Easter Weekend in Iowa!

Haven 't had a chance to get on this week yet, but wanted to write a quick post about my trip to Iowa for Easter weekend!

Spring break was last week, and we didn't end up going anywhere...it was a weird week of cleaning, and putzing around, and antiquing, and now it's over and school has started up again, and things are REALLY crazy at school (both because our principal is retiring, and I'm on the committee to come up with scenarios for the "new administration", and staff that ISN'T on the committee is becoming paranoid, and freaked out, and whiny, and also because two of our staff members have to move to the other elementary school in South St. Paul because of budget cuts, and rumors are flying in EVERY POSSIBLE DIRECTION about both...).

Anyway...I drove down to mom and dad's on Saturday, and we spent a LOVELY afternoon cleaning up the yard, and fixing things, and taking care of stuff.  Dad and I were able to drive over to Beaconsfield (home of astronaut Peggy Whitson) to see the FIRST EVER Hy-Vee store!  I'll have to share with all of you my OBSESSION with that grocery store...but perhaps another time...

Saturday evening we TRIED to go to the Knotty Pine, a lovely, rustic steakhouse near Afton, but they'd CLOSED sometime in the recent past.  The door was locked, the phone was disconnected, and we were SAD.  GREAT food, and the ONLY "nice" restaurant for 50 miles in any direction.

We ended up eating at "Windrows" in Creston (mediocre at best), then went back to Tingley.

Sunday, we got up, got ready, and headed to Aunt Sharon's for Easter dinner.  SO glad she still does the dinner because it's the ONLY time I get to see the extended family anymore!

I didn't stay TOO terribly long, because I had to get back to the cities to brace for this week, but it was a nice visit, and dad continues to improve.  Here are a couple of pictures of him and mom (who is looking FABULOUS!), for all of you who are wondering how he's doing.

His pants are, like, TWELVE sizes too big now, and when he and mom come up for a visit at the end of April for Emilie and Abigail's birthdays we are going to buy him some that FIT!!!!!!

Hope your Easter (if you celebrate) was lovely, and that YOU had a chance to see "extended family" in the recent past!!!!!!