On Friday we traveled to Des Moines, Iowa for a weekend revolving around the Hy-Vee 5150 National Championship Triathlon, as well as an excuse to see some friends who live in that area. Having a six hour drive ahead of us, I was so thankful we had recently acquired this portable DVD player to keep Corynn entertained in the car for at least part of the trip. It worked great and we almost didn't hear a peep out of her from Newton to Kansas City. Normally she watches very little TV, so this was a special occasion for her and she soaked up the opportunity to watch numerous DVDs throughout the weekend!
We arrived in Des Moines mid-afternoon Friday and after some pre-race activities, we settled in at the hotel. Late that evening the rest of our crew arrived - grandma & grandpa Nickel and Kenton & Eunice.
Saturday morning we ventured out together after breakfast so Kevin could check out the run course and do a little training. The rest of us wondered around the inside and outside of the Iowa State Capital building - which is where Sunday's triathlon finished.
Running around the parking lot with Aunt Eunice
The gold-domed capital
Looking up at the dome from the inside
Exploring all the stairways inside the capital
Posing with the "horse" statue outside the capital. Can you see Corynn by the orange fence?
Protesting on the sidewalk because I refused to carry her any farther.
The rest of Saturday consisted of lunch; swimming at the hotel; naps; Kevin, Elton, & Corynn driving the bike course, while the rest of us went shopping; then supper at The Olive Garden; and back to the hotel for bed.
Our alarms woke us up at 4am Sunday morning and Kevin, Corynn and I were off to Gray's Lake for the triathlon swim start. After rain and showers most of the day on Saturday, a cool front moved in and it was a chilly 50-some degrees race day morning.
Thankfully we anticipated the cool weather and I threw in hats and gloves which were appreciated, especially before the sun came up.
After the race got underway and Kevin was out of the water and on to bike portion, we drove back to the capital area to watch part of the run and the finish.
Corynn and grandpa explored the streets of downtown Des Moines as we waited for Kevin to arrive.
After an exhausting race with an impressive field of competitors, Kevin placed 7th in the elite age-group Championship division. Unfortunately it was not the 1st place finish we were all hoping for (as the winner won a 2012 Mini Cooper!), but he had a great race and we were all really proud of him!
The whole fan club after the race - including Kevin's cousin Russell who made the trip from Wisconsin to cheer him on
After the race we headed back to the hotel to shower, clean out our rooms, and pack up the vehicles. Our friends the Hora's drove up from Oskaloosa, IA and met us at the hotel, then together we went out for lunch and to a park for the afternoon. The guys played frisbee golf while the ladies stayed at the playground with Corynn.
This was a pretty common scene from our weekend as I'm having trouble finding pants that fit Corynn in the waist and are the right length! So she spent a good part of the day hiking up her pant (or losing them all together :), and we tried to keep her "belt" tied tight enough so she wouldn't have so many issues!
Corynn even tried out the disk-golf thing
Grandma and Corynn showing off their 5150 triathlon tattoos! Corynn was very proud of hers!
After several hours at the park we said our goodbyes and headed on. Grandma, Corynn, Kevin and I traveled east to Parnell, Iowa to visit our former church pastor and his family - Corey, Nancy, Hannah, & Rachel - who just recently moved to Iowa in July. The rest of the Nickel crew headed home.
We enjoyed a delicious supper with the Miller family Sunday night, and Corynn had a great time playing with the girls. Hannah and Rachel were so great with Corynn, had all sorts of toys out waiting for her, and sat on the floor all evening playing with her! I wish I had a picture of that cuteness!
But here's what I did get...
Hannah, Corynn & Rachel outside West Union Mennonite Church
On Monday morning Corey and Kevin went out and picked up some delicious Amish-made pastries for breakfast, then the Miller's gave us a tour of their new church, and we got back in the car to head home.
But not before a stop at the Kinze plant. Well it was actually closed, but we checked out the trailer in the parking lot.
After a couple early stops, we put in another movie and Corynn was out - lots of sleep to catch up on from the previous early morning. We decided to just let her sleep and stop for lunch after she woke up; which turned out to be after 2pm. Thankfully we had snacks to hold us over!
Thankfully the rest of the trip went rather smoothly as well and we arrived home around 8:30pm!
We had a great weekend with family, racing, and spending time with friends! Happy Labor Day!
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