The End

The 2011 Grant reunion has come and gone. We looked forward to it for so many months and then, when the time arrived, everything occurred so fast that it seemed like a blur. Whenever our family goes on vacation, there are always some things on our vacation agenda that we didn't have time to do. My feeling about that is this....it gives us a good reason to go back. And so it was with the reunion. There were so many things that I had hoped that we would do and we just didn't have time. And so, we'll save it until next time...

This is the last day for the My Life As Me blog. Thanks to everyone for commenting and contributing...it was fun!

The Amanas

Today, a group of us headed to the Amana Colonies for lunch and shopping. It was a gorgeous day...sunny and not too hot. If you don't count taking the LONG way home, we had a perfect day!

Some of theThings We Did Today at the Family Reunion

Ate at Panera
Won money at the casino
Shopped at the mall
Spent time with a third cousin
Went bowling
Ordered pizza
Watched home movies
Learned some wrestling moves
Saw a frog
Went miniature golfing
Ate pizza
Ate kuchen
Made a lot of noise with noisemakers
Fished a ball out of a pond
Bought popcorn
Looked at photo albums
Went swimming

Fun in the Sun

Several of the Grant Group spent the day at the water park. A few of us traveled to Mason City to tour a Frank Lloyd Wright house. Others spent a quiet, relaxing day at home. All of us gathered for dinner at the Dairy Barn in Ionia. I think it's safe to say that, regardless of how the day was spent, everyone had a great time. Thanks to the C Wolffs and the D Wolffs for the delicious dinner!!! : )

Museum Day

It seems that today was "Museum Day". Lucille, Dave, Peter, Adam, and I went to four...the Ice House Museum in Cedar Falls, the Veterans/Grout Museums in Waterloo, and the Frank Lloyd Wright House near Quasqueton. Plus, we had lunch with the D Wolff family and Jaime and Tyler and dinner at the Waverly Wolff house. (Thanks to Darold and Diane for the delicious supper!) Diane got a call from Bev...the North Dakota group has arrived in Ionia...we're anxious to see all of them tomorrow!

The First Three

The first three Grants (Dave, Lucille, and Peter) are here! Their flight arrived a little after 9 PM. Darold and Diane were waiting for us at the hotel...a nice surprise. We chatted for awhile and they got checked in. Flying is so grueling, so I know that they had to be exhausted. We are planning to meet tomorrow for some museum time and lunch. Looking forward to a fun day! : )

Road Trip

Today Adam, Jaime, Tyler, and I took a road trip to Dubuque. Tyler's highlights:
Singing "Old Mcdonald" to the animals at the Storybook Hill Zoo
Playing on the patio at Catfish Charlies
Watching a scuba diver at the aquarium
Playing in the water at the museum
Looking for water towers
Eating ice cream from Four Queens

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday, Robert! Congratulations on your driver's license renewal. The reason that the DMV kept you waiting for four hours? They wanted as much time as possible to be in your charming presence..ha ha! Have fun with that little red Corvette that Lucille got for your birthday! : )

A Belated Wish

While cleaning out the wire basket on my computer desk, I unearthed the green sheet of important Grant family dates. I then discovered that I'd missed Bev and Clayton's anniversary on the 5th. My apologies...hope you had a nice day! : )

Special Requests

We have had many requests for nice weather from June 17-23. Great news...According to our local meteorologists, the weather here will be PERFECT during those dates!

Another Museum

For those of you who expressed interest in visiting museums while here, the Ice House Museum in Cedar Falls just recently reopened (it had been closed to repair damage due to flooding in 2008). The Ice House showcases the ice industry of the late 1800's to the early 1900's; it also shows examples of life in America in the early 20th century. I visited the Ice House a few years ago and was impressed. If anyone wants to visit, I'd be glad to go, too.
Ice House Museum
Franklin Street and West 1st
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Open: Sat 10 AM -4 PM and Sun 1-4 PM
Cost ?

Summer To Do List

I made my summer "To Do" list today. Unfortunately, there are more items on my list than I have days to do them in. I'll let you know how that works out.

Phone Calls

This is the last weekend before the start of the Grant reunion. It seems like it was just yesterday that I started this blog...I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Before next Friday, I plan to check in with all of you to see if there's anything else you need or need to know before you come to WaWa. Because...ready or not, here you come! : )

From One Extreme to Another

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week were 90+ degree days. Today it was cool and rainy...tonight I wore a jacket. I wonder what kind of weather Mother Nature will send us June 17-24?

Hello from "Mile Wide"

I survived today and am spending the night in Denver. Jaime has a workshop tomorrow and I, not being a morning person, decided to spend the night here. It will be quite a change (a good change) to have just one instead of eight or nine. I'm counting tomorrow as my last official day of the 2010-2011 school year.

Ready or Not...Here They Come

Tomorrow I will have eight kids again. Two of the parents are finishing their last day of school...the others have a math workshop. I've had four days off...hopefully, I'm rested up and ready!

Strawberries

This morning, I met Jaime and Tyler at Heartland Farms to pick strawberries. Even at mid-morning, we could tell that it was going to be a scorcher. Tyler quickly learned that he should pick the red ones rather than the green ones. He did, however, take a green strawberry home with him...Jaime said he held onto it for a long time. He was especially interested in the animals...a turkey named Tom, some chickens and roosters, bunnies, and two goats. We ate some of the strawberries at dinner tonight...very good. Tyler? He currently doesn't even eat strawberries. That leaves more for the rest of us!

Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've got the I tins done! Coming soon to a mailbox near you. : )

Happy Anniversary, Bev and Clayton!!!

Parade People

Today, I went to the My Waterloo Days' parade with Aaron, Jaime, and Tyler. Tyler was most impressed with the dogs and horses...he clapped when they went by. He also asked (several times) about "the wheel" (the ferris wheel). He saw one...we didn't go on it. My Waterloo Days is a four day celebration...the parade is probably the only event we'll attend this year. Luckily, the weather has been good for MWD this year which isn't always the case.

"I tin" Update

I have been working on the itineraries...I'm almost done. Just a couple more things to check on and then they are ready to be sent. The ones I'm sending out will include costs, addresses (for your GPS), and business hours for the places we may visit. I'll have extra copies on hand if you forget to bring yours.

First Fifty

On June 9, the Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls will open its "First Fifty" exhibit. This morning, the first fifty local artists in line were allowed to submit one piece of art for the show. Adam was number twenty-five in line and got in. So, if you like art, you may want to stop by the Hearst Center while you're here in June...great works of art and it's free!

I Survived!!!

Today went much more smoothly than I expected. In fact, I've had days that were absolutely crazy with half as many kids. Only a couple of issues...and those were sibling related. Only three tomorrow...it'll feel like I'm on vacation!