Oooh, shiny.

Sunny

2011-12-16T09:55:00.002-06:00


Adair County, Iowa USA

Top of the world

2011-12-15T13:16:00.002-06:00


Apparently, the top of the world is at Jackson Hole, Wyoming USA

Chariton

2011-12-09T15:04:00.001-06:00


Chariton, Iowa USA

My shining star.

2011-12-08T11:20:00.001-06:00


2007- Des Moines River, Des Moines, Iowa USA


Birthday celebration 2007, Des Moines, Iowa USA

My little girl is part-way grown up, and takes the stage tonight to sing & dance with her school choir & show choir. She's not thrilled about the costume & makeup, but still loves to sing. I'm sure they will be great and she'll do fine. Can't wait to watch her. I dream about her future a lot, because she wants to be a singer, and I know that's a long, scary, monetarily destitute road. But I still think she should do it, if that's what really, honestly makes her tick. She just needs to be aware of what she'll have to sacrifice to go down that road. And there's nothing wrong with that sacrifice (living more simply, on virtually no money?) if you are willing to do it to achieve your dream. Sing it, sister!

Stairway to heaven.

2011-12-07T14:26:00.001-06:00


Occidental, California USA

This is what Missouri looks like.

2011-12-06T14:26:00.001-06:00


Missouri USA


Missouri USA


Mo-Kan Dragway, Missouri USA


Ye olde swimming hole... Carthage, Missouri USA

This is why I miss it. Can't wait to get home again. xoxo

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

2011-12-05T15:04:00.001-06:00


Baker Creek, Mansfield, Missouri USA

Burma Shave

2011-12-02T14:02:00.001-06:00


Lincoln Highway, Colo, Iowa USA

Mighty

2011-12-01T14:16:00.001-06:00


Keokuk, Iowa USA

Many, many years ago.

2011-11-30T11:36:00.001-06:00


Des Moines, Iowa USA

Little boy / big bridge

2011-11-29T12:58:00.001-06:00


Omaha, Nebraska USA

Hoop-there it is!

2011-11-25T09:49:00.001-06:00

Des Moines, Iowa USA

Turtle Power!

2011-11-22T13:29:00.001-06:00

Isla Mujeres MEXICO

Yes, please.

2011-11-21T14:18:00.001-06:00


Sandals Resort, ST. LUCIA

Tequila!

2011-11-18T08:41:00.001-06:00


Carthage, Missouri USA

Off The Wall.

2011-11-17T14:46:00.001-06:00


San Francisco, California USA

Medusa Hair

2011-11-16T12:47:00.001-06:00


Fairfield, Iowa USA

Windy up here

2011-11-15T13:58:00.001-06:00


High Trestle Bridge, Madrid, Iowa USA

Happiest place on earth.

2011-11-14T14:29:00.001-06:00


Table Rock Lake, Missouri USA

I think this is one of my favorite places anywhere because I'm:
1. always there with my best friends
2. on water
3. in the sun
4. amazed by the beauty
5. there when it's summer
6. so peaceful
7. able to jump off tall cliffs without dying (or)
8. able to chill out and float all day
9. I'm always there with my best girlfriends in the whole world.

Mostly numbers 1 and 9.

Don't Jump!

2011-11-10T11:29:00.001-06:00


San Diego, California USA

Goth

2011-11-09T14:17:00.001-06:00

American Gothic House, Eldon, Iowa USA

Lead

2011-11-08T13:16:00.002-06:00

Lead, South Dakota USA

Turquoise on this gray day.

2011-11-07T14:20:00.000-06:00


Isla Mujeres MEXICO

Snakes on vacation-now THAT'S scary!

2011-11-03T14:47:00.003-05:00

Badlands, South Dakota USA

Animal crackers in my soup

2011-11-02T14:01:00.001-05:00

Hollywood, California USA

Missing San Fran and the Bay

2011-11-01T11:53:00.000-05:00

San Francisco, California USA

Gaze into the crystal ball...

2011-10-31T13:20:00.000-05:00

Science Center of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa USA

Boys of summer

2011-10-25T10:54:00.003-05:00

Urbandale, Iowa USA

The Mayans were right.

2011-10-24T15:11:00.002-05:00

Tulum MEXICO

Let freedom ring

2011-10-21T08:34:00.001-05:00


Newton, Iowa USA

Oh the things you will see at the fair...

2011-10-20T08:30:00.003-05:00

Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, Iowa USA

Wish we lived closer.

2011-10-19T10:16:00.003-05:00


Ulrika's wedding bouquet, SWEDEN

In honor of my lovely Swedish sister's birthday today, a shot of her wedding bouquet, taken by me 5 years ago. Wish I was there to help her celebrate her special day today! She's an amazing gal, and has taught me so much, even if she doesn't know it.


Rock on, mama!

Happy birthday darling girl!

What is this journey all about?

2011-10-18T08:41:00.002-05:00


Chariton, Iowa USA

After all these days of description-less picture postings I guess you might be wondering what it's all about. It's about seeing the beauty in every day and every place. It's about sharing the cool shit I find with any of you who want to look or listen. It's about art. It's about travel. It's about reminding myself of all the amazing places I've been, both near and far. It's about the stories created out of those travels. It's about dreams and plans for the future. It's about how life can be short and some day when I'm gone I want there to be no doubt that I lived my life to the saturation point. It's about fun.

What are your days all about?

Mine are about: love (fantastic family and friends)
adventure (what should I try next?)
travel (what new place can I explore?)
and art (of all kinds- written, performance, static, imagined, surprising, and even accidental).

Welcome to my journey- I hope you have a great journey, too. Feel free to share your stories with me! Maybe we'll become great friends and I'll come visit you and we'll explore some cool, secret place and take lots of crazy pictures of our adventure and then spend the next week blogging about it. And we'll drink mochas in the morning and margaritas at noon, eat shrimp fajitas for lunch and tiramisu for dinner, get massages every day, and knit crazy scarves with the best-feeling yarn we've ever found in the whole world. Yum.

First time their feet touched the ocean.

2011-10-17T09:56:00.000-05:00

Santa Monica Pier/Beach, Los Angeles, California USA

I Wanna Rock

2011-10-14T10:58:00.001-05:00


Newton, Iowa USA

Crazy Horse

2011-10-13T11:08:00.000-05:00


Crazy Horse Monument, South Dakota USA

Please appear for jury duty Monday morning.

2011-10-12T08:49:00.000-05:00


Polk County Courthouse, Des Moines, Iowa USA

Around the corner from Ugly Mick's.

2011-10-11T08:38:00.004-05:00


ST. LUCIA

Studying with a beat literary legend.

2011-10-10T11:03:00.000-05:00


Outside of the cabin where I was in a poetry workshop with Diane di Prima, near Occidental, California USA

North, out of the city.

2011-10-07T08:56:00.001-05:00

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California USA

Dinosaur fight! Or are they dancing?

2011-10-06T10:18:00.002-05:00

Zearing, Iowa USA

What a lovely place for a wedding.

2011-10-05T12:41:00.001-05:00


Sandals Resort, ST. LUCIA

Everything is better at the lake.

2011-10-04T11:50:00.003-05:00

Table Rock Lake, Southern Missouri USA

I could use one. Right. Now.

2011-10-03T10:43:00.004-05:00

Cancun, MEXICO

Ozarks at dusk

2011-09-30T08:41:00.001-05:00

Baker Creek Farms, Mansfield, Missouri USA

Peace (among the corn)

2011-09-29T15:25:00.000-05:00

Hindu Temple, near Madrid, Iowa USA

Falun Red

2011-09-27T10:27:00.000-05:00

Västra Götaland County, Sweden

Paris? Rome? Iowa?

2011-09-26T09:09:00.001-05:00

Webster City, Iowa USA

Mini-Manifesto 9/23/11

2011-09-23T15:06:00.000-05:00

I believe…

In doing good work.

Hula-hooping is good formy body and soul.

You shouldn’t live withdebt.

That unschooling canwork.

I’m a good mama.

In travelling as much aspossible.

Art changes the world forthe better.

We should all givehand-made gifts.

My calling in life is totake care of people and make them feel better.

I married my best friend.

My house can feel likeCarl & Karin Larsson’s.

I’m on my way to my newpath in life.

My mistakes have made mestronger and smarter.

I have a blessed life.

I have some of the best friendsin the world.

Being on a boat in themiddle of the lake is healing.

We can live on less andsimplify our life even more.

Lego people and HarryPotter make the world a better place.

Go west, young man...

2011-09-23T08:33:00.000-05:00

San Diego, California USA

California Dreamin'

2011-09-22T08:32:00.001-05:00


Venice Beach, California USA

Mayan View

2011-09-21T09:27:00.001-05:00

Ek Balam, MEXICO

El Paraíso

2011-09-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

Punta Sur, Isla Mujeres MEXICO

Thinking about all the places I've been.

2011-09-19T09:24:00.000-05:00


San Francisco, California USA

Feathery Friday

2011-09-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

Omaha, Nebraska USA

It's Hard (to sit still).

2011-09-13T14:53:00.002-05:00

 I'm not good at sitting in one place for very long.  I get really itchy and anxious and I want to hop a plane or get in the car and just DRIVE.  I like being alone and I like traveling with friends, too.  Friends include family, because the best part of my family is that I LIKE them all. 

We did a lot of fun "camp mom" stuff this summer, which was about being a tourist in our own town. It was an attempt to stretch out my time to spend more of it with the kids, before they become too big to appreciate mom time. Soon enough they will be driving and working and finding their own things that inspire them. 

Me, on the road again.

