weekend in madison!

We're in Madison!

We spent the weekend with our dear friend Erin in Madison, WI this weekend! I have to say (and I have), that it was pretty much a perfect weekend. Erin was a fabulous host—the weekend was an ideal balance between doing things and just hanging out and we left feeling happy and peaceful and rejuvenated from our weekend away. Win-win-win.

Saturday morning we went to the farmer's market and experienced its magical, counter-clockwise rotation and warm, jalapeno cheesy bread for ourselves. We spent way too much money on blown glass, art and fancy cheeses: we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Then we made delicious sandwiches and ate lunch outdoors on the terrace and took pictures in the giant versions of their famous starburst chairs (please see pictures above and below).

Me and Erin! In a chair!

Erin also gave us a campus tour that ended with some delicious Babcock ice cream (I got Union Utopia). I also found a building called North Hall (which is the name of the Center for the Book building here in Iowa). It was exciting.

 Then we went out to Picnic Point and bonded with Erin's amazing Madison friends over fire, hot dogs, and s'mores. It was beautiful and delicious and fun! Gold star to E-Po for that one.

The view from our fire site. Amazing.

Sunday Braed and I went to church (second Primary program in a row... score) then we went with Erin and her roommate Francis to Bagels Forever for East Coast style bagel goodness. (Thanks for the heads up on that, Keith!) We bought a baker's dozen of their 40 cent bagels to bring home and we have been eating them every day since—they are so good. AND! Fun fact: you can order your own and have them delivered to your very doorstep via their website. Do it: you know you want to.

Their bagels are so good I couldn't even keep my eyes open.

 After eating bagel breakfast on the Frank Lloyd Wright Monona Terrace, we headed over to the arboretum to explore the prairie fields, woodlands and marsh.

 

Awe!

At the arboretum gift shop, I found this great series of kids books called Indestructibles. They have beautifully colorful pictures and I think they're made out of Tyvek, which is what makes them so strong. I thought that was awesome so I bought the Mama and Baby! one (all of their titles have an exclamation point at the end: very dramatic). They inspired me...

Also, there was a free, antique trolly tour.

Here Braeden & I are on the trolly tour. Cute.

So, in summary, Erin is awesome! So is Madison. Also, Wisconsin in general. And, you know, cheese.

$100

It was going to take $2200 and 9 days to fix the car. So we sold it. For $100 dollars. I cried. And Braeden tried really hard not to cry and held it together amazingly well. We had been planning on selling the car when we got back to Iowa anyway, so we had the title with us, luckily, I suppose. We were supposed to be back in Iowa City by Tuesday night for school and work but now it was Wednesday afternoon and there was just no time. We signed the papers, cleared out the car, and drove off.

People talk a lot about how you have to withstand trials to really solidify your love. I think that's silly. I mean, I suppose that sometimes it's true, but I don't feel like our love is any stronger for having had to figure this whole thing out, I feel like it's the same as it was before—awesome—but now we have a story to tell people about how we sold our car for 100 bucks in Cheyenne on our way back from our wedding reception.

It was interesting to get different people's reactions to our situation both as it was taking place as after it had happened. Braeden's parents were super concerned and wanted to be updated about our different choices and options and said they would help however they could, if just through prayers on our behalf. I updated my parents because I felt like I should, not because they asked to be, and they just said things like, "Sometimes you get the trip, and sometimes you get the story. You got the story!" Or "I guess now you'll make sure you get your oil changed more regularly!" Neither of these things were all that helpful. I suppose they were just trying to be optimistic and light-hearted about the whole thing, but what I really needed was some sympathy.

My friend Jen Porter once sent me an email about her musings on bearing witness. I feel like what she had to say was particularly pertinent for this experience. I'll quote her:

I don’t need someone to take my experience away.  I don’t need my load lifted, changed, or taken off.  But I have been through this experience.  I have been pushed continuously to my limits more than I thought was possible.  And I survived.  I have learned and am learning so much about who I am, how I fit into the world.  My mind is overburdened with thoughts and with insights that my brow is constantly furrowed. 

I need someone to bear witness to my experience.  I need someone to listen, to acknowledge the fact that I have experienced this thing.

We are so tempted to be fixers.  To take away, change, lift, or carry.  But, in fact, we are not asked to do that.  We are simply asked to comfort.  To mourn alongside.  And by so doing to bear one another’s burdens.

