You Ate What?!

Fun fact: When I got to college, most of my new friends were from the suburbs of Chicago, even though I went to an in-state school about thirty minutes from my hometown.  Anyone that has gone to the University of Iowa will tell you that 70% of the students are from Illinois.  (note - this is probably not factual, but it sure seems realistic).  My new friends quickly pointed out that I ate "weird" things, that apparently didn't exist where they came from.  Today, I'm linking up with Amanda and her co-host, Anne to tell you about some of this food in the "Tell Me About Your Town" link-up!

Of course, the beauty of Pinterest helped us all learn about different foods we might not have known about before, so I'm guessing that most of these won't be new for any of you.

Puppy Chow.  Oh how I love this combination of crunchy rice cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar all kept together by too much butter.  When I first introduced this to my roommates, they were amazed and requested it at least once a week. Of course, it now has delicious variations such as cake batter, cookies and cream and samoa. 

Maid-Rites.  Otherwise known as "loose-meat sandwiches".  Have you had one?  It's like a sloppy joe, without the sauce.  I would always get the "cheese-rite", which is deliciously (and chemically) made with the orange, nacho cheese.  Here is a recipe to make one at home!

Tator Tot Hot Dish.  I'll be honest here, "hot dish" was a term that I didn't know until I moved to Minnesota.  Hot Dish = Casserole.  A tator tot hot dish is ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, mixed vegetables and of course, tator tots.  There are variations, but it almost always has those four ingredients.  (Recipe here). 

Corn on the Cob and Pork Chops.  This one is not uncommon, but the fact that it is so common where I grew up deems it special.  Iowa is known for our sweet corn - and buying it from the back of a truck on the side of the road is completely normal.  The other thing Iowa is really good at?  Pork.  A meal of a grilled Iowa chop and corn on the cob is completely normal and frequent in the summer months.

There were a few items that were "Meagan and her sister-isms", but they deserve an honorable mention as well:  Tacos with ketchup, peanut butter and butter sandwiches, "special sandwiches" (tuna and cheese whiz on an english muffin - gag), and ice cream with jelly.  Maybe we were just weird kids - which is entirely possible. :)

This topic fascinates me - please tell me if you had ever had these things before Pinterest shared them with the world?  What is unique to your region?

All Iowa, Outside

It's been awhile since I've linked up with Amanda for her Tell Me About Your Town series.  It wasn't intentional, I just had other posts planned.  And that makes me sad for a few reasons - Amanda is awesome, you should know her.  And - I love Iowa, and love sharing my hometown with all of you.

This month's prompt is all about Earth Day, which, let's be honest, is perfect for Iowa.  Rolling hills, miles and miles of farmland (you are welcome for your delicious summer sweet corn), and lots of areas for an adolescent-Meagan to explore.

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Let's clear one thing up - I did not grow up on a farm.  Yes, I have been on one - No, I do not know how to detassle corn.  I grew up in a city of over 200,000 people.  That did not stop me from exploring my surroundings.  I loved to be outside.  All day, every day.  I was lucky enough to have woods in my backyard (not deep woods, more houses were about 100 yards back), I collected rocks, built forts and played in the local creeks.

We spent a lot of time at the Indian Creek Nature Center, which had trails and guides to teach us about the local wildlife.

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I'm not sure where it began, but when I was about five, I really got in to rocks.  I collected different types and my Dad even took me to a few local "rock shows", where I was allowed to pick out new pieces for my collection.  Did you know that the state rock of Iowa is the geode?  Have you ever seen one?  They aren't anything special on the outside, and are easy to overlook.  But if you knew what you were looking for, a special surprise was always waiting inside.

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I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a place that had natural beauty all around.  A place that put emphasis on being outside and exploring.  I am even more fortunate that my parents gave me the freedom to explore and gave me resources to learn as much as possible.  I hope that I am doing the same for my girls!

Linking up with Amanda. 

