I will argue that it is only through this process of being known that you come to know yourself and learn how to know others. There is no other way. To be known is to be pursued, examined, and shaken. To be known is to be loved and to have hopes and even demands placed on you. It is to risk, not only the furniture in your home being rearranged, but your floor plans being rewritten, your walls being demolished and reconstructed.
~Dr. Curt Thompson, "Anatomy of the Soul"
Staying an entire week for the wedding festivities was cheaper than only five or six nights, so the Monday before Hannah and Benjamin's wedding we hit the road for Des Moines. Our first stop was to eat lunch with Bree, my friend and personal trainer. Pho Thanh provided a refreshing visit!
We always look for local coffee shops for pit stops along the way, and we found a cute one in Butler, MO, Cafe Affogato. Coffee and ice cream are always a good combination.
Speaking of ice cream, another good place for a stretch is the tried and true Dairy Queen. Their mini blizzards were exactly right to refuel and hit the road again. I always get the turtle pecan cluster, but Aaron tried the very cherry chip and Katherine enjoyed the drumstick Blizzard.
We stayed in an old house that reminded me so much of the one in which I grew up, with push button lights and creaky floors. The Air BnB was on the same property as Dogpatch Urban Garden, so we had fresh, local produce at our fingertips!
Nearby, a "rails to trails" conservancy gave us a beautiful place to go move each morning.
The rest of family joined us on Tuesday, which isn't a small thing, considering several of them are taking classes and working this summer. Our time together was precious.
And fun. And full of more ice cream.
More friends and family began to trickle in,
and wedding preparation began in earnest. Hannah and Benjamin kept everything simple and easy, and one of my favorite things was to get rid of the traditional first dance (father of the bride/bride and mother of the groom/groom) and replace it with their arrangement of a popular song. Hannah's dad and I played along as Hannah and Benjamin sang.
But at our first rehearsal, I realized that my rockstop was still in Arkansas.
Thankfully, Becker Violin Shop had them in stock, and their store was close to our Air BnB.
Katherine and I drooled as we admired all of the beautiful instruments on display.
The days leading up to the wedding were full of food prep for the rehearsal dinner,
trips to the gym wth my favorite exercise buddy,
more rehearsals,
a baseball game with my brother and sister-in-law,
who came all the way from Maine!
and carving out pockets of time for those who needed to log some office hours.
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