So at the close of this post, that is all I ask. Just bear witness to this thing that we have experienced. Was it the worst thing that could have happened? No, of course not. Things could have been much, much worse. But the fact of the matter is that it was stressful. Incredibly stressful. We didn't know if we would be stranded in Wyoming for a week and a half with no way to get back home. We didn't know if our car would be fixable or sell-able or what exactly we should do. But we figured it out and we made our choices and we are finally home. I'm sure this will be a "funny story to tell our grandkids years from now" but for now it is still a bit tender and close to the heart. So please, for now, just bear witness.

yay for the adventures of marriage.

Braeden and I had our Salt Lake City reception this weekend. Yay! You can read more about that on our wedding blog. We'll also link to pictures once they exist on the internet.

However, the story I am here to tell to you today is one of tragedy and unexpected demise. No, no, no one died. Well, no person died. However, Braeden's beloved car Rocinante did. In Cheyenne, Wyoming. Or rather just outside of Cheyenne, Wyoming. On our way to Utah. Friday: the day before our reception. Good...

Luckily we were at a TA Travel and Gas station at the time, and at first we just thought that the engine was flooded (Braeden's car is a manual and I'm still just learning to drive it). We pushed it over to a parking spot and went and had lunch to let it dry out. However, when we tried to start it up again about an hour later it still wouldn't start. Hmmmm... By this time we enlisted the help of a few of the employees at the stop and after two hours and over six people looking at it (at least four of them certified truck mechanics) it was determined that the cam-shaft sensor was broken. Oh, no big deal. We called around with the help of our newest friend Nick (one of the truck mechanics), found a place that had them in stock and Nick drove us out to pick it up. $77 and a 40 minute round trip later we were back at our dear Rocinante. Nick popped that old part out, put the new one in aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand nothing. That wasn't the problem.

Another mechanic walked over, within minutes had a protective cover off and showed us that the timing belt was broken. Oh. Good. That's the kind of repair that costs hundreds of dollars instead of just $77. And, lucky for us, because it was Memorial Day weekend all the garages in the area were closed not just on the actual holiday but also the Saturday before so the earliest we could get the car in to see an actual certified Hyundai mechanic would be Tuesday morning. So what could we do? We rented a car, loaded up all our wedding stuff, left our car in the hands of Nick and headed off into the then-sunset.

So, today: we finally got the car towed to a garage from the gas station where it sat all weekend and talked to the place today. The lady I spoke with told me that they won't be able to even take a look at it until tomorrow morning, but if it is in fact the timing belt that is broken then most likely there was piston head damage as well that could take up to a week to fix. A. Week. Good thing Braeden's sister just moved to Fort Collins which is just an hour away from Cheyenne so we can stay with her while we figure out what to do.

We'd been talking about selling the car anyway--we basically only use my car and have been since before we got married--but we were hoping that when we got around to actually getting rid of it it wouldn't be broken and leaving us semi-stranded only half-way home.

But you know what? It could be a lot worse.  We could have been left stranded along one of the many stretched of I-80 where there is no town within miles and no cell phone reception. We could have been unable to get a rental car and had to miss our own reception. We could have to be camped out in a hotel until our car is fixed instead of comfortably with Braeden's sister. We could not have the money to fix our car and have to hitchhike home. Luckily none of these were the case. We don't know what's going to happen, but we are not even going to worry about it until we hear from the garage tomorrow and know for sure what decisions need to be made. Until then we will just sit on Natalee's couch, eat pancakes, and watch TLC.

Thank goodness for small blessings. 

we're going to kansas city, going to kansas city, kansas city here we come...

Braeden and I went to, you guessed it, Kansas City this weekend to visit my friends Ashley and Rob. I met them at the summer camp I worked at two years ago: Ashley was my co-counselor and her husband Rob was in charge of pottery. I hadn't seen them in almost a year and it was great to see them again. Braeden was excited to meet them for the first time (and vice versa) and I believe that everyone was pleased with everyone else and we were all just one big happy family.

