The best part of getting married is all the great stuff you get. OK, not really, but it's a really big perk. We've gotten so many amazing items at two bridal showers, and we still have one more this weekend. I want to make sure it all gets put to use, now. I was able to entice a few friends to come hang at my place with key words "fondue" and "wine." I was torn between cheese and chocolate fondue but decided on chocolate. I picked up some strawberries, pretzels, nuts, and marshmallows for dipping and dunking. I was also able to use our new saucers, table runner, and wine aerator. An aerator swirls the air into the wine as it pours into your glass to release aromas and enhance flavors. Same principal goes for when people swirl the wine in their glass. This just looks cooler. It really does work. My first glass, I forgot I had it. The second glass was much smoother and more flavorful. A great $20 or so gift!
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Today was a loooong day. It started off with mother of the bride dress shopping, my second dress fitting, lunch with the parents, work, and suit shopping on dinner break. Lucas, my parents and I went over to Berardi Bros in West Glen in West Des Moines to check out their suits. We met the owners at the bridal shower earlier this month. Their prices were about $30 less than Skeffington's that we'd checked out earlier. At either place, Lucas' suit would be free since we have at least 5 other rentals. But, he really liked John at Berardi Bros and wanted to save his groomsmen the $30. I'm fine with that. We ended up going with a light gray suit rather than a tux. We aren't big fans of the satin lapel on the tuxes. Lucas will have a matching gray vest, ivory shirt and tie (since my dress is ivory). The groomsmen will be wearing a herringbone eggplant vest and plain eggplant tie to match the bridesmaids gowns.
After all that, I needed a glass or two of wine. Lucas picked up the Big Red Monster for my enjoyment. I've never seen this brand before so I'm glad I got to try it. I probably would have picked it out myself based on the name. However, it was a very bitter red wine. I won't be purchasing another bottle. It may or may not surprise you I love classic cars. I think they're are beautiful. I've really like cars since high school. I sure don't know the inner-workings of an automobile, but I sure do appreciate their beauty, curves, and style. In high school, my dad wanted to buy a new car. I took it upon myself to find him the best car out there. During this search, I fell in love with the Camaro. Turns out my dad had a family car in mind, not a sports car. Well, it's stuck with me. Mark my words, one day I will own a Camaro, whether it's a 1969 or a 2012 or a 2043. I will. Ok, long story there. Point being, I was really excited to get to be a guest judge at Salisbury House Foundation classic car show on Sunday morning. Wow! So many amazing vehicles from Packards to Cadillacs to Maseratis to Studebakers. It was a great time. Any car lover needs to check this show out next year. After the car show, I headed over to the Bridal Forum at the Sheraton in West Des Moines. I wanted to talk with some bakeries, dj's, florists, and get some color inspiration. Thanks to Lucas, Bayle, and Allison for coming too! Seeing all those wedding companies packed in to a couple rooms made me realize how much weddings do for our economy! The budget for my wedding is $20,000. People say it can't be done. Seriously?! It's one day! I'm sticking to that budget, and I ain't going over it.
After all that wedding jazz, we needed a drink. Nothing big, just a glass of sauvignon blanc to take the edge off. We (minus Lucas) headed over to The Other Place on University in Clive/Wes Des Moines. The wine was fine, but oh my the spinach artichoke dip was amazing. Even after we ran out of chips, I just ate the dip with a fork. It just didn't seem right to let any of it go to waste. Recommend for sure! My parents came to Des Moines for the weekend. They've been here several times, and my mom actually used to live here back in the early '80s (just ask her, she'll tell you all about it.) I had some ideas in mind to keep us busy on Saturday. I took them to the downtown farmers market for their first time. They really enjoyed it. We got Farm Boys burritos, Uncle David's mini donuts, Iowa Orchard pie, fugde, and cinnamon rolls. Who says farmers markets are for fresh produce? We were all about the baked goods!