7 Awesome Things about the Midwest

On certain days, I need to focus on good things.  Like today, for example.  We all know that I love the winter - the more snow, the better in my mind.  There is one part of winter I do not like, and that is ice.  If you are in the Midwest, or specifically Chicago, you know that we woke up to the world covered in ice.  Cars, roads, sidewalks.  On days like today, I need to be reminded why I love living in the Midwest so much.

Cue the Awesome link-up, from Anne at Love the Here and Now.  Today I'm focusing on the awesome things about living in the Midwest.

|| We get to experience all of the four seasons, and they each last longer than one week.

|| With the above, we have the opportunity to wear any kind of clothing for at least a few months out of every year.

|| In some parts of the Midwest, it is so flat that you can see for miles. (just like the song).  This is one of my favorite parts about rural Iowa, truly beautiful.

|| We are truly smack dab in the middle of the country, which means that we can get to almost every large city in the U.S. with less than five hours in an airplane.  No cross country flights!

|| There are very little earthquakes.  The few that we have had are barely recognizable.

|| We produce more corn than other region in the United States (shout out to Iowa on this one!)

|| "Midwest is Best". 

Do you live in the Midwest?  What else would you add?

Linking up with Anne.

A Nice Little Saturday

We're back for another round of "Tell Me About Your Town" with Amanda!  This month's prompt was "date night", in preparation of Valentine's Day.  (You can read post one - thankful and post two - shopping here)

For this month, we're taking it back to Eastern Iowa.  This is special to me because not only is it where I grew up, but it is where Tim and I met and fell in love - in Iowa City.  Downtown Iowa City has some great restaurant options.  We might have been poor college students, but we managed to go out for nice dinners a few times.  It also helps that my parents live thirty minutes north, so I've been to a few other places since graduating.  For this post, let's pretend that we aren't college students - this kind of night could never be afforded on our student budgets!  (We also probably would have been going to different bars, but that's another post for another day.)


Let's Start with Drinks

Meeting for Happy Hour is a must.  Going to Martini's is a great option - best martini's in town (for me) and over twenty beers on tap (for him).  They have a great beer garden in the back that always provides good people watching.

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Let's Move on to Dinner

Atlas is one of my favorite restaurants, probably ever.  Besides the $2 martinis on Thursday nights while I was in college, the food is amazing.  Every time my parents came to visit I would beg them to take me there for dinner.  My favorite?  The Atlas Macaroni and Cheese - Gruyère . Fontina . Mozzarella . Parmesan . Slow-roasted Roma tomatoes - need I say more?  Another great dish is the Boulder Roll - Avocado, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, goat cheese, greens and pesto.  Are you hungry yet?

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THE mac and cheese.  source

And now, the best part - dessert.

At this point, I would be totally stuffed, but as my father in law always says "my dessert stomach will be empty", so there is always room for more.  In Iowa City, dessert has to come from Scratch Cupcakery.  Over 125 flavors of cupcakes, about 20 flavors baked fresh daily.  My favorite is Wedding Day - almond cake and vanilla frosting.  But let's be honest, I love every one I've had.  It's a very good thing that Scratch was not open while I was in school.  This is a must stop if you are ever in the area! 

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If you ever find yourself in Iowa City, I hope you check out one or more of these places - especially that a date night has already been planned.  Which of these places would you visit?

