Iowa Bound

Home of the Hawkeyes! Where people paint yellow and black bird beaks on rocks, mailboxes, houses and barns. Because seriously, people, there are only two things in Iowa, corn and football.

We planned on leaving Saturday at 2am and arriving in Muscatine, Iowa at 10am. I had emailed and texted my uncle a month prior, confirming we were coming. Friday afternoon, I, on a whim, called my grandma and said, "Hey, we will be there tomorrow.". She was stunned. Apparently, Uncle Mark never mentioned we were coming into town. Grandma canceled her plans and assured me she would see me, Jon and the kids when we got there. Love my family. Scatterbrain Uncle Mark, too.

James and Jesse met their cousin, Cheyenne and they became fast friends. On the drive home, all I heard was "Cheyenne was sooo nice. I can't wait till we go back.". Cheyenne is adorable!

But the reason for the trip was this behemoth thing. Back in April, Jesse and I traveled to Iowa for my sister's graduation. During that visit, my Uncle Mark showed my Dad something he had built in his garage. My Dad came and found me, since I was busy making the acquaintance of my cousin Mark and the two Malamutes, Odin and Xena.

Dad said to me, "I think you need to come see this. Jon would love it.". So I went and Mark showed me what it could do. I GASPED. I have never been able to get Jon something that he cannot already make or doesn't already have for his woodworking shop. But this machine, sitting in this little shed, was something Jon had dreamed of having. My uncle said he was willing to sell it to me at a price I could afford. I left with plans to return and surprise Jon with it. All I had to figure out was how to get the darn thing home.

Come October, I knew I would need Jon's help getting it home. So I spilled the surprise and begged him to take a weekend off work and help me get the darn thing home. I had to assure him that it would be worth the trip. So, we borrowed a trailer from a friend, loaded up the kids and went to Iowa this past weekend.

The trip was fast, and went off without a hitch. Literally. We are now proud owners of a CNC router woodworking machine, complete with the CAD program, computer, router and a table on wheels.

I cannot wait to show you guys what this machine will do. The fact that it is a homemade machine, built in my uncle's garage, complete with salvaged parts, makes it fit us and our personalities perfectly. We love homemade, creativity and resourcefulness.