Now we are fully into the school year, and our schedules are packed.  And I mean PACKED. Show choir, football, scouts, roller derby, and oh yeah-homework! And then there's MY school and work. It's a very busy time, but I can't help it; my heart wants to strap on that backpack and find the passport.  All I can think about doing is selling everything (house, car, CRAP that fills up said house, too many clothes, junk junk junk) and just driving west. Explore. Meet people. Tell stories. Listen to stories. Learn more.  Eat.

Europe is courting me today, and she's a shameless flirt. She sends me memory postcards of cafes I've graced in Stockholm, Paris and London. She reminds me of things I saw 20 years ago: the Ponte Vecchio in Florence; the bike trail from my sister's childhood house in Lidköping I rode so many times into the center of town; the view of London from the Thames.

No plans to travel today. Not today, not this week, probably not even this month or the rest of 2011. Too many obligations. Not enough free time nor money. It is awfully tempting though- tickets to Sweden are only $884 on Expedia today. I could be in Stockholm Central in 24 hours, eating Swedish meatballs and drinking room-temperature Diet Coke.

Any ideas about how to cure this itch? Maybe a dinner party with a European twist? Slide show of favorite places? Binge eating of Marabou chocolate and an emergency trip to IKEA in Minneapolis? 

Because I love a good villian...

2011-08-26T15:31:00.002-05:00

So it's never as easy as it should be.

2011-03-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

I miss you little "oooh, shiny" blog. Talking about nothing important and everything that matters to me all at once. My new blog is not easy to use like I thought it would be. I suppose I should be more diligent about learning its tools, but so far no luck. It doesn't just DO what I want it to do. It's a struggle to post, which should be a joy. Sigh.

Here are some things I'm in love with right now.

Tony Hawk. 42 years old and still does this. Swoon.

I am drawn to quilts of all kinds, but especially crazy quilts and ones that make use of scraps of all shapes, sizes and colors. I like practical art. Swoon.

Want to take one of my besties, Amber, to see Huey Lewis & the News here in Iowa in June. We saw them together with my mom in Springfield, Missouri back in 1986 (I think). She was screaming "Huey!" and I was screaming "Bill!" and my mom was just laughing her ass off at the two of us. Silly girls, but look how gorgeous this man remains to this day! Swoon.

Love the blue of this porch and the open shelves in this kitchen. We're painting kitchen cabinets this spring, and I'm thinking of choosing a stronger blue, like this one. Not much shelf space in my current kitchen for open ones like this, but maybe someday, in another house farther south. Swoon.

Loving these blogs: *e*
Slow Pony Home
Walk Slowly Live Wildly

Swoon.

2010, where have you gone?

2010-12-23T08:55:00.000-06:00

As usual, the year's flown by! 2010 has been a great year for our family, with plenty of travel and fun times together. Here are some highlights, and please feel free to browse my Facebook albums for lots more pictures.

Tim and I got to head to sunny Cancun, Mexico in January to escape the cold and dark of Iowa. We saw Isla Mujeres, Chichen Itza (one of the new 7 wonders of the world), and of course the bottom of lots of margarita glasses.

I traveled north of San Francisco in February to do another weekend poetry workshop with Diane di Prima (and a dozen amazing women writers!).

Later in the spring we hopped on 3 planes and a 2-hour car ride to make it to the Sandals resort in St. Lucia for daughter Crystal's wedding. Fantastic! I snorkeled for the first time, we sat in natural sulphur hot springs, and took a boat ride around the island that was amazing. They shot Pirates of the Caribbean there apparently, and we even got to drive the boat through the natural "archway" you see in the movie (alas- no corpses hanging down).

Summer brought the Carthage girls gathered again at Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri for a weekend of boating, giggling and relaxation. Jen & I even jumped off the giant cliff into the water (40 feet I'm guessing!). My bruise only lasted a few days.

Over the spring/summer/fall, Tim and I made several weekend trips around Iowa, in our quest to visit all 99 counties. So far, we've hit 39 and seen some beautiful, amazing things, like fabulous court houses, the Plow in the Oak, and the same Civil War statue guy in like 25 counties.

In the fall, we headed west! Tim and I (my first time) saw South Dakota- Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Corn Palace, the Badlands, the Black Hills, Deadwood; Montana-Battle of Little Bighorn National Battlefield; and Wyoming-Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, and Jackson Hole. Then of course there was the amazing drive all the way home, straight across Nebraska. Talk about a mood killer.

Alex celebrated birthday number 12 with her besties at the skating rink; Keegan rang in number 9 at Incredible Pizza. Grandbabies Zac turned 4, Laynee turned 2, and we welcomed the newest Tucker grandbaby, Riley Marie Monelt, in October. Oh, and I might have turned 40 somewhere in there.

Keegan's been doing scouts and basketball. Alex played volleyball again this year and has now started jr. roller derby. Sweet! So far, no bone-breaking injuries. Fingers crossed.

I am continuing to evolve (don't we all?) in my creativity, and have begun a new website to act as a jumping-off point for all those project. Please please visit Belle Starr Studios to learn more about my new projects, and to help me get this thing off the ground! Word of mouth is how it works best, so in the upcoming months, please subscribe, bookmark and check back. If you see anything you love, please share on Facebook or via email to your friends. I'm hoping this opens up new doors of opportunity to me. Share the link love!

We are truly blessed to be healthy, happy and well-fed. We love our home and the fun we get to have in and around it. We wish the same to you and your family in 2011. Love, Heather

Zac & Laynee

Riley

Inspiration Comes From Everywhere

2010-11-12T15:12:00.000-06:00

 Inspiration hits me every day.  Hard. Usually out of nowhere, yet everywhere all at the same time. This time it was Mexico, January 2010.  Another time, it was rural Iowa, summer 2010.  

 One great thing about me is that I get excited about so many different ideas and projects I want to try, books & blogs I want to read, and ideas I want to share. I have a hard time confining myself to my cubicle every day. There are Black-Eyed Susans in the ditches of Warren county, calling my name.  Tree stands to climb outside of Colfax, Iowa, or beaches to roam on the west coast. 

 I love to make things.  MAKE in many senses of the word-Cook, knit, write, sew, glue, color, tape, organize, dream, paint, nail, mend and re-purpose. For many years now my main outlet has been poetry. I am a poet. That's a scary thing to declare. It's a poor man's profession in the 21st century United States. We are not often doted upon, revered, nor admired.  We are usually dismissed. Most of the television brain-washed US society humors us with polite golf claps, but no monetary support. 

This is Rachel McKibbens. She is a rock star poet who has been there, done that, and is raising her babies without apology.  I aspire to this.  You can check out her blog here. We all need folks to look up to. 

This is part of the 2010 Occidental crew.  Laura, myself and JJ, on our way to study with Diane di Prima. This was one of the most brilliant weekends of my whole year.  I need to be surrounded by more brilliant women like this, more often.  My heart is telling me it will be healthier if I give in to all those creative urges. I can only give in to those urges by giving them more time in my life. 

I feel many changes coming in the next year.  I turn 40 in a few weeks, and I feel like owning it. I've been studying much about minimalism and clearing things out of your life that are unhealthy. I don't want to let our stuff own us.  I want to do more and own less. Owning less facilitates doing more, and you all know I'm about doing more.  Suck the marrow out of life and all that. I'll leave you with one of the blogs I've been following lately, and it inspires me every week.  It's called Ridiculously Extraordinary and is amazing.  Serious, check it out.  More on my evolution to come. 

St. Lucia 2010

2010-09-11T09:53:00.001-05:00

The blessings of travel.

I've been a few places in my life, and my to-see list is miles longer. This past spring we were blessed to be able to add St. Lucia to our "been there, done that, it was awesome!" list. Tim's daughter Crystal and her fiance tied the knot in St. Lucia in April, so of course we HAD to go. (Yay me!)

The Caribbean is somewhere I've always wanted to explore, what with the James Bond movies, pirate lore, and Jimmy Buffett songs etched in my brain. Paradise, so I've heard. Well I'm a Missouri girl, so show me. Let me clarify that for a travel lover, my geography sucks. I blame passing notes with Misty in 10th grade geography. But I digress. First thing I did when Crystal said St. Lucia was to google it and find out where the hell we were going. Turns out St. Lucia is WAAAAAAY down there, almost to South America. Three planes and a 2-hour bus ride later, you can get to your hotel from your house in Des Moines. Wow, that's a long trip. But so worth it!

It was already hot, about 85 or 90 each day, and I'd say 90% humidity. But oh, that ocean! Water was beautiful, like wet diamonds, and so fun to play in. Of course we had a wedding to attend- which was amazing-but the other stuff on our 5 day vacation was too cool to omit. Briefly:

I played in the ocean as much as possible. Love me the water!
Snorkeled for the first time (see the pic above of the little cove we got to spend an hour or so snorkeling in).
We all took a boat trip around much of the island, got off and explored a little town/village, which was filled with lots of poverty (by our estimation). Our guides tried to convey that many of the island folk live like this and we think it's a lot worse than they do. Learning situations abounded on this little day trip. It was sad and amazing all rolled into one.
I took a kayak and then a Hobie Cat out into the ocean all by myself. The Hobie Cat was scary, but I did it!
We went to the only drive-in volcano in the world (La Soufriere). Smelled like rotten eggs (because of all the sulfur).
Hiked to a natural mineral hot springs, and sat in it fully clothed. If you'd come that far to see it, why wouldn't you get in?
Had fantastic lunch on the boat trip day at a small little hole-in-the-wall restaurant somewhere in the middle of the island. None of the dishes matched, we ate al fresco with palm tress and foliage all around, and it felt like we just dropped in on someone's mom and she cooked for all of us!
Attempted deep-sea fishing, but no luck and not really our cup of tea. Not everything goes as planned, but sometimes it's worth trying anyway. Got to spend the day on the ocean with my best friend. That equals success in my book.
Saw all the rich houses up on the high hills, where many stars have homes- Mick Jagger (Ugly Mick to the locals), George Forman, and a new huge one the locals think is owned by Oprah Winfrey.
Saw where they shot some of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
We went to a sister resort for dinner one night, ate great food and took in all of their beautiful views, too.
Most importantly, we relaxed and enjoyed the sun, the drinks, the food and each other as much as possible in our week. No jobs, no phones, no TV, no bills to pay, just kick back and relax, and enjoy our time with family and some new friends.

