Recap...

Are you ready for this!? We were on the road with an 11 week old infant from May 9th through the 19th! Where better to start than the beginning?

On May 9, we packed up the car and headed to Nashville, TN (yes we know that is not "on the way to MN"). Nick had a conference there and what better way to bond than to have a family road trip!? Plus it was a good excuse to see our friends, Rob and Tamie...or so we thought. The day that we were arriving, they were leaving town. :( Even though they were going to be gone, they were extremely generous and allowed us to stay in their home while they vacationed in sunny California. So, we spent a couple of sweltering hot days in the "south" and enjoyed walks in their neighborhood and a delicious Southern meal at Barbara's Home Cookin'. This restaurant is a location that we would recommend to anyone visiting Nashville. We sat outside, laid Stella on a blanket in the grass while we dined on a fantastic meal.

After our few days in TN were up, we headed to Indianapolis (on very short notice) and crashed at Adam, Katie and Avery's home. It was so wonderful to see them and to introduce our daughter's to each other. I think they have the potential to be great friends...

After a quick stay...about 13 hours, we packed up again and made our way to Wilmette, Illinois to stay with my Aunt Margaret and cousins, Bill and Megan. Before we reached our destination we stopped off to visit Kyle, a friend and former co-worker of Nick's. At Aunt Marg's we had a ball introducing Stella to everyone and catching up on old times.

Finally, on Saturday the 12th, we arrived at our final destination...Minnesota!

(I promise I won't give a moment by moment synopsis of our trip...just the highlights:)

--being able to unpack (it gets really old, really fast living out of a suitcase)
--visiting Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Christianson

4 generations together!!

--celebrating my first Mother's Day with my mom, Grandmother and daughter...as well as my husband, father, grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins!


--introducing Stella to half of the residents of the Twin Cities metro area (or so it seemed)
--catching up with some old EHS friends
--Nick golfing at Interlachen for the first time!
--celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary and getting a night out while Grandma and Grandpa baby-sat
--continuing to marvel at Stella, no matter what she was doing

On the 17th, it was time to make our trip home to Cincinnati...we were sad to go, but looked forward to the visits we would have on the way back.

First stop, Rochester, MN to stay with Aunt Ann and Uncle Jeff at the Hilltop House! We were treated to a couple of wonderful meals, great conversation and fantastic company. What fun to have some extra time with them! I think they enjoyed every extra moment with Stella too! We certainly had a great visit!

After Rochester we geared up for the "long haul!" 7 hours to Zionsville, Indiana! There, we stayed with Tim, Emily and Henry. This time Stella was the older of the two kids. What fun to see them together...only 5 weeks apart and so many differences!

Purdue Alumni and future alums!? ;)

Henry does not seem too sure about his new girlfriend ???
It appears as if Stella is enjoying herself though!

Thanks Emily for the fun visit! Now it's time to go home!

This trip was one that will not be easily duplicated. We got to see so many people that we care about so much. Thanks to everyone who hosted us...especially those of you who didn't exactly know when we might arrive. And in case you're wondering...Stella was an excellent traveler. Here's what our perspective was from the front seat:

That's right, she slept almost the entire way!

It sure is great to be home!