Meeting Norah!

October 13 - 27, 2020


Meeting Norah!

 

In late September, we had spent a couple of weeks with Maggie and Luke, helping with some final preparations for the arrival of their daughter.  We had planned on having a baby shower while we were there, but with COVID being on the incline, the shower was cancelled.  I did still "shower" Maggie with a few gifts I had prepared, one being Norah's baby quilt and the other being her Christmas stocking.  It wasn't quite the party we had planned, but we still had a wonderful time!  



We spent our days (while Maggie and Luke went to work) stocking their freezer with meals for after Norah was born and doing odds and ends jobs about the house.  We were also able to meet up with good friends who live in Ankeny (Jane and Blake) for a picnic lunch.  Jane and I went for a delightful walk while Dick and Blake rode their bikes on the High Trestle trail.  It was so fun to see them and to catch up with each other!



Before long, Maggie and Luke's freezer was stocked and we were out of things to do.  So, we said our goodbyes and headed to Kentucky.  On our way, we spent a couple of nights in Scott County Park, near my hometown of Eldridge, Iowa.  We were able to fit in a visit with my brother and his wife (Ron and Rhea).  Ron had just had his hip replaced several days before our visit and his recovery was impressive!  We also invited my sister and her husband (Cheryl and Steve) over for a campfire at our campsite.  It was nice to spend time with family!


Our time in Kentucky was amazing!  We had great weather, met really nice people, saw interesting things and took in a lot of history.  However, the morning of Tuesday, October 13th we received a FaceTime call from Maggie, holding her precious new daughter!  Norah decided to come into this world a couple of weeks sooner than we expected!  What a delightful way to start the day!  We had planned on having another week in Kentucky, but found ourselves excitedly canceling plans and packing up the fifth wheel!  It's an 8-hour drive, so we divided the drive into two days, arriving on October 15th.  First thing on our agenda was to be tested for COVID.  We had made an appointment to be tested in Des Moines and the timing could not have worked out better!  Then, it was just a matter of being patient to get our results back!  We did manage to swing by Maggie and Luke's home for our first "unofficial" meet before our results came back.  I'm not counting this as our first meeting as we stayed outside and "met" Norah through the glass storm door.  All of this will be so very interesting to look back on in a few years.  For now, life is certainly different from anything I've ever experienced!


On our drive to West Des Moines,  we passed through the small town of Eldon, Iowa.  Apparently, Grant Wood found the farmhouse there that he used as the backdrop for his famous American Gothic painting.  We couldn't resist stopping by and snapping a couple of photos!



We camped at Winterset City Campground this time around.  It's such a wonderful campground next to a great park!  We spent our days visiting Norah and getting in as many cuddles and snuggles as we possibly could!







What a joy to be able to be part of this young family's life at this precious time in their lives!  It was remarkable to witness Maggie and Luke in their new roles of being loving parents!  


The weather was starting to get a bit chilly for camping so, after a week of catching all of the snuggles and cuddles we could, we took off for the Nashville, Tennessee area.  We didn't want to go too far away as Norah's baptism was coming up and we certainly weren't going to miss out on that!  The day before Norah's baptism, we rented a car and drove to West Des Moines.  It was such a blessing to be able to witness Norah's baptism.  What was super cool was Norah wore the baptismal gown I had made in 1984, which all three of our children wore.  It was amazing to help dress Norah in the same gown I had dressed her mother in 30 years ago!  








Next up:  Nashville, TN




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