Both Ashley and Rob are attending the Kansas City Art Institute—Ashley for fibers (as in textiles, not the food) and Rob for ceramics. Ashley's recently started participating in what's called Yarn Bombing: here's one of the statues that she's sweater-ed (apparently he had a scarf, too but it's been stolen). She told us that statues are different than people in that they don't really have arms (they sort of just come out of the torso at the elbows) so she had to do some finagling when she attached the knit pieces to the actual statue. I think she did a great job!

I would follow this sweater-clad man to the ends of the earth.

She also told us about this group called Knitta, Please! (best. name. ever.). You should check it out. Especially the one in China where someone covered a piece of the Great Wall of China.

She also wove this scarf—that's right, WOVE, not knit—that is at least 10 feet long. I may or may not covet it slightly.

Since I'd last visited they'd gotten another miniature Schnauzer (before they just had Calvin, the lighter-haired dog) and they both loved the Braeden face. As Braeden says, "Braeden is not a dog person, but dogs are always Braeden people. Also, babies."

He looks sort of terrifying in this picture, but not as terrifying as the other picture that I took.

Here we are with Ashley and Rob! I loff them. Also their great new home. (Check out that sweet-a chandelier in the background!)

I love Ashley's face!

Rob showed us his studio on campus while we were there and was super generous, not only letting us glaze some of the pots he's thrown on the wheel (he's gonna mail them to us once they're fired: I can't wait!) but also giving us a whole box of cups. A whole box! What a man.

This one has his face on it.

This one has Ashley's face on it.

Several of them have this great indentation in it that is perfect for your thumb as you hold it: it's one of the things that Braeden and I fell in love with.

And that was pretty much our weekend. Oh! And we went to church with them on Sunday (The Boiler Room). We literally sang for the whole first hour and it was kinda fun: they had a full rock band in front and projected the lyrics to the songs up on the wall. There were definitely times during the singing that I felt the Spirit and I think that's a beautiful thing.

meet me in st louis

This past weekend Braeden, Jacob, and I drove down to St. Louis, MO to visit our friend Charissa. We were basically only there for one day, since Friday night and Sunday morning were travel days, but we did so much stuff that it felt like we were there for at least 5. The drive was a little less than 5 hours, and Braeden was a champ and drove all the way there and back (also we took his car and it was a stick shift and neither Jacob nor I know how to drive stick... Well, I learned once like 2 years ago when I visited Jen and had to drive her car back to Utah with her, but I haven't driven since). We stayed with Charissa at her parent's house and they were super great. Her mom even made us pancakes before we left on our adventures Saturday morning. Win.

Saturday morning, while Charissa was at work, we went to The Arch. Why? Because you have to go to The Arch when you're in St. Louis. Peer pressure. Also, it was pretty cool. And giant. Both.

The view from The Arch. It was waaaaaay taller that it looked: 630 feet tall, to be exact. Also 630 feet wide. Coincidence? I think not.

Me at the top. No big deal.

Jacob measuring his shoulders to see if he could hide the sign under his shirt. We decided that if he had one of those suits from the 80s with the crazy shoulder pads he could've totally pulled it off. So close!

After that we went to City Museum, which is like a giant artsy playground for adults and kids alike. (Don't be fooled: it is much cooler than the website and my own pictures make it out to be. Trust me.) I am in love with it. Braeden and I decided that we are definitely going back with more friends, even if it takes us like a year to co-ordinate our schedules. It will happen. These pictures do not even remotely begin to capture its awesomeness, but they might give you a slight peek...

Dramatic sponge throwing at the camera!

This was possibly my favorite (can I really say that? It was all my favorite!) feature of City Museum. It was on the roof and tall and touret-esque and lovely. I think I liked it so much because I could picture it in my backyard being awesome. I want one. So. Bad.

They had these wire-type tunnel tubes all over the place, in the ceiling and outside connecting things together. I crawled through one. Actually, through several. It killed my knees but was totally worth it. Totally. (Though next time I will be nerdy and wear knee pads. It's already been decided.)

Braeden in the giant ball pit! It has been one of my dreams for years now to have my own ball pit in my house and these plastic inflatable balls are WAY better than those hard plastic ones from the McDonald's play pit. It will happen. It will!

Jacob may or may not have (but definitely did) throw that ball at my face. I suppose I deserved it though since I threw it at him first...

Braeden co-piloted us off the edge of the building. It was slightly terrifying. Also, pretend.

