BETTER LATE THAN NEVER...

It's a great day to celebrate Steve's birthday....

Steve is kind, thoughtful, an AWESOME uncle, the best Alaskan tour guide around, generous, loving, a great brother, funny, smart, interesting and interested, caring and did I mention awesome?

Happy birthday Steve!
I love you!!

AND it's also a great day to celebrate my parents anniversary...

Here's to many more you cute lovebirds.....

WHEN YOU GO TO IOWA,

make sure you save time to go to the Bridges of Madison County...

While you're there you can visit the home of John Wayne.

P.S. Aren't my cousins beautiful...

WHEN YOU'RE IN HISTORICAL

downtown Pella, you can't help but have your eyes dart back and forth over the streets and down the alleyways.
Gorgeous detail is everywhere amongst the friendly tulip lined streets....

I can't wait to go back for another visit!

THE AMISH WAY

of living fascinates me.
We were lucky enough to meet Eli and his wife Barbara and we got a little peek into their lives...

CARTWHEELS

and other shenanigans may have been happening in the living room...

I'm just sayin' I have a lot of practice to do before June....

CORDOVA PARK OBSERVATION TOWER

is ginormous!
Lots and lots of stairs but a lot of fun and wow, what a beautiful view....

THE TALLEST WORKING WINDMILL IN THE

United States is in downtown Pella.
The Vermeer Windmill was made in Holland and reassembled in Pella.
It's craftsmanship is beautiful and it grinds wheat into flour using the only wind power...

There is a quaint village courtyard behind it and the restored boyhood home of Wyatt Earp is found there....

WOODEN SHOES

Aren't they beautiful and fascinating....

I was a smidge obsessed....

DOWNTOWN PELLA

has shops, small restaurants and bakeries selling delicious pastries and chocolates.
I love the cute dutch caps that the employees wear.
Everyone is so nice and friendly!
I found myself smiling the whole time and thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of downtown Pella...

We are having a dutch chocolate taste testing tonight and I just might have had some dutch pastries shipped home for a pastry taste testing.

UPS man, please be gentle with the delicious morsels....

CLARK TOWER

nestled in Winterset City Park was one of my favorite spots on my awesome Iowa trip...

It's a beautiful view and a super fun city park with a hedge maze, a great playground and gorgeous hiking trails.

Do we have any towers like this in Oregon?