2007 seems to be the year for weddings. First my brother in March, Dawn and Michael in September, and now Kristine and Steve in Iowa City. I've posted before about Iowa and my grandfather, and I thought that when I traveled to Iowa in 2006 it would be the last time I'd see my 89-year old grandmother. I was fully prepared for that reality and spent time after the trip coming to terms with that assumption. It's a double-edged sword that I'm back here now and get to spend more time with her.
I've been here since Wednesday, about four days now. One night we went to the Amana Colonies for dinner and gorged on plate after plate after communal plate of home-cooked German food. Though it wasn't light outside as we drove around the colony, you could still get the basic flavor of this 1850s religious commune. Technically, they voted in 1932 to no longer live an exclusively communal lifestyle, but approximately 1,700 people still live in seven different Amana villages. For more about the Amma Colony, read the FAQ.Other than that adventure, my time has been divided between the gym, gramma, the pool, lots of driving to and fro, and procrastinating completion of the pile of work projects I carted along. The wedding dinner and "Pamper the Bride" shower were last night and the ceremony/reception is tonight. The ceremony is in the Danforth Chapel on the campus of the University of Iowa. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to post later, but in the mean time, check out how adorable it is.
