Happy Fall Ya'll!

There are a few colorful, fall time leaves left on the trees around here...however our good friend winter is right around the corner! With that in mind we've tried to get out and about as much as possible these past few weeks in hopes of storing the sunshine, and warm weather in our pockets to bring out on those cold, snowy winter days ahead!

Before I get ahead of myself, let me say, fall time around here is a little different than back home. Not only is the weather actually that of fall time, but it's all about harvesting here (surprise surprise with all this corn!)

We kicked off Fall at the Kalona Fall Festival at the beginning of October.  (Kalona is the Amish Community not too far from here) The Festival was located in their Historical Museum area and there were lots of local artists, fall food, and SHOPPING! (needless to say I might have enjoyed this festival a little more than David did...but he's always such a good sport!)

P.S.- My fav thing about Kalona is seeing the horse and buggies and Amish people...My dad tries to say its not a side show and this is their life...but either way I still think its cool

Our next round of Fall Fun was this past weekend at Bloomsbury Farms in Atkins Iowa. (You want to talk about middle of nowhere....this is it folks. I know that most people would think if you're going to a place with "Farms" in the title...you might expect to go to the middle of nowhere....but I atleast thought there would be a main street for antique/fabric shopping....I was sadly mistaken)---Middle of Nowhere Iowa redeemed itself with tons of fun activities...including farm animals, a pumpkin patch, pig races, haunted houses, a  "pumpkin blaster" (which I'm pretty sure in the book of redneck is registered off the redneck charts), and my fav part of the day---the corn maze!!! This corn maze was 10 acres and we actually made it through the whole thing...which is pretty impressive if I do say so myself!

That whole map up there...yea we made it through that...but you should have seen the very unimpressive prize basket (epic fail)

With a few more weeks till the first snow...we're enjoyin' these gorgeous leaves and fall time fun!
Happy Fall Ya'll!

{I'm leaving you with a photo....it was taken at the Kalona Fall Festival....and it is now my mission...on any adventure we embark...and thus we blog....you will be left with a photo similar to this....Pop 75¢ }

 {I say soda...You say pop}

Year #1 -- well almost....

Time....sometimes it drags on....and sometimes it flies by. I can't believe David and I have been here in Iowa almost a whole year already!!! It's amazing the things you can experience in a year.....we've seen places and things we never would have thought we'd ever see....we've experienced much of the Midwest culture....and now that we finally have our feet underneath us (and have gotten over all of our awkward "firsts" here)....we decided to start a blog of our experiences for the next few years!

So let me catch you up on what's been going on over the past 11 months:

• We made it through our first blizzard (well I did--this was in January...David moved in February): I have NEVER seen that much snow in my LIFE! And am praying we don't have another one of those for a long long time---- Some drifts were literally over my head...it was nuts!
  **I also experienced the negative double digits which David also missed out on...but his time is coming soon!!!***
• We both have new jobs at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (that are insanely different from the jobs we left back home) David as an Area Mechanic (still my hunky maintenance man) and I as a Nursing Assistant on the Medical Cardiology Inpatient Unit.
• We traveled (with our first visitor Jillian) to Chicago! Saw the Bean, Millennium Park, the Magnificent Mile, and shoved face with Deep Dish Pizza! We LOVE this city and can't wait to spend the whole winter planning our next trip. (I love that it's only 4 hours away!)
• We took tons of trips this spring/summer near and far---Including a couple of trips to visit Renee and Matt in Kentucky (for the Domis Family Marathon and for the NASCAR race), and we made the 16 hour road trip back home!
  We also made a lot of "day trips" around this state o' corn (The Amana Colonies, a Mississippi River small town tour --including LeClaire, Home of the American Pickers, The Iowa State Fair in DesMoines, The Amish Community of Kalona, and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting in between)
• There has also been a lot of adjusting to the Midwest way of life....which let me just say is insanely different from the Southern Charm we hold near and dear to our hearts (I'm sure there will be many more blog posts on this very subject!)

With this recap I must also add my disclaimer for this blog: My opinions are that of a strong willed, stubborn southern girl....and may or may not offend those with tender hearts. Please keep this in mind if you feel offended, inclined to comment negatively to my opinions, or feel your blood pressure rise in ways it does not normally rise without the presence of strenuous exercise. Please don't read this blog if you are sensitive to issues involving Midwest living and my strong opposition to the way things are done here, if you are taking MAOI's that may block your re uptake of endorphins that may be overly produced while reading this blog, or if you can not sit or stand for the duration of time it takes for you to read an entire post. Please consult your doctor if you have procrastination problems as you may have an unsafe drop in productivity while having to compulsively check if I have posted an update within 24 hours. Otherwise please enjoy the accounts of our adventures here within moderation and with heavy alcohol consumption (preferably wine).




What I'm listening to: Sara Barellies---Gonna Get Over you 

This song is dedicated to my love affair with the South...

"I'll be alright

once I find the other side of someday

Oohoohooohoohooh...

Oohoohooohoohooh...

Ooh, how'm I gonna get over you?"