spring

I love when spring comes to our backyard. The lower yard is just full of crocuses and whenever I look out there and see the carpet of little purple blossoms I can't help but smile.

today

I did it. I bought it. The library card catalog that Braeden and I saw at the University surplus sale a month ago is now in my possession. And I am giddy with happiness. Was it 75 bucks? Yes. Is that a lot of money for me in my poor semi-graduate college state? You bet. Was it an incredible deal because anywhere on the internet they tell you if you can find one of these for anything less than $500 it's a steal? Of course it was. The guys at the warehouse said that this was one of the heaviest things they'd ever moved, so Braeden and our friend Jared (little Jared of the truck, not Jarrod of the strangely spelled name) were slightly intimidated at the prospect of trying to move it from the truck into the Beach Room (so named for the mysterious sand that coated—and continues to persist in dusting—the floor when I moved in in August). However, we are geniuses and figured that if we removed all those drawers first it would be much lighter and easier to handle. We were right. And Jared and Braeden are champs.

As a bonus to our trip today, we also found, fell in love with, and purchased this amazing wooden desk for the mere price of $10. An actual steal. The only problem? It is just half an inch too wide to fit into the Beach Room. Or any room in the house, for that matter, other than the front room. What a sadness. But for 10 bucks I don't mind it sitting out in the garage until I move into a different house with doorways wider than 30 inches. How I look forward to that day with bated breath...

Today was also our friend Kaitlynn's first gymnastics meet! (Meet? Rally? Event? One of those...) A bunch of people from the branch were there, including our friends Eric Larson, Jared (of the truck), Nikki and Kristan, all pictured here. The girls made these great signs to cheer Kaitlynn on, and we had fun embarrassing her since these signs were the only ones there. Love. PS Do you see Braeden being a creeper on the left hand side of the picture? Amazing. He looks like he will eat your soul. Also, that scarf he's wearing? Don't mistake it for a Hawkeyes scarf: it is clearly Hufflepuff.

I wore my stunning gold tights with jean shorts to show them off. Cold? Yes. Awesome with school spirit? Sickeningly so. I also wore a gold U of I shirt that Braeden and I bought yesterday at Stuff (along with the Iowa one he's sporting in the above picture) so I was all decked out. My only wish is that next time I can find a suit like the Greendale Human Bean from Community to wear so that I can really be one of the cool kids: terrifying.

Tonight we are going to one of Braeden's work parties. We are making a fruit salad and planning to leave around 8 so Braeden can work on his final papers for his classes and I can finish my Sunday School lesson. We are officially old people.

PS I've been back-blogging like a crazy person so be sure to check out the archives for this month so you don't miss out on the goodness!

flip this

Tonight I went with a bunch of friends to see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Cedar Rapids Theater. I had seen the musical previously in NYC with my family and thoroughly enjoyed it, so when Gloria and I saw an ad for it playing in Cedar Rapids, we decided that we had to go. We invited a smattering of people, with 8 of us going in total. And you know what? It was great! We bought the tickets the night of so they were half price ($12 instead of $25), I sat next to my friend Keith who laughed riotously at at the right parts and explained the regional jokes to me ("Columbus Circle is this dinky little town where lots of immigrants live."). When the musical ended we all wished that it wasn't the last weekend so that we could tell other people to come see it, too: the theater was sadly about half full. They had posters and things for other shows that will be there in the future, and I think I want to try and make this thing a tradition. Or something...

After the show we went out to eat at the Dublin City Pub (which was literally one of 2 places open after 5 pm. On a Friday night. Do they not know that after 5 is when people eat dinner? Come on, people. Get it together!) The food was delicious and despite the fact that we were all IDed before we were allowed in, it was a great atmosphere. The music didn't get too loud until about the end, but we were also sitting right by the juke box so maybe it was our own fault? Our waitress was even nice and helpful despite the fact that none of us ordered drinks so her tip margins went way down. What a sport!

All in all it was a great night! Great people, great entertainment, great food, perfect night. I love my friends. Also, Iowa.

Now, back to business...

Staying with the theme of birthday cards, I made this card for my friend Sarah whose birthday actually proceeded Jared's. (Don't worry, she did get the card on time.) Fun fact: Sarah has a twin brother Matt who was the ward clerk in my freshman ward. Small world.

