Ah...here we are in Iowa. First stop, Stuart--where my parents were raised, fell in love, and were married, and my dad buried--to visit my other dear grandmother. We came in from all over the country--Mom, brothers, sister-in-law, and nephew for lunch with Grandma M.
It was a short visit with Grandma but wonderful nonetheless. Next, we headed to the cemetery where my dad and grandfather (and MANY other family members) were buried, and then to the former All Saints Catholic Church which was burned to the ground in a hate crime, but has since been restored (led by one of my cousins) into a beautiful community center.
This is the original church building:
And here is a glimpse of the original beauty of the dome inside the church:
Our next stop...Carroll, Iowa. Here we have met up with many cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, etc. for family dinner and birthday celebrations on Saturday. Then a family reunion on Sunday. What a joy to see so many family members gather from ALL OVER the country to reminisce about our family heritage. I'm so blessed to have such incredible ancestors!!
Little Bear has had a great time playing with his 1st first cousin, "Baby Niko,"
and his many other 2nds, 3rds, and twice removeds (???).
Now that we've said our tearful goodbyes we'll be up early in the morning and on to our next drive...back to Olathe!
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