Cedar Falls Isn't THAT Bad....

The conversation has been had many times. Are we going to stay in Iowa? Not forever, we know. But how much longer? We both miss Boston like crazy, but there are just some things about Cedar Falls that we miss when we are away. This list might have its silly points, but you would be surprised about what you miss when you are away...


-Green Grass in patches bigger than 3 square feet
-Evenings at Village Inn
-My car (and no public transportation)
-Fresh air
-Cheap movies
-Tanning
-Mexican food (Namely Rudy's)
-Working for my Father
-No Shame
-Kitties
-Places you can hang out without paying ridiculous amounts of cover
-Not dealing with the homeless several times a day
-Cheap alcohol and the ability to get it NOT at a liquor store
-HyVee
-Snow
-Christmas lights on houses
-Trails to work out on
-Four Queens
-Sub City sandwiches
-Life long friends
-Shredded lettuce
-Not paying rent
-Watching my brother in HS football
-Parks to frolic in
-Lawn mowing and the smell of
-Thunder
-Shows at the Reverb
-Not having to be scared to have bare feet
-State Fair, Sturgis Falls, and other festivals
-Being able to get in a car and just drive
-Saturday morning errands with the Nordyke's
-Stores that are open 24 hours
-No traffic jams
-Gyms that aren't full of body builders and Barbies
-Weekend drives in the country air just to get away
-CFU prices can't be beat
-A Target trip doesn't need to be a day long event involving a U-Haul truck
-Pool Halls

The list just grows...but as it does, so do the things I miss about Boston...

Tim's Turn to Travel!

On the off chance that Tim gets to pick any of our vacation spots in the next few decades (ok, he might be able to pick a few) this is where we might be heading!


1) Ireland. Booze and sheep.


2) Egypt. Mummies and more mummies.


3) Turkey. Gobble gobble.


4) Australia/New Zealand. Playing Crocodile Dundee.


5) African Safari. Animals are cool, all the other stuff, not so much.

Travel Wish List!

Clare's Top Five:

1) Egypt. Mummies, Pyramids, Legends, Desert, History. And the site of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. :)


2) Australia. Kangaroos, Koalas, Sydney, Scuba, Coral Reefs.


3) Russia. Sexy sexy language. Vodka. Kremlin. KGB.


4) Dubai. Beauty and Relaxation. Ka-ching ka-ching.


5) Thailand. Sand. Surf. Lagoons. Palm Trees. Thai food.

Craving Cape Cod...

Last summer, Tim and I knew that our time in New England was closing down, and we wanted to get in as much traveling in the area as we could. In thinking of New England summers, what does one think of? Cape Cod.

Cape Cod is close to the perfect summer locale. We spent the weekend driving around in a spankin hot mustang convertible. And pretty much just that was even amazing. The air is salty and sweet with the ocean and the one million and one ice cream shops and seafood dives along every road. The tiny side beach we visited was gorgeous, the sand was soft and scorching hot, and there was barely anyone there to disturb our walk on the beach. Of course, there was the creepy long haired man laying out, listening to Chris Isaak's "I dont wanna fall in love..." but yet, even that just brought more entertainment to our weekend.

And of course, all of the seafood places are locally owned and do what they do best. They also have quaint names like Lobster Hut and Seafood Shanty. There is nothing better than a Lobster roll. I want one. I want the lobster-y goodness on a slightly toasted hot dog bun with a side of perfectly crunchy french fries.





The vibe is just totally different once you get to the Cape, no one cares about anything, its all chill and care free.

Can anyone tell that I might just miss the Cape?

Patriotic Day in a Patriotic Town!

I am a planner, I always have been. Ask to see my wedding planning binder. It was over 3 inches thick. I get a little obcessive. Which is why I am confused about the die down of excitement over my next trip.

My grandpa's brother is ridiculously wealthy and is hosting a family reunion this year on his property near Philadelphia over the 4th of July. My mom and I went to the last one almost a decade ago, and plan on going to this years. Then Tim would be in DC for a wedding that same weekend, and it boiled down to the idea that he would join us for the reunion after the rehearsal dinner and after the weekend of festivities, we would spend several days in Philadelphia by ourselves.



I got ridiculously excited and started researching everything there is to do in Philly. I bought a book and everything. I went crazy. There were several intineraries, time schedules, address spreadsheets, website spreadsheets. I went crazy with planning. Tim and I both are pretty into historical sites and things, so Philadelphia is a perfect mini trip for us. Plus, we both miss Boston something fierce, and being back in a real city again will feel a little bit more like being back. But as time grew closer, I got less and less into it, almost completely forgetting that we were going.

Those that know me, know that packing is one of my favorite things to do. Something about preparing for something exciting and new is just enjoyable to me, and I usually start the process at least a week in advance. I just finished my packing list for this trip about five minutes ago. We leave tomorrow, bright and early. It's a strange feeling for me, being unready to go.

But at least I have the plan all laid out for when we get there. That's got to count for something, right?



Things we plan on seeing/doing in Philadelphia:
Lancaster County (I love Amish almost more than planning!)
Franklin Science Museum
Mutter Museum (its a museum of medical marvels)
Edgar Allen Poe's House
Philadelphia Ghost Tour
Reading Terminal (this locale alone will add ten pounds to my belly)
Independence Hall/Consitution Center/Liberty Bell
Christ Church
US Mint
Philadelphia Zoo
King of Prussia Mall
Eastern State Penn

All of that in a matter of four days. But with my planning, we can do it! I have always been a proponent of vacations to places like this aren't for too much relaxation. If you want to relax, go to somewhere where there is nothing but nature and a lodge with a spa.

But Number One on the list of things to do in Philly...