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| We made it! |
The first 2 weeks of our month stay in the States took us to South Dakota to see Jennie's side of the family. Of course getting there was quite the adventure. Anytime you have to take 5 flights to get to your final destination, you are just increasing the chances that something could go wrong. And that something went wrong on flight number 3. We were all settled in the plane headed to Miami from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, when the captain announced that the plane that had just landed on the runway had blown a tire. So our quick little hour layover in Santa Cruz ended up being a 4 hour layover. We already knew that we would miss our connecting flight in Miami for Chicago. However, after a series of near miracles, we were able to get a late night flight to St. Louis, arriving after midnight. We spent 3 hours sleeping in a hotel and caught a 6am flight to Chicago the next morning, allowing us to make our original flight into Sioux Falls, South Dakota by 10am! It was a lot more flying and a LOT LESS sleep but we made it as originally planned!
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| Ella enjoying her Grandpa and Grandma Mach |
Once in Sioux Falls, we had a nice time seeing family and running errands. Hello MAC store! We had to get our computer fixed after our helpful daughter tried to clean our laptop screen with furniture polish. Outside of Sioux Falls, most of our time was spent in Yankton, South Dakota where Jennie's parents live. In Yankton we relaxed, ate lots of good food, and enjoyed great time with Jennie's family. We also spent a Sunday sharing about our ministry with one of our supporting churches, Calvary Baptist.
Another highlight of our trip was Jennie's cousin's wedding in Des Moines, IA. Ella was one of the flower girls and she had a blast! It was also another opportunity to see more of Jennie's. A wonderful time...and wonderful fall weather. Never thought we would be swimming outside in Oct.
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| Ready to walk down the isle.... |
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| Success! |
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| Swimming in the outdoor hotel pool, Oct. 1st! |
We had a wonderful time with family, and Ella had a blast hanging out with her Grandpa and Grandma, GG, and Uncle Dan and Aunt Katie (and lots more family)! Below are some more pictures from our time.
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| Ella the dentist...and her brave first patient. |
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| Grandpa, Uncle Dan and Daddy took Ella to the zoo! (aka Three Men and a Baby) |
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| Helping Grandpa mow the lawn. Tough work! |
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| Telling Stories to Grandma |
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| Best family pic attempt. Uncle Dan is apparently shifting to the next gear?!? |
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Hangin' out with Uncle Dan and Aunt Kate... and a big moose!
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| Story time every night with Grandpa. |
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Roasting hot dogs and smores at Lewis and Clark Lake
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