Monday, May 19, 2008
spring storms
I got in a run after work and it was sunny and nice, but now I've closed the windows in preparation for a scattered storm. Even though the house is all closed up, I still find myself sitting in the shelter of our balcony, watching the dark storm clouds roll in, the white underbellies of the leaves expose themselves to the sky, and hearing the thunder rumble. I don't think we've had a good spring storm yet, and I'm ready. I can almost smell the change in temperature in the air, feel the cool breeze and even a few rain drops. I got my appreciation of weather from my mom who watches the forecast and dopler radar almost to the point of obsession, but it's something i love about her. She always appreciated little acts of nature, like thunderstorms, new leaves in the spring, snow storms in the winter, and fall. She lives in the right place (Eastern Iowa) to appreciate all the seasons. That's where I get my excitement about little things from.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
feels like home
Feels like home is an appropriate title to this post as Adam and I were back in Cedar Rapids on Saturday to see our mom's (and I was listening to the Norah Jone's album with the same name).
Cedar Rapids is only 2 hours away, so it made for a long day, but we're so fortunate that we're able to get back to see family so easily. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be closer, to celebrate birthdays and have dinner, but I won't complain.
It was a busy day seeing both of our families, but we divided our time and I think were able to spend some quality time with everyone. Our first stop was the Schmidt residence, where Adam always knows he can find a "Schmidt" sandwich (which has my mom's perfect combination of mustard, mayonnaise and love that I can only try to replicate). I will always love walking into my parent's house (I really don't have any claims to it since they moved into it after I graduated from college). I love our home in Des Moines, but when I walk through the front door of 185 Dows Lane I can let my guard down completely and be a kid again in some ways. I always know my mom will have something ready for lunch or dinner or dessert, but it's not just the food. It's the eternal welcome that is there. I know that my parents would drop everything to spend time with us. They appreciate our visits, but there is never any pressure to be there. And even though I've never "lived" in this house, it still has all the familiar comforts of growing up: the couch I can always sprawl out on and take a nap on, the quirky tv remote control that never seems to work, the cupboard in the kitchen where I know I can find a stash of chocolate, the piles of books and magazines on the coffee table (much like my own) where I can snoop into what everyone's reading, and the walking shoes by the door, just waiting for a chance to get out for a walk. These are only minor glimpses of my vision of home, but they are so tangible I can't help but look around our condo (and the ever present pile of shoes by the door, chocolate stashed on top of the fridge, and the couch strewn with pillows and blankets) and see that we are making it feel like our own version of home.
While we were home we also drove by Xavier, my high school. I started there my sophomore year (1998) which was the year it opened (2 Catholic schools in the city merged) and I don't remember the last time I drove out there. It's amazing the rush of memories that hit when we pulled into the parking lot. Some things have changed: there's a new sign at the entrance, the trees are bigger, and there is a new parking lot, and overall it seems a little smaller than I remember. I showed Adam the area I would always park the old blue buick and we looked at the tennis courts and football field. So many good memories. I am so fortunate to have had such a great high school experience. I've always loved school (I'm that girl) but I took it all in while I was there: playing tennis all 4 years, singing in the choir, being in musicals, working on the newspaper, going to football and basketball games, even cheerleading. And who could forget the senior prom, my and Adam's first date. It was a good place, where I made a lot of friends, learned a lot, and probably thought I had things pretty well figured out when I left.
The one thing we didn't do while we were back was drive by the old house on B Ave. While it's still my instinct to turn there when going home, I'm learning the new streets and they are starting to feel like home.
Cedar Rapids is only 2 hours away, so it made for a long day, but we're so fortunate that we're able to get back to see family so easily. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be closer, to celebrate birthdays and have dinner, but I won't complain.
