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Andy's was in a Columbus a couple days last week and Minneapolis 4 days this week. None of us like it when he's gone, including him. We decided to make his traveling a little more pleasant by having the kids spend some time with g'ma, g'pa, uncle Jesse and aunt Josie while I go up to Minn., too.

I was up there Mon - Wed, so we had a 2 evenings together "on the town" (we stayed downtown). =) The first night we went to a Jazz restaurant. The food was great and the jazz group talented. It's funny how music brings strangers together because the whole place was just feeling it. Now, we don't have much jive in our blood, but if you didn't at least tap your foot or let out a little hoot, you just didn't belong. Haha.

The next night we were put on a long wait list to Andy's fav steak house. We killed the time by going to the Basilica, a Catholic cathedral, to check it out. What an amazing piece of architecture! Click here if you are interested in viewing pictures and information. We invited ourselves in during mass so we tip toed to the back row and sat like little church mice. It's bewildering how men seek to find peace in this life and hope for eternity in so many different avenues. The gospel is simple "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved", it's not of our own doings, it's doesn't include an uncertain eternity, it doesn't need to be made more complex or added to by religious rituals. What a relief that is to me! What a peace, what a hope!

Then we ate the best steaks of our life at Manny's steak house.

Oh yeah, and I just had to hit Ikea and Trader Joes, not to mention some other good shopping. Ikea is an exhausting place and I can't decide if I like it or not. You have to go through the entire 2 level store to be able to exit. This is no small store, it includes a child care zone, a cafeteria style restaurant, a furniture warehouse, a food market... They do have great things for your home at low prices, consequently the quality seemed to be lacking. I love Trader Joes! My first visit there was in Boston, so this time I brought a cooler. Hehe. They sell organic and all natural ingredient products at awesome prices. Why can't there be one in IA?

The kids had fun at my parents. On the way home I asked them if they ate good while they were there. Leyla says, "oh yeah, we ate lots of candy".
My parents have a huge white fluffy dog, Brutis, who's mixed breed is a mystery, but we think great pyrenees/ alaskan malamute. Anyways, tonight we were looking at a Bible animal book and I pointed to the polar bear and asked Chloe what animal it was. Chloe says "it's a hoo hoo (the twin's name for a dog), Brutis, mommy Brutis!" She was quite proud of herself. =)