Connell Family Updates: July 10-14, 2014

We said good bye to our big kids who get to spend a few extra days with Steve and Cindy here:

Drove across the state and left him with my parents for a couple days:

and checked in here:

to celebrate our 10 year anniversary!

We had a great time revisiting a lot of our old favorite places and took a long walk around campus.

Here's where our reception was:

(Today it's hosting Freshman Orientation)

Some pictures from a few of our stops:

I'd wanted to take pictures here on this foot bridge (where we took photos on our wedding day) but due to flooding of the Iowa River, it was all sandbagged and closed off. :(

This picture was taken through a window (from inside the IMU).

Kind of fun to see all the Hawkeye stuff

Another happy surprise was catching up briefly with Evan and meeting his wife, Colette while we were all in town.

Yum.

Happy Anniversary to us :)

This pic doesn't due justice to the print, but it's now in a beautiful frame on our wall and we love it.

(It's from the Artisan's Gallery)

My favorite breakfast

A great new book: "The Meaning of Marriage" by Tim Keller

Our traditional cookie jar painting at "Fired Up" in Iowa City.

I don't know whose idea this was originally, but I'm so glad it stuck.

I love my cookie jar and I love getting together with these girls to paint them for each other for each upcoming wedding.

on Sunday morning Peter drove to meet his parents halfway between Orange City and Iowa City to pick up Em & Noah. That afternoon we went to Sarah (Grove) and Peter's wedding reception. Peter then left to go to a DCI competition while I had dinner with Sarah, Emily, Emily & Heather.

It was kind of amazing how many repeated names there were at Sarah & Peter's wedding reception.

Here we have:

Emily, Emily & Emily :)