Ramble On

And now I will write a blog post that has no real direction.  I apologize in advance, because this is going to be a jumble of thoughts all put together.  I guess that's what happens when you don't blog for six days and have random thoughts to share with the world!

|| I had a wonderful time in Iowa for Christmas.  Four days at home with family.  My girls got a big fix of their grandparents, we had a lot of great food, played really fun games, and I even snuck a nap or two!

|| One of my good friends moved to Texas on Christmas Day.  I will miss her, but am so excited for their new adventures - she deserves it more than anyone else I know.  Plus, Tim and I are going in January, so I'll see her soon.

|| I got some great gifts.  Money for a furniture in a new house (hopefully this Spring), clothes, makeup, and then there was this combo that my sister got me.  Perfection!  BUT, the best part for me was watching my loved ones open their gifts.  Giving trumps getting, hands down.

|| I found a new favorite drink - vodka and Lime LaCroix water.  Like a vodka and soda with lime, but you don't need to cut up the lime.  AKA easier to make at home!

|| I am incredibly thankful that Cedar Rapids has a 24 hour emergency vet.  Poor Charlie had to go yesterday.  We think he got in to something in my Dad's backyard (he lives in the country so who knows what!).  My baby was sick for 24 hrs, not even keeping water down.  A shot, some pills, and fluids made him bounce right back.

|| I absolutely loved seeing all of the Christmas cards that my bloggy friends sent.  I never expected to make "real" friends doing this, but I have and couldn't imagine not having them in my life.

|| Last but certainly not least, I am grateful for a new year to begin.  I will write more about this later this week, but a new year for me means new beginnings, changes, and reflection.

Today is Grateful Heart (Tuesday) Monday, so I am linking up with Emily.  This one is probably a given, but I am grateful for time with my family.  Grateful for friends, and for all of you.

Family, Friends and the Hawkeyes

I told you Friday that I was going to Iowa to tailgate, watch the Hawks, and relive my college days.  I did just that... and more.  As promised, I did make it back for Monday, even if I am feeling quite old today.

Tim's best friend and his wife went with us and we made the best of our weekend together!  Saturday started early, as all Iowa tailgating days do.  We bundled up, made hot chocolate with Bailey's, and remembered life as teenagers as my Dad drove us to our tailgating destination. 

In case you don't know, we played Wisconsin.  Tim is the oldest of twenty three grandchildren.  23.  Including spouses, seven of us are Hawkeyes and five are Badgers - so far.  It's a family rivalry and we love to give each other a hard time.  Some of us met for the day, and it was so much fun.  I love spending time with our families - there is so much love, fun and memories made each time.

Today I'm thankful for my parents - who drove us to Iowa City, watched the girls all day, and then made the trip back to pick us up later that night.  I'm grateful for Tim and his family and all of the love there.  I'm grateful for friends that feel like family.  Most of all, I'm thankful that both Tim and I chose to go to school at Iowa.  If we hadn't, we never would have met - and none of this past weekend would have happened.

Being in Iowa City reminded me just how old I am - but we still managed to have a great time.  I finished the day with a Marco's grilled cheese, and for that, I will never be too old!

Linking up with Emily.

Where is Home?

Many people consider home is where they live.  The place they go to every day after school or work.  Where their mail gets sent to.  Me?  Of course my residence is "home", but so is Iowa.  The place I grew up - where my parents are - the place where I go and everything feels like it hasn't changed.  I'm fortunate to live less than four hours from Cedar Rapids, and try to get back at least once a month. 

When Amanda announced her new link-up, Tell Me About Your Town, I was eager to get started.  I will mostly be sharing things about my hometown, Cedar Rapids, but for some of the link up prompts I'll be writing about the western suburbs of Chicago, where I currently reside.  Today's prompt is "things you are thankful for about your town".  This one clearly belongs to Iowa.

I grew up in a town of just over 120,000.  Not huge, but not small either.  (And no, I did not grow up on a farm - a question I get a lot!).  I lived there all the way until I went to the University of Iowa, which is just 30 minutes south.  There are so many things that I am thankful for:

|| The people.  I didn't realize how dang friendly everyone was until I moved away.  People ask "how are you?" and really want to know.  They hold the door for you, help you carry things, and when someone pulls over to help you and your broken down car, they really want to help - not rob you.  (Yes, that happened to me - another post for another time.)

