Author: dianegclark

I did it! I published a book!

T/he idea for the book came from my husband, Scott, while in Nashville with our group, Midwest Meets Manhattan. We were there to record two songs, That’s Why I Like the Rain, and She’s On Her Own. As we talked, I told about Sophie (not her real name), a gal in the sex trafficking survivors group I lead. We talked about the song, She’s On Her Own, and how it so clearly fit Sophie’s life. I told the guys, Dave, Chad, and Scott, that I’d played the song, That’s Why I Like the Rain for Sophie and she cried remembering playing in the rain with Emma (not her real name). We talked about the possibility of creating an album to help spread awareness of sex trafficking. Scott suggested I write a book.

I tossed the idea around and ran it by Sophie. She loved it. We got started right away. We met every week. I’d pick her up at her little duplex apartment and we’d get fast food and go to my house. For privacy and relaxation, Sophie would lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling while I asked her questions and wrote like crazy in a notebook. Often I’d have to have her stop and breathe and sit in her feelings as if we were doing therapy. We laughed and cried. Often she’d have to stop of change to another less intense topic. Toward the end of the interviews, Sophie moved back home so we had to interview over the phone.

Once I had all the chapters written, I created a timeline of when things really took place. Then I moved the chapters around so they made sense and unfolded more like the order of a novel with foreshadowing and a climax. That created issues with what characters were actually in each chapter since girls come and leave The Haven (not the real name) so frequently. Only one chapters’ events didn’t happen. Pretty much everything else actually occurred. Of course, I wasn’t in Sophie’s therapy sessions with her. I had to speculate how the therapist would respond or what she would ask or do but it turned out to what I said and did while interviewing Sophie. Sophie hadn’t actually worked all the way through her life span of issues before Laura (not her real name) left. Toward the end of the writing to add details, I wrote off the top of my head. When Sophie read those parts, she said she felt like I knew her so well I was in her head.

I wrote the book originally with the real names and locations. One weekend to finish up the book, Sophie and I spent the weekend in another town at a hotel. We went for walks, sat in the hot tub, and went out for dinners but mostly laid in the giant bed, me writing and she reading as we downed tons of unhealthy snacks. We made up all the names and changed them. We reminisced about Emma whom we both miss a lot.

Then came the editing. I sent the first chapters to my niece Haley who has some experience with content editing. She gave tons and tons of suggestions as she read the entire book and forced me to add lots more details and specifics. Scott also read the book and made suggestions and corrections. A friend of mine who is in law enforcement read the book and made suggestions and corrections. A friend of mine, a former Professor in his 80’s read the book to copy edit it. He didn’t care for the language but said he was in love with the main characters and liked my writing style. He didn’t get to the raw parts of the book.

After about about three more edits for grammar, punctuation, spelling, name and location changes, the book was complete. Around this time, Chad from Midwest Meets Manhattan, was also reading the book. He wrote the song, The Fall, based directly on the jail scene and also experiences with a close friend. As he wrote and sang other songs for us, I could easily see how they fit with the book. We talked about co-promoting the book and the album, even showing videos and interviews with the survivors.

I asked my Mom to draw a cover for the book. She came up with some ideas and sketches but decided it wasn’t quite right. When our daughter Hannah was home, she read the beginning of the book and proposed a picture of a girl walking up a dirt road toward a house. She returned to her home and asked how I felt about the girl wearing her grandma’s slippers and carrying a bag. I immediately loved it. She sent the picture she’d drawn and I quickly adopted it as the official cover.

Eventually, we traveled to Nashville and recorded the album. Soon after returning home, I formatted the book for kindle and print and published it. I got a huge response from friends on facebook and instagram right away.

It hasn’t really quite sunk in all the way that I’m an author but it satisfies something deep inside me. I write blogs often and in my journal every morning. I love to write therapy notes after sessions. I have read about a novel a week my whole life. I’m already tossing a bunch of ideas around for future novels.

Several months ago, I visited Danielle (not her real name) in prison. She asked how I would feel about writing her story as the sequel to She’s On Her Own. Out of all the ideas that have been tossed out, this one resonated the most. It is almost impossible to figure out how to interview her but we are working on it. It costs so much for her to call me, we can’t take a writing implement into the visitation room in prison, and writing back and forth doesn’t fit the interview format well. So we shall see.

I loved writing She’s On Her Own and I hope and pray it makes a huge impact.

