road trip part 3

we've made it to the 3rd and last post on our trip!

day 7: 10/10

we left thatcher's grandparents' around 9am and hit the road for salina, kansas. azalea did pretty well in the morning. we managed to get an hour nap out of her. we stopped for lunch in colby, kansas, then drove the rest of the afternoon. azalea got pretty sick of being in the car and made sure to let us know.

we did stop along the way at a really nice playground, so azalea could burn off some energy. we arrived in salina at 5pm and set out to find the best BBQ in town. the staff at the front desk recommended a place called the hickory hut and we weren't let down! i think it's safe to say it was the best BBQ I've had in my life and I've tried my fair share. so good! we drove through the downtown then headed back to the hotel to put azalea down for the night and relax.

day 8: 10/11

we got up, went for a quick swim in the hotel pool, had breakfast, then checked out. we spent the morning exploring salina a little more. another playground for azalea :) then I found a home decor store downtown that I fell in love with. i wanted everything in the store, but walked away with just a couple things. 

we went to a grocery store to pick up some food for a picnic lunch, then drove minneapolis, kansas. yep, you read that right! of course we had to check it out. it was a really cute town and we had fun taking pictures of all the minneapolis signs. we had lunch at a park, then hopped back in the car and headed for lincoln, nebraska. we stayed with my college roommate, kaylee and her fiancé preston in lincoln. we went to a japanese restaurant for dinner and then hung out at their house the rest of the night. 

day 9: 10/12

we said goodbye to kaylee and preston and headed out to see some of lincoln. it was a chilly morning, so we stopped at a cute coffee shop near the university. then we got back in the car and headed towards souix falls, south dakota, our final stop of the trip. 

we got to souix falls in the late afternoon and met up with an old coworker/friend of thatcher's named sarah and her boyfriend at falls park. it was windy and cold, but very pretty. nice to see them, too! we stayed with some new friends of ours in souix falls, steph and josh. they are good friends with another couple we know from home and have a daughter who was born on the exact same day as azalea. we had a yummy dinner at their house and watched the girls play. after the kiddos went to bed, we stayed up til 12:30 playing phase 10. way past my bedtime, but lots of fun! :)  

home bound: 10/13

we had breakfast at steph and josh's, played with the girls, then hit the road in the late morning for home! it's always nice to come home after a vacation isn't it? ok, maybe not the going back to work part, but sleeping in your own bed feels so good!