50th Anniversary Trip + Girls Weekend

 

This past weekend my Mom and sisters all got together to celebrate what would have been my parent's 50th wedding anniversary (May 31, 1975). Emily & I flew in to Des Moines, Iowa. Lindsay and my Mom drove down from Minneapolis. Emily even provided matching jammies for our weekend!

We visited my 92 year old grandparents in Newton, Iowa. They have been married 73 years. What a gift that they still have each other! We enjoyed conversation and dinner with them Thursday afternoon into evening. We also saw them again on Friday morning. 

We drove on to Pella, Iowa mid-morning on Friday. Tulip Time was just last week.

Had to take this picture for my kids.

The famous Jaarsma Bakery - it did not disappoint.

We also toured the Tuttle Cabin - this was very interesting.

After Pella, we headed to Ankeny to meet Aunt Ronda for lunch at Main Street Cafe. It was a wonderful but quick visit. We then drove on to Albert Lea, Minnesota to our hotel. This got us a few more hours down the road. Saturday morning we got up and headed to Stillwater, MN. 

Lunch at the Freight House

Exploring Stillwater

Saturday night we stayed at The Outing Lodge. This was so fun and rather memorable. 

No trip to Stillwater is complete without a stop at Nelson's Ice Cream. My Dad loved ice cream and we always stopped at Nelson's (Stillwater and St Paul) when nearby. The "kids" cup is like 5-6 scoops of ice cream - absolutely ridiculous.

We made it to breakfast on Sunday morning at The Outing Lodge - a hilarious story that I just can't include on here.  It was a lovely brunch. I really enjoyed the conversations and catching up we did over the weekend. It was a gift to all be together!

After Stillwater, we headed back towards the cities. We stopped in St. Paul to walk around, see some sites and enjoy lunch at Cossetta's. We then went to visit my Dad's niche and on to see Lindsay's family. Later Sunday evening I was able to meet up with Jen, Jess & Bekah. That was so fun! Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo. Monday morning I flew back to NC.

Love these ladies!