To Iowa and Back: Remembering Grandma Liz VanDusseldorp

Despite our somber reasoning for being in Iowa in the first place, we were able to come together as family and to be with Liz in her last few days. More than anything, we were so glad that we were given the opportunity to spend some time with her before she passed away. The funeral was held today and while we wished we could have attended, we were glad we got to spend time with her while she was living. 

While Liz slept, the girls spent time in the play room. They had movies and games for the kids so that the families could visit peacefully. Abigail and Elizabeth both had the opportunity to hold Liz's hand and visit with her for a while. They both colored her pictures and spent time comforting everybody. Their smiling faces are always relieving in difficult times.

We spent A LOT of time in the car over the four days (1,700+ miles to be exact). Driving between Bussey and Pella takes about 20 minutes. While we were glad to have made the trip, the girls got pretty tired of being in the car! 

We spent some spare time letting the kids get some energy out at the local bowling alley in Pella. 

Jude joined us and had a great time! 

 We also spent some time playing at the playground in Bussey. Considering midwestern winters, the weather was actually relatively warm. 

 I love this picture of Elizabeth on the new playground equipment in front of the Bussey water tower. Irene's (Maggie's Mom's) memorial fund was put towards the wonderful new playground at the park in Bussey. 

 I love that they kept the old playground equipment in tact. It's very cool that our kids get to play on the same equipment that Dan, Nate, and Jer did as young boys! 

Even Jer couldn't resist the new playground equipment! 

 Jude had a great time playing with this cousins over the weekend. 

 We also took a walk to the rail roads were Nate promised Elizabeth she would find some railroad ties! Uncle Steve, Jude, Jer and Lindsay followed shortly behind!

 Jude just wanted to run on the tracks! Boys will be boys!

 Jer, Lindsay, and Jude also stayed in Bussey on our final night. We watched a movie while the kids "mellowed out". I don't know how I got this photo, I'm pretty sure this moment of calmness lasted for about thirty seconds! 

We said goodbye to Liz on our last evening in Iowa. It would be the last time that we would see her. We packed up and headed on out early the following morning. 

The Cracker Barrel in Council Bluffes was calling our name on the way in, so our caravan made the stop on the way out! 

We drove through the day and arrived in Colorado around 2:30 p.m. We were very pleased to see the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign, even though we didn't see much "color" for another three hours! 

 

Over the years, we have gained a lot of very special memories with Grandma Liz. While I only had a very short six years to get to know her, I will remember her forever! We named our daughter after her, for starters! Liz put special care into my wedding dress alterations, she send special thoughts on our Birthdays, and every snowflake at Christmas will be hung with extra care! Grandma Liz will be dearly missed and we will forever cherish the time that we had with her.

Such Interesting Trinkets!

The Iowa life is so different to me! Growing up in Denver has given me a really great "big-city" experience and going to small towns in Iowa give me a different perspective on life. The farming and Dutch mentalities are different from anything that I have ever known and I so enjoy searching for treasures and hearing stories. I had some fun with Instagram while we were on our trip! 

Liz lived in Pella, IA where a good old-fashioned Dutch Tulip Time takes place every year. Nearly everything about the town is Dutch! Windmills of all different shapes and sizes can be found around every corner. 

Smokey Row is an awesome "coffee house & soda fountain" in Pella. We typically enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee here! 

 

 Jaarsma Bakery is another stop during our Pella visits. Unfortunately, we had some other things to take care of and we lost track of time. Nearly the entire town is closed on Sundays, so we missed our usual purchase of Dutch Letters and delft blue tiles. 

Pella is such a wonderful place full of antique stores, windmills, and Central College! 

We always stay in Bussey, IA where Maggie grew up. Steve, her brother now lives in their parents home accrose the street from a wonderful park where Nate made many fond memories! 

Some of the old playground equipment is very interesting! 

 This is an old sewing machine found in the house! One of many, many gems!

The town of Bussey always had a great Fourth of July celebration where the community would come together in the park to celebrate the festivities! 

 This hangs in the kitchen at the Bussey house, used many times, I'm sure!

 Maggie's old bicycle is pictured above. I hope to get it to Denver one day so that my Dad can restore it for the girls. 

This is a very old toy. I don't fully know the story behind it, but I know that the kids (and Uncle Steve) adore playing with it!

There are always such interesting things to find when you have time to kill in Iowa! 

Farewell Denver!

This past weekend Nate's (and Jer's and Dan's) Grandmother passed away. Grandma Liz was the last remaining Grandparent and held a special place in all of the guys' hearts. As soon as we heard Liz was sick we began planning a trip out to Iowa to visit her. Our "wait and see" strategy was cut very short as Liz's condition quickly worsened. We decided to push our trip a week earlier. And so we hit the road on Friday after Elizabeth was released from school. 

Past Iowa experiences left us stranded in the cold, cold state with very little to do in the tiny town of Bussey. So, leaving Denver's skyline is a bit intimidating for us. 

Abigail fell asleep about twenty minutes into the trip. Elizabeth lasted until Fort Morgan as she colored for a while. 

Neither Eastern Colorado, nor Nebraska present a lot of exciting site-seeing. We tried to make do with cows, interesting museum billboards, and sunsets! 

 We finally reached Iowa but three more hours of travel would still lay ahead of us. We finally pulled into Bussey, IA at about 1:30 a.m. 

We stayed up talking with Bruce and Maggie while the girls ran off some restlessness. 

Menchies!

Dan hosted poker night a few weeks ago so the girls and I invited Caleb and Julie to get away for a special treat! We met them at Menchies where we enjoyed some delicious frozen yogurt and some innocent play! 

My nephew Caleb having soooo much fun with balloons. I think that the kids enjoyed the balloons more than the ice cream! 

Elizabeth is a superstar! She kept jumping up to collect the balloons for the younger kiddos. 

When together, Abigail and Caleb have so much fun!!!

Thanks for joining us Julie and Caleb! It was a nice treat!