To the Sioux City Airport

Up at 5 and had devo's.  I wrote some notes to put in the carry-ons.  Laurie and Alan came down to the farm, so we all would fit into 2 cars.  The guys rode with Jensens, we had the gals.  They flew out of Sioux City airport.  All bags/ tubs got checked.  We had a nice waiting area in airport where we could hang out.  After they boarded the plane Denny and I waited at the fence outside until the plane had flown out of sight.  We went to Olive garden for lunch and Mandy and Jack joined us. We got a take home meal plus our meal.  Then we headed home for a nap.  Jim  R. came and measured for an estimate for concrete/cement patio for north of our deck.  I sure hope it is doable.  Cross your fingers.  Laura and Beth S. came and asked about the possibility of using our farm as a wedding site July 20, 2019.  We said, "Sure."  Guess we'll be raising some sunflowers for her next year.  :).   I walked 4 miles before heading to bed.  Such a bitter sweet day.

                                          

SO HARD TO SAY GOOD BY TO THE LITTLEST!!!

At home ... with Jensens

I was out in the garden when some of the friends of the Jensen kids came.  Sophi J for Anabel, Keagan and Logan B. for Brooks, and Nick and Jake L. for Evan.  It was fun to just watch them run from activity to activity.  Flowers, forts, zip line, Game on the deck. They were here from about 10-1.  We had left over pizza under the big maple tree for lunch.  Missy and Phillip did errands: bank stuff, drove truck to Warrens to sell.  Denny asked if they looked at the truck,  "Ya," said Phillip," they looked out the window before they gave them the check."  Pretty sad time saying good by to best buddies, and Missy wanted it to be after a special play time together, not last night at the send off picnic with so many people around.  After all friends had left, Missy and Phillip headed to Cherry creek to move all their things out and kids watched a 101 Dalmations. Around 3 Denny headed to CCF to load tubs.  Reimers came out in the afternoon.  Missy and Ranae went on a walk.  They have been a blessing to each other.  I am so thankful good friends remain ... even tho miles apart.  Laura and Alan were here for supper.  Some of Tammi's great goulash.  Face times with Mo. Johnsons on the deck then kids to bed and we chilled on on the deck.  The Jensens stayed in the airbnb tonight.  And Evan came up and told us that his dad put a stick pin in our airbnb world map in Nepal for them.  Many bitter sweet times.  

Send off!!!!!

 We thought about doing the last Sunday of "Donuts before SS", but stayed home and enjoyed cousins.  Church was special because Anabel and Nathan M. were baptized by Phillip.  AND the Jensen family was commissioned to travel to SE Asia.  There was prayer for Jensens.  Matt went and picked up the pizza for lunch.  Laurie and Alan were at church and brought fresh fruit for lunch.  Ranae came early to serve by manning the food in the garage.  She did amazing ... even really cleaning up the garage and re"containering" the food when people were leaving.  So thankful for her!!!!  Schrums and Hendersons came early; it was a good time to visit with them.  Wonderful weather.  The kids loved the slip and slide.  Lots of flowers were picked.  About 150 people came, such a treat!!!  One of the biggest blessings was Reed bringing Paul and Maryann from the nursing home.  I am so thankful for them being prayer warriors through out the years.  So many years she watched young children in the basement while the moms met upstairs for Bible study.  So precious to me.  Also, Linda and Dean and Gary and Kim came.  Wow!!!  Church people from Arthur, Parkersburg, Storm Lake, Atlantic,  At 7 pm  there was prayer in CSA.  I counted around 75 people/kids sitting on chairs, benches, tables, counters.  The whole day was Wonderful!!!  When Jensens come home .... I think we will have a "returning home" party.   That will be even more fun!!

7 pm prayer time in the CSA barn

Finished RAGBRAI!!!

Way to Go, Denny!!!  Completed RAGBRAI!!!!  After back surgery May 31!!

We were leaving Jeff's niece's house about 5:15 am.  I realized I forgot to get the sweet potato fries I took in a doggy bag last night.  boo hoo!  We left 5 guys at the OOS campsite and Jeff and Denny took the pickup a little further down the route to miss some U of I hills.   I went to New Sharon to meet Denny for breakfast.  Then I headed to Miss Effies to look at her flowers.  Beautiful day!!! It was fun to be there.   I drove the the dipping site and waited for the super guy to finish.  Pretty cool!!   We headed west after picking up Mario and his dad Curt who rode with us and who are from Switzerland.  Next stop Waukee to drop those guys off.  Look at my pretty Grand daughters on the slip and slide.  So Awesome.  Wish I had spent the day there with them, but so proud of Denny finishing RAGBRAI!!  We got home around 9, happy to see everyone.  Anabel and Haley orchestrated facial and pedicure for family gals in the afternoon.   Also a remake of Anabel's baby picture.   At night ice cream in the sun room and Kick the Can after it got dark!!  Makin' mem'rees    Thank you Jesus!!!

Haley and Anabel remake!!!

to Iowa City

I slept well at Andrew and Shannon's.  I heated up the breakfast sandwich I had gotten yesterday and ate it when I left about 7 am.  I met Denny at Kalona.  It was really a nice place for a group of many thousand bikers. Pretty streets, shops, good music   I drove to Iowa City to the OOS site and waited for the guys.  About 3 Denny got in and after a while we went to Jeff's niece's home in Coralville for the night to stay with Garrett and Denise.  We went out to eat at Red's and it was really good. I got sweet potato fries, YUM!  I took some home is a doggy bag.  To kill the time while we waited for our food,  Reese and I built towers with coasters.  To bed early ....

