Old new friends and the joys of geography

(sorry for the mediocre picture)

Shaun has these amazing friends from college, and we went to a wedding reception for two of them this weekend. Pete and Laurie are the kind of couple that you feel lucky to even know. Like $'s other friends, as every single time I meet one of them I'm struck by how open and kind and welcoming they are. I mean, I married Shaun, and I really like him and all, but his friends are just amazing. Everyone I met (or saw again, most for the first time in three years) this weekend seemed honestly happy to meet me, genuninely friendly, and just funny as all heck. Shaun insists that this is one of the many, many merits of his alma mater, but I've met his friends from high school, too, and find this to be true of all the people who love my husband. Maybe it's the Shaun Phenomenon.



At any rate, we spent just one night in Southwestern Minnesota, put nearly 1,000 miles on the car, and it was worth every minute to see these folks.



Plus, the Mississippi River Valley is just breathtaking. There is something about the history of that river that I find so compelling. When I was in New Orleans, one of the most remarkable things, having grown up next to the start of the river, was seeing the other end of it.



But the Minnesota portion is pretty fantastic, all by itself.