The Pier Family: Vacation Post #5....Time in Iowa with Friends

After a leisurely morning at our hotel we drove through Ames a bit to do a little sightseeing. It was in Ames that I got my first Taco Johns pit stop..YUM, YUM! Potatoe oles with nacho cheese and sour cream....it doesn't get much better than that! We then continued west to Boone for a little more sightseeing (and more Taco Johns....Matt really enjoyed the oles too). And then we headed a few more miles west to Ogden where we were able to spend the day at Michelle Kruse's house with her family and some friends. Here's the connection for how I knew these ladies pictured below (and no, we didn't color coordinate on purpose!) From left to right: Michelle Kruse, Jackie Blair, Michele Havlick, and Me.

I met Michelle Kruse (than Olson) in Bozeman, Montana during my freshman year of college...I think we met at a football game. We became good friends and roommates but then later had a falling out (like all girls do) and she moved back to Iowa (her home state). We then reconnected and I decided to leave University of Wyoming (my second college) and transfer to Iowa State University (my third college). It was while living in Boone, Iowa that I met Jackie Blair who was a former high school classmate of Michelle's. Jackie had a couple young girls and I became very close to their family. Then Michelle and I had another falling out (imagine that) and I moved to Ames, IA to live with Michele Havlick (then Miller) who Jackie knew from costmetology school.
No falling outs with anyone after that but I decided to move to Maryland (end of 1995) to become a nanny and then I went on to finish school at University of Maryland (my fourth college). Over the years we've stayed in touch and seen each other a few times. It was so good to spend time with all of them and laugh so hard!

A mom and kids picture:

Madison adored this puppy that Michele Havlick brought with her. She literally spent hours just holding it.....and then she cried for the first 20 minutes back to our hotel that night because she didn't want to leave the puppy. For the life of me I can't remember her name!