|| My friends.  I was lucky enough to go to elementary, middle and high school with the same kids.  Of course, multiple elementary schools merged in to middle, and multiple middle schools merged in to high, but I always had the "core" people I knew since Kindergarten.  These days, I only see one when I go home - but when we are together, it's like no time has passed at all.

|| Diversity.  This one might be a shock to some of you, but I was fortunate and grew up with a diverse group of people.  My high school even offered Japanese (which I took).  And, I was lucky enough to study abroad in Japan when I was only seventeen years old.  (Spoiler - this is what my series is about).

|| Low crime.  Growing up, I hardly heard of crimes.  This could be because I was sheltered from it, but I really believe it's because it didn't happen often.  When I was in college, one of my roommates used to make fun of me because on the nightly news, they had a segment called "Big Ole Fish".  Viewers could submit photos of the big fish they caught, and they would feature one a night.  My roommate thought it was hysterical and "weird", but to be honest, I'd rather watch that than what she grew up watching, being from the south side of Chicago.

|| Shopping was exciting.  Ok, so don't get me wrong here.  I still absolutely love shopping and am excited any time I go (especially if I'm going sans children).  But in Iowa, I didn't have everything at my fingertips like I have in Chicago.  We would frequently take weekend trips to Minneapolis or Chicago just to shop.  It was fun and exciting, and I don't do that anymore.  I also didn't spend as much money!

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I'm more than a little proud to be an Iowan.  I'm grateful that my parents chose a place to raise us that felt like a small community, but offered things similar to a larger one.  I love Iowa.  I'll be the first to defend it, share random facts about it, and would move back in an instant - if only I could convince my Chicago-loving husband. But for now, I will take shopping over the Big Ole Fish on the news.

Linking up with Amanda for "Tell Me About Your Town" and Emily for "Grateful Heart Monday".

 

My Husband Is Iowa-Famous

When I first started dating Tim, ten years ago, I knew three things about him almost instantly - He almost never went to class, but had a better GPA than I did, he was a people person, and he could make friends with anyone around him.  Seriously, we can be out to dinner, sitting at an isolated table in the corner, and by the end of the meal we are making plans with strangers about where to go next.  This guy has the gift of gab - which I normally really adore.

In Iowa, we don't have any pro teams, for any sports.  People like Chicago, Minnesota or St. Louis teams (generally), but almost everyone loves the Iowa Hawkeyes.  Every Saturday, people all over the state sit down to watch them play football.

Tim's personality traits all meshed together when one day in 2004 I started getting a lot of calls about "the boy I was dating" and if he was the one in the Iowa commercial.

My Mom was calling.  My friends from high school were calling.  Friends at college were calling.  Tim had landed a spot on the newest University of Iowa commercial and it was making it's debut.

This all happened because of a random conversation he was having with someone while at work.  They were looking for people to fill spots and he asked Tim to be in it.  It was also the only time that semester that he went on campus, and definitely the only time he wore a backpack. 

The commercial ran for at least four years.  We'd see it during every football game even after we graduated.  After they made a new one, his was lost for awhile.  Until last weekend when it was discovered that his mom had recorded it while it was still on tv!  And, here it is for your viewing pleasure.  (He is at the very end)

His line, "I found my personal best at the University of Iowa" is one I like to quote often, because let's be honest, I am his personal best. :)

I Have a Grateful Heart

I hope everyone had a great long weekend!  I sure did - golfing on Friday, Hawkeye win on Saturday, boating on Sunday and family time today. Let's rewind a bit with some details.

Golfing.  If you read my post last Monday, you'll remember that I agreed to go golfing with my husband and another couple Friday.  First time golfer here = stress about what to wear, let alone how to hit the ball.  It was night golf, which basically means that the tees are lit up with glowsticks, the balls are lit up, and the golfer wears glowsticks.  Let's just say that I probably won't ever be golfing again.  I might try it sometime during the day, but it's safe to assume that my favorite part was the drink cart.  It also allowed for me to cross something off of my 101 in 1001  list.  (For those of you who helped with what I should wear - I ended up with black shorts, a collared shirt and a Nike pullover.)