Please check out our music on Spotify, amazon, iTunes and pandora, our facebook and instagram pages, and our website: Midwest Meets Manhattan, She’s On Her Own.

I wrote this post shortly after Dave stepped down as Pastor at TRU. It was too raw to publish then. Since then, we have very much felt the loss of TRU. We still get together with some of our TRU family but not all of them. I miss singing on the worship team. A lot. Both rehearsals and Sunday mornings. I miss being a part of the Welcome team. And I miss Sunday mornings. Everyone so happy to see each other, checking in on each other, sharing burdens.

We’ve started attending another church but nothing will ever be TRU.

Six years ago, Scott and I were sitting every Sunday morning at Westview Community Church going through the motions. We sat in the same spot by the same people. We looked forward to seeing them and greeting them. We always promised we’d get together with them but never did. We sang the songs and listened to the sermons and put our tithe in the plate when it went by.

Over the years, we learned a lot about God and grew in our faith. We went on mission trips, internationally and disaster relief. I taught Sunday school and led some women’s Bible studies. I became involved in Homestead minisitries. We raised our family in the church, had them attend Sunday school and the service weekly.

When we first met Dave, we weren’t sure what to think. We loved his style of worship. I had become critical in my spirit of the worship at Westview and didn’t like that in myself. So when the concept of planting a church came up and was talked about more in a Sunday school led by Dave, we jumped on it.

The core group grew as the vision grew. It would be something different. No more playing at church. No more going through the motions. We would reach people where they were, in a vastly unchurched area. The core group began meeting in our home.

Around the same time, Scott and I started a small group in our home. We had a couple from TRU, a couple who were friends of ours, and a former Homestead gal and her baby daddy who attended. We had a meal together and talked about God and the Bible and grew together. We came alongside one of the couples as they struggled with their meth addiction.

When TRU started, Scott and I were all in. He began in the children’s ministry teaching the kids. I ran the Welcome team. We loved TRU. So many hurting, broken, addicted people came seeking hope. Lives were changed.

After a couple of years, I had the opportunity to sing with Dave. I absolutely loved it. Dave worked tirelessly with me to teach me to harmonize and blend with his voice. A year later, Scott joined us. We loved our Thursday night dinners and rehearsals at our house. We also loved the Saturday practices at the church after set up. Mom on the keyboards, Travis on the guitar, Josh or Dave on the bass, Josh or Darren on drums. Sometimes also Bobby on guitar too. We laughed and joked and had a blast. Early on Jandi joined us sometimes and then later Labarbara and Darryl. We even joined the band a few times in either Travis or Josh’s garage for rehearsal. Wayne and Fred were often setting up chairs at Saturday rehearsal and then either Jason or Matthew were on the sound board. I have such precious memories of all of these times with these people. We were a family, real and raw and unedited.

Sunday mornings, Scott and I drove to West Manhattan to pick up mom, later also picking up Labarbara on the way, then over to north Manhattan to pick up Adelle, then off to St. George by 830. Warming up vocally in the car was always fun. We used to do actual vocal warm ups from you tube, but later had a rotation of Jason Mraz, Michael Buble, Chris Stapleton and Midwest Meets Manhattan songs we sang in the car. Sometimes we sang the actual worship songs we’d sing that Sunday. Everyone’s moods were right there in the mornings, including Labarbara’s talkative moods, my shortness, mom’s ditziness, Scott’s slothlikeness, and Adelle always with her headphones on listening to her own thing.

After awhile, TRU felt like other church. Going through the motions. Playing church. People came “dressed” for church. When they’d ask how you were, and you’d say you were struggling, the answer was, “Oh, I’ll pray for you,” with a look like, “Its church, why would you say that?” Even worship, though fun, sometimes felt more like a performance than a time of praise. At least in my spirit. Tear down became a burden rather than an act of service. More “church” people came and less hurting, broken people. Or if they were hurting, they hid it behind church masks. People started getting in their holy huddles, cliques, who knew what info. We were also guilty of that.

I do have a lot of memories of great celebrations and get togethers with the core team and others, getting to know awesome people. People loved and accepted Adelle. For the most part. There were those who complained when she, too, didn’t act quite like a church person was supposed to act.

I have believed in and supported TRU for six years with my time, support, talent and heart. I really wanted something different to happen there. It did then it didn’t. I love Jesus with all my heart but I really don’t think His focus was having people come to church. His focus was to offer hope.

