came with us to the free school lunch program in town every day, and we took them to the new nature center! They also got to be here for Tanner's birthday party!

On Friday, we went on a waterfall excursion in Mankato MN, which is just 1.5 hours from our home. 

First we saw Minnemishinona Falls which was right under a bridge off the road.

Dallin was in his own little world collecting flowers and marching around.

Contemplating life.

Then we went to Minneopa Falls State Park to play and eat lunch. The boys played baseball with some sticks and tried spitting cherry seeds farther than grandpa could.

Then we walked to the falls. There are two sets of waterfalls here.

The view was really beautiful!

What a handsome boy!

Dallin didn't want to be in any pictures.

We thought that was it with seeing the waterfall, but we saw a trail and decided to see where it would take us. It was a perfect little hike for us, and it led us directly to the bottom of the big waterfall!

First view, but we could get closer, so we kept hiking! It was such a beautiful forest!

We made it!

Tanner is standing where you can feel all the wind from the water crashing down.

All tuckered out after the hike back to the car.

Next, we found Sibley Park, which was all farm-themed!

We fed the goats.

Then we ate at a yummy Indian restaurant. Dallin was oh so tired.

The next day we went on a cave excursion to Spook Cave in Iowa. On the way, we discovered some Amish areas and found a museum about Laurie Ingalls Wilder that we will have to take Papa back to (I had no idea he loved Wilder books!). Jeremy thought this treat made by an Amish family looked good. 

 We ate lunch in McGregor, Iowa. The boys were very well behaved at the restaurant. 

At the Spook Cave Park, there was lots to do. 

The only access to the cave is on a canoe!

Getting in the cave was a tight squeeze, we all had to duck. 

The boys loved it. 

We all had to duck at various parts of the cave tour, except Dallin!

On our way out, adjusting to the light. 

We had ice cream treats and then did some fishing. 

They caught stuff!!!

You can't really see in this picture, but Tanner's face is of shock as he touches/holds the fish he caught. 

He pulled his hand away fast, and the fish flopped all over the ground. 

He wasn't sure what to think. 

He caught another one pretty soon after! 

The Spook Cave is just a couple miles from the Mississippi River, so we drive to some sights along the river, including this small sculpture garden of significant people that influenced history at this area of the river. 

We ate at a restaurant in Wisconsin, by the river. 

It was our last meal with the grandparents. 

We took a scenic drive home along the Mississippi River, on the Wisconsin side. I've always liked this river, but I think this summer I am falling in love with it. Driving along it for so many miles, we really got a sense of how vast it is. It isn't just a river, it's a series of marshes and inlets, islands, lakes, and ponds all interconnected by this massive body of moving water. And the coast along the river is magnificent! Bluff after bluff of forest-covered hills and ravines on both sides. Just when I think the bluffs will end, we drive around a bend and there's another series of them as far as the eye can see. Everything is so green, too! I made Jeremy stop the car so I could take a picture of one of the views, but my camera does it no justice.

The next day, we said goodbye to grandma and grandpa after sacrament meeting at church.

Thank you so much for coming to visit us, Papa and Nana. We had a blast with you!!!

You know you've lived in Austin MN for four years when...

Okay, before the list, a quick background story.
On opening night at Summerset Theater, I was excited to run the stage lights. While sitting in the light booth behind the audience, I watched the ticket holders slowly trickle into the theater. Hey! There's two of my friends from the Mom group I attend. Cool. Oh! Several coworkers from MacPhail are here! I chuckled how fun it was that I knew a few people. Then I saw a few teachers from Apple Lane walk in, and the owner of the local bookstore whom I've worked with was finding her seat. 

I checked the clock and my lighting cues, then scanned the audience again. Sure enough, some ladies that I serve with on the HHH board, three families from church, and a few friends from the last show I was in were walking in... AND a few of Jeremy's coworkers were coming in with my friend who is the town concierge! The list got even longer when some friends I know from the SPAM Museum came in, followed by a friend from the artworks center, and the parents of Tanner's preschool classmate. 

Once everyone was seated, I figured out that I knew at least half of the audience! I was really surprised. The other tech person assumed that I grew up here. No, I told her. I'm what they call a transplant to Austin. I explained that we just met our four-year mark on June 1, which didn't seem to me like a lot of time to know so many people. The more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that we've really put down some good roots here. As a result, I wrote up this list!

You know you have lived in Austin MN for four years when....

• You see people you know every where you go, like half of the audience at Summerset theater, or 3-6 people every time you're at the grocery store, or at least one person in almost every float in the 4th of July parade. 
• You choose the restaurant you will eat at based on how long you're willing to wait for the service, because you know- to the minute - how long every place in town takes to serve your food. 
• Nearly every t-shirt in your t-shirt drawer depicts a product made by Hormel Foods. 
• You're finally OK with not leaving town for 6 months at a time.
• By consequence of not leaving town for up to 6 months at a time, you find yourself driving like an idiot in towns with more than 50, 000 people.
• You complain when events are more than $5 per person because so many events here are either very cheap or completely free (thank you to so many grants and programs in our community!). 
•  You genuinely like eating SPAM.

 

• You can properly use the word "yet." For example, if someone asks "what else is on the list?" you will answer by saying "we have tomatoes and pepper, yet." And if someone asks "when are we leaving?" You don't say "in just 15 minutes" like the rest of the country. Nope, you know to reply by saying, "oh, we have 15 minutes, yet!" And if a comment is made about a kid getting big enough to do something on his own, but you think he is still pretty young, you know to simply say "he has a few years, yet." 
• You can recognize the semi trucks that carry the hogs. 
• You can also tell if those trucks have made their delivery. The direction they are driving gives you a clue.

• You don't worry about getting caught in traffic, because the only two things that cause traffic is a tractor or road construction.
• You get annoyed in other cities when it takes more than 7 minutes to get across town. 
• Your child says "ufta!" instead of "oh my gosh."
• For Halloween, you only buy costumes that can fit over a winter coat. 
• In spring and summer, if more than 4 days have gone by without rain, you feel uncomfortable. 
• You understand why a winter day at 0 degrees is considered very warm.
• When those frequent torrential down pours of rain occur, you wait it out for the 15-20 minutes that it lasts, and you don't worry about being late for appointments because you know every one else is waiting it out, too.
• You see cars struggling on the intersections that don't have lines to indicate where the lanes and stops are, and you remember how long it took yourself to figure that out. Haha, those newbies.
• You have become an advocate for the thousands of refugees that live in Austin because many of them are your friends.
• You catch yourself saying things like "boat" and "lake" with a Minnesotan accent, and you do it so well that no one bats an eye. 

 

• Your children can tell you how to get everywhere in town and they have memories at almost every building in town.
• You've given up on storing the off-season clothes because spring and autumn are really just a random succession of days that are either really cold or really warm and in the winter you go on trips to warm weather, and in the summer, you go camping where you need clothes for cold nights, so basically any day of the year you need winter or summer clothes. 
• You have vague memories of shopping at the long-lost Gymoca and Target.
• When the cashier asks for your name to log you into their system, they bubble with excitement because they know someone that knows you. 
• Your family appears in the local paper about twice a year. 
• You call this place home.