Land Acknowledgement: This is the land of the oθaakiiwaki‧hina‧ki (Sauk) & Meškwahki·aša·hina (Fox), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk), Myaamia, and Peoria people. They were stewards of this land from time immemorial. Click the links above to learn more about these native people.

Our next stop was Madison, WI where we were meeting up with some friends! One thing that we have discovered along this journey is seeing familiar faces is always a treat! We knew the Hermsens from our church in Seattle and a bonus was Kyle designed their house in Madison so we were getting to check that out too. We rolled into their place around 9:30 and shuffled our stuff into a lovely guest studio they have next to their house.

The next day was Friday and with school and work we knew we'd get a chance to meet up later that day. After the kid's schoolwork was done, we headed to a park. If was nice spot with a wetlands and playground and at one point we saw two sandhill cranes just ambling down the sidewalk like they were out taking a stroll :) Later that evening we got to watch a skating competition and then dinner at the club where the kids played until it was too dark to see. After getting home the kids crashed over at the main house happy to have some friends to do a sleepover with; while we got to have a glass of wine and chat with other adults - glorious!

The nest day we slept in and had a lazy morning. Kyle got the car washed and we got the car a little reorganized. Now that we've been on the road for a bit we're discovering what is crucial and what we can do without.

The afternoon was filled with playing and hanging out with friends. Kyle and I took advantage of other adults and went for a solo drive to Spring Green to check out some Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and Taliesin. It is a beautiful area and some great sights to see!

We got to enjoy a delicious dinner at the house that evening and enjoyed chatting while the kids played and enjoyed each other's company. When you're mostly with your family 24/7 a chance to connect with other friends is truly priceless!

The kids had another sleepover that night and ended up leaving around 8:30 the next day after thanking the Hermsens profusely for their amazing hospitality.

We headed to Chicago via Milwaukee with a stop at the Milwaukee Art Museum which was designed by Santiago Calatrava and had an amazing moving "wings" - very cool building to check out!