We then headed to Summerset Winery in Indianola for an hour or two. There was a wedding going on so we tried to keep mom from getting too wild and cut her off after a half of a glass. We taste-tested a couple wines and decided to go with the Vintage Red. It's super smooth and great for sipping. We took refuge from the heat in the little gazebo my parents are posed on. This was my first time there; it was very scenic. I know they have bands play on Sundays. I'd like to go back for that. Any takers? Next, we took on Bass Pro Shops. I've never been to the one in Altoona. That place is huge. We wondered around looking at the assortment of merchandise before grabbing a bite to eat at Uncle Buck's, which is attached. After our burgers and venison-stuffed mushrooms, we bowled. The bowling alley was pretty cool. It's set up so you feel like you're in a fish bowl. The best part: I won! My top score of 125 was just too much for my parents and Lucas to handle. On Day 5, I'm already running low on food. I spent $80 last Friday and began the challenge on Saturday. I can only eat toast and eggs so many times a day. All I really want is a tomato or strawberry or banana. Is that so much to ask? Unfortunately, those items aren't in season yet, and we don't even grow bananas here in Iowa, so they are off the list altogether. Campbell's Nutrition in the plaza on 42nd and University in Des Moines has a lot of great stuff. It was my first time in there. However, again, being early in the growing season there isn't much local produce right now. I lucked out and found some asparagus. I Can't wait to eat another green food besides cucumber. I also grabbed some more yogurt from Kalona SuperNaturals. Love that stuff! If you're looking for organic, this is your place. However, the products are far from being all local. Wednesday nights are currently my Friday nights so I finished off my day with a glass of Jasper Winery Edelweiss. I've never had Edelweiss before. I'm more of a red wine gal, but every now again a glass of white is perfect. I hate to say it, but this wine disappointed me. It was kind of flat; There was no real high or low notes in the flavor. Don't be mistaken, I will still finish the bottle. Maybe it'll grow on me... Credit: Iraq for Sale Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers is an intriguing documentary. It came out in 2006 showing just how much a handful of private companies were benefiting from the war. I'm talking billions of dollars here. I've heard of companies like Blackwater and Halliburton before, and I knew there were some private contractors involved in the war, but not to this extent. I almost didn't finish the film because of how upset I became. To these companies, their profit is worth more than the lives of their innocent, hard working American employees. And the American government sat back and let it happen. It's sick.
Government really is corrupt, and it's so frustrating. Lawmakers, politicians, advisors, they get on their high horse and forget about the other 300 million Americans their decisions are affecting. I swear, some days I think about running for office because I actually care about my neighbors and want to make this country better. Some people lose sight of that and just worry about getting re-elected. (4.6.12) Who's been in every store in Valley Junction? Not me, but I've got one more crossed off the list: The Lagniappe (which means "something extra" in French Creole, according to someone who works there). A jewelry, art retail store is on the first floor and a half, and on the top floor is a small cafe/wine bar with a great outside terrace. I enjoyed my large mocha for $4 on the terrace over the noon hour. It was a bit windy and brisk, but I managed to get sunburn on my neck (dam Irish skin). Seems like a trendy, off the beaten track for a small party. I also thoroughly enjoyed being asked if I wanted a glass of wine at 11:35am. Had I not just ran 6 miles, I would have said yes (I didn't have to work that afternoon).
(4.5.12) UPDATE: I added another new Merlot to the list of wines I really enjoy. It was the perfect combination of dry and sweet. Great with spaghetti and bread or by itself. It is called Souverain of Alexander Valley in Sonoma County. The label says it's a blend of ripe plum and blueberries. For as much wine as I've drank, you'd think I'd be better at deciphering the flavors. I'm not quite there yet. I can only hope one day...
(3.10.12) Please welcome the bride and groom. On Saturday, I attended my co-worker Lisa's bridal shower. Her bridesmaids hosted it at the Nature Lodge at Raccoon River Park. It was a very pretty setting. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but the room was great, the tables looked charming down to the napkins, and the view of the lake was an amazing backdrop. Josh was a great sport (or maybe he was sincere) opening presents. He seemed so excited to get dishware and pitchers. I'm sure with each gift he just got more and more excited thinking about spending the rest of his life with Lisa. Later that night, the ladies got together again for the bachelorette party. We had dinner at Sbrocco. I'd been wanting to eat there forever (well, for the two years I've lived here). I had a sample glass of Temperanillo and Riesling. Both were pretty good. The salad was amazing and so was my entree - I loved the sweet potato gnocchi. I knew it would be a little pricey, but it was still more expensive than I thought.