Crystal was an amazingly beautiful bride, and Christopher seemed to be a blissful groom. Tim and I felt blessed we could attend, and are so glad we got to explore this little part of the world. It's only 27 miles long, but was so full of vibrancy and life, fun and love, and we have some great memories from there now. Not sure we'll ever return, but so very, very glad we were there this year.

Book 10- Making A Living Without A Job

2010-09-06T19:21:00.001-05:00

Book 10 of 2010 is Making A Living Without A Job, by Barbara Winter. It was an interesting read, although the section about marketing just about put me to sleep. She has good insight throughout the book as a whole, and plenty of practical advice. I liked the multiple profit centers idea, mainly because it's so OBVIOUS I was surprised I hadn't thought of it myself, earlier.

I didn't come away thinking this was the greatest book ever, although I'd read a lot of GLOWING reviews. It was interesting, but I thought I would finish it and be chomping at the bit for a total life overhaul. Sorry Barbara, I have to give it a B-. I was interested enough to finish it, but I didn't jump up off the couch and pen my resignation letter.

Book 9 - The Cheapskate Next Door

2010-08-21T08:21:00.001-05:00

On to book 9 of 2010: The Cheapskate Next Door by Jeff Yeager. Also on the cover of this: The surprising secrets of Americans living happily below their means". Right up my alley.

I liked this book, and probably give it a B+ in the grand scheme of things. It was interesting and gave me some facts and tidbits to incorporate, but it wasn't the lightbulb moment of my more frugal life. The best things about this book were the real stories of real people, exemplifying how they save money here and there, cut corners and save pennies (and dollars), look average but by many folks' standards are rich. And Jeff is hysterical. Honestly. I need to meet this guy: on his first book tour he rode his bike and slept on folks' couches across the country while promoting both the book and the "cheapskate" lifestyle. Sounds very "slam poet" to me. We've been doing that for years, mostly out of necessity.

All of these things I'm reading lately are moving me down a more frugal, simplified lifestyle. I'm learning how "your stuff" is usually more of a burden than a blessing. I'm finding out how to pare down my life and my possessions, and how that frees me up to do more, experience more, enjoy more. Like I've said before, possessions are a weight to carry around. The less we own, the faster we can move, come and go, visit new places, meet new people.

There are some awesome blogs out there, too, that I've been reading. http://www.extendedworldtravel.com/ is a wonderful Swedish family that literally travels the world on an extended basis.

http://rowdykittens.com/ is all about minimalistic living

and then there are all the "living on the road blogs I have fallen in love with:
http://unschoolingdad-perspective.blogspot.com/
http://randomroadmama.blogspot.com/
http://slowponyhome.blogspot.com/
and my favorite of all favorites: http://www.happyjanssens.com/

I feel like I'm heading for a re-invention. All these blogs and books are just stepping stones. Forty is my year.

New craft-i-ness

2010-08-12T18:42:00.001-05:00

As you know I love to try all different things! One of my fun things is sewing, although I'm not really all that good at it. Especially things with patterns. I'm kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants gal, stitching things together without much thought to patterns, pinning, pressing or any of those PC sewing things that actually make your projects turn out nice.

Anyway...I have heard about the Million Pillowcase Challenge, http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/ and thought that was right up my alley. I love to be crafty and I love to do things for other people who might need a little something extra here or there. So I dove into my stash of fabric and finally found a couple pieces big enough to make this. Most of my stash is free samples from the toss out bins at work- not quite big enough to do this project. But I finally found some (and enough to do one more!) and gave it a go. I have to admit, reading the directions was challenging a few times, just because I'm directionally-challenged, but I stuck to it and persevered.

I've also decided I'm going to try a basic 9-square quilt from all the small pieces I have tucked away, so I've already been cutting squares like a mad woman, dreaming about it coming out nice. I hope. Again, I'm kind of wonky on the machine, but if I slow down enough I think I can do it. Also on the horizon, another rag quilt (very forgiving) and some knitting needle rolls.

Book 8- Broke Is Beautiful (plus secret dreams!)

2010-08-07T15:50:00.001-05:00

It's the 8th month of the year, and I've only finished 8 books. Pretty pathetic, but I'm trying to not judge myself- reading without obligation. The whole point of listing all the books of 2010 is to see in retrospect, later, what I spent my time on and what cool ones I came across. And apparently to identify patterns in my reading behavior. I seem to be stuck in the personal finance/self-improvement/what's life all about genre.

The book I just finished was "Broke Is Beautiful" by Laura Lee. I found this one on a free pile at work (how fitting), snatched it up and took it home. I liked it, mostly because she doesn't spend her time preaching about cutting coupons or cutting out the daily $4 mocha (ahem). It was full of tidbits of history relating to our shopping and spending habits as a country, and it felt more like social commentary about the wastefulness of our society. I love that type of shit. I'm really a beat chick in middle-class clothes, so this was right up my alley. (BTW, the artist inside me feels guilt about those middle-class clothes quite often.) Lots of fodder for my brain to continue asking WHY we want/need so many things.

I used to love to shop. I was a good, all-American teenage girl with a huge room full of STUFF. So much stuff: toys, music, books, clothes, stuffed animals, John Travolta posters, sporting goods, more clothes, hair accessories, jewelry, purses, and even more clothes. At one point I honestly had about 100 t-shirts (being the sporty spice I was). I loved going to the mall. I loved going to WalMart. I loved going to garage sales. I loved the thrill of a bargain. I was a good American, doing my part to support Reaganomics. Consume, consume, consume. I'm not sure where along the way this changed. I think it was about 10 years ago when I lived in a double-wide trailer stuffed to the gills with things we HAD to have and not a dime left over at the end of the week. The hopelessness of being in debt is exhausting. There was no reason we had no money- we had 2 good incomes coming in, but way too much going out.

That seems like a really long time ago. In the past decade lots of things have changed, least of all my understanding and desire to learn more about money. Budgets. Plans for bigger things than another new pair of shoes or a DVD. I've struggled with managing my money ever since I began doing it all on my own at about 22. It wasn't easy to learn, and it wasn't for lack of a good role model. My mom is a great money manager, and has it going on. She really gets it, and always did, even back in the 70's and early 80's, when excess was best. Good job mom, I just wish I was a faster learner! But late is better than never, so here I am. The motto in my brain is "it's better to DO things than to HAVE things". I am working on passing that motto onto the kids, but we all know how this goes. They are the most marketed-to generation ever, and I have a really hard time saying no. But I take it a day at a time.

I admit, I greatly appreciate my comfortable home and furnishings. I love books and things to create with (paper, glue, yarn, fabric, scissors, and so on!). I have beautiful jewelry and nice clothes. What I'm aiming for is simplicity. I really don't need more things in my house. In fact, I would like to continue to whittle away at the STUFF, only keeping the things I love the most and are most necessary. I strive to be organized and very, very UN-cluttered. A place for everything and everything in its place. Surely that can't be so hard, right? :)

I'll let you in on a secret dream: I would love to sell everything down to the bare necessities, buy a RV, and hit the road. I would love to live on the go, seeing everything I could, meeting new people every day, teaching my kids by way of whatever and whoever we come across. I want to be a nomad. I'm not sure why this appeals to me, and never fear my dear Iowa friends: I am only 1/4 of the equation here, and the other 3/4 is adamant that this is NOT what they want to do! But the fact that it keeps appearing in my brain, that I dream about it, that I incessantly read blogs from families on the go, must mean something. I've lived here in Iowa for 21 years now. I still consider myself a Missouri girl, although the more that I think about it, I realize I come from gypsy stock. My grandparents seem to be from all over- Iowa, Colorado, Arkansas, and have lived not only in Missouri (how my parents met) but also California, too. I've come to believe I'm a wanderer, and this sitting in one place is tying me up in knots. I've long told people my dream job is to travel the world- and then write about it. Not sure how to make that happen exactly, but planning possibilities is fun.

Luckily I'm married to a man who indulges me travel as much as possible. On our first date we drove by the airport in Des Moines to get to the restaurant we were headed to, and he looks over and says to me "do you have a passport?". I say yes, and he replies "good to know". Let me tell you, I was smitten right then and there. We both have 40-hour a week jobs, we have a mortgage, and we have kids to raise. He does his best to let me get my travel on: so far we've gotten to see Cancun (twice), St. Lucia, and much of the state of Iowa. We are planning South Dakota soon, and are dreaming of all the places we want to see in the next few years: Australia, California, places in Europe, many of our national parks, the Civil War battlefields, and the list of dreams keeps coming. It's good to dream, and it's good to have another trip to look forward to. Now, I guess I should get back to cleaning out my junk-filled cabinets and organizing what I'm keeping. Yard sale to come on East 9th.

Garden 2010- oh the green beans!

2010-07-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

There is so much joy in our lives right now. Happy kids, bills paid, a bit of money to eat out and drive around, everyone's healthy, we are madly in love, Iowa sweet corn in the fields taller than me, and our garden doing its thing. Namely, green beans and snap peas right at this moment.

