So, anyway...Madeleine kind of summed up what we did up there, but I'll just cover it again. I left here around 9, and finally got there around past 3. The first thing I did when I got there was look at my old house. It still looks pretty much the same as it did, but older and a little run down, but who can blame the owner? It's so big and it's really hard to maintain. The major thing that I got a kick out of was seeing that my basketball hoop that I got for my 11th birthday (I think) is still there! Haha...

So after that I drove down the main street that connects Waterloo and Cedar Falls called University Ave. Surprisingly the businesses hadn't really changed at least from my memory. When I got to Cedar Falls, I stopped at the mall there off of University and called Madeleine...and soon I was there at her house. Her mom made chineese for dinner and that was really good, but I was really tired though from driving. I saw her baby foster brother named Ion and he was really cute. I met her brothers before when they came down to Lawrence during the time of Missouri football game, and they were the same of course. I also met their dog, who reminds me of my grandmother's last dog before she got a new one.

That night, Madeleine and I went and drove around looking at Cedar Falls a little, such as the downtown, her high school (which I don't remember even seeing when I lived there), and we tried to get into a coffee place that was kind of like Java Break in Lawrence, but unfortunately they were closed (it was Sunday night).

Monday morning we got up around 8 and went to renew Madeleine's liscense in Waterloo. Another main road in Waterloo is named San Marnan and it really changed since I lived there. Many more stores and restruants fall along the sides of the road than when I lived there. Very surprising to see. It took very little time to get her liscense renewed too. After that we drove downtown Waterloo (a pit of a place, but it's actually improving) and then went past the hospital where my dad worked.

After that we drove past the first house we lived in and then to my other house again. We got out of the car and walked in the back area and the basketball court there was still running! I was extrememly surprised because that was so old and run down when we lived there, but it was still there like it hadn't changed at all. I played so many basketball games there.

So after that we went to my elementary school. We actually went inside and I found out that 3 of my teachers still work there. We went into the school office and met the secretary. She said "you're Eric right?" and that really startled me because I had gone in there thinking that nobody would remember me. But she did. I later remembered that she was an aide at the school when I went there. She had me meet my principal whose still there. We bought our second house from him and he remembered that and addition that my father was a doctor, but couldn't remember my name. He remembered Ann and asked how she was. Overall it was really cool to go back and see the place after not being there for 8 years. I'm surprised the building is still there. It's 83 years old, but Waterloo overall is an old town that needs repair, but it will take awhile for any of that to happen.

That night we went to see my old friend at swim practice and then took him out to eat at my favorite restruant. It was really nice to see Nate again. He's a senior this year and he should do really well at State, but won't swim in college. I know he's going to do very well in whatever he does. It's great that we were able to keep contact over the last 7 years since I've lived there. It's really amazing to me that it has been that long.

So yesterday we got up late and said goodbye to Madeleine's parents. Madeleine was teary eyed on our way out, but we had a nice "short" drive back to Lawrence. It didn't seem that long at all.

So today today...I don't really know what to do yet! School is tomorrow though and I'm glad to be back.