After City Museum we picked up Charissa from work and went to dinner at an all-you-can-eat sushi place. The food was great, but the service was terrible. Worth it? Maybe. Next time we decided we'd sit closer to the sushi chefs so we wouldn't be forgotten. Also that we would save up our money and go for the third-tier option so we could order things like Dragon and Rainbow roll, not just California-roll-type sushi. Though that was delicious too.

We finished off the night at a haunted house. Now, I am not a big fan of haunted houses. Fact: I had never actually been to a professional haunted house before Saturday night. But you know what? It was actually kinda fun. The place we went was super big and we were probably inside for like 40 minutes. Also the line was super long, but it was ok because they had people walking around all dressed in costume and scaring people so it was entertaining. There was this group of girls in front of us who were really dramatic and over-the-top with their reactions so it was pretty funny to watch all the actors mess with them. But also sometimes annoying. I wasn't scared by the haunted house, and only slightly grossed out sometimes, but I was definitely startled several times, mostly by people making loud noises when they jumped out at us. Just like good boys do, Jacob went first and Braeden went last, with Charissa and I in between them. That's how you can tell that they are manly men. Or something. It was a good time.

All in all the weekend was super fun! I am really glad that Jacob invited us and that we were able to go. I highly recommend St. Louis in general, and our particular activities specifically. If you come out to visit me, we will road trip there and do these things. And that's a promise.

because yellow fever is good for no one

This morning I left Boston at 5:30 am. That's right, 5:30 AM. Why so early you ask? Because I needed to get back to NJ in time for an 11 am appointment to have needles stuck in my arm. It was great fun. Actually, it wasn't bad at all. I needed to get vaccinated against Yellow Fever and Typhoid for my up coming Ecuador trip. The Typhoid shot hurt because it went into the muscle but the Yellow Fever one just stung a lot. But I tell you what, both of those are nothing compared to what would happen if I actually contracted either of the two diseases. You know, lots of pain and possibly death. Yay for modern science! Think about it: vaccinations are shots OF THE DISEASE! And they keep us from GETTING the disease! We live in the future.

boston boston, bo-boston, banana-fanna, fo-foston, mi-my-mo-moston...boston!

Today and yesterday we were in Boston! With Jen! What could be better?! I'll tell you what: nothing. Jen is one of my most favorite people in the whole world and I have now decided that Boston is one of my favorite places. The plan is to move up there at some point in the next year. That's right: Portland is out and Boston is in!

When Jace and I arrived Saturday night we met Jen at her new apartment (which I am in love with) then went out to eat at a phenomenal vegetarian restaurant called Veggie Planet. That's right, I ate at a vegetarian restaurant and not only did I not complain about it, I LOVED it. If I continue to hang out with the Jace Face and move up and live with Jen I think I will become vegetarian through the shear force of peer pressure. Also I have developed a new-found love for vegetables. And not just the normal ones like broccoli and carrots, but eggplant, zucchini, and water chestnuts. Yum! 

After dinner we went to J. P. Licks where Jen, Jace, and I ordered peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie hard yogurt, oreo cake batter ice cream, and pistachio ice cream respectively. We ate it at the window bar where we had a lovely view of a young couple sitting at a table outside the shop where the boy would not stop touching the girl: hugging, kissing, rubbing her back, playing with her hair... Really, man? She's trying to eat. And so are we. My favorite part of the whole thing was when her parents, whom they had apparently been waiting for, showed up. Very classy.

Today I went to church with the Jen and, in contrast to camp where I felt really old, I suddenly felt like a baby: the average age of the singles ward is 28 and Jen, at 22, is the youngest one in the ward. It was pretty good: you could tell that the members who were there were all pretty smart, and not just because they are doing things like getting Ph. D's at Harvard. (Though several of them are.) The last hour was a combined meeting where we talked about what else other than dating and marriage? Makes me sick. To quote Jen, "If we talked about it less it would happen more." Here here. I just went to my happy place and tried not to let the talk of how being single makes us feel like we are less complete human beings and all that nonsense bother me. It helped to have Jen there because we could help each other out. She's the best.