We didn't have any luck with early lettuce- too wet and we didn't get in there in time to weed and harvest. Then we couldn't tell what was weed and what was edible. So we surrendered. The tomatoes and peppers are coming along, but not much yet. Zucchini is growing, but not really running.

But! The green beans are marvelous and the snap peas should have had a 10 foot fence instead of a four-footer. They would have climbed to the top, I swear. I need to get back out and pick more of both of these, either today or tomorrow. These are two buckets of green beans I gathered 2 days ago and wow do they look great! Before these we already had 2 buckets full and a good group of snap peas, so I feel very blessed. Now, what to make with them all?

Green beans! Strawberries! Tomatoes!

2010-06-29T17:34:00.001-05:00

So...the garden. One of the biggest pleasures of living in Iowa is our great soil. My mom's in southwest Missouri, and laments her hard, clay dirt.

Two years ago we just did a little patch of zucchini and a couple of tomato plants climbing the incredibly attractive chain-link fence. Last year we did a full-on garden with tomatoes, green beans, snap peas, peppers, zucchini and yellow squash, rhubarb, lettuce and green onions. We had a lot of water last year, and the tomatoes only did so-so. Peppers- zilch. Zucchini and squash, nada.

This year, Tim expanded the garden even a bit more, and we have onions, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, rhubarb, green beans, snap peas. He's made 3 rhubarb pies so far and they are AMAZING. We've gotten a few cherry tomatoes already, and they are RICH, RICH RICH with flavor. Oh my. I'm not a green onion eater, but Tim says they are good. Snap peas will be ready to pick later this week I think. And the good old green beans...already a bucket full, and I only picked the ones that looked the biggest. Another bucket tomorrow or later this week for sure. That's one thing I love about green beans- they are so easy! Here's a picture of the garden about 5 weeks ago, just getting started, and the pail of beans from tonight.

The other shot is of Keegan's strawberry plant. He and grandma were at Hy-Vee earlier this spring, and she was telling him all about her wild ditch strawberries, and they saw strawberry plants there, so of course he wanted one! And of course she got it! We put it in a planter by the back steps, because we didn't have the fence up around the garden yet then, and I was afraid the bunnies might munch it all down. He got a couple of strawberries off it, and I cut them up and put them in his lunch one day! Sweet. Not bad for a city kid in the middle of Des Moines.

Book 7 - You're Broke Because You Want To Be

2010-06-28T07:45:00.000-05:00

Book 7 for me this year is Larry Winget's "You're Broke Because You Want To Be". I got great amusement out of this book, because it's practical stuff with a kick. Like Dave Ramsey at a biker bar, a little drunk, poking you in the chest, telling you how stupid you are that you don't have any money. Swoon.

I've never heard of Larry Winget, but apparently many other people have, because he has several books and a tv show. Who knew? Since I'm lacking in the tv watching department, I've somehow missed his show, but think I'll try to find it online now, because I'd like to really see what he's like.

This was a short read, almost all of it in one night, but it was great. Now, what's next?

Keegan's got a brand new bed (insert James Brown voice here)

2010-06-21T21:00:00.001-05:00

Let's face it- the boy is getting tall! At 9 years old, Keegan seems to have outgrown his twin bunkbeds. He never used the bottom, which surprised me, because if I had bunkbeds, I'd make the bottom into a closed-off fort or secret clubhouse or something. Anyway, the room was a disaster area (as you can see in the before photo above), which is as much parenting fault as messy kid fault. He needed to purge, get better storage for the things he chose to keep (which are essentially video games and Legos), and have a bigger bed so as not to fall out or hit his feet on the footboard. And I was thinking it might be nice to have a place our visitors could crash besides the couch. Almost- dare I say- a guest bedroom! But not.

So as usual, I put the task to my mom, Mrs. Bob Vila, and she brainstormed up a super-cool platform bed with storage underneath. Rock. He can hide totes of Legos under there! His feet don't reach the end of the mattress! There's more room in here after all! There's even a giant mural of Pikachu on the wall!

Now of course Ms. 11-year-old is moaning about why SHE doesn't have a full-sized bed, because she's older and taller. Which is true, so now we're working on the cool-as-hellokitty update to her room, complete with new paint and theme (Red! Asian! Chinese lanterns! Cherry blossoms!). If she could clean it enough for me to get to said walls, I'd start painting.

Book 6 - Eat, Pray, Love

2010-06-10T07:29:00.001-05:00

The sixth book I finished this year (it's now June, month six, and I'm on book six, great...) is Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love". I'm glad I finished it before the movie came out, so I can have a picture of the real Liz before Julia's Liz takes over. That being said, I might have a hard time believing Julia's Liz, but you never know- I do love Julia Roberts.

This was a best seller back in 2006 I think, but at that point I was hip-deep in Little Critter books only, so I'm glad I found it at all. It was an amazing read, and there were so many parts of it that resonated very honestly with me. Sometimes I thought she was talking about ME, which of course makes for a good read (for ME at least, ha ha). Nobody really wants to live someone else's divorce and breakdown, but dear gawd I have totally been there. Never felt like I've been without a man in my life since age 15-ish? Been there. Desperately trying to find meaning in life? Bingo. Love to travel? Uh, hell-O?

It's divided into 3 sections, one for Italy, one for India, and one for Indonesia. I sucked up the first section (which included much of the backstory) like a good mocha from Friedrich's, but section 2 dragged a little bit. I knew I'd be pleased with what was still to come, so I pushed on and sure enough- reward. It's a great book, and I'm so glad it has a happy ending. Anyone with that much heartache and pain (many of us) deserve the happy ending.

Here's one strange thing for me, anyway. SPOILER ALERT- if you haven't read it and plan on it, stop reading this now and go get her book immediately!
Okay, so at the end of the book she ends up with a lovely man from Australia/Brazil, who worships her and rubs her feet and makes love to her until they are both spent. They pledge to NOT get married, but to be together, stay true, love each other, blah blah blah, forever and ever. I love that ending- right there! Liz's new book is recently out, "Committed", and I saw it on the shelf at the library just the day I returned this one. I couldn't get myself to want to read it, though, because in it she continues their story, and we find out they have to get married for immigration reasons. The whole book is apparently about her coming to terms with marriage (after such a horrible first experience). It just sounded so, so, academic and sad, all rolled into one. I couldn't bring myself to take it from the shelf. Too heavy or something.

But since this is about the old book and not the new, let me finish by saying bravo! It was wonderful, and even though I don't really want to read the new book, I am cheering for Liz and Felipe to make it 100 years.

Kansas City Science City road trip!

2010-06-05T10:38:00.000-05:00

What good is a Memorial Day weekend with nowhere to go? Kids and I decided to pack it up at the drop of a hat, and buzz down to Kansas City and go to the science center there. They've been before and loved it. It's bigger than ours in Des Moines, and they've got some cool stuff going on there in their everyday exhibits. The glory of science centers-you get to touch everything. You're SUPPOSED to touch everything. They trick you into learning. Genius, really.

Here are some pics of our trip: the view on the road between DM and KC (foliage/trees and road construction for 3 hours), the kids riding this balance bike 3 stories off the ground, digging in the "dinosaur" pit for bones (and obviously ignoring the sign), and just touching everything possible.

We had a great day, although it took us longer than expected (I was thinking 2 1/2 hours, when really it was closer to 3 each way). I'm hoping these kids turn into real travel troopers, because we drove 3 hours, played for 3-4 hours, and then turned around and drove 3 back. They are 9 and 11. I love to go and explore, but 6 hours in the car in one day is plenty to expect out of small city kids who can get anywhere in DM in like 20 minutes.

Love the hoop!

2010-05-28T20:35:00.001-05:00

My love of hula hooping goes way, way back. I don't remember not having a hoop. The ones I had as a kid were white with stripes, with the balls inside that went shwoop, shwoop, shwoop. And they were heavy enough to work with.

I spent a lot of time at car shows as a kid, hanging out with all the 57 Chevys and the fun people that drove them. If you've spent any time at car shows you know there are dances, driving games and kids' games to help entertain during the weekend. I believe this may have been the start to my hula hooping love.

I don't remember ever losing a hula hoop contest...I was just built right to hoop I guess, and I could go for EVER. So could my mom, by the way. She's a helluva hooper, too. She and I did a hula hoop "act" at Jasper Schools talent show when I was 16, to the song Wipeout by the Safaris. It was hysterical and great fun. Needless to say, we were a hit. My senior year of high school I made a go of it all by myself at the Carthage High School talent show. Three minutes of me all alone on stage, doing my hoop thing to Hippy Hippy Shake. I got second or third place, I forget. All I remember is that I wore unfortunately tight running/spandex shorts (figured that unfortunate part out in hindsight) and I had a blast.

My hula hoops are still at my mom's, and occasionally they come out of the garage. We've had some here at our house for the kids to play with, but I can never find good HEAVY ones. They are always too small and too light for me to do any good with. Thanks to the magic of the internet I've found out that there are lots of other people out there that love to hoop, too! And I learned how to make my own! And there are cool, new tricks I want to learn! And it's a good workout! So tonight my sweetie went to Menard's and bought irrigation tubing, connectors and electrical tape, and we made hoops! Big ones, small ones, some empty and some with water, BBs or rice inside. Colorful and damn fun to do!

Alex is a great hooper, too, just like her grandma. She was doing 3 hoops at once tonight, and was amazing! She got intrigued a couple of years ago when we went to a Wailers concert down by the river at Simon Estes Ampitheater, and some gals had these really big, wonderful hoops. They let her give it a whirl and she was sold.

I'm just so excited I have a new workout option (believe me, I can feel it in the abs right now) that doesn't seem like a workout. This is fun!

A quilt even Betty Bell would be proud of...

