Des Moines, Iowa

The week of New Years, I went to Des Moines, Iowa to visit my friends Grace and Kennedy. I met Grace last year at APU, but I had never met Kennedy, so it was amazing to see her. I also had never been anywhere in the Midwest, or anywhere the temperature was consistently below freezing. It was a lot of fun, and I'm so happy I went.

When I arrived, it was 1 degrees outside. I was wearing an outfit that would probably keep me warm any day of the year in California, but I was not prepared to be smacked in the fast by such cold weather. I couldn't open my mouth because it hurt my teeth. Imagine that feeling with you breathe in after eating something minty. It was like that, except through my whole body. It was insanely cold, and it was a very new experience for me. The next day, it was about 11 degrees, and we were walking around outside in that weather. Honestly, the thing I was thinking about the most in that weather was how absolutely fortunate I was to have a home, and even just a warm jacket because there would be no possible way for me to survive that weather otherwise. Even with a heavy coat, boots, and many layers, my face and hands were still unbelievably cold and each time I felt even the slightest bit of wind, it was unbearable.

But, to be honest, I kinda loved it. I love the cold so much, and the fact that there, it's actually cold. I loved it.

  Grace's family was nice enough to let me stay with them for the week. They are such wonderful people, extremely entertaining. It was kind of like living in a sitcom, in the best way of course! She also has many pets, which was amazing because animals are my favorite. Especially her dog, Sweetie. The first night I was there, I was cuddling with her cat, Ed, and he bit my face, yet continued to share my bed with me every night. I'm not a cat person.

Her house was also wonderfully decorated, including many different animal themed things. This clock was my favorite.

While there, we went to the mall. I bought a few books, which have quickly become my favorite reads. This probably sounds awful, but since I watched the TV show first, reading these is a lot like watching episodes of BBC's Sherlock. And, it gives me so much more appreciation for the actors that they chose because they chose them brilliantly! 

We had a little slumber part with Kennedy and I gave them make overs. I never thought I was very good at makeup, but I guess with practice I've learned how to do it. So, I did theirs. I loved it so much. I kept telling them how pretty pretty they looked!

On the last day I was there, Grace and I explored Downtown Des Moines. It was chilly but not too bad. They introduced me to their store Ray Gun, and I saw all the pretty things that is Downtown Des Moines. I really like just walking around, going in to small little shops, which is what most of the downtown is comprised of, and taking pictures. Being me, of course I forgot my phone in one of these stores and we had to walk all the way back to it in the cold to go get it. 

The night before I left, we decided to bake a pie! Grace is always baking things, and I like pie, so I thought it would be a good idea to do that. We made a raspberry/blueberry pie. It was really yummy actually. I loved the filling especially. The crust was a little thin, and that was probably my fault since I made that part... But it was still super yummy and a great way to end my time in Iowa!

I had an amazing time visiting them, and I definitely intend to visit them again. Next semester, I'm hoping to study in Chicago, which is about 5hrs away from them, so I could visit them sort of often! And, I'll be able to experience even more cold, since I love it so much. Maybe Chicago will teach me not to like the cold and make me miss California?