After church we met up with the Jace who had been exploring the city all morning and went on a parknic (translation: picnic in a park) at Boston Commons. We ate cucumber and sharp cheddar pita sandwiches and strawberries with Nutella. It was the best meal. Then we went wading in the Frog Pond where Jace tried several times (unsuccessfully) to flip me in, then we took a nap. Seriously, probably my favorite day of the whole trip. Also, walking back to the T (Bostonian for subway/metro) we found a cell phone on a bench that was ringing. So we answered it. It was John. I said, "Hello, John. We just found this cell phone on a bench in Boston Commons by the Tadpole Playground." He said it was his friend's and he'd probably be looking for it so we said we'd leave it on the bench where we found it so he could tell his friend where to find it. It was a disposable cell phone which, PS, I didn't even know existed, and it was slightly sketchy. I hope its owner found it. Unless he was a drug dealer. In which case I kinda hope he didn't.

For dinner Jace made us AMAZING stir fry that we ate on a rug since Jen does not yet have a table in her home (a rugnic, if you will). Also, I just realized that when I'm with Jen I talk about food a lot. It is because she knows a lot about it. Also, when I'm with her I always eat delicious food. She is good for my health in so many ways! Except for the cookies... After dinner we made chocolate chip/snickers cookies that were huge and tasty and then we went into sugar shock and fell asleep. Well, more or less.

Also, the vest was there.

over the falls in a barrel

Today we arrived in Buffalo! This time we had TWO hotel rooms with king sized beds (thanks, Dad!). The beds were so big that we could have fit about four people in one AND Jace could actually stretch all the way out. (PS He is 6'6".)I'm pretty sure that was his favorite part of the whole trip. Honestly we could have both slept in the same bed and not even been anywhere near close to touching, but, don't worry, Dad, we didn't.

After we checked into the hotel and brought in everything we thought we'd need for the night, we hopped back into the Yaris and drove up to Niagara Falls. We parked on the American side in a Duty Free shop parking lot (it was free) and walked over to the Canadian side because neither of us had ever done that before and I tell you what, I highly recommend it. All you need is your passport and you're good to go! As we were chatting with the Canadian border guard guy (and by chatting I mean he was looking at our passports and we were waiting to be allowed to go) there was a group of kids around our age that were being escorted back across the border by a police officer. It is one of Jace's goals in life to be asked to leave a country, so he was sufficiently jealous of their luck. We're still not sure what they did, but they seemed unaffected by the whole thing.

We wandered around the Canadian side for a while, mostly just strolling along the river/waterfalls and enjoying a nice walk after hours spent stuck in the car (the drive from the campsite to the hotel alone was about 6 hours). The most fun thing we did was the Journey Behind the Falls. It's where you get to go through these tunnels that have little look outs and you literally walk behind Horseshoe Falls (one of the smaller waterfalls in the Niagara vicinity). They gave us yellow plastic ponchos but Jace still got really wet. I, on the other hand, was prepared and brought my rain jacket. Sucka.
Also, remember how we were so clever and got free parking in the Duty Free shop lot? Well it was a good trick because the only exit out of said lot was to pay the $3.25 toll and cross the bridge over to the Canadian side. Lame sauce. So we crossed the border twice in one night. Good times. We had to explain to the border guard that we just wanted to turn around and he directed us to the customs building where for some reason they felt it necessary to search my car. Really? I think they might have mistaken the exhaustion in my voice and demeanor for something else (maybe, I don't know, drugs?) and wanted to make sure we weren't transporting any of the stuff back to the US. We weren't. Though with all the secret compartments in my car I bet we could have and not have gotten caught. But we didn't. But we could have. But we didn't.

road trip to everywhere

So, after camp ended I went on a four-day road trip with a fantastic boy I met at camp and whom I may or may not be but definitely am currently dating. His name is Jace. (It rhymes with face.) You may remember him from a previous entry—he has toe shoes that make him look like a ninja. Obviously my dad thought it was one of my more brilliant plans. I think his exact words were, "That is the worst possible idea you could ever have." I took that to mean that if I got a tattoo while I was drunk and then got pregnant on the trip than it couldn't be any worse than having gone on the trip in the first place, so I did just that. 

Except not at all. (Don't worry, Dad.)

After we got paid Wednesday Jace and I drove home to my house, did laundry, ate delicious food, and slept. Yesterday morning we did more laundry, ate more good food, then packed up the car around lunch time and headed off for our first grand adventure: Woodstock.

