Visiting the Dunlaps

I love, love the fact that we know people from all over the United States!  The truth is, I married a guy with awesome friends that have stood the test of time, and now I can wholeheartedly say they're my friends, too! We had a chance to stop in Fort Wayne, Indiana and visit with the Dunlaps before continuing our trek further west.  There was an awesome little city park called Johnny Appleseed Park just a few miles from their house, which made it so convenient to visit!  What a blessing, too, because we wouldn't have fit in their driveway or on the street!

We had a great time at the zoo! Jake got up close and personal with this giraffe.

Loaded wagon

Corban and Genna became best buddies.

It wasn't long until they were holding hands.   It is cute now, but we will probably feel differently in ten years.

Caleb the jungle adventurer

Alyssa and the Orangutan.   Alyssa is on the right.

We had such a great time visiting with Adam & Julia and their two boys, Caleb & Corban.  We visited the zoo, great zoo, though our visit was on a Saturday with perfect weather, so it was crowded, for sure!

After the zoo. we stopped by the playground.

It is a little blurry, but I love this shot of Adam and Julia sliding together.

They took us to a place that has been serving Coney Dogs for like a hundred years--the kind of place that you'd see on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  We also went to a splash park where the kids got thoroughly drenched and had a blast.

We had to hit this Fort Wayne landmark.

It is so nice when we can send the kids off to their own table.

Apparently this place is always packed; we timed it well getting there at 3 on a Sunday afternoon.

Other than that, we hung out at their place and feasted!  Seriously, they spoiled us with Thanksgiving in August--fried turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole, homemade biscuits, and cheesecake for dessert!  They kids jumped on the trampoline and played with legos. Jake fell in love with the boys' tractor trailer trucks.  And we enjoyed Adam's stories of college days.  Last but not least, we sat around and watched some of Adam's videos, including footage of my brother Mark that made Alyssa say, "I'll never think of Uncle Mark the same again!" LOL  We also watched video from when Steve & I got married almost 15 years ago!  Wow...we looked sooo young!!  Sooo fun to reconnect and reminisce with friends!

After Coney Island, we went to the splash fountains and burned off some energy.

We all got pretty wet.   Steve had fun swiping Shanan's "wig thing" and running around with it.

Jake loved playing with all the boys' toys!

The classic "sofa shot" family photo.

Adam showing off a more natural pose for him.

Thanks so much for your hospitality and generosity, Adam & Julia!  We all had a great time, and can't wait to do it again some day!