des moines

Des Moines:

It's the place where daddy is stationed, for now. After all this time he has been in Des Moines...we finally met his roommate(apartment-mate)! His family almost directly mirrors ours and he gave mom and dad an awesome vacation idea...so naturally I approved of their cool roomie-friendship. They're both grown men but they are legitimate roomies...THEY BUY THINGS TOGETHER! Like a weird back-stretching contraption that flips you upside-down (because they're old and need their backs stretched daily?), furniture, and this cool thing that lets you bike stationary on your own bike!

It's the place where Jordan Creek is the furthest thing from a trickling body of water...it's a shoppers heaven complete with all of my favorite stores and no shortage of interesting subjects for people watching! Mom and I went pretty "hard in the paint" and ended the day after six hours of spending! I'd say it was a successful day considering the entire mall was tax-free for school shopping and the sales were out of this world. It almost felt like stealing...almost. (Side note: Mama and I ventured into a bridal boutique just for fun...let's just say the price tags scared her and we didn't stay long)

It's the place where tons of little antique shops come together to make up Valley Junction. We came across some interesting people, places and things on this adventure but "Antique No. 35" was my favorite...all the fun of antique-ing and none of the boring! But this little area was full of locally-owed gems where we found an array of "P"s for mamas latest project. I'm so excited to see it when it's finished! It's the place where a (somewhat) quiet and (extremely) creative afternoon can be spent at Glazed Expressions painting pottery...mama and i sat near a mother and her two boys (9ish and 12ish) and laughed silently at how terribly "relaxing" her afternoon was. We had fun and can't wait to see the finished products this weekend when Dad brings them to us!

It's the place where a family spent a much needed weekend watching movies, making jokes, shopping and just enjoying each other's company. Des Moines really isn't too bad...I'm just bitter because it's stolen my daddy for the last part of his service. Lets just say: It's time for him to come home.

just living,
lizzi