The front. I bought the little cage stamp at Stuff Etc. This was the first project that I used it on.

Here you can see that the cover paper is made from scrap paper, again from Puragory. I love it. The book is a flip book, so this is the first page. Can you guess what it's going to spell...?

Happy birthday! (The complete message read: Happy Birthday Sarah!!!)

Then I wrote a little personal note on the back page.

This was my first real flip book. I would call it a success!

Tomorrow: envelope and letter all in one.

nauvoo-oo

Today I got back from an LDS YSA Conference (translation: Mormon Single's weekend shin-dig) in Nauvoo, Illinois. The only picture I took the whole weekend? The once seen above of an outdoor water fountain at Carthage Jail that looks as if it is springing forth from the earth's bounty. I have no explanation for my lack of photographic recording, other than that I blame my study abroad in Spain three years ago: I took so many pictures during that 3 month period of my life and seem never to have recovered.

Regardless, I had a pretty great time. Marla asked me what I thought of the whole thing and my response was, "I wasn't as awkward and I thought I would be, but it was pretty much what I expected." If you've ever been to a Mormon single's dance you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I did have a good time though. It was fun to get to know people in my single's branch better and strengthen those friendships. I honestly didn't really meet anyone outside of our little group, but I felt like that was ok: I will not be seeing any of those kids much anyway, but some of those from the branch I'll be seeing 3 times a week, so I'm glad we're friends now.

Here are some highlights from the weekend:

1. Seeing Teresa and Jordan get hypnotized by August, one of my home teachers. I'd seen hypnosis before so that part wasn't as cool as the fact that I knew the person who was making it happen. Kind of creepy, but also awesome?
2. Kristan, who I met when I came out here in July and who drove me around on Sunday like a saint, kicked an Autistic kid in the face on Saturday. Yes, you read that correctly: she kicked an Autistic child full on in the face. I sadly was not there to witness said kicking, but apparently she and some other kids from our group were at one of the playgrounds in Nauvoo swinging on the swings. There was also a little girl there with her dad and, seeing an empty swing next to Kristan, ran directly in front of the swingers to get to the vacant swing. Poor Kristan couldn't stop herself in time and kicked her right below the eye. Apparently they saw her later playing with her dad and she had a huge bruise on her face. Yes, it's sad and yes I know that Kristan feels bad about it, but, come on, that's hilarious! When I heard about it I couldn't stop laughing. Don't judge me.
3. Braeden and I discovered that we are the same person. Which is amazing on so many levels. To give you an idea of how awesome he is, he always wears a bow tie to church, is going to graduate school at the U of I for Spanish, and plays guitar. And I feel like that description is completely inadequate to describe his being, but there are really no words that would do him justice. You'll just have to come to Iowa to meet him slash maybe I will one day take a picture (or video?) of him to show you.
4. I learned that I am perfectly comfortable sleeping burrito style in my giant Celtic sheet blanket with my little orange squishy pillow under my head in an alcove with a slanted ceiling crammed with two other mattresses and 3 other people. I love that blanket more and more as the years progress. Also my ability to sleep anywhere.

There is probably much more to share but at this moment my brain is too tired to think anymore. Lo siento.

shake shake shake

I love people who make me laugh. I once had a friend who told me that he was friends with people who he thought were interesting and had interesting opinions to share. I thought that was admirable and made him sound intelligent and open-minded. I thought about myself. Was that true for me? Were my friends intellectuals with whom I would often discuss world or ethical issues at length and whose insights I found intriguing and varied? While I certainly do have a friend or two with whom I occasionally discuss those types of important issues with, the majority of my friends fall under a much different category: people who can make me laugh. Also, people whom I can make laugh. It is a simple yet beautiful symbiotic relationship which I find to be perfectly pleasing to my soul. And I think I found a few more of those friends today.

ps i love the farmer's market!

Gloria, Jarrod, and I went to the Iowa City Farmer's Market this morning. It was Gloria and my second time and Jarrod's first and I am just in love with the Farmer's Market. Farmer's Markets make me so happy that Jared (not the same person as Jarrod but their names are pronounced the same—not confusing at all) said to me two weeks ago, "Is this your first time at a Farmer's Market?" No. It was not. I just love them so much they make me happy and I can't stop smiling, that's all.

