the hartsteins

The Covered Bridge Festival

For as long as I can remember, we've always gone down to the Covered Bridge Festival in Terre Houte, Indiana with our family every few years. It's been awhile since we've gone, though. Typically, we go to Brown County one year (which we still do, on this schedule) and then the Covered Bridge Festival the next. If the whole family still went, this would be the year that we'd go to the Covered Bridge Festival. But, like it's been the past several years, that's not going to happen.

.... Until today! I was watching the news this morning and realized that Iowa has a Covered Bridge Festival in Winterset!! Yea :)! Now, I just have to convince Dan to take me :) I suppose I could go by myself, but it's so much better with your family. I've printed out the map to all the bridges, and I'm starting to get excited about wandering the streets, looking at all the crafts and art. Yea!!!! I'm so excited!!!!

You know what.. The more that I think about it and dream about it, the more that Des Moines just seems like the perfect place for us to root. We have a fanatastic church, the local school is great, we have friends here, there's the Covered Bridge Festival!!, all of our family is going to be all over the country anyway. The only thing we're missing is having family. Just someone from our family being out here would make such a difference. I really hope that Carl decides to go to college in Aimes... Or maybe we can convince someone else to move out here (Christi, Jim and Taddie maybe?? ... Or, by a long shot, Cheryl, Bill and Tori?) It would make such a difference.

I just don't want our kids to forget what we have in Michigan/Indiana. The history, the family. I don't want my kids growing up not knowing who their Great Aunt Becky and Uncle Mike are. Or even their fourth cousin, Christian Lee. My family is so close.. I think my fears are all rooted in growing apart and distant from the people who mean the most to us.

Gosh ... even if my mom and dad moved to St. Louis, MO - that's closer than Washington D.C. But I know how much they LOVE it out there. Again, no family. But my dad loves his job and my mom loves the history in the area. Just as long as Dan and I schedule at least 3-4 times a year traveling out there. Maybe more when we have kids.

OK! Sometimes, I wonder if I think about this stuff too much ... I guess I'm just trying to find a solution! Oh well - I just need to remember to leave it in God's hands, and trust that we're here for a reason. Because we are, you know.