Woodstock was a fabulous hippie town where we thrift shopped, ate veggie pizza, and generally enjoyed ourselves. I highly recommend it. So do Jace's parents. But they don't want to talk about it. Oh! Also as we were leaving we found a castle park! It was exactly like the one that used to be in Chatham before they knocked it down and replaced it with yet another lame plastic playset. Of course we stopped and played. It completed me.

We had no plans to stay anywhere specific that night—we decided to just drive in the general direction of Niagra Falls until we were too tired to go any farther and figure it out from there. Sadly, since we've been camp counselors all summer and are used to getting up at 7:15 am on the dot, eating crappy food, and never getting enough sleep, we reached our exhaustion limit around 8:30 pm. Well done. However, there was no cheap sleeping arrangements to be found. So we drove and drove and drove and finally stumbled upon a KOA Kampsite around 10:30 pm that saved our lives. The office was closed when we got there but we filled out the correct forms, put the $30 cash in the proper envelope, found a tent site, pitched out tent, and fell dead asleep. We felt like real adults, all responsible and paying for things. You know.

We woke up in the morning to a babbling brook, neighboring RVers, and an old man with a trailer that had a Porche inside. No big deal. Also, last night as we were unpacking we discovered a dead mouse in one of our sleeping bags. Luckily Jace is quite a man and scooped it out of the stuffing and threw it outside the tent. We tried our best to not mention it while the sleeping bag was still in use because what? gross.

road trip day 2

Favorite moments:

(no picture for this one, though I wish there was)

As Claire and I were eating breakfast outside our hotel this morning (there were no free tables in the dining area) this old man (who was wearing these fantastic knee socks) walked over to us and asked, "So, have I told you about my goldfish?" Claire and I looked at each other and were like, "Is he being creepy or being nice?" We couldn't decide, so we just said, "No." So he continued: "When my wife and I left Missouri this morning our goldfish was really happy. He was just swimming around in his bowl, around and around, happy as a lark—which for a goldfish is pretty impressive because he wasn't born with wings—but then all of a sudden he hit a wall. And do you know what he said?" And Claire, all excited like, goes, "DAM!" really loud. He smiled and said, "You've been around the block!" and gave Claire a high five with his car keys still in his hand. Then he got in his car and drove off without his wife. Claire felt slightly guilty about fake cursing but she was just really eager to impress our antedeluvian companion. I think it worked.

The second day in the car alone with Claire was just too much for me. Luckily we found some discarded liquor on the street to help dull the pain.


We stopped in Kansas City, Missouri (not confusing at all) to go to the Negro Baseball Hall of Fame. Instead we ended up making quilt squares for a quilt that will become a permanent part of the Jazz museum in Kansas City. True story.

(no picture for this one, sorry)

We asked this kid at Wendy's why Missouri is called the Show-Me-State and as he was walking backwards back into the Wendy's he said, "Cuz we ain't got nothin' ta show." We couldn't have asked for a better response.

There is a town called Effingham, Illinois. We stopped there to get gas and Claire opened the door and said, "It smells weird here." So I said, "It must be all of that effing ham." I was probably right.

road trip day 1

First of all, last night my friends came over to say good bye and then they stayed to help me pack! I literally could not have done it without them. If Tess and Nate had not packed my car with their amazing Tetris-like skills I would most likely have ended up sitting in the middle of my living room floor in tears instead of on the road at 10 am—my entire life is in there and I honestly have no idea how it all fit. They very truly saved me. Plus Autumn stopped by and helped box (and re-box), Dave helped lift the carrier on top of the roof (then disappeared to find a motorcycle magazine to feed his obession) and Megan cleaned my room. True friends indeed.
This morning I said good bye to Megan. It was a tragic tale of granola and separation.
On our way down south we saw these windmills that I've seen at the base of the hills from campus and I never thought I would see in person. I love alternative energy.
Lots of bugs got stuck on the roofbag. Claire thought they looked delicious. They were not.
We are in Colorado and so are our feet! (Perhaps Aleisha's own feet once trod this very same trail...?)
I was coughing. Coughing out my voice.
...while Claire frolicked and tried to avoid the cacti. 

Today we drove through Utah, Colorado, and Kansas. We left Utah at 10 am and arrived in Hays, Kansas at 1:30 am Kansas time. Driving across the country is the best.