Goodbye, Wisconsin

Five weeks in Wisconsin. Wow, what an amazing vacation!

There are so many memories already flooding my mind as I realize how much I didn't blog about: my 20-year high school class reunion (fantastic!), our picnic at the park to see the American Queen riverboat with stacks so tall they lower them to travel under the Mississippi's bridges, the girls' sleepover at their aunt and uncle's house, family cribbage tournaments, numerous trips to the library (books in English!), an adults-only dinner at a great little Italian restaurant with my brother and sister-in-law, more shopping than I dare to admit, golf cart rides, early night drives through the beautiful bluffs in the convertible, watching deer run and leap back in the coulee, swimming at the local pool, eating homemade ice cream at Ranison's ... what a time!

Yet nothing could be more special than spending this extended vacation with my mom and dad, and for the girls to fully experience a Wisconsin summer. It's hard to convey the joy it brings me that my daughters know and love the state that is always home for Dan and me, and that it is truly another home for them, too. Saying goodbye on Wednesday at the Milwaukee airport was really difficult for us all. I am so grateful knowing we had this unique opportunity, yet sad that it has ended and will likely never come again. What a great bunch of memories we all made!

Thanks again to Mom, Dad, John and Shannon for letting us share your lives and homes for the past five weeks. It was an experience we truly cherish.