West Bend, IA: Palo Alto County

It was the first full on autumn day of the season and we were in the tail end of our 4 day trip to NW-Iowa. The idea of proposing to my wife came a couple days prior and she smiled when I ran the idea past her. Let’s just say that she was a-okay with the idea. But what she didn’t know was that I was going to get to work on this right away. The plan was in place and our oldest daughter, Leah, was in on it at the Grotto Redemption.

I told the rest of the family to meet me in the grotto while I checked out the gift shop real quick. This was the second time Monie and I visited the grotto this year and first with the whole family. I pulled Leah aside to let her know what I was up to. She smiled from ear to ear much like the one her mother had two days before. The air was crisp with a brisk wind winding it’s way through the stones, fossils, gems, shells, crystals and petrified wood of the grotto. Though very cool outside the sky was cloudless and incredibly blue.

It doesn’t matter what your religion is or isn’t when you visit this masterpiece in the Northwest Iowa prairie. The sheer appreciation for the time and effort of all those who have put their heart into the grotto can be felt by all who travel here. Our first time here was on the last weekend of Winter and due to the potential of ice, the upper level of the grotto was blocked off. So, I knew the perfect spot to pop the big question….Again.

Palo Alto County gets the first of many more proposals I have for my wife. We hope this ongoing project shows how much we love each other and how Iowa is the motor that inspires our whole family. I hog the pillows, she gets all the blankets, and sometimes I put too much jelly on the PB&Js. And I don’t know what the whistling is from my nose. I love you, Monie.