2010-05-17T18:52:00.000-05:00

So I've been meaning to try my hand at a rag quilt for some time now. I don't remember where I saw a picture of one, but it was a couple of years ago, and when I saw it I knew THAT was the quilt for me!

I am just crafty enough to be drawn to quilts. I love their imagination, their color and especially their versatility. I love practical art. And it doesn't get much more practical than quilts, especially in Iowa. I see beautiful quilt magazines month after month, I get a bit star-struck by them at the Iowa State Fair every single year (MaeBeth Oxenreider, you're a freaking rock star), and I love fabric. Alas, I'm not much of a pattern girl. I'm more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sewer. Sling it together, I no need no stinkin' pattern.

So for the popping of my quilt cherry, I kept it simple. 9"X9" squares. I just found the instructions online, so you can just google it like I did and pick a link. I needed enough material for front and back, 5 quilt blocks across and 7 rows down. I used material I already had (graciously donated by leftovers from others' projects at work, yay!). I also cut batting to go in the middle, and those were 7"X7" squares. You make a "sandwich" out of fabric, batting, fabric, and sew them together with a corner-to-corner X (so the batting doesn't shift). Then you sew the sandwiches together, and pretty soon it's all stitched together. Then you get to cut it around the exposed edges, wash and dry to make it fray. Viola! Again, google for more exact how-to.

I actually made 2 quilts this past few months, one for each of my grandchildren. They turned 2 and 4 this spring, and who knows if or when they will ever become attached to their quilts. I thought the quilts were cute as buttons, so I hope it's something they will keep close to their hearts. I still have lots of the wonderful things MY grandma made me, and they are some of the only things in the world I would be broken to lose. Maybe someday I'll learn to sew with a pattern like my sweet grandma.

I like to sew, at least when I can figure out my damn machine. It was my grandma's, and it's nothing super fancy, just a little ole Brother machine. Probably 30 years old now, but it works great when I figure out how to properly thread the bobbin and change broken needles. I sewed on it as a teenager trying my hand at a few things. I also sewed in the Carthage Jr. High Home Economics class with Betty Bell correcting over my shoulder. I passed that class and had an apron and 2 puffy letter pillows to show for it. God bless the straight lines of the H.

Books 4 & 5 of 2010

2010-05-01T09:25:00.001-05:00

I managed to find time to read a couple of more books in the past few weeks. Amazing, I know.

I read Still Life With Chickens, by Catherine Goldhammer. It was a relatively quick read, about a woman going through a divorce, and "reinventing" herself in a new house. She comes from a stuffy east coast community, and is torn about having to take her 12 year old daughter away from the only home she's really ever known, up on a high hill with a great yard, blah blah blah.

I really wanted to sympathize with Catherine. I wanted to like her and understand where she was coming from. I mean, we're both poets, mothers, and divorced. I remember the pain of moving your kid(s) from their "home" and shuffling them off into a new "home" because the house you were in was painfully expensive when you had to pay for it all alone. But I just couldn't find the softness in my heart for her, when she kept going on and on about moving to this awful, tiny house ON THE OCEAN, which I'm very certain cost 4 times what my house cost here in Iowa. She seemed to moan on and on about her lack of funds and awful job, but she sure spent a lot of money on fixing up that house, and she never had to resort to waiting tables at Pizza Hut. Ack, I give it a C. Good enough to finish, but not enough to recommend.

On our trip to Crystal & Christopher's wedding in St. Lucia, I got to dig into 3 Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen. I've heard so much about this book and have been wanting to read it for a while. While the other book I just read was painfully self-absorbed, this book was fascinating and joyful.

Greg's story of growing into the leader of the Central Asia Institute was an incredible tale of appreciation, challenges and the true meaning of peace. I love how grass roots Greg is, because I'm the same type of organizer-feet on the ground pounding the pavement get'r'done. I admire that he's a man of his word (hard to find, even in those with good intentions) and is willing to sacrifice so much in his own personal life to benefit so many children a half a world away, that he doesn't even personally know. I love that he understands that most people are inherently good, regardless of religion, and that the key to future peace is EDUCATION. Open people's eyes to the larger world around them and they begin to understand we are all working towards the same thing: a peaceful life with food and safety and happiness in which to raise our children.

In the back of the book there are resources he points you to: www.threecupsoftea.com and www.penniesforpeace.org . Please go to these sites and learn more. Also, I will be looking for the young reader's edition (grades 6-8) for my daughter to read.

I give this book an A, needless to say. Yay Dr. Greg!

So, Mexico...

2010-04-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about Mexico. And me. Us. Like, as a couple. Not now, but in a few years. Like, a REAL couple, moving in together. I can't seem to get the idea of moving south out of my head. I mean it REALLY appeals to me.

Of course this is something to dream about, something to plan, something to hope for. It may never happen, or only a part of it might happen. Instead of moving south full-time, it may be a winter-only gig. Lots to learn and think about between now and a million years from now. Most importantly, learn more Spanish.

A simpler life is calling. I hear lots of people chuckling at me now, but sometimes I just want to walk away from the house, the schedule, and the climbing to the top (of what?!). No 40-hour work week, shuttling back and forth between appointments and work and kids. More time for relaxing, being with friends and family, enjoying more important things like good food and drink. The question is, how do we get there? How are we able to step away from it all? No more corporate job, no more rat race, no more stress over a job not enjoyed? And did I mention how much I despise winter?

Our houses are already filled with too much stuff. I'm over stuff. I'd like to empty a lot of stuff out of here today, and I'm not even much of a shopper. Oh my, where does it come from? Kids and my mom? Books are my biggest culprit. Will have to unload some of those asap (Note to self- use library more). Haven't looked at most of them in years. Silly.

So what can I do to make these longings go away? I want a little house in a little Mexican fishing village not far from the beach, where my old friends can come visit for a week at a time, where I can make new friends, and where I can write for a living, from a distance. Is this really possible? Dreaming again?

Viva la Mexico. Sigh.

Books 3 & 4 of 2010

2010-03-28T16:50:00.001-05:00

Read, read, read. Sometimes that's all I want to do and sometimes I can't get myself to open to page one. Sigh.

Book 3 of 2010 was one I've already read, so does that count? Sure I say! I re-read the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch on my trip to San Francisco last month. I cannot think of any other book that so puts things in perspective. The late Dr. Pausch put this together before he died of cancer a couple of years back. It's based on his one-hour "last lecture" given at Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a professor before his death. You can watch the whole thing here: http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/ . If you've never watched it, do yourself a favor and set aside an hour to change your life. Then go find this book and change even more. He knew how to live, even before he knew he was dying. The lecture is about achieving your childhood dreams, and he shows how he actually did achieve some of those things he dreamt about as a kid. We should all have glorious dreams, at every age. Enjoy the good parts. There really are so many. Biggest disappointment: knowing this is one person I'll for sure never get to meet.

Wow that all sounds amazingly corny, but it's so true. As a kid I loved to: read, write, roller skate, play basketball, write letters to friends, hang with my cool family, learn to cook, create stuff (practical or not) and give gifts. It's good to think about these types of things again. I'll be 40 this year, and life evaluation is a good thing. Build the life you want, he says, not the one you don't. What type of life do I want? Work at something I enjoy, create things to give to people that make them smile, write letters to far-off friends, and (I still love to) roller skate. I think the job part is the hardest- finding something you enjoy doing every day. Right now I like what I do most days, but some are crap. I'm working on making more of them good and less of them crap. Note to self: bring more treats to work and continue to do cartwheels in the hallways, because it always makes people smile.

Okay, the other book: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block. Let's hear it for young adult fiction! My 2 fiction books of this year so far have been YA. Maybe that's all I've got to invest in fiction? Whatever. I liked it! It was a funky, light read about a girl looking for a life with love and friendship. Block tackles touchy subjects such as homosexuality, death, estranged family members and the scariness of love/sex/STDs. All in 88 pages! I thought it was a gas, and was glad I stayed up past my bedtime to read it.

Okay, so I'm bummed

2010-02-19T07:52:00.000-06:00

that I can't "follow" this blog:
http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/

because she already has the maximum number of followers allowed (1000). I guess I'll have to bookmark it.

I've read about Tavi somewhere - online? Entertainment Weekly? Bust? but have just now found my way to her blog. And I love it, because she's so funny, she's passionate about fashion, she's lippy and she's 12. I want her to be friends with my daughter, and come over to spend the night. Hell, I want her to be friends with ME.

She seems to fall in best-friend love with everyone she meets. She cracks me up in her rambling blog posts, and her joy for the fashion world is second-to-none. We should all have such joy in our lives about SOMETHING.

I used to love fashion. I watched Style with Else Klensch A LOT. I wanted to be a model. I even went to modeling school in Kansas City (thanks mom and dad!). I enjoyed clothes and colors and the fun of putting stuff together. It was the 80s and excess was best. But then, well, I don't know what happened. Grown-up life and budgets and jobs and kids happened. I don't mean I loved fashion like shopping on Rodeo Drive. I mean I loved shopping at the Salvation Army and putting fun, cool, punk stuff together. I think corporate America sucked the life out of me. Just like driving the stupid mini-van for 2 or 3 years. Just kill me now.

My problem is that I lie too much in the middle. I'm somewhat artistic- just enough to enjoy arts of all kind, but I'm not a full-blown artist. I'm creative and love expression, but I'm practical enough to know to get a real job. My creative side taunts me and wants to hang out more, but my realistic, practical side bought a house, pays the mortgage, goes to work, and keeps a detailed calendar so nobody's ever late to work or band or basketball practice. If I leaned more to one side or the other, I sometimes think I'd be happier, because the other side wouldn't call to me as much.
More practical-I wouldn't think twice about wanting to be an artist, cut up old clothes and make new ones, be a poet, paint for a meager living.
More artistic-I wouldn't care about owning a house, having a car, saving for retirement.

