visitors, seafood, board games, grading papers...

This last weekend, Sarah Ann came to Des Moines. She stayed with us on Thursday night and then we hung out with her and her boyfriend Alan on Saturday. We went to a local seafood restaurant that I had been wanting to try for a while (Waterfront Seafood Market). It's close by, and for seafood, the prices are good. We went on a Saturday at lunchtime and had to wait for a table and the service was slow in general. There is a warning on their menu that the food takes a while to prepare as everything is made from scratch....but if we weren't there with two visitors that we hardly ever see...the wait would have gotten very long. The food was good though, and I'll probably go back during an "off time" to see if the service is better.

We also did a little shopping and went out for ice cream. I found a copy of Rumis at Tuesday Morning (which I had been tipped off to by a forum that I read on Board Game Geek). I was excited because I had been wanting to play that game. Sarah and Alan helped Rob and I test it out. It's an interesting game. I think I like Blokus better, but it was a nice change of pace.

This week I'm grading papers like crazy and trying to get their progress reports done (which are due during week 6 instead of week 8 because they figure it gives the students more time to get their grades up before the drop date--but it turns out to just be a more inaccurate grade).

I'm still enjoying my new car....yesterday I figured out that I have at least 18 30 radio presets. I don't like that many radio stations ;)--it's just nutty.

Car!

Afte 12+ years of driving extremely USED vehicles, Rob and I purchased a brand new 2010 Chevy Malibu. It's a sweet ride I tell ya.




I was long over due for a car that didn't need a quart of oil every other week...and with the economy and the clunker program driving up the price on good used cars...and the tax deduction that's currently available on new cars, we decided to go with a new car. It's such a treat to have remote entry and a cd player and power windows. These are no small treats to someone who has been driving a car that was older than most of her college students.

ARRRR! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

http://www.savagechickens.com/2005/09/talk-like-pirate.html

School days...School days...

We started school a week and a half ago. I am teaching 4 classes this semester, which is twice as many as usual and the most classes I've ever taught at once. Enrollment is way up at DMACC. I guess I can thank the economy for that, but it sure is making parking a pain.

http://www.kcci.com/money/20570436/detail.html

4 days into the new school year, I got a nasty cold. I've been coughing ever since. I am feeling better. I have a distinct feeling that the next 3 months are going to go by either very quickly or painfully slow.

For Mythbusters Fans

http://fora.tv/2009/08/06/MythBusters_Just_the_Facts#fullprogram

Hour long (or you can watch it in chunks) interview of Adam and Jamie--I swear it's the most I've ever heard Jamie talk :).

The Great Lemon-Lime Taste Test

We were in Target one afternoon picking up the usual supplies. I'm not even sure how the conversation started, but we got the idea that we should have a lemon-lime soda taste test. I was adament that my favorite was Sprite--Rob's favorite was Sierra Mist. "I bet you can't even tell the difference..." ...and the challenge was on.

I don't drink much lemon-lime soda....but it's Rob's favorite kind of soda. So we set out to test if we could tell the difference between the 3 top brands in a blind taste test. We also marked which of the three were our favorites.


Rob went first. He accurately distinguished all three and correctly chose his presumed favorite. I went second, and only got my favorite right. I confused Sierra Mist and 7up (I remembered 7up as having a stronger flavor).

The consensus: We both liked 7up the least. Rob was in favor of the stronger flavors of Sierra Mist, and I approved of the smoother flavor of Sprite.

Rob gets the bragging rights though--he won the Lemon-Lime taste test challenge. Cola next?

P.S. Like my new Hickory Park Pepsi Glasses? :)

Weekend

This weekend Rob went pain(t)balling with co-workers (all of his welts went away after a day, so I don't have any fun bruise photos to post). I think he had a good time :).

While Rob was paintballing, his friend Beth from college came to town. Beth's family was having a reunion/anniversary party for her grandparents in Waukee (which is one suburb to the west of here). So we got to hang out at the family reunion and play some games and catch up. Was great to see Beth again since she currently lives in Arkansas.

Haring Reunion

This weekend we traveled to the Minneapolis suburbs to attend a family reunion for my Mom's side of the family. All of my aunts and uncles and their kids were in attendance...it's been about 3 years since we were all in the same place at the same time. In addition to the imediate family, many of my mom's cousins and my great uncle Les came for the weekend. It was a great chance to see everyone and play some board games ;).

Things I learned this weekend:
*If Grandpa Dick were still alive, he would have turned 100 this June
*Uncle Les is 89 and still plays golf 5 days a week
*Bananagrams was a hit with my family...both young and old(ish)
*Hopkins, MN has some nice antique stores
*I don't know how to spell referee (is that right? I'm not sure.)
*There must be some trick to Pandemic that we don't know about...because we've failed to cure the world of Swine Flu all three times I've played it

Pictures from the weekend:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157621859980444/

Honey Creek

We just got back from a few days at Honey Creek State Park Resort on Rathbun Lake. Which is a brand spanking new resort owned by the Iowa DNR. Rathbun Lake, like most of the lakes in Iowa, is a flood control reservoir. Most of the shoreline property is public land. The state has taken advantage of this by creating a state park resort (which apparently a handful of other states have also done). The south side of Rathbun lake has some Army Corp of Engineers controlled parks and camping...the DNR has a portion of the north side of the lake covered by both a regular state park and this new resort.

A couple of frustrating things about Rathbun lake: there are very few places you can actually access the water--there was only one swimming beach open while we were there and it was at one of the Army Corps parks. Honey Creek State Park's camping spots are entirely surrounded by trees and the only way you can see the lake or the park's namesake creek inlet is to hike out on various trails to the water's edge. It's kind of nice and rustic on one hand, and completely frustrating on the other. My idea of a nice day at the lake is to be in the water...and since we don't own a boat...that was pretty much impossible at Honey Creek. They are building a swimming beach at the resort...and a walking bridge to connect the resort to the state park (which are separated by water)....but that, along with a playground and picnic area and a whole lot of landscaping, have not been completed yet. Both Rob and I expect Honey Creek to be in extreme demand in a few years.

What Honey Creek Resort does have right now is a lovely hotel, a small water park (indoor waterslide and miniature lazy river), a large marina, a bunch of large cabins, a golf course, a restaurant, and access to a ton of rentals (boats, jet skis, kayaks, etc...). It would be an excellent location for a large family or business gathering.

We had a great time on our little getaway...even if beach time wasn't involved (at least I didn't get sunburned...and we did go swimming at the hotel to make up for it). We made a point to drive through and stop at several small Iowa towns. We did a little shopping in Centerville and I was reminded how much I enjoy small town Wal-marts...and antiques (I didn't make Rob do too much of this :). On our way home we went a few miles out of our way so that we could stop in Pella and pick up some pastries at the Jaarsma Bakery (well worth it, I might add).

A few pictures from our trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahjanesetnes/sets/72157621642620477/

Tomorrow we are on the road again, this time for a family reunion in Minneapolis.

HyVee's New Website

I really like HyVee's new online list feature.
http://hy-vee.gsnrecipes.com/Shop/WeeklyAd.aspx

It allows you to click on the pictures from the weekly ads and automatically create a list. You can also add your own items and select online coupons from various vendors. You can even e-mail the list to someone if you'd like. Super handy.