September 24–25, 2010
Posted here April 15, 2022
Donuts for breakfast. ~ It took us a while to pack and load up the car. ~ Left at 12:33 p.m. ~ Got gas at Woodman’s (12:49). ~ Ate lunch at Taco Bell (12:57), then bought Churros to go (1:24). ~ Left at 1:36. Traveling was good except for the strong westerly wind. ~ Stopped at rest area, 3:13–3:30. ~ Arrived at Red Carpet Inn in Rochester, Minnesota, at about 5:45. Checked into room 101, unloaded stuff.
We had several items which Joe had asked us to bring, plus five bags of food from God’s Storehouse at church. There was Joe’s Army trenchcoat plus his winter coat; the CD containing the Photoshop program (which he sent back later, after installing the program); coffee cups; a black cowboy hat that used to belong to Alex Jeffcoat; and Joe’s brown bear named Elizabeth, after his girlfriend.
Crossroads College had a soccer game this evening, and there was a tailgate party before the game. We met Joe at the RCTC campus around 6:30, catching the end of the meal. We had hot dogs, chips and veggies. ~ The game started at 7 p.m. The Crossroads team quickly proceeded to annihilate the opposing team. The score was 3–0 at halftime.
Chilly conditions persuaded us to leave; we went back to the college (our first appearance there). We met Elizabeth at her unit; another girl (Claire) interviewed them briefly for a class assignment. We chatted with Joe, and Elizabeth and others who came and went until we left at about 11:30 p.m.
Stopped at Kwik Trip on the way back to the hotel (11:41), to buy snacks and flavored milk.
We got up at 9 a.m. and I made a pot of coffee in the room; then I went to the front office and got donuts from their continental breakfast. Then we checked out of the hotel and headed for campus. ~ The Parents Day meeting only lasted about an hour; there were updates from various departments, and the group “Adoration” sang two songs. Then they served lunch: fried chicken, au gratin potatoes, a vegetable tray with dip, and iced tea and water to drink. ~ Afterward, we browsed through the college bookstore; Wendi bought a Crossroads College Knights baseball cap, and I bought a Crossroads College music T-shirt.
Wendi wanted to buy Joe and Elizabeth a cookbook for Christmas, so we went to Apache Mall and looked through Macy’s, Herbergers, and JC Penney, trying to find a book. To our dismay, none of these stores had a book department! ~ Wendi walked the whole time, and that mall is huge, so she probably walked at least a mile and a half, plus standing all that time. She handled the walking well, though she was worn out afterward; but Elizabeth said that even she had tired legs from all the walking. Joe and Elizabeth were constantly telling Wendi to sit down and rest; she would sit down for a minute or so, then get up and walk again.
We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the girls’ unit with the other students and parents. It was chilly in the living room because the windows had been left open; Joe lay down and covered up with his coat to keep warm. He may have fallen asleep.
We took Joe and Elizabeth out for an early “Thanksgiving dinner.” Elizabeth’s friend, Claire, from Winona, came along, so there were five of us. We dined at Perkins. ~ After dinner, we took the others back to campus, then left. ~ Gassed up the car at Kwik Trip on Broadway (7:04), then headed home (7:15). ~ Stopped at rest area near mile 75 in Wisconsin; ate snacks there (9:17–9:52). ~ Arrived home at 11:49 p.m.