Tania

This past weekend, we drove to Iowa to visit my roommate from my days at the University of South Dakota. She was in the US with her family, visiting her host family in Remsen, IA, which is just 25 miles from Cherokee. I last saw Tania 12 years ago, just a few weeks before our wedding.

 

 Tania and the kids playing in the snow outside of her parents' house in Remsen

 Tania and I each have a Nikon D40!

 Maya (in the red) and Luna (on the sled) had fun in the snow, and didn't complain about being cold as much as Tania did

 

 Tania and I hugged a lot!  The boys weren't quite sure what to think of how much Brazilians like to hug (and kiss cheeks, for that matter)

 Luna throwing a snow ball at Don.

 

 

Saturday morning, we drove to USD to visit campus.  We assumed most of it would be closed due to Christmas break, but we were able to visit some of our hangouts from when we were there.

This is 'sort of' the restaraunt that Tania worked at.  She actually worked at the one with the blue awning in the background, but the owner sold that one, and opened The Silk Road Cafe.  It was yummy yummy.  It is pretty small on the inside.  The grown ups sat at one table, and the kids sat at a different table.  It didn't seem to matter that they did not speak the same language.

 

 Don and Ramon, Tania's husband.  He's so cool he wears a pink scarf.  Ramon is from Spain, and speaks Spanish.  Tania said while he was in Columbia working just prior to this trip, he studied English 4 hours a day.  We were able to talk with him-he would occassionally aske Tania for translation.  Tania's girls speak both Spanish and Portuguese, and they speak Spanish at home.

 

 

 After eating lunch, we walked down the block to a coffee shop for dessert. 

 The ipad speaks is fun for all!

We hope to see Tania and her family again.  It was so fun to be together at our old stomping grounds with our spouses and kids.  We might just have to go to Brazil to see her next time.