So here I am: working a full-time job (same job for 9 years now), paying my mortgage, cleaning my house regularly, running kids from one activity to another, sending birthday emails to friends on time, putting money in 401k. My dining room is stuffed with yarn, fabric, paper and glue sticks but they rarely get played with because all my practical thoughts win the tug-o-war in the brain, and I end up cleaning house when all I really want to do is knit hats and make pillows out of old t-shirts.

Note to self: read Tavi's blog EVERY. DAY.

Book 2 of 2010

2010-02-16T20:12:00.000-06:00

All I can say is God Bless Karen Cushman for restoring my faith in fiction. Young adult fiction, no matter, because every book I've ever picked up by her (all as an adult, in fact) has completely captivated me. This gal is a helluva storyteller. And usually, I despair of fiction. Bo-ring. It just doesn't catch my interest.

It's been years since I've really read much fiction. I had to read lots in school, and it was fine. I loved Catcher In The Rye, Huck Finn, and The Grapes of Wrath. As a kid I cleaned out the Carthage Public Library Children's department. Nancy Drew and I were tight. The only fiction I remember HATING was Melville.

After college though, I gravitated to poetry (as you all know) and non-fiction, especially biographies. Real people's stories are more captivating. I lose myself in what really happened to Jesse James, Gilda Radner and George Burns. One of my favorite books is The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. No one famous, but man did she have an awesome (and inspiring) story!

I just finished Matilda Bone, by Cushman. It's the 3rd book I've read of hers, and like the other two, I'll buy this one. They are young adult, historical fiction set in medieval times, and all have a young female main character. Great scene setting, wonderful story telling about regular people, instead of all princes and princesses, castles and white horses. There's always talk of dung in her books, plus plenty of dirt, hunger and cold. I mean, why wouldn't you like it?

It's been a long time since I've fallen into a fiction book, so thank you Karen. I devoured this one, and will probably go back and re-read the other 2.

I <3 you Karen.

First book of 2010

2010-01-09T16:49:00.000-06:00

So I'm going to keep track of all the books I read in 2010. I'm easily distracted, so I actually have about 5 books going right now. I just pick up whichever one strikes me in whatever mood I'm in. The first one I've finished in 2010 is Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Revisited. A nice read, some nice motivational parts in it, but not as moving as Total Money Makeover.

One of my goals (not just for 2010, but always) is to have more control over my money. I want to control it, not let it control me. I want to work less and enjoy every day more. I want to retire (whatever THAT means) early and spend my days making art, traveling, exploring, seeing friends and family. I feel like I should be really good at managing money, but I'm only mediocre. I'm a C student in this area...maybe a B-. I want to get it, to understand it, to know how to always have it around. I want that security of having it there. So reading Dave R. is another step in learning more and becoming that A student. He's got some great ideas, I feel like he shoots from the heart, and I like that you can access much of his info on his website, and you actually don't HAVE to buy the books. That right there makes me respect what he has to say enough to want to buy some of them.

Here's to 2010, and total control over my finances. Here's to ending the year with more money than I started with. Here's to having money in the bank even when the month's over, and not more month left when the money runs out. Here's to being able to take care of all my kids' needs without flinching. Going to the grocery store without first checking the balance in the bank. That's the only way to live.

Other books in the queue right now: Revolutionary Letters, An Imagineer's Guide to Disneyland, and Catcher In the Rye. This is going to be a roller coaster of a literary year. Yay!

This Is What Des Moines Looks Like. Part 3.

2010-01-02T20:18:00.001-06:00

Just not today. Today it is -16 degrees. It actually said -16 in my car today, when I went to the grocery store at 8:30 a.m. First of all, why in the world did I feel the need to get to the grocery store at 9 am? To save $2 off a $6 bag of frozen chicken? Ridiculous.

Of course I went by Starbucks first, after begging my sweet little Toyota (Miss Kitty) to start. She did, but not until she cussed me out. I wish I could promise her warmer climates, but the countdown to moving south is still 9+ years away, and I don't think she can make it that long. Hard to tell, though, because she IS a Toyota. Fingers crossed, but not holding my breath.

These pics were taken this summer, on a lovely, warm, 80 degree day. I threw my husband in the truck, commanded him to DRIVE, and proceeded to shoot 100 random pictures and waste 1/2 tank of gas. You realize what an incredible act of love that is, seeing that gas was almost 4 freaking dollars a gallon, and I made him drive the truck, right? But he loves me and didn't even question my monetary sanity. He just got in and drove. Smiling, even.

I made him drive all over Des Moines, which we like to do, actually, but these particular shots were taken about 5 minutes from our house, at the Iowa State Capitol grounds. Some very cool stuff there, if you've never gotten to explore it. I like the view from the steps, looking onto downtown. I especially like it if you have never been to Des Moines and are only expecting to see corn and cows. Straight ahead of you are many insurance and bank corporate offices, restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, libraries, and even sculpture gardens. And many nice people. You have to drive a few more minutes (about 10) to get to corn.

The bad part, like I stated before, is that it's 16 below 0 today. Before the wind chill. Wrong wrong wrong. How does anyone stay sane in winter like this? It's crap, really. All I can do is dream about the beach and sing that "toes in the water, ass in the sand" song. Bond with Jimmy Buffet over bottles of tequila and press repeat on the CD player. Rent 8 movies in one trip to the movie store. Spend a lot of time in really hot baths. Watch World's Strictest Parents and Nanny 911 and pray my kids turn out better than THAT. Cold weather does stupid things to your tv judgement. I've even watched Keeping Up With the Kardashians this week. Just kill me now.

To-do list for this week, the first week of 2010: buy more socks; tell kids how much I love them and how proud I am of them; return 8 movies; pray car starts every day; bake a lot; pack for beach vacation; turn up heat; meet best girlfriends for coffee; count down days until spring.

2009...almost gone!

2009-12-23T08:48:00.000-06:00

2009 was a year of fun, family and friends! We are so blessed to have great people in our lives, and the ability to go so many places and see so many cool things.

Tim & I were married at the end of 2008, so in early 2009 we went on our honeymoon to Cancun, Mexico. Fantastic week in the sun while it was cold and snowy back home. We celebrated our marriage with (several hundred!) friends and family in April on the dance floor at the Eagles Lodge in DM…the same place we went on our first date (bet you didn’t know THAT piece of trivia!).

I had several poetry readings in central Iowa: Beaverdale Books, DM Social Club, Marshalltown, and even the Iowa State Women’s Correctional Facility in Mitchellville. I felt a little like the man in black, but did not perform my poem Johnny Cash 45. I taught a haiku workshop to Rolling Green Elementary kids (including mine) in the spring, which was pretty cool. I got accepted to a few publications, like Lyrical Iowa and the online literary journal www.secondrun.org (where I appear alongside Patricia Smith, Matt Mason & Ted Kooser- WOW!).

Tim had some good hunting trips, both local and long-distance. His trip to Oklahoma brought home merino ram, asian water buffalo, and a Roosevelt 4X5 elk.

The summer was packed with trips to Adventureland, the Iowa State Fair, my 20th high school reunion, and the annual Carthage Girls’ Bandana weekend at Table Rock Lake (with my oldest and dearest girlfriends).

Kids…oh yes, the kids!

Casey turned 20 this month, and has been busy all year working and going to school at DMACC. She did squeeze in time enough to model for us here at Country Gardens magazine, and will appear in the Summer 2010 issue.

Alex turned 11 in November, and filled her year with volleyball, a DM Playhouse workshop, church camp, learning to play the flute, lots of school work and many more fun times with friends. She even got to see her first Civic Center Broadway show: Hairspray!

Keegan turned 8 in May, and has continued with his Cub Scout pack, went to scout camp this summer, and is now trying his hand at basketball. He is still the gamer of the family, and appreciates beating the socks off Tim & I at any electronic game we dare challenge him to.

One of the greatest parts of the year came in November, when my mom, Alex, Keegan & I were able to take a trip to Disneyland in California. We met my longtime friend Nicole (an Aussie I met in Sweden 16 years ago) and her daughter Rhianna there. It was my kids’ first: trip on a plane, real stay in a hotel, visit to Disney, and getting to see the ocean. As cool as Hollywood and Disneyland were, my favorite part of the week was the short time we got to see the ocean, because of the kids’ wonder and sheer excitement. It truly was one of the best moments of my life. I took about 1000 pictures…and cried just a little.

We hope your 2010 is both blessed and prosperous!

Heather

This is what Des Moines looks like. Part 2.

2009-10-18T12:37:00.001-05:00

We love good statues. And flowers. And graffiti hearts. And naked women lifting their tits to the heavens. We don't always know what they mean, but we love them.

All these pictures were taken no more than 5 minutes from our house. Four on the state capitol grounds, and the brew pub sign on Court Avenue.

Halloweens of years past...

2009-10-15T13:22:00.001-05:00

I totally dig Halloween. I always love helping the kids figure out what they want to be, making costumes and doing makeup. I'm no Martha when it comes to costumes- I put stuff together and make it work, but it usually comes out cool. Just going to Target and buying one off the rack will work, but it's not nearly as fun. The kids usually oblige me this assistance.

I was trying to think of all the things they've been through the years and costumes I've made. I know recently I've seen Alex be a "little China girl", Wednesday Addams, and a vampire-type creature. Keegan has been Link (from Zelda), Luke Skywalker (Return of the Jedi version), and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. When their sister Casey was younger, two of my favorites (masterpieces!) I made her were Cher from Clueless and another time a gypsy, complete with purple swirling skirt with jingle bells sewn all along the bottom edge.

