And 3 days in the Twin Cities!

After our short time in Wheaton we flew up to see our "long lost" Wheaton friends!! It had been almost 5 years since spending time with our former college roommates - too long! The first stop was with Ben & Erica, whose family now also includes Micah and Savannah.

On our first evening we four (plus a very agreeable 3 month old) went out to dinner and dessert. Tremendous chocolate-peanut butter tart and turtle-chocolate cake. Oh...I'm dreaming about it again...

Here's Savannah showcasing her eating technique, hand on brow. What a task, she says, I'm so exhausted.

The older brother with his baby sister. Look at those pretty blue eyes.

When the rain and chill finally cleared on Friday afternoon we were able to take a walk around a nearby lake. Jim and I agree that one of the the Twin Cities' greatest attractions is the recreation areas so nicely laid out around the many lakes in the area.

Despite the "action" photo, we were actually walking pretty slowly...the baby belly is making a difference these days. (Don't worry, Savannah was wearing clothes. You just can't tell from this photo.)

On our 2nd evening we had some hilarity over two rounds of ladder golf (boys vs girls, of course, and the girls were finally victorious after about a 9 year drought in games).

On Saturday morning Karin drove down from the northern side of town and joined us for brunch. Hey, three senior-year roommates together again! (We missed you, Joanna!)

That afternoon the three of us braved the rain and had a good time meandering through a (free) local indoor gardens and zoo. (There was a lake too but we'll save that for next time.)

We match, Karin. Nice.

Here is Karin's dog, Maple, a real sweetie.


The following day we headed back to the airport, flew down to Wheaton, and drove home to Bloomington. It was SO good to spend time together and have extended conversations about our life's journeys in recent years. Thanks Gores fam and Karin!!