Dubuque-Days Inn

... and grow strong and in good shape.<br>*for my parents as they run a strange house (yes, my house is strange!) and run around in a strange city (it's changed a lot since my mom went to college here 55 years ago!)<br>*For Daniel, Rosana and Samuel in their various studies and Abby (Daniel's wife) to grow immune to all those pre-school colds and other fun germs in the air at the school where she works.<br><br>Thank you so much.<br>Love,<br>Jim and Sharon<br>

The morning after the wedding and we all (Mark, Kym and I) wake up fairly early as we have to pack and check out. Bloody Kym woke up without a hangover which I was stunned at cos she was fairly sozzled the night before. We skipped brekky today opting instead for eating at Alicia and Nate's hotel (we planned to go there anyway).<br><br>Packing was a mission for all but we got it done and got the car packed successfully. We headed into downtown Des Moines one last time to see Alicia ...

... be like Christmas when I arrive. I am very excited about my trip, but unlike last year a little nervous. I am not sure why I am nervous because I did this before and I actually have Jose picking me up at the airport. But I think in the back of my mind I am thinking about the pick pocketers. Jose&#8217;s mom Lourdes told me to watch my luggage and purse ...

Memphis, TN to Dubuque, Iowa<br><br>Next morning got in some early morning hiking and managed to get access to some beautiful areas that were just getting the morning sun. Got back in the Xterra and drove to the other side of the park that borders the Mississippi to find the starting of the Black Eye Susan&#8217;s. This is also a great stopping point for a number of butterflies as they head southward over the border.<br><br ...

LOCATION: Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 3800 Arboretum Dr. | 6:30pm | No Admission<br><br><br>(Enter from the west on Hwy. 20. Go to stoplight with Olive Garden on right. Turn left on JFK Road. Proceed through town two miles. Turn right on 32nd Street, left on Arboretum Drive. Enter Arboretum to south side.)<br><br>RAIN SITE: Hempstead High School

... me with the biggest smile I'd seen all week - so proud he could give me something in return. See to me this is what Christmas is all about. It is not about buying the biggest most expensive gifts, it is about being the gift for others. It is about the giving from the heart. I went to Costa Rica to volunteer and give to others, but I could never have imagined how this adventure would truly change me. I came back ...

Well another day and another day away from my head. It was better, but I am still not back to normal mentality. How does this work. How do I go to another country and be and then come home and go back to normal. Because for me normal seems like a thing of the past. I keep thinking about that Google logo, with ...

... Eat, Pray, Love. I never have thought about Meditation and I spent a week with Federico and the part of the book I came home to was her trying to experience meditation and sitting with her thoughts. I probably need to sit with my thoughts. Become one with the feeling. But it is hard. The unknown. So I guess for now I am going to finish by asking God for guidance and Grace. Help me to udnerstand that I don't need to understand.

... I didn't worry while I was gone and my stress was gone. I was able to talk to someone who would listen, who didn't judge or care what I said. I talked to Sara about the trip and she said that sometimes God has a plan for us. She could see that I was different in a good way. She was so proud of me. She said to me I can see you ...

... we will be out of school, and into the working world (of course, we'll slip another trip in there somewhere!) We began the day at 5am, heading to the Paris train station to catch a train to Brussels, Belgium. It was an enjoyable ride, being able to see the French countryside and the city of Brussels. The airport was packed and it took our full two and a half hour ...