Life Throws Us All Kinds of Curves

The First of January was insane, we had a major change of plans. Sometimes, it's hard to go with the flow. First, you can get excited for an adventure, but then reality hits your plans. I’ve always enjoyed road trips, but they can be really hard on the budget, especially in the future, after you use your credit, and you end up overcharging a lot.

So, we had to go the doctor’s in Iowa City the first of the month. I was looking forward to that, until I realized I wasn’t going to have as much as the month before. Getting to the city wasn’t that bad, but the University parking was crazy as usual. All of that went pretty smoothly, and the hospital had Pepsi, and chips in the vending machine, so I was good. It’s what happened after, that through us for a loop.

We were supposed to keep lunch inexpensive, and we were trying to find a good place for waffle fries. But the place that I looked up on DoorDash was permanently closed, so that was disappointing. We ended up settling for Subway, which wasn’t terrible. After that, we were supposed to have only two stops. Chong’s, the Asian store, and Walmart, for my favorite brand, and blend of coffee.

The Asian store wasn’t that bad, I was able to find most everything we needed, including some good ramen for my sister, and some chopsticks. For me, I just needed a key ingredient for my miso soup, and Mom wanted some coconut water/juice. Next, we went to Walmart, but when I went in, they didn’t have what I was looking for, even though I checked the website. So, mom took me to three different places, until finally we found a Walmart close to Burlington that had it, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

Needless to say, we were pretty tired when we got home. I don’t usually regret what do, or get, but I have a habit of regretting the choices that put us in hot water. I really need to control my spending habits. There’s a phrase I’m looking for, but I can’t place it right now. Anyway, the start of February seems to be coming down, in a good way. I’ve been working on video projects, and my blogs, while doing house work. Imbolc passed by, and I made an interesting dinner, inspired by what I read. There’s been some warm days, so maybe the cold front will end soon, and next month will hopefully be better.

Misadventures and Oriental Shopping

We went back to Coralville again, the first of this month. The trip was supposed to be quick, considering we didn’t have Missy, and we knew where we were going for the most part, and what we were supposed to get. However, the best laid plans,… often turn into misadventures.

We got started pretty well, we went to Walmart, and I found the coffee I love best, and we were leaving, but we got to looking around, and found some other food stuff that was important, but they didn’t have a great selection of some other stuff we were hoping to find there, like dog food.

After that, we went to a store, World Fresh Market, I though they would have an amazing selection of oriental foods, and the key items on my list. But as it turned out, they didn’t. Most of the stuff was Indian, and was interesting, but now what I was looking for, except for some miso.

Next stop was Trader Joe’s. We got there, and we went looking for the things on our list. We had trouble finding one of the key products, but we found it with help from someone who worked there. We also found some amazing foods, potstickers, and macarons, two of my favorite things. We didn’t find everything we were supposed to though. However, as we were getting ready to checkout, one of the ladies who worked there, told us the place to go for oriental food and ingredients, and things, was a place called Chong’s.

So, we took a chance, and payload! All items on my list were practically there: miso, kombu, Benito flakes, and boba pearls. I was so happy! Even though our time there was cut short, it was nice, and now, I know where to go.

We got coffee, and headed home, so even though the trip was kind of crazy, it was awesome. We didn’t find everything, and we went to some wrong spots, but now we know better, so we can plan better for next time. Isn’t that the point of living?

One More Road Trip Turned Upside Down

My last road trip was a crazy road trip/adventure. We packed up and headed to Columbia, Missouri, and the car drive was pretty nice, with fresh hot Starbucks, and open roads, filled with beautiful scenery.

We got started around seven in the morning by getting the essentials first: gas, breakfast burritos, and did I mention Starbucks coffee; and then we started driving till we go to US-24 Hannibal, Missouri. After that it was smooth sailing for a good long while, here was a lot of hill valley, lots of little farms, some goats, and lot of black cows, probably of the Angus variety.

