My good friend Melanie Hansen generously offered for us to stay in their spacious and newly remodeled basement during our stay in Iowa. This was a great money-saver, and it exceeded my expectations in every way. Their basement is awesome, with two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a big rec room, a playroom, a game room, a mini fridge, and a gym. And I'm probably still missing some things! It was so nice, and we were very comfortable and happy there.
This was my room. How could it not be with that cute trio of owls? 😁
My room opened up into the playroom, where Sam slept.
The Hansens' grandchildren are very lucky kids! (For many reasons, not just a great playroom!)
John slept on the couch for the few nights that he was here and not at Craig's house. My mom slept in the other bedroom.
Sam really enjoyed the air hockey table, so much so that I ended up getting him one for his birthday in September! It's not as big or as fancy as this one, but it's a good, fun one.
John got a workout in. The Hansen Hotel had it all!
These were in the laundry room and I thought they were cute.
It was great to be with Mito again! He's such a fun, spunky little dog. We played with him a lot, and of course we took pictures with him. By the time we left, Mito might have been kind of glad. 😆
Not to be forgotten is their sweet cat Millie, who I have a particular soft spot for. Marlan really wished we could take her home with us (for real!), and I wished we could have too.
We got a kick out of how Millie likes to hang out on the roof of the house. 😅
We left on Sunday morning and Melanie and Marlan made us a delicious home-cooked breakfast, which was so kind of them. They truly are the best people and we are so blessed to have them as our friends. Marlan was our stake president and home teacher (and he's also a renowned ear, nose, and throat surgeon), and Melanie was a wonderful friend and walking partner. We had great walks and talks over the years, and I miss that a lot.
John's fake smile here makes me LOL 😂
Millie was waiting on the roof to bid us farewell. Ha ha!
Bye Millie!
Before we took off, I got a good shot of the beautiful Iowa countryside near their house.
I'm so thankful to the Hansens for their hospitality, generosity, and friendship. They were a very special part of our eight wonderful years of living in Iowa, and they're still a special part of our lives and I think they always will be. It was a totally worthwhile trip in every way. 💛💛💛
