The best part of this September is that my parents were able to come visit us in Iowa for a few days! Although the weather was less than ideal for the bulk of their vacation, it was still great to have them see our new apartment, new workplace for Andee, our new church, and our new State! It was especially amazing that we have upgraded to a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment, which is perfect for hosting guests! Andee and I bunked with Aloe cat, and we all enjoyed some Iowa festivities!
My parents started out the trip by surprising us and arriving a day early! It turns out they drove the whole way in just one day! This is great news, as we will be driving back home a few times a year, and were hoping to make it in one day! Of course, a day full of driving is always exhausting, so we headed to bed early to prepare for the fun days ahead!
The first day was quite cool and a bit rainy, so we decided to just have a relaxing morning inside, followed by a little bit of shopping and exploring! It was great to relax with my parents after 3 months of skyping! Aloe cat enjoyed it too!
The second day was a little cooler than I had hoped, but it was still decent walking weather if a little bundling ensued! We spent the afternoon exploring downtown Cedar Falls, stopped for a scratch cupcake with coffee/tea, and enjoyed the beautiful views of the Cedar River! It was a beautiful day to explore!
On Friday, September 12th, a cold rainy day, we celebrated my and Andee's birthdays in true Aldridge fashion with a trip to the arcade to try our luck at our favorite claw machines! Not that it matters, but let's just say I am still the reigning champ! We finished out the day with a delicious birthday dinner at Red Lobster! We enjoyed delectable endless shrimp, yummy soups and salads, and the always amazing garlic cheddar buns! YUM!! My mouth is still watering! We were also able to open up some gifts from home from my parents, Andee's parents, and Cassie and Trevor! Andee received a video game, some dress pants and tie, candy, and some U.S. money, and I received some clothing accessories, a pair of earrings that I have been looking for FOREVER, some cookies, a wall plaque,U.S. money, and a hilarious stuffed animal of Tard, the Grumpy Cat! Since Andee's birthday is still a few days away, his gift from me is still in the mail! What an amazing birthday celebration with some of my favorite people! We are so blessed!!
The final day of my parent's visit, we decided to make a trip to the Cattle Congress Annual Fair! Woohoo!! We were very pleasantly surprised with all the fun stuff to do, including a number of really entertaining shows! We saw a man wrestle an alligator, kangaroos and their babies bouncing around, dogs catching frisbees like pros, and a family circus! We also enjoyed some delicious fried fair food, and Andee was successful at his favorite game, skee ball! We ended the evening with the Saturday PLC church service, and were treated to some amazing worship music and an extremely moving sermon! What a great way to end our time together!
The next day, my parents left super early in the morning, and it was sad to see them leave! This is always when I thank the Lord for Skype!! What a wonderful vacation with some family! Sometimes it gets a little lonely with no family around, and it is always appreciated when people we love come to visit! So what do we do when we are lonely? Hang out with friends! We recently enjoyed a summer BBQ and birthday dinner for the 3 September babies in our Small Group! FUN!
Well, that's all folks! As residency interview season is approaching, it will be interesting (and a whole lot less stressful) to be on the other end of the interview process! Thank the Lord!!! We are so beyond thankful for the residency that God has given Andee and I, and that we are in a great location in small-town Iowa! Praise the Lord! I am singing this week at PLC, and if you want to catch the worship online, here is the link!
http://www.prairielakeschurch.org/default.aspx
Love you all!! See you in the Fall!
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