Alex is in 5th grade this year, and it might be the last time she goes trick-or-treating. Keegan is in 3rd, so maybe we'll all squeak a few more years out of it, but it's definitely on the downhill slide. I always go with them, because I love their faces, I love the glow they get from all that candy (even though they NEVER eat it all), I love the pure childhood joy of the night. It's over all too quickly, just like the years they get to go house to house will be over in a flash.

We're working on our current costumes for this year. I think Keegan said he wanted to be the Grim Reaper. I don't know if he really knows what that means, but he sees it on a cartoon called Billy & Mandy, and Grim gets to carry a large scythe, which is a huge bonus to Keegan. The boy has been enamoured with swords and sword-like weapons since he could walk. Luke Skywalker- light saber. Link-sword. TMNT-dagger. Get the picture? When we took "old-fashioned" pictures at Adventureland this summer, we could choose from old west, 1920's, saloon, and so on for backdrops and costumes. Keegan picked the Roaring 20's because he got to hold a tommy gun, and that was "the biggest gun they had". Serious.

Alex's costume choices aren't so action-based, but rather what she thinks she'll look cute in. The China girl costume (kind of geisha, kind of Chinese, no real research here so I'm sure we would offend someone) had the best accessory ever: a large take-out box for her candy to go in.

Here in Des Moines there are a few things different about trick-or-treating. Most importantly, they don't actually go on Halloween. I think this is the weirdest and dumbest thing EVER. They go the day before. Probably so as to not "glorify" the "holiday" since it's "satanic" or some crap like that. Whatever, fine. Just tell us when to actually show up. The other is that most people that answer the door expect a joke for the treat. This I actually think is pretty fun, except my kids have always had the hardest time remembering any jokes or getting them out. So we end up apologizing a lot, and then they try to look worthy of the tiny Snickers bar in the bowl.

Somehow, we always end up with a lot of candy, joke or no joke.

20 Years Already?

2009-08-02T19:44:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my favorite images from this weekend. I really can't believe we've been out of school for 20 years. Sure went fast. Feels like 10 years, maybe. Missed seeing some people that couldn't make it...Charlene, Glen, Jeff...but know it's a long drive for them. I loved having everyone together Friday night at Stout's for pizza and then at the park. It was awesome to get the gang out to Mom & Dad's new house to see it, hang out for lunch, play with the racecars a little. Most everyone lives away from Carthage, so they haven't seen the cars in a long time, and they've gotten bigger and faster in the past few years!

Everyone's kids are so beautiful...Chloe's granddaughter Teagan, Jen's daughter Tess, Dustin's kids Bella and Chase. My kids were home starting school, and John's daughter was with her mom.

So many favorite moments this weekend, I can hardly narrow it down. Dancing to Debbie Gibson (I get lost, in your eyes) with my wonderful, patient husband. Dancing to Footloose with Chuck T. Dancing to everything else with Misty. Shooting paparazzi pics of Shane T. Eating Japanese steakhouse lunch with mom and Trish. Mucho Mexico with mom, dad and Tim. Driving all over Jasper County with my sweetheart, daydreaming about our future. Seeing Honaker at Jim's. Long, lost friends appearing, like Shannon M., Jim A., Eric Z., and David W. Getting hugs from Tess, and getting to hold baby Chase. The stress of the past few weeks going away when we got to the park, and everyone was just who they were. And it was alright.

To steal David Waggoner's quote..."I am just full of bliss."

In the garden, in the house

2009-07-25T09:14:00.001-05:00

Some of the flowers I'm growing this year are zinnias, cosmos, black-eyed susans, purple coneflowers, and this variety I think called Indian Summer (Echinacea?). The purple coneflowers aren't really taking off, but I have them in a container and it may not be deep enough.
The zinnias and cosmos are in the garden in back, and seem to be doing okay. Nice to have that color in there. Here's also a little shot of the tiny bouquet I made myself last week.

Our Little Urban Garden

2009-07-21T17:22:00.001-05:00

Ah the joys of the backyard garden!
Last year I planted tomatoes and zucchini in our backyard. It wasn't an official garden, it was just clearing a little space and putting some plants in. I let the tomatoes grow up the chain link fence for support. I didn't even have to buy those plants- I got them as leftovers from work. Someone had started several different varieties, and there were extras, so I came home with some small yellow pear tomato plants and a white/yellow cherry-sized tomato called Italian Ice. I spent the whole summer mistakenly calling it Vanilla Ice because I couldn't QUITE remember the actual name. Plus it's just funnier. I love small tomatoes because when they come in, you get a ZILLION of them. Plenty to eat and share!

This summer we tried a bigger, "actual" garden. Tim marked off a 15' X 8' space in the spring, hired somebody from Craigslist to till it since we don't have one, and away we went. We were all amazed to see lots of half bricks come up from their grave-who know what the previous homeowner had back there. Our house is from 1917, so that's a lot of time for projects, gardens, patios and who knows what else in the yard!

We planted: onions, carrots, lettuce, green beans, snap peas, tomatoes (several varieties, including one heirloom I started from seed), two types of peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash. The onions sprouted up quick, and made for good green onions/scallions (for Tim, not me!). The lettuce did well, as you can see in the picture, and we harvested it twice and ate a few salads out of it before it kind of zapped out. A few weeks ago the snap peas were going gangbusters, and we ate two really good-sized helpings off those vines, and there are still some showing up these past few days. I was so pleased Alex ate those with us. I don't know why that tickled me so much, but I was really happy she would try them, right out of the garden.

Now the green beans are going to town. Initially we think the seeds got washed out because of some REALLY hard rains the first time we planted, so we re-planted and they seemed to take. Now that the plants are good and full, I'm always giddy to lift up a handful of leaves and find a whole gaggle of green beans under there just waiting for me! I remember my Grandma and Grandpa Jessen having a garden like this when I was Alex's age, around 10, and I would be out there picking beans. There are pictures somewhere of me bent over at the waist, all long legs sprouting out from the bushy green bean leaves.

The tomatoes are beginning to ripen, and we have several handfuls of the small cherry- and grape-tomatoes. A few of the bigger ones are turning, too, although one that was almost ready has "mysteriously" disappeared. There are always mysteries in the garden. That tomato was one. Another is that the carrots occasionally seem to be pulled up and left there. Not all of them, but some. I wonder if it's a mole, because we do battle those in our yard. Or maybe it could be a bunny or raccoon, pulling them by the tips up, trying to get them through the chicken-wire fence? I'm drawing blanks, but I'm assuming it's not garden sabotage by the neighbors- not even the neighbor kids.

One more mystery is the yellow squash. Tim thought the seeds he bought were for plants like yellow zucchini, long and not too big around. This one though, seems to be a different variety, and my friend Justin thinks it's a spaghetti squash. I'll have to do a bit more research and see what I find out. When do I pick it? How do I prepare it?

So far I haven't seen any zucchini blooming, although I might be a tad early. I can't really remember how late it was last year when they bloomed. Oh but I love them! On the grill, and also saute'd and then put in sauces and Jonny's Italian pie...lovely! I guess I have to have a bit more patience, and we'll see what a few more weeks brings. There's always the farmer's market downtown Des Moines on Saturday mornings, in case mine don't show.

There are also cosmos and zinnias in the garden, just because I wanted them and some fun color. I don't like the cosmos so much, but zinnias- YES! Fun pops of color all along the row. Good for little bouquets. Right now it's time for dinner, and we're having salads with handfuls of our veggies in there. Can't wait to taste the tomatoes and a couple little carrots. Later this week, green beans again. Sigh. We don't grow corn in our patch, but we have access to the best, freshest sweet corn in the world here. Our favorite is a stand called Grimes sweet corn, and they pick it in the morning, then we buy it in the afternoon and eat it for dinner. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Secret, Hidden Artwork in Des Moines (part 1)

2009-07-14T18:32:00.001-05:00

This gem was found at 2501 Bell Avenue in Des Moines, at the Plumbers, Steamfitters, & Refrigeration Fitters Union, Local 33 building. If you are on Fleur Drive near Grey's Lake, then take Bell west a few blocks.

On My Way Home

2009-07-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

from the corporate world in downtown Des Moines today, I drove past the following: young white man with foot-long dreadlocks and a Rastafarian hat, two women holding hands, two African-American couples, a family consisting of grade-school aged kids, parents and grandparents, some kids walking in the fountain by the library, some 30-something guys dressed in business casual, a man waiting for the bus with no hands (looked like a birth defect), and a very boho-looking couple in the East Village. I love this diversity.

Business and architecturally-speaking, I passed the upcoming Sculpture garden, the Des Moines Social Club, the downtown library (with a green roof!), several bus stops, parking lots and garages, the YMCA with a giant inflatable gorilla on the roof (WFT?), the river, the East Village (which includes the coolest t-shirt shop ever, Smash, with a huge 50's-style laser gun sticker on the front window), lots of American flags, the Iowa State Capital, and all the residential splendor that East 9th Street can offer (including the castle house, which the kids LOVE).

Part of me would like more peace and quiet, but part of me loves this buzz of activity. So while we're here, I'm digging it.

Sometimes you find little gems...

2009-07-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

hidden in iPhoto. These shots are from the first things taken with my new camera. For those of you who see us regularly, you'll notice that the kids are, uh, maybe 4 and 6? Now they are 8 and 10. Wow! And the camera? Still hanging in there but also not new.