We stopped at this gas station in the town, and I spotted on of my favorite ice cream bars, along with some awesome Pepsi and Coca Cola soda options. After refueling, we hit the road again. We drove further south through Stoutsville, MO. While going through Paris, Missouri, we saw the public library, which was a beautiful building. We finally got to Columbia, but there was a little mix up with were we need to go, but did find other places we needed to be, and wanted to go. The area was a little confusing, being an industrial area, but it was still pretty nice. 

I got go by Best Buy, and as I was looking for a charging cord for my mom, I was able to look around a little, and I got a question I've had for a while answered. I've been thinking about getting a camera for my blog, and other projects in the future, and I'd believe it will be a Sony Alpha, probably the Sony A6400, or better.

Before we started on the way back home, we were able to get another Starbucks coffee, and gas for the car. It was a little easier going home, and we still saw some pretty scenery. When we got closer to home, it was such a relief to recognize the landmarks, and places. So, now that it's over, it'll be interesting to see where we can drive too next.

Prayer for Nashville and Others in Tennessee

Some time ago, I'd heard about the tornado that hit Tennessee, and the devastation in Nashville. For me personally, it was terrifying to her, because my sister does not live that far from this incredible city. I still have photos from a car ride in Nashville, and it breaks my heart.

I felt a need to reach out, so after I texted my sister, I called a friend of mine from our church, and I told him of what happened, so hopefully, all of us can pray for the loved ones lost, and the ones left behind, and some way, all of us can help rebuild.

Investigate Trip Moments

My mom and I had to take a quick trip to Des Moines to deal some stuff, and on the way there, we got see some beautiful fields, and houses.

We went to Hoover State Office Building, which was very impressive, with wide spaces inside. Also driving up, there was this amazing building with this, golden dome, which was the highest point. I recently discovered it's the historical Iowa State Capitol building, I think. You can see a reflection of it in the windows of the Wallace State Building. Close by is the Holocaust Memorial, which is significant, and sad to acknowledge.

We didn’t get to make it over there except to get close while looking for a place to park, but maybe in few months, we’ll find some time to go check both the memorial, and the building out. That would be fascinating to see.

On the Way to Tennessee

We stopped usually only for gas, coffee, and bathroom breaks. One of our first coffee stops on the road, was in City of Lake of St. Louis. One person held the door for me, before I got there, which I thought was nice of her. Inside was pleasant, with wide space to walk around. The baristas were friendly, and the counter was low enough for me to see almost everything they did to make the coffees. There was also this cool cup from a series at series, with images depicted Missouri. 

We also made a made a stop in a place called Shiloh, Illinois. The named reminded me of the character on General Hospital, although it probably got it’s name for a battle in the Civil War. We only stopped for a while, but we were grateful, and on we went.

Trip to Tennessee: First Part of the Adventure

Heading to Tennessee, one can see a lot of amazing scenery, buildings, and other structures. We started early, but we did get to see the sunrise while on the road, it was so nice. Later, at a pit stop, we found a Casey’s that had crullers, or pinwheel doughnuts, one of my favorites, and a similar one with cinnamon.

There some interesting buildings, and bridges, as we got further into Illinois, including a close glimpse of the St. Louis Arch, and a great big Ferris wheel. We went under a bridge, where there were some buildings that said Port or something (must do some digging), but it was exciting for me to see.

Driving further on we got to see some more pretty scenery, what I think of are wetlands, or land that was recently flooded. We later stopped a rest area that had an amazing view of a lake, named Rend Lake Rest Area. It was beautiful with a park, a foot bridge, and a gazebo.

One of the last stops we made was to Fort Massac Rest Area, in Metropolis, Illinois. There was a memorial, named Blue Star Memorial Highway, in tribute to the Armed Forces. There was another tribute, one that was a little less significant, since Metropolis was a big part of origin story of Superman. A Superman figure, where you can stand, and take a picture, so funny, I loved it. Doing some reading, I learned there is also a Superman, and Lois Lane statues in Metropolis, as well as a museum, though we didn’t go that far. One day though, that might be fun to see.