For now, we plan to take a break from all church. And maybe we can find a way to start something that offers the hope of Jesus that isn’t church. But for now, we will rest.

I will treasure the good times at TRU. And miss parts of it. I really hope to keep in touch with those who shared their true hearts with us. And I will pray for TRU.

Henry and Emmet have been so adorable lately, I have to capture some of the memories.

Last week I spent the day in Newton. Emmet wasn’t feeling well and got pretty sick by the end of the day so he was mellow and stuck close to Leah all day. That meant that I got pure Henry time. Usually Henry is pretty shy but he greeted me with a huge smile and loud, “Mammaw!” We played alone the two of us in his room quite awhile and he spent a lot of time on my lap. I soaked it all up! When I was leaving, Henry said, “Gammaw, wait!”

Emmet always gives me the sweetest hugs and smiles. When he was napping, Leah was resting and Emmet had an accident. I helped him change then laid down with him. I tried to nap, our faces about 3 inches apart. Every time I popped an eye open, Emmet was looking at me and smiled so sweetly.

Scott and I went to Newton yesterday to deliver and pick up some furniture. This time, Henry wasn’t feeling well and was pushing up on nap time. But even his little tantrums were adorable. He lays down and pulls his knees up under him and puts his face in his hands and sobs the most pitiful sounds. Leah does NOT think its cute at all.

We played cars and tracks with both boys. Emmet is so patient and helpful with Henry, giving him turns without being asked, and helping him retrieve cars. At one point when Henry was crying because he was so tired, Emmet said, “It’s ok, he’s two.”

Henry was funny. During dinner he brought me a wad of toilet paper at the table and told me to wipe. He says the absolute cutest funny things, his words for things and facial expressions.

Emmet tells huge, long stories with all kinds of details. Scott spent the longest time throwing the boys on the bed while they laughed and laughed. They love Scott so much and don’t see as much of him as they do me, so when Scott is there, they are both ALL about “Papa.”

Time to update you on all the things going on. We have clearly been in a waiting period with tiny steps being made. The realization that everything is truly going to happen is finally setting in.

The Music

We leave for Nashville on Saturday! If you follow our facebook and instagram pages, you’ll know that the guys went down last week and watched the musicians lay down the music tracks. They are so awesome! I can listen to just the music without voices in the car all day long. This is going to be the perfect album just to have on in your house or car at any given time. Then adding the words, the stories, the messages and the freaking harmonies! Everyone involved or who has listened has a different favorite song. The producer and experienced musicians as well as Dave and Chad all think we have some hits.

So its rehearse, rehearse, go over lines, stretch our voices while trying to balance out rest and getting/staying healthy so our voices are ready to go. We will be recording 8 songs in 4 days. Scott and I have only done a practice studio so it is going to be a fresh experience. But we are doing all we can to be ready! Dave has put in hours and hours to get us ready. Chad has put in hours and hours writing and perfecting and sending us tracks. Scott has put in hours of contributing, co creating, and working out the business stuff.

We anticipate 6-8 weeks for the vinyl to be cut after the final mix and mastering of the songs. We will hit the social media platforms hard. When it is all ready, the publicist will promote the music and the book. We could do interviews, TV, radio, magazine. Then we will put together mini tours in the places we do the interviews.

If you haven’t yet, please check out our website MidwestMeetsManhattan.com and like and share on facebook and instagram. You can also catch some live performances on facebook. Don’t forget that four of the songs are already out on iTunes, Spotify and amazon music.

The Book

We are in the very final stages of the editing for grammar and punctuation so its perfect. I’m reading it aloud to Scott every night which helps both of us. Chad and Mel are reading it. Our daughter Hannah is reading parts of it so she can get ideas for the cover sketch. Once it is all ready, we will publish it on a web platform that gets it out on all the ebook formats as well as print on demand on Amazon. I will be able as the author to get up to 999 print copies for copy and shipping costs only. We will promote the book along with the album in the interviews and on social media and then have it available for sale at the merch table along with the vinyl. So excited!

The Practice

We are in all the nitty gritty stages of the legal paperwork, the lease, the LLC stuff, the malpractice and liability insurances. Once the lease is signed, the landlord will start the renovations on the office space. We are excited about our office location, 1445 Anderson, in the Anderson Village shopping center. It is next to Suds y’r Duds and down from Sparrow Coffee across from KSU and on the back side of MCC. Two minutes from the house! It is public but also private and has a back entrance and lots of parking in front and back. It has a waiting room, reception area and tiny kitchen, a staff bathroom, a public bathroom, three pretty good size offices and tons of storage.