I love these kids so very, very much, but today (at the Omaha Zoo) they worked so very, very hard to push every button I have. I even threatened them with a "Gibbs" upside the head. Sigh. Another day, another mediocre attempt at motherhood. Just keep reminding myself: nobody's in jail, at juvie hall, on drugs, on welfare, calling DHS, or without home/food/money/transportation, etc. Breathe, and it will all return to "normal" sometime. They will not be 8 and 10 again. This will not last long, even though at times it feels to have lasted FOREVER.

10th & Walnut

2009-06-23T17:41:00.000-05:00

This statue was found at 10th & Walnut (Davis/Brown Tower) in downtown Des Moines. It is nestled among the insurance cubicles and banking computers, but not too far from the new, upcoming sculpture garden.

It reminds me of, well, me, with those long legs and one hand dabbling in nature.

Upon further investigation, I found this about the piece and artist:

Art Description:
"Yesterday" is a partially autobiographical piece that depicts a woman who has one foot stepping forward into the future and the other foot is in the past. A bird, which is a common hallmark in Hansen's work, perches on the figure's left palm. Hansen's artwork incorporates the fundamental skills of traditional figurative sculpture in combination with abstract gesture, pose, and nuance to express life's triumphs, challenges, loneliness, and loss. The raw materials for her art are those daily experiences that have woven the tapestry of her life.

About the artist:
jd Hansen holds a BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and has also had bronze foundry and metal-working classes. She has received a Museum Choice Award from the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT and second place in the Sculptural Pursuit Magazine, National Sculpture Competition in 2004. She has also received nine Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards.

Check out this link to the artist's website: http://www.jdhansen.com/publicart.htm

Beautiful! Apparently Ponderosa Village in Des Moines has another piece on display. Anyone know where Ponderosa Village is? Maybe worth a local roadtrip.

Nollen Plaza, Downtown Des Moines, Iowa

2009-06-20T15:13:00.000-05:00

Not far from our home is Nollen Plaza. It was named and dedicated in 1979 for brothers Henry and Gerard Nollen in recognition of their contribution to the insurance industry in Des Moines. The plaza was originally designed with a tree-lined grassy area along with a small waterfall and reflecting Pool with wide steps surrounding the pool that provide seating areas. Crusoe Umbrella, a sculpture by Cleas Oldenburg and Coosje van Brugeen, stands on the northeast corner of the Plaza. The steel sculpture was purchased with private contributions and a matching grant by the National Endowment for the Arts.
(This info was found at http://www.livingdowntowndesmoines.com/2008/10/downtown-des-moines-parks-nollen-plaza/#more-2106)
Pictures by me!

Pics I found on mom's computer...

2009-06-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

Keegan swimming, Alex riding Tequila the horse, and Staci and I at an I-Cubs game. All from a couple years back. Probably 2007. Nothing profound, just fun!

Tribute to the Iowa Worker

2009-06-08T16:34:00.000-05:00

This sculpture is about a 2 minute drive from our house, maybe 10 minutes by foot. It sits right across the street from the state capitol. The press release from 2007 says:

“The monument will be an ever-lasting tribute to Iowa’s work ethic and the contributions of Iowa’s workforce to our great state,” stated Lt. Governor Patty Judge, “The monument signifies the combined efforts to working men and women who have lifted this state from the ground in every part of the state.”

“Iowa is one of the thirteen states without a monument to its workers. The additional $250,000 in gifts received today brings the total contributions for the project to over $525,000 and will complete the project and provide for the ongoing perpetual maintenance of the monument,” indicated interim director Dave Neil.

When completed, the monument will be a striking eleven foot tall by eleven foot wide balanced square form. Upon closer interaction, the sculpture is revealed to be four interlocking arms and hands, a powerful universal image, dedicated to the energy and integrity of the Workers of Iowa. Each arm supports the other, in the same way a diverse blend of people, from many back-grounds, come together to work and create the cultural and business base of Iowa. The monument will be placed at the northeast corner of Grand Avenue and East Ninth Street.

Iowa worker’s both past and present have been known for their strong work ethic. They believe in the importance of honest work and a commitment of getting the job done. As Iowa moves into a hi-tech economy of the 21st century, it is important we be reminded that it is the Iowa worker and their strong work ethic that has brought Iowa’s economy to this point.

Thus concludes your Iowa travel and monument lesson for the day. Enjoy!

Southside Art

2009-06-07T18:46:00.001-05:00

Here are shots from the South Des Moines Sculpture Park at SW 8th and McKinley. It reminds me of a miniature Nelson in Kansas City. I don't know who the artists are, but I find it a super-cool surprise in a working-class part of town.

Beth...

2009-06-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

I hear you calling, but I can't come home right now...me and the boys are shopping for new boots!

Just wanted to let everyone see the greatest American Idol wardrobe choice ever. When Adam came on the television with this on, I got up about 8 inches from the screen and just...sat...mesmerized...! They're like wings! And they're metal! On black leather!

And his eyes...have...blue...false...sparkle...bottom lashes!

YES!

This brought me joy. Lots of joy!
Then when KISS came out and joined him on stage, I got to see the amazingly huge platform boots!

I would break an ankle in those, for sure.

Peonies

2009-06-04T08:52:00.001-05:00

Just because. Pretty!

End of school- bring on summer!

2009-06-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

Another school year down. We survived grades 2 and 4!

Last Friday I was lucky enough to get the day off and spend most of it at school with the kids and my awesome sweetheart. The kids really had a great year I think , even though we started off a bit shaky on a few fronts. But they worked so hard and trudged through the tough spots, and both ended up with wonderful report cards and glowing reviews from their teachers. Whew. That makes me so happy and proud (and relieved) all at once.

Friday was fun, with a hot dog/chips/cookie picnic lunch outdoors, beautiful weather, and an awards assembly where both of the kids got recognized. Huzzah!

Keegan's teacher retired this year, so the day was a bit bittersweet for her, but I think she'll have lots of great fun and adventures ahead. We initially wondered if Keegan wore her out (!) but she had nothing but good things to say.

Now they have 8 weeks off and will hopefully recharge their batteries, read lots of books on their own, and swim their little fins off. We all are off to Carthage soon, and while we 2 grownups only get to stay 4 days, the wee ones get to stay 8 days and they are THRILLED about that. Then they will go back again in July for a week. Lucky dogs!
Ah, the fond memories of summer break. Lazy, long days when they sun doesn't go down until 9:30, barefoot running though the grass, playing in sprinklers, going to the lake with my grandparents (so they could fish and I could read- go figure). I hope my kids get to do some of those same things. Grandpa takes them to Spring River to throw rocks and try to make them skip (the rocks, not the kids). Grandma is a plethora of art supplies and project ideas (many including power tools, yay!). They have a few good friends there, too, so there's even kid time. And they just know they can be themselves, without pressure or work, without grades or scheduled activities. I just wish I could stay more than 4 days, too.

Where in the world...?

2009-06-01T17:13:00.001-05:00

I've been around. A little bit, at least. As a kid, I took vacations with my folks to Colorado, Florida, all around Missouri. Then the summer after high school, I got myself on a plane and flew (alone) to Stockholm, Sweden. I had someone to meet me on the other end, and my folks came along a few weeks later, but the point is that a whole new world opened up to me. A world accessible with a Mastercard and a passport. And I was in love. In love with arriving in another time zone, another season, another language, another currency. I got to stay about six weeks that summer, and returned home incredibly out of shape for someone about to start 3-a-day practices for college volleyball.

International travel got put on hold during college, but afterward I took a 10-day trip to London, Paris, and all through Italy (Pisa, Florence, Rome, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii). I returned home for about a month, then jumped back on a plane to Sweden, where a job awaited me as an au pair (nanny) for 3 incredibly spoiled children that didn't speak English. Needless to say, I didn't make it a career. It took several more years after I returned from that trip before my passport came back out. This time it was a lucky week (6 months pregnant) in London and Liverpool. Three years ago mom and I were off once again to Sweden to see our "extended family", and this past January I finally got to see Mexico (at least the beach in Cancun!).

Not the most extensive traveller ever, but also not a bad track record. I consider myself blessed, and want to go again, go more, go everywhere. I have an affection for artwork, statues, beauty hidden around corners where you weren't expecting. The pictures above have been taken somewhere I wasn't expecting to be affronted by beauty. Can you figure out where? I know- there are millions of statues all over the world. I've seen the Trevi Fountain in Rome, the Statue of Liberty in New York, various Norse gods and warriors in Gamla Stan in Stockholm, and Michaelangelo's David in Florence. This one showed up...in Des Moines, Iowa. About 5 blocks from my house. In front of Lutheran Hospital, this is part of the World War I memorial.

Amazing, no? Oui.

Look west, young woman.

2009-05-31T17:38:00.001-05:00

Here's another image I shot today. This is from the State Capitol grounds, looking west over downtown Des Moines. The alliums are great, like alien globe plants or something.

By the way, CLICK on the pictures to make the bigger and see a lot more detail!

Hey, Indian, where the hell are we?

2009-05-31T17:20:00.000-05:00

This can be seen a mere 5 minutes from my house. Our State Capitol in the background, and a statue of two soldiers and an Indian guide in the fore. I have looked for more info about this statue, but haven't found anything yet. This website:
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Pubinfo/Tour/index.html

offers a pretty cool glimpse of some of the things on the Capitol grounds and even inside the Iowa State Capitol.

My kids have lived in the Des Moines area their whole lives, but we just moved into our house near downtown 3 years ago. That made them 5 and 7 I think, and they knew that when they saw the Capitol building, we were just a few blocks from home. They also spent a lot of time scheming up ways to get the gold off the dome. I heard all possible scenarios, from parachuting down onto it, to climbing up it, and even coming out the top and using ropes to slide down (repelling?). Why wouldn't you want to try to get your hands on some of that gold?