Today at the market I bought some green beans and apples for dinner tomorrow (I'm hosting our dinner group and making pork chops baked in apples with green beans and rice on the side—so excited!), some beeswax for bookbinding, apricot goats cheese, fresh mozzarella, dried apple chips, and, perhaps most importantly, some cockscomb flowers (see pictures).  I saw them at the market and instantly fell in love. These pictures don't really do them justice. They are fluffy and coral-y and red-magenta-y and amazing. Jarrod went out into the yard and cut the greens and other flowers and helped me arrange them and do they or do they not look amazing?! MUCH better than the pure hosta arrangements I'd tried earlier.

I bought 3 stems of cockscomb and they were so thick that only 2 fit in my milk glass vase, so I pulled out this little square vase I had left over from an arrangement my mom sent me for my birthday a few years ago and it was puh-fect! I just trimmed the stem way down, wrapped the inside with leaves and filled it with water. Now I have a big arrangement for the dining room table (and dinner tomorrow) and a tiny one for my breakfast table to enjoy every day. Flowers make everything happier.

So do Farmer's Markets.

PPS Jarrod and I made Lemon Soufflé Pancakes with homemade blueberry sauce after we couldn't find the ward football pancake breakfast and it was AMAZING!

Fun fact: it is possible to whip egg whites with just a whisk, but it does take a long time and a lot of arm power: it helps if you have more than one person and one of you is named Jarrod. Here are the recipes for your culinary enjoyment (thanks Aunt Taunya!):

Lemon Soufflé Pancakes  

Combine following ingredients and set aside:
1 Cup Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
¼  tsp Salt
2 teaspoons of lemon rind

Mix following ingredients and fold into dry ingredients:
¾ C milk
3 Tbs melted butter
1 egg yolk

Whip until peaks form and fold into combined mixture above:
3 egg whites

Adding Blueberries is also AMAZING or just serve with the Blue Berry Sauce!

Blueberry Sauce
 2Tbs. Butter
1/4 C. sugar
1 pint blueberries

Melt butter, mix in sugar then stir in blueberries.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring.  The sauce is ready when the juice has thickened some but the blueberries still retain their shape.

corn fed

This week and last week there were University of Iowa home football games and my neighbors, the Hartleys, hand out pregame programs printed by the Daily Iowan, the local newspaper, at every home game. Last week they asked me if I could help out since one of their kids would be gone, and I said sure! I had so much fun (and told them so) and they asked me to help out again this week too. I was pretty stoked—did I mention that I'm getting paid 40 bucks for 2 hours of work?

Last week I passed out the programs in the parking lot where people park and take the shuttle to the stadium and it was pretty tame. Lots of families, older couples, post-college aged groups of people. Everyone was really polite (literally every single person who I handed a program to said thank you) and it was pretty chill. I didn't hand out all my papers, but I was there for 2 hours before the game started, and after the game started when the shuttles stopped running there wasn't much I could do about it. This week I stood a different corner by the stadium. Both Aaron and his mom warned me that things could get a little crazy there, that "it's not BYU" and things like that. I steeled myself for the worst: slobbering drunk people all over the place, people shouting obscenities at me, knocking me over, creepy guys hitting on me, things like that. I was ready.

Nope. Oh there were drunk people, obscenities shouted between State and U of I fans, and people tripping along due to high levels of alcohol ingested, but even slobbering drunk Iowans are the most polite people around.

I love it here.

books books books books

Tonight for FHE I was in charge of the activity. So what did we do? Made books of course! I found these great instructions online that illlustrate how to make what Esther and I call InstaBooks but what is perhaps more commonly known as an origami book so you can make your own books too!

For the activity I brought a bunch of paper that had already been printed on one side (a great use for it since this project hides the printed side), a bunch of rubber stamps, and a few example books: it was a blast! Everyone really had a good time writing stories, letters home, or just playing around. One of the things I really like about this book form (besides the fact that it uses a single sheet of paper and no glue or thread) is that after you make it you can flatten it out and photocopy as many as you would like! It's a great format for a mini-zine or even birthday invitations or menus, anything you'd need multiples of.