Thursday Newton to Sigourney

T'was great this am, Denny just woke me up to say he was heading out.  The airbnb was right on the route.  (But later I  found out that he had a flat tire when he went outside before he even started.  :)).  Then in the next town his brakes got worked on.  He appreciated the Air Force riding team who help bikers in distress.  Meanwhile I was chilling at the Fore Seasons Golf Center across the road.  The Rhinehart Family served a breakfast sandwich.  I got one and took it with me.  About 9 I headed to Montezuma to meet Denny, I got there at 10, Denny came at 11 and left about noon.  I chilled in town before heading to Oskaloosa, stopping at New Sharon Antique stores and downtown Oskie.  When I got there Shannon was working on her garage sale.  Later we went downtown for the Sweet Corn Serenade, Really a fun family community night.   There were lots of people in the square listening to music, eating a meal and corn and looking at the crafts that were for sale.  They have an alley that some members of the community fixed up.  It is really cool and every Thursday businesses sponsor music and taste tests.  Really pretty with bricks and plants.  I went back to Jensen's place and later they brought the kids home.  I stayed with the kids, boys in the tent, and Shannon and Andrew went out for a while.  Wonderful soft bed.  Jensens went to Field of Dreams today.  Laurie has the cutest video of them coming out of the cornfield. 

Wednesday July 25

Up at 5, shower and took guys to OOS camp.  Anne had fixed another amazing meal.  Egg caserole, french toast, biscuits and gravy, sausage, juices, frozen fruit cup, Coffee.  SO good.  She is amazing!!!  I headed to Nevada to wave at Denny, then on to State Center, the rose city.  Then I drove to Newton and found our airbnb and north about 15 minutes was the OOS campsite. 

Tuesday July 24

Jan fixed a great breakfast casserole before the guys took off around 6.  I went on a Jefferson Garden Tour with John.   It is a very nice place.  I headed to Boone to wait at the meeting town.  When I texted Naomi,   she and kids were at Slater with corn pollination job.  She said it was a fill in job until school job starts.  Triplets, Jess and Brianna worked there last year and she joined them this summer.  I got to Ann's earlier in the afternoon,  We visited while I put some flowers together.  Anne's sister Jeanne came to visit and catch up.  It was so much fun talking.  A great meal: twice marinated pork chops, 3 salads and sweet corn.  Chocolate torte for dessert.  We slept in a beautiful yellow and blue room. 

Monday July 23

I took Denny to Denison to start the Monday ride.  Then I headed home to get the bnb clean.  I think I got it all done, putting clean sheets on the beds and leaving the used sheets to wash when we get home.  The gal didn't check out until 10 and I was on the road about 11.  Denny was already at the meeting town and so I just went to Jefferson with a stop for brisket at Glidden.  When I got to Jan and John's place, we just visited until the guys started trickling in to take showers.  I put together 3 vases of flowers from some I had brought along for Jan.  John fixed spaghetti, salad and Jan had made cherry bars for 5 of us:  Me, Denny, Jeff, Curt and Mario.  We got a queen bed in their 100 year old house.   Jensens are at Adventure land today.  They saved $ from things they sold when downsizing and stock piled it for an Adventureland day.
Kayla from Smoking G's BBQ is still loving the flowers we picked at my garden.

Sunday July 22

Beautiful sky blue pink morning as I drove Denny to Onawa.  He got a 6 am start.  Instead of going home and then heading back to Ute because it is the meeting town, I just watched bikers leave Onawa until 7 and then I headed to Ute.   Denny said he was doing fine and so I headed home to put sheets (that Missy had started washing) in the dryer.  I picked flowers for Jensens to take to Shannon,  I packed the food from yesterday noon for lunch, and picked basil for Luke and Karen.  Then I headed to church at the fairgrounds.  Afterwards we ate at the purple park.  When I got home Denny was ready for me to pick him up in Denison.  Jensens headed to Oskalosa by way of Denison so they could

Saturday July 21

Kind of a slow morning.  Denny fixed eggs, sausage and toast for everyone.  Karen and Luke went into town to visit with Pete and Carol and sign some papers that weren't ready.  Luke and I helped Jensens  in the afternoon fill tubs, and write down what is in the tubs.  BUT before we went to help I was backing out the car and was visiting with Luke about the screen I broke on my phone and replacing it ... and I BACKED into his car on the driveway.   UFFTA!!! Now that is a super crummy feeling!  Luke, bless his heart, said "Don't worry about it, Mom.  It can be fixed easily."  Denny got on the computer and filled out the forms.  At night we had Bowling Alley pizza.  Brooks and Evan ran an ice cream order place and fixed made to order dessert for us.  We shared some apple drink from Jerry and Faye with the pretty glasses that I got from Jensens for my birthday. 

Friday July 20

Jessica checked out at 10; she left us an amazing gift basket of things she had purchased for their stay here and didn't use up: cookie sheet, spatula, fly swatter, extra coffee, paper towels.  Jeff H. came to visit and tell Denny Ragbrai plans.  Phillip started the fires in the trash hole.  I am so thankful because on his own, Denny would never to it.  Anabel and I worked on her map gift for Sophi.  Denny started cleaning especially well because gal with an allergy is coming in August.  I went to Missy's to help pack tubs.  Pete, Carol, Phil and Julie came about 6:30.  Luke and Karen came about 7 for supper.  Denny grilled pork burgers.  I made pasta salad and creamy cukes, Carol brought ice cream and toppings.  The cousins had fun playing together.   Rose loves to go to Anabel.  Before they left the Goldsmiths each got a bunch of flowers.