minnesota:
i got to see nikki and spend time in the SNOW. yep it snowed in may. it was the first time i drove in snow too. it was also the first time i drove by 5 dead deer on the highway. *gross*
i went from weather in the 80s when i left chicago to weather in the 30s in one day. quite the opposite. i loved it though! first i saw the church where nikki is now an associate pastor and met some friendly people in the congregation. over the next few days nikki took me to get juicy lucy burgers where the cheese is melted inside the hamburger, and took me to a place called wise acre where 70-90% of their food comes straight from the farm (so delicious!), and we also went to a dinner theater to see "joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat" which blew me away! everyone did such a great job. i'm realizing how much i miss being on stage and how a piece of my heart is missing because i haven't been able to sing lately and how i'm going to do something about that when i get back home. i'm thinking of taking voice lessons and somehow bringing music back into my life again. i need it.
dinner theater to see "joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat"
iowa:
kristen and i went to college together and she has since moved to iowa to be with her now husband. romantic ain't it?! she's still as sweet as ever and showed me all around town. the best part was the music man museum they have in mason city, which has a replicated street made to look exactly like the movie that you can walk down! i was in the play so it was pretty cool to hear the music playing as i got to walk in the little shops they had like the billiard parlor ("trouble right here in river city, with a capital t, that rhymes with p and that stands for pool!") or the bank or the music practice room. they also had a museum section dedicated to the movie and meredith willson, who wrote it, and the history behind the music written. it was awesome! we also went out on the lake one evening and even though it was chilly i loved it. it was very relaxing. and the day i left kristen and i went to the surf ballroom, which was the last place buddy holly, the big bopper, and ritchie valens ever played. we also went to the cornfield where their plane crashed and saw the memorial they had set up. fascinating stuff.
the surf ballroom monument to buddy holly, the big bopper, and ritchie valens
kristen and me out on the lake
buddy holly glasses at the crash site memorial
palmyra, missouri:
i visited my friend katie from my elementary school days. it's a small town and the place katie lives is surrounded by hills and trees and nature and it was just gorgeous. it was secluded and so nice to have peace for a bit. i got to visit the classroom she teaches in and that was very cool. i had a great time with her and her family and i'm only sad i couldn't stay longer.
katie and me in her classroom -- we're all grown up!
a sunset walk to get the mail
columbia, missouri:
my friend joy (from california) was out here for work and even though this wasn't on my list of destinations i couldn't pass by without spending time with her! she showed me the sights of downtown and we ate delicious food (and ice cream!) and had a blast like we always do.
joy and i on a hike
maria and i next to one of the many awesome paintings in an ice cream shop downtown
nixa, missouri:
i became friends with amber a year after high school and we became good friends. she moved out here for her now husband (again, romantic) and it was great getting to see her sassy self again! missouri is a beautiful place and her and her husband showed me plenty of the beautiful parks and rivers and lakes. it was awesome. we went to branson, missouri and saw the sights there. it was fun seeing the history of the place and how it's also been built up all at the same time. we went to a 5 & dime store and i love seeing places like that of bygone times. i was definitely born in the wrong decade! anyway it was grand and i had a lot of fun.
just a taste of the beauty missouri had to offer me
amber and me in branson
a missouri "beach" (haha)
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