A little while ago I made a lovely mini-insta book using my typewriter, rubber stamps, a fine-tipped sharpie pen (which I am in love with) and my own finger prints. I will share this book with you now. Enjoy.

best thing since before sliced bread

What's the best thing since BEFORE sliced bread, you ask? I will tell you: homemade bread. I made some today, checking another thing off my secret "Things I Will Do Once I Move To Iowa" list. I'd made homemade artisan bread before and, while tasty, I was looking for a recipe that would be a more everyday type bread. I googled simple bread recipes and came across this beauty, reproduced here for your baking pleasure:

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

·      3/4 cup warm water

·      1 package active dry yeast

·      1 tsp salt

·      1-1/2 tbsp sugar

·      1 tbsp vegetable shortening

·      1/2 cup milk

·      3 cups all-purpose flour, approximately

Preparation:

1.     In large bowl, add the warm water. Slowly stir in dry yeast. Continue to stir until yeast is dissolved.

2.     Add salt, sugar, shortening, and milk to bowl. Stir.

3.     Mix in the first 2 cups of flour.

4.     If needed, begin adding more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough chases the spoon around the bowl.

5.     You do not need to use up all the flour called for in this recipe, or you may need more flour than called for. The amounts vary depending on many factors, including weather, which is why most bread recipes only give an approximate amount of flour needed.

6.     Turn dough out onto floured board and knead, adding small spoonfuls of flour as needed, until the dough is soft and smooth, not sticky to the touch.

7.     Put dough in buttered bowl, turn dough over so that the top of dough is greased. Cover and let rise in warm spot for 1 hour.

8.     Punch down dough. Turn out onto floured board and knead.

9.     Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.

10.  Form dough into loaf and set in buttered bread pan. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.

11.  Score dough by cutting three slashes across the top with a sharp knife. Put in oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

12.  Turn out bread and let cool on a rack or clean dishtowel.

I accidentally let my bread rise for two hours the first time instead of just one, and though it turned out a little misshapen, it was still delicious. Here, you can see for yourself:

Check out that golden brown goodness! Doesn't it look good enough to eat? (I'll let you in on a secret: it was.)

The lovely white innards. The bread was light and fluffy and SO good. You can see how it's not exactly symmetrical, but that didn't affect the taste at all.

So, I encourage you to be bold and try making some bread of your own! If you don't feel comfortable kneading, I'm told there are some very helpful videos on YouTube (right, Chaela?).

In other news, I have officially sent out all my emails requesting letters of recommendation for my graduate program applications (6 in all), have a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday that will hopefully end in an offer to become a binder at the conservation lab in the university library, have posted new items on my etsy (good news for all of you out there following and making comments! More goodies to choose from if you win!), and am planning on participating in a world record breaking hokey pokey dance tonight. You know, normal things.

And I am still LOVING my red velvet cake box planner.

into the jungle

Remember how I said I was going to do yard work today? Well that's actually what I did! Funny how that happens sometimes, huh?

Now, before I show you the pictures, I feel like some explaining needs to be done. When I moved in about a week and a half ago no one had been living in this house full-time for 2-3 years. My neighbors the Hartleys had been kind enough to mow the lawn from time to time, but for the most part the backyard had pretty much gone to seed, a phrase I'd never understood until today. Everything had just grown. And kept growing. And then new plants came, and they grew too. There was giant cattail-looking grass growing between the trash cans and the Hartley's garage, as well as in various other places in the yard. Yesterday (maybe Saturday?) Aaron Hartley went through the backyard with a weed-wacker and uncovered stairs and some stepping stones I didn't even know were there. That gave me the motivation to start do some clearing of my own.

So I woke up this morning (after a lovely night's sleep on my new mattress) and after breakfast, and a bit of hesitation, talked myself into getting started. I got dressed, put on my $3 grocery store work gloves and began. I started by gathering up some branches that had been cut who knows how long ago and were in piles around the yard. I broke them down and put them in bins, then decided that I should really get to work on the front of the yard, the part that people see when they pull into the drive way. So I went back to the beginning and just started pulling up long grass and weeds and discovered a wooden platform right after the gate. Magical! So I kept weeding and sweeping and eventually uncovered the whole thing. My weeding also revealed several pots that once had plants in them—tomatoes, petunias, and Daliahs, if the hidden tags I found in them are correct—but were now just filled with the same weeds that covered the yard. So what did I do? I weeded them too. I worked my way down the newly discovered stairs and over to the bench swing as well. The task would have been impossible had I not continued to uncover helpful tools, like the shovel hidden where you can see those first few stepping stones now, or the giant trash can barrels that seemed to be secreted all over the yard.

