Nothing makes you get a new place in order like having people over. We've been in our place just shy of a month and decided since it was my birthday it would be a good time to break in the house with friends and margaritas. We had about a dozen people over, and we all fit. Any more than that, we'd be a little squished. Luckily, it was a beautiful night so we had the sliding door open to the deck and were able to sit inside and outside.
Thanks to my great friends who helped me celebrate another year on Earth!
A newer restaurant in town, HoQ, offers a small menu with local, fresh ingredients in a modern yet comfortable space. HoQ has filled the vacant space left by Baby Boomers in the East Village. My friend ordered the burrito while I got the three sliders including one beef, one pork, and one fish. Our entrees came with root fries, which were awesome. The food presentation was beautiful. I was feeling pretty hungry and was concerned when I saw how little the portions were. I walked away stuffed. My beef and pork sliders weren't the juiciest I've ever had, and I wasn't a huge fan of the sauce. My sliders cost $12 which, of course, was the most expensive lunch item.
Birthdays are great. You usually get gifts, lots of attention, and cake. This year's birthday cake kindly left out my age. I won't lie; 27 makes me feel a little old - much older than 26. I'm still considering myself in my mid-20's but deep down I know my 20's are quickly escaping me. As with some birthdays, I find myself reflecting on my life the past 27 years. Has it been what I expected? Better? Worse?
When I was a kid, I remember plotting out my future: to be an architect, married by 22, kids by 24. Well, the architect thing got scratched out by high school when a teacher told me I had to be really good at math. Marriage at 22 seemed like a reasonable goal when I was 8 and all I had to compare to was my mom who was 21 when she got married. However, once I actually hit 22 I realized I was way too young to understand and appreciate the commitment that a marriage embodies. Nearly 5 years past my "goal," I finally got married. The kids by 24 part was out the window around the same time. Maybe I'll be 5 years behind on that goal too.
My childhood self couldn't have fathomed I'd go to the University of Missouri to get my journalism degree, move to Joplin, Mo. and then Des Moines, Iowa where I'd find the love of my life, change careers, and settle down. But you know what? I'm glad my childhood plot was foiled. I couldn't be happier than where I'm at today.
And no matter how old I get, my mother will make sure I always have a birthday cake to make me feel young again.
What better way to end a three-day weekend full of crappy weather and travelling than by watching the entire first season of Downton Abbey? OK, so I can think of a few other things too, but this wasn't too shabby. Whenever this show is on, my facebook feed blows up. I figured it must be pretty good if such an array of people are not just watching it but also talking about it. As I was flipping through Netflix, season 1 popped up. I snuggled into my couch and called it a night. The seven episodes flew by. Lucas couldn't make it until the last one so I had to fill him in with the latest developments this morning. I'm not sure he really cared, but he humored me and listened as I recalled the hour-long drama.
I will say though I feel some of the plot lines were so quick to come up and so quick to be resolved they seemed rather pointless. I can only imagine they are building the back stories to each character. I'm excited to watch the second season and see what happens with all the drama at Downton Abbey.
St. Lucia. St. Martin. St. Kitt's. Jamaica. Puerto Rico. Costa Rica. Riviera Maya.
There are so many beautiful, exotic places in the world that the options for a honeymoon are endless. Lucas is pretty go with the flow which is kind of nice but kind of hard because I don't want to make this decision by myself. Due to the crappy Memorial Day Weekend weather today, I found myself inside planning and researching our trip. I've narrowed it down to St. Kitt's or somewhere in the Riviera Maya in Mexico. I spent time looking up resorts, all-inclusive options, flight times/prices, local things to do, geography, etc. Lucas and I are active people so sitting on a beach for a week just won't cut it. St. Kitt's is a beautiful little (18 miles long) island with ziplining, ATV tours and lovely beaches. Meanwhile the Riviera Maya would allow us to visit some Indian ruins plus the plane ride is much shorter than to St. Kitt's. It's a big decision, but I need to remind myself that this isn't the only trip we'll ever take together. I don't think we can go wrong with either choice. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!
I'm happy to report I've checked another sushi spot in Des Moines off my list. This time I hit up the newer Wasabi Tao in the Kirkwood Hotel on 4th and Walnut downtown. I had heard good things about it, but I was a little disappointed. The sushi wasn't bad; nothing blew me away. To be fair, it has big big shoes to fill after I absolutely feel in love with Sakura in WDM last month. If I'm downtown and craving sushi again, I'll probably take the extra time to go over to Miyabi 9 in the East Village. I will say though, the decor is very cool. It's the same set up as Quatro, which was the last restaurant in that space, but the decor is very cool with an Asian flair.
Fried butter on a stick and a cow made out of butter can only mean one thing: the Iowa State Fair. The movie "Butter" is a comedy based on the tradition Iowa is so well known for. It's set in Iowa City where the 15-time butter carving winner's wife takes on a 10-year-old orphan in the Johnson County Mastery in Butter competition. The movie is by no means amazing. However, I did laugh out loud a few times. The one thing that really didn't set well with me was how Jennifer Gardner talked. It was like she was half Sarah Palin and half Minnesotan. Few Iowans, especially in Iowa City, would have that accent. It was made no sense, except to poke fun, to have the 10-year-old biking home from school down a dirt road past miles of cornfields to get to her adopted parents preppy, cookie cutter home, most likely in North Liberty.
Cheers to a lovely Friday night. Lucas and I had been wanting to have a nice dinner at Bonefish Grill for months. Tonight was the night. Two friends joined us and we enjoyed the great ambiance, food, drinks and conversation., Lucas and I ordered the calamari for an appetizer. He ordered the sea bass with mango salsa while I ordered the shrimp and scallops dinner with a pan-Asian sauce. The food was outstanding. The white zinfandel was sweet but refreshing on a beautiful night. That was both of our first times eating there. The next time we want to have an expensive night out, this place will be a top the list.
After dinner, we headed over to the Jordan Creek theater. The girls went into The Great Gatsby while the boys gravitated their attention to Iron Man 3. I rarely, rarely go to the movie theater, but I really wanted to see The Great Gatsby. I didn't know much about the plot though. I started reading the book freshman year of high school and never finished. Anyway, I think the movie was well done. I had to wait a bit before I understood the plot. While things seemed happy and optimistic for Gatsby for awhile, that was not the case.... I won't say anything more in case you, like me, don't know the plot and plan to see the film. Was it worth $10, meh, sure. Will I watch it again, doubtful.
On a dreary Thursday, I found myself walking into the Social Security Administration office on SW 5th in Des Moines. Just another fun necessity when changing one's last name. I'd never been to one before and figured it would be much like the DOT. Well, as far as aesthetics go, the DOT wins hand down. This place was sterile like a hospital and didn't smell great. A police officer or Rent-A-Cop greeted me at the door. He asked why I was there, punched it into the computer, and handed me my ticket. There were several windows with employees to help each person. Also unlike the DOT, these employees are behind glass. That's probably a good idea considering in the short 15 minutes I was there I saw a woman yell at the employee and call her a bitch. Yikes. I, surprisingly, took the more pleasant approach. I was kind to the lady, and she was kind back. It was quick and painless. My new social security card will be mailed to me in two weeks. Jessica Daley is almost completely dead... Jessica Wardenburg is slowly but surely taking over.