Sweet Corn, Trump Country, And Watersports (Oh My!)

Well, we've done it now...

We made the decision to skip town and head to Iowa for a month.

Greg's parents are here, and with work and school being remote - there seemed like no better time to try an extended stay.

Was I nervous? Initially against the idea? Am I still not sure how it's all gonna play out?

Yes. Yes. And yes.

I'm a creature of habit, the idea of flying scared me, but the option to roadtrip 5 days with a toddler was daunting.

I didn't relish coming to an area that's not even 1% Asian, went for Trump last election, and is home to what was once dubbed a Covid-19 hotspot (yes, really).

What in the word made me say yes?

1) I KNOW I'm not great with spontaneity, adventure or change. I saw this as an opportunity to flex those muscles.

2) I saw how important it was to my partner. Unlike my side of the family, who we see all the time, we see Greg's folks only once or twice a year. And the lake house where we're staying is literally his happy place.

3) My personality (Enneagram 1 and Myers Briggs SJ) actually does well with getting away. Almost everything I see in my house feels like an undone to-do. Clutter = stress. I can't even pee without an internal monologue about how I'm so bad at cleaning the bathrooms and how I should really reinstate "Toilet Tuesdays" with the boys (a real thing we tried; RIP Toilet Tuesdays).

Long story short, getting out of my normal space often opens up space to rest, play, and not stress over the mundane.

Here are few photos, if you'd like to see...​

​Alaska Air spread the 5 of us out in 3 rows - and the row in front of me was completely empty. Much appreciated.

​We paid tribute to George Floyd in Minneapolis at the site of his murder. I felt major cognitive dissonance that something so evil and humiliating could happen on this mundane city block. Feeling even more committed to doing my part to undo anti-Black racism. May it no longer be so insidiously woven into our everyday.

​Iowan food notes: Cannot remember the last time I drank out of a huge Styrofoam cup! $4 plate of berry kolaches, and the sweetest sweet corn you ever tasted. Spoiled for life.

Forever astonished that I somehow birthed someone (our middle, 8) who LOVES water sports - kneeboarding, waterskiing, etc. My path to getting up on waterskis was mortifying and only done with the encouragement of Greg.  :)
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Have you ever gone on an adventure like this? Let me know in the comments!