Iowa

After many, many, many e-mails, my husband and I finally made it out to Iowa to visit my Aunt and Uncle's dream home in the South Central portion of the state. After getting used to the slower, yet thinner, traffic, as well as the hourly stops my body necessitated, we arrived early Friday afternoon ready to get out of the car.
After a quick tour of the beautiful brand new custom home, complete with Frank Lloyd Wright inspired detail, windows overlooking a scenic pond and cloverfield, a deck larger than our entire condo, a walk in shower, two fireplaces, a kitchen complete with prep sink and double oven, and many other enviable details ( like an indoor putting green ), we headed to the great outdoors.
Billy's tour was taken on an ATV that rivaled our actual vehicle in terms of power. My tour, while just as thorough, was in a bigger and stronger, and much safer for a woman in my "condition", SUV. Eighty acres of land, filled with fields, orchards, ponds, forest, hills. Flora and fauna in abundance. Careful attention to native grasses, plants and trees in an effort to attract wildlife also native to the area, particularly deer, turkey and a plethura of birds, including, but not limited to, several varieties of hawks as well as hummingbirds.
After the tours, Billy was off to turkey hunt with my Uncle on the property, while I quickly and happily slid into social hour(s) with my Aunt. And while they came back empty handed, we cheerily engaged in a feast of homemade and right-from-the-pond caught fried catfish fingers.
The next two days followed similar patterns. The remoteness created a peace in me I had forgotten was possible. Sleep came easily and lingered for longer than I thought conceivable. Nature walks resulted in muskrat spottings, fawn glimpses, Tom scares ( I had no idea a male turkey could be so "BIG" looking in person, and therefore... slightly scary! ), and venison so varied I had no idea I was even eating it... delicious, by the way!
In the end, while we did not walk away with a turkey, or even a catfish for that matter, a whole new world was opened to us. Submergance deep in Iowa country. God's country is what some might say and I can see why. Re-established relationships with an Aunt and Uncle that were previously good, but more remnants of the past as opposed to realities of today. Refreshed minds and spirits. Bonded more tightly in our marriage by a shared weekend that brought both of us deep pleasure and a reassertion of our life's goals and priorities. And the lesson that a couple committed to a joint and focused goal can lead to a realized dream of this vastness- this amazing.
We had a great weekend. It was a great way to spend one of our last child-free weekends. We are looking forward to going back, but better yet, we have taken the experience with us and will use it as one of the foundations of our marriage.