I’m excited and nervous about all aspects of the practice but am confident moving forward.

Be sure to like and share the facebook and instagram pages Ethos Therapy and Life Coaching and check out our website. Ethostherapyandlifecoaching.com

Me

I continue to volunteer at Homestead and have two clinical supervisees. I work out at Genesis and 9 rounds. I’m still doing lots of self care and resting and healing while getting ready for all the great things to come.

Scott and I shared a quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We went to the Romeros for a yummy meal and dessert. The kids arrived the next evening.

I picked up Joel and Molly at the rental car place as they drove from Molly’s family in Wisconsin. Leah, Dave, and the kids arrived just before that.

Hannah was unable to come but we did lots of FaceTiming with her, even streamed her up on the big screen. Kent is in Peru.

Our house is always filled with chaos, mess and lots of love when the kids are home. The boys were both completely enamored with Uncle Joel.

We did tons and tons of eating, including our traditional orange danish rolls, took turns cooking (genius!), hiked the Konza, looked at the Festival of Lights. And of course, opened gifts and stockings. Leah made Scott a picture of his Mom holding him when he was little.

Some fun moments were Emmet snuggling with me all night in my bed (he came to me scared and when I said I needed to sleep, he said,”but Emmet wants to talk…” then as soon as Scott came to bed, Emmet curled up to him and fell immediately asleep.). I also heard some soft snoring and discovered it wasn’t coming from Rex or Scott, it was Emmet!

Another fun moment was trying to teach Henry to wink.

We had a great play date with a friend of Leah’s and her daughter at the library.

More good food.

Some games.

Naps.

What a terrifying and exciting adventure to start a therapy practice! Thought it would be fun to catch my readers up on this venture but also maybe help anyone out there thinking of doing this.

I can’t remember when or where the idea started. Dave and Scott and I decided it would be cool to start up a practice with Life Coaching, Pastoral Care and Therapy. I guess it started back when we started TRU and dreamed someday of putting a therapy practice in the community center. And then when Dave stopped Pastoring at TRU, the idea started coming together.

Here is where we are right now then I’ll catch you on on how we got to each stage.

The vision is this: We will offer therapy, faith based therapy, trauma therapy, life coaching, pastoral care, and massage therapy. Right now it is myself, Dave, and Scott’s sister Shari. Scott hopes to get his life coaching certification and finalize what he needs to do conflict mediation down the road and join us. Shari will come once a week to start offering massage therapy then when Dave gets full, she will do some life coaching. I am praying about another therapist to join us but will start without one and join a consultation group until I do.

Name. This was hard. We had done a lot of brainstorming and picked a name we thought we would use but no one loved it. We were in Arkansas and did more brainstorming and someone said, “Let’s ask Chad!” So Chad thought for about two minutes and started talking about how they came up with the name of their leather shop, Ethos Custom Leather, and we all stopped and said, “Ethos.” He said it means, basically, the essence of a person. I googled it and found it is

Ethos…the set of moral beliefs, attitudes, habits, etc., that are characteristic of a person or group.

— Cambridge Dictionary.

I love it. We get to use their old logo and everything. (see below). The official name is Ethos Therapy and Life Coaching.

Space. We are in final negotiations for a space to rent. Dave and I looked at several properties and decided that if we had trouble locating them to look at them, they might be hard for our clients to find. We looked at several size offices and several locations then found the one we are hoping/planning to secure. Initially, we were wanting a space that is 900 square feet that the landlord would have built out into three offices. It had waiting room, a tiny kitchen space and a bathroom, a back entrance and would have a tiny staff water closet. Then he showed us an older office that has all of that but two full bathrooms, tons of storage, a little bit more space at 1100 square feet, and two full bathrooms. It needs some updating and some upgrades. It also has just a little bit more privacy but is easy for clients to find, along with being walking distance from k-state and MCC and only 2 minutes from my house. So that is exciting. I’ve started thinking and dreaming about the furniture and decorating but that is overwhelming (but fun).

Business stuff. I have done all the paperwork, HIPPA, etc.. releases, stuff like that, priced business insurance, and found someone to do the credentialing and file insurance. I have started the website and should have an email address and start the social media stuff soon. I will get the LLC and tax numbers and all that rigamaroll after the first of the year.