The entrance! Prior to today I would sing the Indiana Jones theme song whenever I ventured into the backyard because the foliage was so dense. Now you can actually see where you're stepping.

See those stairs? I couldn't until now! I didn't even know they were there. And now they are (mostly) weed free and totally usable. These stepping stones were also a lovely discovery.

Here are some more steps and stepping stones further down. I knew these steps were here, but previously they were covered in growth. And the stones? I knew there were a few there, but had no idea there were this many! Love it.

This swing was over grown with weeds, one of which was taller than I am. I pulled it out and stood it up next to myself just to make sure. There were 3 of those same giant weeds in different places around that area. I'm sure there are more yet to be discovered elsewhere in the yard. Luckily its roots were very superficial so it was actually really easy to pull out. Also incredibly satisfying.

Here's the view from the window above the kitchen sink. Honestly? It doesn't look that much different from when I started. But it is. And don't you just love the green of it all?

Now, I have to be honest with you, it doesn't look like much. But I worked from about 9 am to 3 pm, with a break for lunch, and another when it started to rain, but that's it. I only weeded a small part of the yard: there's still a lot more to be done.

I filled all these garbage cans. Every last one of them. That's 8, if you count the yard bag I found in my cleaning spree. That, my friends, is a freaking lot of weeds. PS This is the area that used to have towering cattail weeds lining the wall. No longer!

I finally had to stop because my back was killing me. I am becoming an old woman! Curse you, Chester Elton and your weak lower back genes! Hopefully I'll have the energy slash back strength to do some more work either later this week or early next week. There's still so much to be done! (Like the lawn chair that is being held prisoner behind a forest of giant burr weeds, for example. I will rescue it!)

Can you see it? Let me give you a close up...

Now can you see it? It's pretty tricky, but trust me, it's there.

dinner and a mattress

Exciting things happened today! I had the missionaries over for dinner and made a delicious Spinach Chicken Pasta Salad and for dessert, my favorite!, Chocolate Zucchini Cake! The recipe is as follows:

1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. peeled, seeded, & grated zucchini (1 large, or 2 small zucchinis)
2 1/2 c. flour
2 t. vanilla
1/2 buttermilk/sour milk/yogurt
4 T. cocoa
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder

Mix um all together, pour into ungreased rectangular baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Let cool, ice with chocolate frosting (or flavor of your choice) and enjoy!

So I have a dining room table that I got for 8 buckaroos at Stuff Etc when I was here in July, and I loff it but don't have any chairs to go with it. Yes. So I improvised. It turned out pretty well. Here's the table:

Looks pretty good, huh? Don't worry, the chair you can't see at the far left side? It was the piano bench.

I also cut some leaves and flowers from the jungle back yard to make the center piece, inspired by the one and only Martha Stewart.

It's pretty green, but I think it turned out alright. The missionaries were impressed with the size of the leaves. Haha. Oh boys. They're just little guys.

Additionally! I got a mattress today! A real one! With box springs and everything! (Insert arm swing, here.) On Saturday Jared had to leave the film festival thing early to help someone move, and that someone just happened to be getting rid of their mattress and box springs, so Jared scooped them up for me since he knew I was in search of a real mattress (I've been sleeping on a blow up one since I moved in). Since he came over with the missionaries for dinner tonight (they have to bring someone with them since I'm a single girl living alone) all three of them helped move it in. PLUS they got rid of the couch I was just going to take to the dump and instead are going to bring it over to a family that just moved here from Peru and doesn't have any furniture. Win win win.

It actually looks like a real room now! (PS Can you see the striped pillows behind the polka dot ones? Does that pattern look familiar? It should! I used the flat sheet from that same set for the table cloth at dinner. No big deal.)

