family road trip!

last weekend i headed back to iowa with my family to celebrate the life of my grandma roe - my mom's mom who passed away last month at the age of 94. she lived in california for the last 30 years of her life, but spent her first 60 years in northern iowa where she was born into a large farm family, then moved to the small town of garner where she married my grandpa- worked at their grocery store and raised 3 kids.

the photo below is part of the crowd that gathered after the memorial service in a local park to visit.

it was special to go back to my mom's home town of garner- and the town of clear lake that is just 10 miles away from there where my mom and her brothers spent their childhood summers and where I spent many of my own - visiting my great aunt peg and playing off the red dock seen below with my siblings and cousins.




after a quick swim we drove through downtown clear lake with a stop at the surf ballroom. when my mom was a teenager she went to see buddy holly, richie vallens and the big bopper preform here at what would become their last concert- shortly thereafter they died in a plane crash- instantly becoming legends and inspiring the lyrics to the iconic song, american pie. below is my brother in law in front of the famous venue.



next we headed 100 miles north to st. peter minnesota- to visit my dad's mom- my amazing grandma vi who is still going strong at the age of 97.

the oldest and youngest members of my family. grandma vi and her great- granddaughter, cate, meet for the first time.

my grandma plays bridge, does crochet, and works on puzzles all the time- i think it's part of her secret for staying so sharp at her age.


my parents goofing around with my niece


my nephew wearing my grandma's shower cap ; )

buster - my nephew and nieces' dog came along for the trip.

my siblings and i with my grandma- and if you look close you can see my baby bump- i'm expecting a new addition in november!

avery and jack with their great grandma


my sister and her husband wisely rented a RV for the long trip- here a few shots i got of their kids hanging out in it before we hit the road.



so it was lots of car time this weekend but so worth it- great to see everyone! xo- kris