The website has a good start and I’m doing it myself! It’s hard! I watch tutorials and dig in. Its pretty cool! There was a lot to write. I stilll need our pics and our bios.

In January, we will get spruce on our phones which will give us a phone number. Then we can get the business cards and stationary and start advertising and get the website out there. We will get therapy notes going. Dave plans to do all the phone answering, scheduling, and outreach. Go Dave!

Because I don’t yet know when the space will be ready to go into or when the lease will start, I can’t say for sure when the doors will open, but we are hoping to start up March 1.

(The significance of using the same name as Chad’s shop is crazy. A total God thing. We decided that the album we are recording will be a concept album based on the book I wrote which is based on the work I do at Homestead. Dave has started a facebook live show which will become a podcast/you tube channel. He will set up his office in the practice to be a recording studio for that. I’ve already been a guest on his show and so has Scott so we can advertise the practice on that as well as deal with pertinent topics. The practice is using a tag line that is actually a song Dave did in the past, Healing, Help, and Hope. So each of us has separate business ventures that all fall under one umbrella, Midwest Meets Manhattan, but that overlap and support and promote each other. Just as an aside, the album and the book will come out and be co promoted in early spring also.)

Warning: this post is raw, real, philosophical, maybe even a bit preachy. Sorry, not sorry.

I have learned so much over the past two years. So, so many valuable lessons. I feel like I’ve been wandering in the wilderness like an Israelite, with the promised land just beyond reach. Maybe I’ve been wandering my whole life.

First. We can’t keep up the pace of life that this culture demands. I’ve blogged about this before. We have to stop, be still, listen, rest. School Social Work almost killed me. Literally. I just worked for the weekends.

Second. Its all temporary. Jobs, relationships, family members, churches, health, communities you are a part of, even mental health. It can all be stripped away in an instant. We put our hope, our confidence, our identities, our faith, in what we do, in who we think we are, in our feelings, in others. It shouldn’t take losing these things to have our eyes opened. It did for me.

Third. You don’ have it all figured out. If you think you do, you are wrong. Keep searching, keep growing, keep learning, keep leaning in.

Fourth. Growth hurts. Its a slow, painful process that can’t be rushed. When you think you’ve stripped away all, you haven’t. But there is hope on the other side, even along the way.

Fifth. God shows His grace and love through others. Others who come alongside you, accept you, love you even in your brokenness. You can’t put your faith in others, because humans can fail you, after all, they are humans. But you can let them love and support you, you can love and support them. They can speak truth to you, give you a glimpse into the love, acceptance, grace and wisdom that God has for you. Appreciate them and hold them dearly, spend time with them, love them well and intentionally, because they can be taken away.

Sixth. Be present. Look for His gifts all around you. Be grateful. Joy is found in the little things, that cup of coffee, the warm bed, sunshine, a hug.

Seventh. God is so very faithful. He is always there with you and always has been, even when you didn’t know it. You are never alone. He sees you and knows you. He accepts you and loves you. He forgives you and never gives up. He has good gifts for you. He has your best in mind. Always. Put your faith, your identity, your confidence, and your hope in Him, in Him alone. Not the fleeting things of this world.

Scott and I and Dave and Mel traveled this last weekend to Fort Smith, Arkansas to visit Chad and Bobbye and see where it all began. We left Thursday morning for the 6 hour drive. Scott and I played Wordscapes and hit the unhealthy snacks at each stop. You gotta do that on a road trip, right?

We arrived at Bobby’s apartment to unpack. Oh my goodness. The apartment is so Bobbye. Cozy, warm, and decorated to the hilt. Every nook and cranny had a personal saying or memorable photo. There were pillows and throws and lamps everywhere, pink and glittery. Bobbye and Chad gave up the apartment and stayed at Chad’s parents’ so the four of us could stay together. Bobbye is the most amazing hostess, making sure our every need was taken care of. There were coffee and muffins, waters, pop…. We felt so loved.

We went immediately to the shop, Ethos Custom Brands. This is the leather shop where boots and guitar straps and all the amazing accessories are designed, created and shipped out. But it is also filled with music. When we arrived and for the next several hours, there was the most beautiful soft voice singing Billie Eilish songs coming from the back. As I rounded the corner, I was amazed to find it was Chad’s 9 year old daughter singing karaoke! Such a beautiful voice. Chad’s older daughter also treated us to a tune. Both were impressive.

