Midwestern style

We've had a jam-packed visit here in the midwest...not yet including getting my tonsils out unfortunately. We thought that we'd be able to get them out quickly from the conversation I'd had with a receptionist here while in San Antonio, but of course things are always more complicated than that... so we've had quite a time of it making the best of the beautiful green Midwest. From the beginning we've been really excited about the fact that it's cool in the mornings and evenings here so you can go for a pleasant walk then (or just about anytime!) We've become intoxicated driving down the country roads with all the greenness of the forests and fields. I never thought I'd have trouble dragging a significant other away from my home state of Iowa.... haha

So a rough run down of what we've been up to is as follows:

• 2 days at the Iowa state fair in which we shared a veggie corn dog, drank numerous lemonades, saw the butter cow of course, and watched the outhouse races. (We passed on the fried butter on a stick).
• The Adel Sweet Corn Festival where we each ate 2.5 ears of sweet corn and Justin had his first pulled pork sandwich
• We went on a several mile bike ride to downtown and the capital and through the many amazing wooded trails that Des Moines has (really!)
• We got lost going to the Ledges state park and instead picked up a hitch hiker and took him to Coon Rapids and then Guthrie Center, stopping at a prairie reserve and a different state park afterwards.
• We surprisingly got to see some old friends (now living in DC and Chicago) at the local watering hole: El Rodeo
• Visited Ames, another Iowa town which is significantly cooler than it was 5 years ago.... everywhere is just bursting with local food and cool projects these days!
• Went up to Decorah and went to the Norwegian museum, ate lefse, camped in the back of the truck and woke up freezing and covered with dew, visited the amazing Seed Savers Exchange, and visited the Laura Ingals Wilder site up near the Wisconsin and Minnesota borders. North-eastern Iowa is super hilly and tree covered and beautiful!! And along the great Mississippi river we visited the Effigy Mounds National Monument/Park, which is yet another beautiful park, and filled with 200 Native American mounds and various artifacts built throughout out history, dating back to 1000BCE!
• We visited my friends and their new baby in Madison, WI, where we went to the wonder-filled Dane County farmer's market and strolled the beautiful streets of Madison. We even stumbled across a radical bookstore called Rainbow bookstore co-op which only furthered Justin's desire to move to the Midwest

Also my Dad wants me to mention what a cool dog and dad I have. It's true! :)