It was a busy day seeing both of our families, but we divided our time and I think were able to spend some quality time with everyone. Our first stop was the Schmidt residence, where Adam always knows he can find a "Schmidt" sandwich (which has my mom's perfect combination of mustard, mayonnaise and love that I can only try to replicate). I will always love walking into my parent's house (I really don't have any claims to it since they moved into it after I graduated from college). I love our home in Des Moines, but when I walk through the front door of 185 Dows Lane I can let my guard down completely and be a kid again in some ways. I always know my mom will have something ready for lunch or dinner or dessert, but it's not just the food. It's the eternal welcome that is there. I know that my parents would drop everything to spend time with us. They appreciate our visits, but there is never any pressure to be there. And even though I've never "lived" in this house, it still has all the familiar comforts of growing up: the couch I can always sprawl out on and take a nap on, the quirky tv remote control that never seems to work, the cupboard in the kitchen where I know I can find a stash of chocolate, the piles of books and magazines on the coffee table (much like my own) where I can snoop into what everyone's reading, and the walking shoes by the door, just waiting for a chance to get out for a walk. These are only minor glimpses of my vision of home, but they are so tangible I can't help but look around our condo (and the ever present pile of shoes by the door, chocolate stashed on top of the fridge, and the couch strewn with pillows and blankets) and see that we are making it feel like our own version of home.
While we were home we also drove by Xavier, my high school. I started there my sophomore year (1998) which was the year it opened (2 Catholic schools in the city merged) and I don't remember the last time I drove out there. It's amazing the rush of memories that hit when we pulled into the parking lot. Some things have changed: there's a new sign at the entrance, the trees are bigger, and there is a new parking lot, and overall it seems a little smaller than I remember. I showed Adam the area I would always park the old blue buick and we looked at the tennis courts and football field. So many good memories. I am so fortunate to have had such a great high school experience. I've always loved school (I'm that girl) but I took it all in while I was there: playing tennis all 4 years, singing in the choir, being in musicals, working on the newspaper, going to football and basketball games, even cheerleading. And who could forget the senior prom, my and Adam's first date. It was a good place, where I made a lot of friends, learned a lot, and probably thought I had things pretty well figured out when I left.
The one thing we didn't do while we were back was drive by the old house on B Ave. While it's still my instinct to turn there when going home, I'm learning the new streets and they are starting to feel like home.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
for the love of spring
Hopefully I don't jinx us, but I think spring is finally here to stay in Iowa. And even though it was a long, long, cold and sometimes horrible winter, the joy of spring is upon us and it's almost enough to make me forget all those cold days. I was talking to a friend who lives in California today, gushing about being able to sit out on our balcony and watch the leaves starting to poke out on the trees and she said she pretty much takes the nice weather for granted anymore. I guess that's one thing we don't do in Iowa.
Adam and I went for a walk tonight and I couldn't stop talking about all the trees and the vibrant colors everywhere. I think we are just so starved for color and signs of life in the winter that when everything starts blooming in the spring we can't help but smile. One street we walked down smelled amazing. I seriously wish I could bottle up the smell of fresh blooms and cut grass and save it for a rainy day. I think my favorite trees right now are the magnolias, crab apples and cherry blossoms. They look like giant cotton balls or enormous sticks of cotton candy, all fluffy with blooms and sweetness. I wish they would stay all year. I love the green too, so vivid and almost fluorescent, but there's something about the flowering trees that I fall in love with. No wonder people fall in love in the spring. What's not to love?
Adam and I went for a walk tonight and I couldn't stop talking about all the trees and the vibrant colors everywhere. I think we are just so starved for color and signs of life in the winter that when everything starts blooming in the spring we can't help but smile. One street we walked down smelled amazing. I seriously wish I could bottle up the smell of fresh blooms and cut grass and save it for a rainy day. I think my favorite trees right now are the magnolias, crab apples and cherry blossoms. They look like giant cotton balls or enormous sticks of cotton candy, all fluffy with blooms and sweetness. I wish they would stay all year. I love the green too, so vivid and almost fluorescent, but there's something about the flowering trees that I fall in love with. No wonder people fall in love in the spring. What's not to love?
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Tulips!
It was a beautiful day for tulips. We drove over to Pella around lunchtime and basked in the glory of sunshine, more tulips than you could count, delicious pastries (we waited in line for over half an hour for Dutch letters, but it was worth every minute), and the best part: a parade! with floats and everything. It has been awhile since I've been to a parade. I don't know what it is about marching bands and cute little kids waving that turns me into a kid again. I was hopping around and dancing and waving at everyone (some day I'll be in a parade, I don't know if I could contain myself) Seriously, seeing all the cute families marching in their wooden clogs, almost tempts me to live in Pella for a year so we could be in the parade. I really think every member of the town participated in the parade. It was over an hour!
Maybe this will be the year we'll go to the parade of all parades...the ROSE BOWL parade in Pasadena. Oh my
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