We toured the shop, Chad’s office, Cody’s, Bobby’s work space. We saw the comfy break room filled with every imaginable snack (mostly unhealthy kid food:), the yet unused spaces.

We spent our time in two other very special places. One of the biggest purposes of our trip was to give Scott and I first time experience singing in the studio. So Dave and Chad recorded their parts on the two newest songs and then Scott and I dove in. It was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I am out of my element, singing the fifth above. Dave had patiently pored into us to teach us the parts. Then we took turns putting on the headphones and stepping up to the mic. Scott killed it. I struggled some and cussed a lot but got my feet under me and did it. At one point, Chad said I sounded like Linda Ronstadt.

The studio itself, by the way, is such a cool, comfortable place, dark, with super comfortable couches. I took naps in there, one with a cuddly cat on my chest. I also spent a lot of time playing with their rescue pup, Gibson.

The last day, we put on our fancy rock duds and took professional photos in the studio in the back. It was the perfect setting, a rock wall, a wood wall, and a garage door with just the right lighting. We did lots of posing and changing poses and changing the lighting, our clothes, our hair. Then we looked at the products and Cody started the editing process. We look like a badass old band reunited. We are purposely leaving some of the wrinkles. I can’t wait for you to see it.

So the weekend was about collaboration, teamwork, bonding. We spent quite a bit of time listening to some of the old music they wrote that has never been produced. We dreamed and planned. One of the most exciting take aways, for me, is a new name for my private practice (yet to be announced–stay tuned).

Saturday night we were invited to Chad’s parents’ house for dinner. This is the house that Chad grew up in, that he and Dave have spent hours and hours in. Chad’s Dad gave us a tour of his woodshop. His Mama cooked us a southern cooked meal that blew our minds, black eyed peas and beans, squash, stewed cabbage, roast, corn, veggie trays, pickle trays, cornbread, and the most amazing peanut butter pie. So tasty and prepared with such love.

After dinner we did a live show, a collaboration of Ethos Custom Brands (they do facebook live regularly and have a faithful following), Without Walls Real Talk and Midwest Meets Manhattan. The theme was music so we did some singing and interacting with the live audiences. I love singing with those guys!

Professionally, the weekend was a huge success. Its so encouraging to see all of the visions and dreams starting to come together. Pray for us, as when great things start to happen and you fall into His plan, along comes the testing.

Feeling reflective this Thanksgiving morning as I sit here with my son in my kitchen, waiting for more family to arrive, food spread out ready to cook. I am reflecting on this year, remembering to be grateful. Then at New Year’s, I can put 2019 to rest. Seal it up forever. 2020 promises to be a year of new beginnings, risks, trust.

2019 has been a hard year. So much loss, so much change, so many realizations, so much growth. It has been filled with pain and reflection, brokenness, shame, and heartache. I have never experienced anything like this year and I hope I never do again. I will learn to be thankful for this period because I trust God that He means what He says that He will bring good out of bad, that He will finish the work He has started in me. At the end of everything, His love is all that endures. I am learning so much about trusting and leaning in.

I have so much to be grateful for, a family who loves me, grand babies who bring joy, happy and successful children, a husband who stands by me through everything, a beautiful home, a strong, healthy body, good finances, and many many who love me.

I truly have so much to look forward to. A book to publish. A musical venture to embark on with recording a concept album and hopefully performing. A new practice to start up. And so much more.

But I also find peace and joy in the little things, being so grateful for each moment. I count my blessings every single day. I look for the little ways that God shows me He loves me and He’s got me.

Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for loving me.

Scott had a four day weekend so we decided to go to Golden to see Hannah and Kent. We talked and sang all the way there.

Went that evening to Royal Burger on Tennyson street.

Had a great night sleep and Hannah made us a yummy brunch in their adorable home.

Then we went in a lovely walk along a stream on Lair o’ the Bear trail.

Then drove up a cool winding road to Look Out Mountain.

A quick stop at Whole Foods and a yummy sandwich and nap.

Gussied up a little and headed to Union Station to meet up with Joel’s girlfriend Molly and her sister as Molly happened to be in town.

Ubered to a restaurant but the wait was too long then decided to return to the home front and eat pizza and play games.

Another good night sleep, Kent and Hannah fixed us another yummy breakfast then a long drive home. So good to get away.