Once Upon a Time in Iowa

I spent last week in Iowa, which is a semi-ish-annual thing my mom has done for years. This year didn't disappoint, as it featured the usual amount of memorable moments. Here, I present my week in assassination (bullet) style:

* Due to a mix-up by the Krispy Kreme people (and the wait at McDonalds), my mother ended up with a free box of a dozen original glazed donuts...bringing her grand total to 3 1/2 dozen donuts treking up to Iowa.

* Apparently, my Uncle David is Jimmy Stewart

* Through the course of the week, I managed to watch more TLC programming (mostly of the "Trading Spaces" and--even more addicting--"While You Were Out" variety) than I did the entire nine months I spent at college.

* The coolest piece of jewelry I've bought in a good long while came from the Claire's at Spencer, Iowa. It's a Tootsie Roll Pop bracelet. Yes, really.

* Stealing pickles off my cousin's plate while he was distracted by ESPN.

* Not only do I rock at the bumper cars, but my cousin, Ricky, and I also managed to spin/stay upside down for most of the time on that birdcage egg-looking ride (where I also found a nickel in the bottom of the cage).

* I also found a quarter in the wave pool at Boji Bay (the local water park) just by looking down...unlike above mentioned cousin, who actually scoured the as much area as possible for spare change and found zilch.

* Speaking of Boji Bay, there's nothing like going to a water park in Iowa. You look at the park and see water, tropical plants, etc...but look across the parking lot and you'll find tractors.

* Watching my baby cousin, Max, take his first steps (he was trying to get food)...and then watching everyone try to get him to come to them AND get it on tape.

* The dinosaurs might have won the Jurassic Park game, but I so won the Lego game all three times we played.

* Two helpings of birthday cake and ice cream! Two pop-up books under ten dollars! Three helpings of Iowa-perfected sweet corn! Two trips to Wal-Mart (when I didn't have to work)! Two new books completely devoured!

* Arriving home with just enough time to unpack, gather mail, and leave for the Relay for Life and more sleep deprivation. And Krispy Kreme donuts.

Conclusion: I should vacation more often. Even if it takes me away from the lovely blog.