(3.2.12) I began this challenge, this attempt to make each day count, 365 days and 73 pages ago (that’s how long my journal is that I’ve kept from March 2, 2011). I can’t believe it’s been a year. I can’t believe what I’ve been through, what I’ve experienced in just one year. I can proudly say I’ve done nearly 400 new things. What did you do this year? I’m drinking a glass of wine in celebration. I mean, that’s how this whole thing started. Well, I might have had more than one glass of wine that night. There’s been some highlights on my journey: I’ve made some great friends, traveled to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, KC, STL, Joplin, Columbia, competed in a sprint triathlon, ran a 5 mile race, eaten at some great local restaurants, cooked a lot, drank a lot of coffee and wine and beer, donated to great organizations, invested in my health, read more books than ever before, attended different events, listened to a lot of new music, started a blog, and became an auntie. Again I ask, what did you do this year? I feel like some days were small things and some even cop-outs, but that’s the point. Life is busy. I work two jobs, am training for a race, and still trying to experience new things and blog about them. Without this challenge, I wouldn’t have put in that extra effort to make each day count. Whether it was doing a new exercise, checking out a new store on my lunch break or having a photo shoot, I pushed myself to live each day to the fullest.
I was thinking earlier this week how long this challenge will continue. I thought about ending at one year. It seemed like a nice, round length. But instead of picking a specific time period, I think I’ll get a feeling. Amanda told me she’d have a third child if it felt right. I’d never thought about that before. I’ve always just thought about a nice, round number of kids. This is similar. I think I’ll know when the challenge has been accomplished. I’ll feel it. I think this is a part of my life I’ll look back on and brag about. People won’t always get it, and that’s OK. It’s not for them to get. It was for me to get out of my rut. And it worked. I haven’t been in a rut for awhile. I still don’t know my calling in life, but I can’t expect that to fall into my lap in one year. If I hadn’t figured it out in the previous 24 years, who’s to say it won’t take a few more to see the light. Do you ever think about dying? I do. I wonder if I died tomorrow, would I have made it worth it? Would I have lived life to the fullest? Would I have made the gift of life count? I’d like to think I could answer yes to all three, but I’m not sure. I’ve done a lot of things for myself over the past year. I’m very glad I did. But maybe now it’s time to re-focus my efforts. If I died tomorrow, what regrets would I have? I’d regret not telling my family enough how much they mean to me, not calling my brother more, not leaving this world a better place. That’s part of my facebook profile is that I want to make the world better in some small way. This is where not knowing my calling in life comes into play. Will it hit me like a brick one day? Will I have to fight for it? What can I, or should I, be doing to make my life meaningful? I like being a journalist because I feel like I can help make a difference. I have several passions that could be my calling. I guess I won’t know until I make the conscious effort to try. Maybe once I start trying, God will give me a nudge. So how would I describe my year? Discovery. Reflection. Immediate. Alive. Present. New. Challenging. Busy. (2.14.12) What a way to celebrate Valentine's Day: Temptation zinfandel and Darth Vader chocolates. Both were a first for me. I picked the wine based on my usual method of an eye-catching label or name. "Temptation" seemed fitting on this particular day. It was delicious. I really enjoyed my last bottle of zinfandel over Christmas and thought it would be a great choice for a late night glass. Seeing it's a little pricey than I usually get, I'm glad the taste was worth it.
Obviously I didn't choose the chocolates. I actually think I saw this exact box on a list of worst Valentine's Day gifts. It's the thought that counts, right...? Maybe one day I'll decide to sit through a whole Star Wars movie. Don't hold your breath on it. |