I even like that I don't have a bed frame, since that's how my bed was at home before I left for college: I like being close to the floor, and it keeps me from hiding things under there that should really be put away.

So basically it was an amazing day today. My plan for tomorrow? Yard work. Yay! Be excited. My neighbor Aaron so helpfully did some intense weed-wacking for me the other day, totally under his own volition (ok, so maybe his mom asked him to do it...) and that uncovered all kinds of things, like stepping stones and even stairs that I didn't even know were back there! Who knows what other treasures lay hidden amongst the foliage?

Oh! And PS, my dear freshman year roommate Whitney called me today and it was a lovely surprise and made my night even better that it already was (which is pretty impressive seeing as it was clearly going incredibly well).

landlocked film festival

Yesterday and today I attended various showings of films at the Landlocked Film Festival here in Iowa City. I found it almost by accident while walking home from class Thursday night. I saw some posters outside of a theater and on a whim went inside to find out more. I got a program of all the films being shown and talked to this woman there who helps run the festival and she enthusiastically rattled off her recommendations (which was really most of the films). I ended up watching 5 hours of films yesterday and a little more than that today. Don't judge me! I also used the opportunity to make new friends.

Friday I called up this girl Gloria who's from the branch who lives near me and asked her if she was interested in going to one of the film programs that night and she was siked about it! Then, on my way downtown to meet her I ran into this kid Jared who also lives near us and invited him to come too. He had some stuff to do but agreed to meet us downtown when he was done. It was a huge success! There were lots of great films (and several experimental ones that we weren't big fans of) but mostly it was just fun to get to know Gloria and Jared better.

Also, funny story. So when Jared called us yesterday to tell us he was done with his stuff, we were at a program of documentaries and told him to come down to meet up with us and watch those. (One of our favorites was Boat Dreams directed by Sasha Andrew. The opening shot was taken close to the surface of a still lake, as if you were skimming just above it, but it was flipped upside down so the reflection was on top of the frame and what was being reflected was below. It was really trippy and amazing.) It took Jared a while to get down to the hotel where those films were being shown, and when he finally arrived there were only two left. The one he walked in just in time for? Called Period Piece (directed by Christine Robins). Yup, it was about menstruation. Good timing, Jared. Luckily it wasn't too long and he was a good sport about it. (Side note: it was also really funny and well done. If you are a woman—or a curious member of the male gender—you should certainly click on the link above and watch it: it's only about 12 minutes long.)

Between yesterday and today I watched 2 different programs of shorts (that's shorts as in short films, not as in short pants) and liked a fair amount of them. There was a pretty funny, though slightly crude one called Action World by these guys from FND Films (sort of like Barats and Barretta, but different). There was also this clever film called Lydia and Otto that Gloria and I liked a lot. It's tricky, though, you have to listen really carefully to the dialogue. And there was a Pittsburgh Neighborhood Narrative film that I enjoyed called Squared, directed by Jeremy Braverman (no, he's not related to the family in Parenthood. They're just pretend, guys).

Basically, what I'm trying to say with all of this is that I have had a fantastic weekend. I've started to build new friendships, potentially convinced Gloria to move in with me and help me clean up the backyard (she volunteered with excitement and enthusiasm to do that), and generally enjoyed myself in a plethora of ways.

As my mom said before she left, Iowa City is the mid-west's best kept secret. I agree.

bus-ing it (or not...)

I walked home from my bookbinding class today. I shouldn't have because I need to figure out the bus schedule and I live about a 45 minute walk away from campus and apparently most of the streets closest to my house don't have street lamps. Good trick, Iowa. As I was walking home and getting farther and farther away from downtown and it was getting darker and darker I made sure that I was aware of my surroundings (just like we learned in freshman year How Not To Get Raped 101) but briefly wondered if I would feel safer with a taser. But would I actually use it? If I did would I have to call the police and tell them that I tased someone and why? Would I become known as the Taser Girl and be mocked openly in the streets as I made my nightly trek home? Things to think about.

I think I finally finished unpacking and organizing my stuff today. I finished the studio, which was a big project since I never know what's the best way to organize things and I will mostly likely end up switching things around several times, but for now things pretty much have a place. I bought this great metal typewriter table at Stuff Etc yesterday for $3 (what? That's right, I said $3.) and I am a little in love with it. (You can see it in the second picture) I also created some counter space to the left of my work table with some boards I found in random rooms around the house and crates that I already had. Finally! Someplace to store things I need on hand that's not on my work table! It's funny because the table still looks pretty crazy, but it's so much better than it was AND better than my studio at home (right, Mom?).

