Friends Are Friends Forever...

Cedar Rapids, Iowa... Muscatine, Iowa... Wheaton, Illinois... Chicago, Illinois and back. In 5 days. With my awesome friends.

Jen, Heather and I flew to CR in the early morning hours of last Thursday. Jen toted that pillow all around the midwest and even accidentally returned with someone else's pillowcase. She thought that the dusty plains of Muscatine were too much for her Buckle jeans, but didn't hesitate to bring the thing her face lays on.

Betty and Gary (Katie's parents) and Karoline and Lulu (Katie's sister and niece) were there to greet us and Betty even brought us Iowa t-shirts. In breast cancer awareness color, even.

Then off we were to Robyn and Lance's new house. They just got the keys and had been doing some improvement projects, so we hunkered down on cots and stared dreamily at the wood paneling.

I believe this is some famous Muscatine guy. We walked past him (and the mighty Mississip) on our way to find martinis. On Friday morning, Robyn and the boys took us to Tipton to their favorite doughnut shop.

Later that day, we drove the three and a half hours to Wheaton. Well, four hours if you miss a certain turn and can't find another exit. It was Mac's 1st birthday and we stopped in to see everyone before our train to Chicago. The rest of the clan was on hand for a quick performace. We got so wrapped up that we almost missed our train.

Scott was a rock star. We spent the next two days walking around Chicago, eating sushi, riding in buses and cabs, sharing sundaes at Ghiradelli, people watching, and making fun of my hairstyle choice.

There was a big fireworks show one night, which was really fun and special.

This is Jen in Coach. The saleswoman was much more interested in Jen's hair flower and even got her email address. Don't fret... her Etsy site finally has a name and construction can begin. On Sunday, we took the train back to Wheaton and stayed the night at Katie's house. We went to a movie, took a tour of Wheaton Bible, feasted on scones and quiche and... ... participated in the ritual of HYPERDASH! Monday took us back to CR where Betty and Gary took us in for the night. We also met up with Karoline, Kerstin and Tara for appetizers at the ID... a CR hotspot.

It was the very best trip and I'm so thankful for friends. We've put up our paper chain for North Carolina!!!