End of Summer Fun

Since Jordan has his first official day of work tomorrow, our lazy summer is coming to an end! It is kind of sad but we have had a fantastic couple of months together that most newly weds don't get to have! Who wouldn't want to have one last high school style summer full of lazy mornings and pool days?? (sorry if you disagree and like to spend beautiful days in front of a computer screen or in a cubicle :-P )

In between our pool dates and Starbucks runs, we have managed to get in a few fun excursions this summer :)

At the end of July, we went to the Determan Family reunion in Galena, IL. This was the 5th time we have had the event and it was a lot of fun to get to see family again. Especially since we did not get a chance to talk to everyone at the wedding! (The photo below was taken by my Uncle Ed of the beautiful sunset right after our main dinner).

A few weeks ago, we met up with some friends at the local zoo for an event called "Zoo Brew." This was the best idea that anyone ever had. You can have a beer or margarita while looking at your favorite animals!! We did discover that the animals are a bit more adventurous after hours haha.

This past weekend was especially busy. My (Kate's) sister Emily, her family friend Lynn, and her grandparents all came in for the weekend. Since we are just learning about Des Moines, it was fun to show them around to the places we have found. We went to dinner at the Macaroni Grill, visited the Downtown Farmer's Market, shopped at Valley Junction, and of course found some great deals at Jordan Creek Mall.

As if that was not enough, on Sunday we (Kate and Jordan) hopped in the car and headed to Kansas City to watch the Royals play the Yankees. Before the game, we tailgated and explored the stadium. For those of you who are baseball fans, you have to see this stadium. It has the LARGEST jumbotron I have ever seen. Seriously, this thing was ridiculous, a true relic of the 1980s haha. Anyway, this was Jordan's first time seeing the Yankees and they got beat 1-0 by the home team.


As for this week, we have been staying fairly low key. On Monday, Karla, Brynna, and Hayden came to our apartment to spend the afternoon with us at the pool. It was such a fun afternoon and Hayden seemed to love the big kid pool! She even was brave enough to jump in the water to Uncle Jordan!

Now, Jordan is gearing up for his new life as Senor Garrett, professional Spanish teacher and I am gearing up for whatever role comes next! We hope you are all having a fantastic last few weeks of summer!!