The view from the doorway of my studio.
Don't you just LOVE the cork board?

See the typewriter table?
Isn't it perfect in every way?

I had my first bookbinding class today (Bookbinding I) and I actually learned stuff! We learned how to tear down paper, which is basically how to roughly cut down large sheets of paper to a more manageable size. We folded the paper in half then used dull kitchen knives to slit it, then folded and repeated until the pages were roughly the size we wanted. I was actually terrible at it to begin with—I kept ripping the paper instead of cutting it or going off the fold—but then I asked for some help, improved my technique and now I think I've got the hang of it. My first impulse is to go out and buy a specially made paper knife from Talas, but I will restrain myself (for you, Mom) and just use a dull kitchen knife for now, of which I have several.

One last bus story (of where I actually took the bus) and that will be all for tonight. There is a bus stop across the street from my house, just down the block a little. I checked the schedule for today, saw they came either every hour or every half hour on the :08 (or :38) and planned accordingly. The bus came, I got on, and it continued in the opposite direction of where I needed to go (but I wasn't worried because I knew this would happen: the route goes basically around the block or so then heads back into town). There were maybe 5 other people on the bus when I boarded and as we went along each of them got off one at a time until it was just me and the bus driver. At the stop where the last woman got off, the driver kept the bus stopped after she disembarked, pulled out a book and started reading. ...What? I wasn't sure what to do. Was this the end of the route? Was I expected to sit here with him just waiting for who knows how long before he decided his break was over? I decided that even though I'd given myself an hour of travel time I couldn't risk it. I mustered up my courage and asked him if this bus stopped at the Clinton Street stop, the stop I'd decided would be best for me to get off at. He thought a minute then said, "Yes." and kept reading. I paused, not sure if I should interrupt his reading a second time, then asked, "Uhm, how long do you think it will take to get there?" "From here?" he said. "About 10 minutes." And went back to reading. I felt a little like I was in the twilight zone, but after like 30 seconds or so he abruptly stopped reading and started on the route again with no explanation. The only thing I could come up with was that we were slightly ahead of schedule so he had to slow down or something. We drove past several other stops but no one else got on. Luckily, once he was driving he became a little more chatty and told me all about the stuff we were passing, including the Iowa City Bike Library which I am enchanted with (but promised my mom I would ask about using Sophia's bike before I made any kind of bike commitments) and the free campus shuttle that picks up only a little further down than the bus stop where he picked me up at. What a man! And what a lovely turn of events.

this is the place

Day 2, still going strong. I ran a bunch of rather unexciting errands this morning, ate all 3 meals, went to class, then institute, than a Relief Society thing. Brought cookies over to the neighbors. Began research into the bus route. Started to make some friends. The house is clean and it makes me happy. I already feel right at home. Although I spent most of the morning alone (running errands doesn't really count because there were no meaningful conversations that took place) I didn't get lonely. I am trying to teach myself that when I get tired I need to sleep though. Which is why this post is short. I need to find a good time to write because I want to be blogging more regularly, especially because I'm so far away from family and friends so I figure I should give the people what they want. (Memories of Carter emailing me while I was in Ecuador asking, nay, begging me to blog are running through my head right now.) So I suppose all you need to know is that I know I'm in the right place. I know this because I don't feel as if there is any place else I should be instead. Iowa and The Grape Escape already feel like home.

it's not an east coast state, it's not a left coast state

It is official. I now live in Iowa. That's right, Iowa: not Ohio, not Idaho. No, they do not grow potatoes here. But they do grow corn, and lots of it. My mom told me that when my dad was selling Bibles door to door during his college summers he could tell how close it was to the end of the season by how high the corn was. I look forward to experiencing that myself. Not now, though, since summer is basically over.