Hawkeyes!  My besties, kids and husbands gathered for the first Iowa game.  We had lots of food, (some of us) had good beverages, and relived our glory days.  Seriously, tailgating takes on a different meaning when you are in your thirties with small children around.  But, the Hawks won and it was the perfect day. 

Boating.  My husband's grandparents own a lake house just over an hour from here, so we gathered up another couple and went up there for the day on Sunday.  E and A love riding on the boat, so we spent a lot of time on the water.  It was another perfect day for weather and a fun way to say goodbye to summer.  Because it's a family home, a lot of my husband's family was there too.  We got to spend time with friends and family - and it doesn't hurt that they all wanted to play with the girls, so we got to take a solo boat ride too! 

Today was spent with my fam, mostly outside soaking up some of the rays of the year.  I loved having the long weekend with everyone but am ready to get back to work tomorrow.  Today I am so grateful for time.  When I look back at the weekend, I'm grateful that my time was spent the best way possible - with family and friends.  I hope you all had a great weekend too - what was your highlight?

Here Comes My Bride

I know that this title is misleading... I didn't get married, I wasn't the groom, my only participation in the wedding this past weekend was bridesmaid.  But, for some reason, I felt like I was giving her away.  Let me explain.

My parents were divorced when I was in 7th grade.  When I was a freshman in college, my Dad remarried.  With my new stepmom, I gained a stepsister.  I grew up with an older sister and had always been the baby.  But all of a sudden, gaining a little sister and becoming the middle child happened.  And you know what?  It wasn't traumatic!  I fell in to the role of big sister almost immediately.  Three years later, my little sister came to the University of Iowa with me and from then on we were real sisters, no "step" relationship at all.

We both live in Chicago, she is A's godmother, and I couldn't be happier to have both she and her mother in my life.  I am truly blessed.

Now, on to the wedding!!

It was a whirlwind of a weekend.  Friday, we went for mani and pedis and out to lunch.  After a quick rehearsal, we had the dinner.  Delicious! 

sisters!

Fam!

 The dinner and hotel were in Iowa City, home of University of Iowa, aka my college town.  After dinner we corralled people to go out to the bars with us - which was really fun, but just sort of made me feel old!  After a few rounds of shots, we decided to call it a night.

Fireball for the win

 If you have ever been to Iowa City, and in the PedMall after 10pm, you know what Marco's Grilled Cheese is.  (If not - it's a grilled cheese cart and it's as amazing as it sounds.  Full disclosure - I've never had this sober, so it might not actually be that delicious.)

Saturday morning came and we took our time getting ready, drinking mimosas and eating a light lunch.  The bride and groom got married in a beautiful winery - but unfortunately I was so busy chasing my children around that I don't have any pictures of the location.  Once we get some from the photographer, I will share them!

Almost time :)

For those of you who gave me suggestions on how to avoid sweating in my dress, I went with Clinical Strength Suave and it worked!  Also, the alterations worked ok so overall, my dress wasn't a total disaster.  And really - who cares, how beautiful is the bride?!  Her dress was completely open in the back, with buttons all the way down.  Stunning.

There were four moments I cried: when my Dad walked her down the aisle, when E walked down the aisle as a flower girl, when she said her vows, and during my Dad's speech.  Remember, I'm a self proclaimed Daddy's Girl, so I knew these would be emotional moments!

On this Grateful Heart Tuesday (?) I think it goes without saying that I am grateful to have my little sister and her mother in my life.  I am grateful that we all blended right away, and haven't had any of the awful issues that I hear about way too often.  I am grateful for an amazing weekend and beautiful wedding - and cannot wait to watch their lives grow together.  (And maybe for some nieces or nephews, but I'll try to be patient!)

 

How was your weekend?  Also, if you want more pictures of the wedding, check out my Instagram.