Welcome Back

I made it safe and sound to the 'Big City' today. Only took about
30 minutes of driving in the 5:00 hour before I was cussing and yelling and flipping people off just like the good 'ole days.
Stopped for gas and a nice gentleman pointed out that my tire was almost flat because it had a nail in it. Fun.
Found a Pep Boys and waited 45 minutes for them to patch my tire, but that was ok because I got to catch up on some AJC reading in the meantime. Opened right to this ad. PERFECT.

Ahhhhhhh... Welcome Back. Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back.

Jesus, Mary and... a Goose??

I love cemeteries. I love reading dates and names on tombstones. I love decorations on random graves. Today I visited the Onawa cemetery- here are a few of my faves...


Hangman champs???



This is VERY out of place in our little mayberry town. Extremely. I love it.



Woah! Easy there girl.



Ummmm WTF? Seriously?


Ok, time for bed. I am flying to Atlanta in about 10 hours- so stay tuned for my posts from the 'dirty south'. They should be pretty entertaining and full of angst! Haha!

Pigs and Parkas

So today we got our welcome letter from the farm bureau for our new health/dental insurance. On the back of the brochure is a pic of a cute FB rep saying, "how can we help you?".....
But he is holding a baby pig. A baby PIG! Piglet! Omg I LOVE Iowa. Love it. Love.



I also had my first Onawa family shoot today at the Lewis and Clark State Park.
It was fantastic. They were so fun and laid back and found it HILARIOUS that I have never experienced a real winter. They asked me if I had a parka. Umm, a what? Haha!
It was an awesome day.

Banjo

today i can't think of anything to write about. so i will just add a picture of banjo. i fear this will happen often, but i am trying to at least make some sort of entry everyday.

Pretty Things and Beetles

Here are a few things that make me smile in my new town:

The sunrise from our deck.



Old cemeteries.



Sunflowers.



Early morning rainbows.



Fun farm thingies.



Beautiful churches.



Sunsets.


And here is a clip of what DOES NOT MAKE ME SMILE HERE.

Why Loess Is More

I have been promising to start a Blog since our big 1,000 mile move to Turin, Iowa from Atlanta, Georgia a few months ago. Well here ya go- now friends and family can keep up with us since everyone seems to think that Iowa is on a different planet or something. I will try to update this regularly for y'all as long as you promise not to correct my grammar or spelling (MOM!) So far we are loving our new Mayberry-ish town smack dab in the heart of the Loess Hills. People are so friendly here, there is no crime, no traffic, no stress........wow, maybe it really IS another planet! We see deer, turkey, coyote, hawks, and bald eagles daily, and the view from our deck is breathtaking. We are only 40 minutes from the "city" (Sioux City), so Target and Old Navy are just a stone's throw away. While we may have fewer theaters, bars, restaurants, or malls than we did back in the 'Big City', there is something about seeing a doe nuzzle her fawn that fills your soul with a sense of peace. I'll take that over a tall Starbucks any day. I know, I know, winter will be COLD. So I will just put on my snow boots and think of my favorite Merle Haggard song 'Big City'.......and remember why we left.

I'm tired of this dirty old city.
Entirely too much work and never enough play.
And I'm tired of these dirty old sidewalks.
Think I'll walk off my steady job today.
Big City turn me loose and set me free.