Back in the USA!!!!

The month of August was a big trip to the US for our whole family.  We flew to Chicago, stayed there for 2 weeks to fit in doctor appointments and to see friends we haven't been able to hug in a year!  A big salute to our great friend Kim Burby for letting Zach, Steve and I stay with her while in the Chicago area!  We had a lovely time and got to see lots of people.  Another big salute to great friends Bobby and Morna Gaylor who still have our stuff in "storage" at their shop and who are always ready to get together!

Haley stayed with her friend Felicia and the Menon family, and Connor stayed with Kay and her family so it all worked out quite well.  We had a good time and visited with a lot of people, but the time really flew by and then it was time to head off to Iowa City to get Connor and Haley settled in at the University.

I did NOT take enough pictures on this trip back home!  

Dinner at El Puerto's with Bobby, Morna and Auggie!

Steve's rental car - the Dodge Charger!

In Kim's driveway, saying good-bye and gearing up for the drive to Iowa City.

We had a great time in Ingleside, and it was hard to say good-bye to people.  Hopefully we will get some visitors to Ireland this year!!

Once in Iowa City, we got Haley moved into her dorm room and then she had a lot of Orientation stuff to do.  We again managed to see a lot of friends while we were there, and even got to go out with Holly and Darryl Blanchette when they were in town dropping off Tom. We had a great time!   They also provided space in a U-Haul for some of Connor's things and that worked out quite well for us - woohoo!

There were Herky statues all over campus.  This one, Captain Herky, was out near our hotel.

This one is made with corn.  ANF stands for "America Needs Farmers"  and I think this one was my favorite!! 

These are the Blaum Brothers.  They are cousins to Collin Custis, who is married to our niece, Jewel.  They have this distillery in Galena, but they were on site at a liquor store in Iowa City, so we stopped by to meet them before meeting up with Joe and Moe and their family for dinner at the Iowa River and Power Company.

After getting Connor and Haley settled in Iowa City, we headed to the Quad Cities to see Dick and Connie and Satchel.  From there we headed on to Dubuque for 2 more weeks of vacation!