Over the 4th of July, Ryan, Summer and I traveled halfway across the country to Sioux City, Iowa, the beautiful city that I spent 8 years of my childhood. It was awesome! I have always been thankful for the time that I spent there, for the snow filled winters, firefly filled summers and good ‘ole Midwest values. Even though I had not been back for over 7 years, Iowa is and has always been a huge part of who I am. I like to say I am a unique combination of Sioux City & San Diego.
Anyways, Ryan and I stayed with my cousin Kristin and her family (I wish I had taken a picture of her beautiful guest room) and Summer stayed with our Aunt Marly. We had such a wonderful time! We were able to get to know our adorable second cousins: Trey, Bryce, Shelbee & Aubree, which was a ton of fun. We BBQ'd at Brian and Mel's and celebrated the 4th at Marly & David's. We also spent several visits with our 92-year-old grandpa who still lives on his own-can you believe it?! It was so special to spend time with our Iowa family. They were wonderful hosts & made us feel very welcome.
We were also thrilled to spend the day (her birthday!) with one of my best friends, Lindsay 
Domke, her beautiful daughter (and my niece!) Olivia, and her sister Laura. Olivia was the flower girl in my wedding. It was such a treat to see them so soon after their trip to California. Lindsay and I were in the same preschool in Sioux City and then became best friends in the 4th grade and have somehow managed to stay in touch through the years. She and Olivia live in Minnesota now. I am so blessed to have incredible relationships like this one!Ryan was lucky enough to get the Joiner Family/Sioux City tour, complete with every house we lived in, every park we loved, every great friend's house we had, (and yes, Dana, even where Summer, Lindsay D. and I were chased by a bear AND cow), etc. He has been to San Diego numerous times and gotten to know my life there well, so having him experience the other part of what makes me "me" was special for us. He really enjoyed the trip, Sioux City, and meeting my family and friends. While the South and the Mid-West are very different, they also have plenty of wholesome similarities.
To check out more pictures from the trip (have I mentioned that my talented hubby is also an excellent photographer?!) click here: Dappygolucky.com
One last thing-we caught fireflys and did our own fireworks- two things I love to do!!
Great blog. I want a print of you two with Grandpa. I didn't get one. Also, I inadvertently erased the pictures from Cory's wedding. Can you get a print of the family? I want to use it for xmas, but also send it to Winquists, as we just got an invitation to their 50th wedding anniversary open house. They want a family picture for their album (I guess kinda like I did for the Joiners)
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