Here is my little abode. Yes, it is purple. We (and by we I mean me and my mom while we were wandering down a secret path on our way to Anne Hathaway's cottage: the wife of Shakespeare, not the actress) have dubbed it (drum roll pleeeeeeeeease) The Grape Escape. You know, because of the purple. This name has also given rise to the official Grape Escape Day on November 30th. (Mark your calendars.) Presently I have the house all to myself. I thought it would be a little lonely, but so far, so good! Granted, my mom just left this morning, but still.

People say we look alike all the time. Can you tell?

We arrived Saturday around four o'clock after two days of driving. Don't worry, before that we had a day and a half of packing, and before that we were across the Atlantic for 10 days. No big deal. Blessidly we were able to pack everything in boxes, put it in my car, then unpack some things out of the boxes and stuff them around other boxes so that everything would fit. (My car's just a little guy.) Then we shipped 3 boxes (don't judge me and all of my belongings) and we were off!

We spent the whole first day in Iowa unpacking and cleaning. The next day we went to church and did some more unpacking and furniture rearranging. Then Monday we cleaned (almost) all the windows and did more cleaning and unpacking. Did I mention that the house was basically empty for 3 years before I moved in? That always makes things more fun. BUT you know what? All that cleaning and unpacking and rearranging actually WAS fun. You know why? Because I got to do it with my mom. She is seriously one of my most favorite people in the world. She is one of the hardest workers and most creative people that I know. Without her my little house would still be dirty and infested with fruit flies. Also there would still be a hole the the left of the sink in the kitchen, all the outlets would have mismatched covers, and the windows would be blindless and dirty. And I would probably be crying right now wondering what in the world I was even thinking moving to Iowa alone. Moms make everything better. Especially my mom.

I drove her to the little Cedar Rapids airport this morning, one of those airports so small that you only have to get there a half hour in advance, and even when the planes leave 15 minutes late they say they're right on schedule. I was a little bit worried that I wouldn't be able to handle being alone after literally spending the last 2 weeks with my family 24/7, but, like I said, things have been fine so far. I start classes tomorrow evening (I'm only taking 2 this semester, both night classes) and right now I feel perfectly content, though a little sleepy. As I drove away from the airport I cried a little, but it wasn't because I was missing my mom, it was because I was so grateful to have her. She is what all moms should strive to be, and what I wish to some day become.

college

This is how I felt today when I went to the University of Iowa website to try and make use of my sick day by registering for fall classes. It really should not be as confusing they make it.

(comic from xkcd)

i have been...

Last weekend I was in Iowa.

This weekend I am in Boston.

At some point—hopefully soon—I will post about my adventures, probably in secret post-dated blogs. 

(But don't worry, I will let you in on the secret.)

the land of corn

I bought a notebook at the Iowa Book Festival today and here is some of what I wrote:

Sitting on the grass at the Iowa Book Festival, listening to the all-female band the Awful Purdies and wondering if I will ever be as indie as they are. Haha.

Aaron Hartley {son of the neighbors with whom I'm staying this weekend} came home for the weekend today and he was nice enough to help me lug a bunch of furniture into the purple house {the house I'll be moving into} today.We went to Stuff Etc, a local consignment shop, where they were fortuitously having a 50%-80% off everything sale, one-day only. I bought a coffee table, a dining room table with 2 leaves, a crate to use as a bedside table, two other crates to use as shelves, and a large silver frame, all for $36.92: the original price of the dinning room table was $39.99: no big deal. Then on the way back to the house we spotted a blue couch on the side of the road that we snagged for free. Uhm, yes. Dear Aaron, who I had only met this morning, was so nice and helpful and all in all quite a man. Basically, the entire Hartley family is amazing and I am pretty stoked that they are going to be my new neighbors. Tonight I'm going to make homemade pizza and chocolate chip cookies to thank the family for being so amazing.

Last night I was so anxious to just get things done that it took me about an hour of lying in bed before I actually fell asleep. Fortunately today has been super productive in terms of schooling and housekeeping and adventure and at this moment I am content. I feel so good about Iowa and Iowa City and living in Jacquie's house and making new friends and going to the University of Iowa and studying book arts and library science and learning!

The purple house that will soon be my new home!
(It's like the Pink House, all grown up!)

The coffee table, with the blue street couch in the background.

The dining room table sans the extra two leaves.
Don't worry, there aren't any chairs to go with it, but I'll figure something out...