August 31st - A New Perspective

I decided to take Becky Higgins' photo challenge today and took a picture of my desk at work.

August 30th - Give Me a K!

Thank you so much, Iowa, for welcoming me to your state with a big, blue K. I'm happy to be here.

P.S. This is actually the "K" for Kirkwood Community College, which is located near the office in Cedar Rapids.

August 29th - Cornfield

Today I had the chance to explore Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area. I went to church this morning with one of my co-workers and her husband. This afternoon I drove to the Czech Village area of Cedar Rapids (unfortunately it was the area hardest hit by the 2008 floods so there wasn't much to see) and out to the Amana Colonies. It was wonderful to see more of Iowa, even if Sunday afternoon seemed to be the slow time for both of these places. I was also very impressed by all the cornfields on the way out to the Amana Colonies, so I decided that would be my picture of the day.

August 28th - Picture Perfect

Today one of my new co-workers invited me to join her and her husband at the Brucemore Garden and Art Show. I really enjoyed looking at all the different booths, touring the Brucemore Mansion, and spending time with them. I loved that this large frame was located on the grounds so that you could take  a "framed" picture of the mansion.

P.S. This is my 150th post!

August 27th - Culver's

This afternoon I ate lunch at Culver's, a fast-food chain with locations across the Midwest. When I worked at Walt Disney World, two of my roommates were from Iowa and Wisconsin and talked about Culver's all the time. Their appreciation of the food there was much like my appreciation for Tex-Mex - it bordered on worship and reverence. I enjoyed my "butterburger" and crinkle fries; it was a nice way to celebrate the end of my first week on the job.

August 26th - Iowa Sky

The sky outside of my hotel window was so pretty tonight, which was a good thing since my other pictures from earlier in the day weren't very good.

August 25th - Canada Geese

A flock of Canada geese came to visit outside the windows of the office today. I took a picture with my phone.

August 24th - Office Space

Today was my second day of training in Iowa. I'm learning more about the different aspects of the job, but I'm still a little confused about a lot of things. At least it has been beautiful up here this week - I'm really enjoying the cooler weather!

August 23rd - Home Sweet Hotel

My home for the next two weeks . . .

August 22nd - Goodbye, Home

Today was my last day in Henderson for awhile. I leave for Iowa in the morning for training and then begin my new job in Austin in two weeks. The last month and a half have definitely been a whirlwind for the Brown family.

August 21st- Handyman

Handy was such a happy dog after spending the afternoon at the farm with Dad.

August 20th - Country Tavern

I spent my last Friday in East Texas running around Henderson having my car inspected and registered and getting my Texas drivers license. The parents and I celebrated this evening by going to the Country Tavern for ribs. Yum!

August 19th - Look, Ma, More Traffic!

Another day, another 10 minutes stuck in traffic . . .

August 18th - Moo

Mom and I were surprised to see a cow next to the hotel this afternoon. It was behind a fence, but no other cows were around.

In other news, I found an apartment.

August 17th - Francisco's

Mom, Dad, and I went to the new Francisco's today for lunch. The inside of the restaurant is so nice, and it was wonderful to have more parking spaces. The service was a little slow today (the computerized system isn't working quite yet), but the food was good as always.

August 16th - Parker

Someone has been very content to spend most of the day inside. I don't think he liked staying outside while Sammy was inside.

August 15th - Beach Cat

The garage at our condo was the home for several cats, including this beautiful tuxedo cat (perhaps he was attending a wedding later that day?). I spotted him while Dad was loading the car to start the journey home and snapped this picture very quickly since my lens kept fogging up.

August 14th - Sunset

Today I slept late. I ate breakfast. I took a shower. I organized pictures. I washed my hair again in the kitchen sink (and still didn't get the hairspray out). I read. I relaxed. I ate S'mores ice cream. I watched the sun set over the ocean one last time. The end.

August 13th - Paul & Esther Get Hitched

A town near Destin had a very appropriate name.

August 12th - Daisy, Daisy

Paul and Esther's rehearsal dinner took place this evening, and the 'rents and I went over earlier in the day to decorate the place. I love the happy daisies and the pretty red vases we used for decorations on the table. Wedding tomorrow!

August 11th - Rainbow

We saw a beautiful rainbow yesterday in Destin. We didn't get any rain, but someone somewhere close definitely did.

August 10th - Sand on my toes

I spent a good part of the day on the beach today. It was a little breezy but very relaxing.

August 9th - Destin

We made it to Destin this evening. The view from our balcony is gorgeous.

August 8th - Selma

The parents and I drove through Selma, Alabama, yesterday and were able to see the famous bridge where the march to Montgomery took place in 1965.

August 7th - Jump!

First, my sincere apologies to all my loyal blog readers (hi, Mom!). I have been without internet for the last few days as we spent some time in Alabama at a bed and breakfast. The place was an old overseer's cabin that had been in my mom's family many years ago. Now that we've arrived in Destin, I'll be able to keep up my regular schedule.

The picture above is of our car being charged up after it wouldn't start outside of Meridian, MS. Luckily we found a Wal-Mart in Demopolis, AL, where we were able to get a new battery.

August 6th - Rain in the Afternoon

This afternoon we received a big surprise — it rained. And rained. And rained some more. There was lightning and thunder too. What a relief after several sweltering days with no cloud in sight.

August 5th - Hide & Seek

Sometimes one isn't as hidden as one thinks . . .

August 4th - Sweet Sammy

After several straight days on the road, I am happy to report that I did not leave the house at all today. Usually that wouldn't be something to be proud of, but it was nice to stay inside out of the heat and work on the "assignment" for my job interview. Therefore, the only picture I have to show for my day is of Sammy. He was on his best behavior as I headed to bed.

August 3rd - Concrete Jungle

Yes, people of Austin, the crazy person in the car taking a picture of the overpass this afternoon was me. I thought it looked like an interesting picture, and after living in the Northeast for four years, it was something new to me. It won't happen again.

August 2nd - Half-Price Heaven

With all due apologies to Willie Nelson, I feel like my theme song over the past few weeks has been . . .

On the road again
Just hate to get back on the road again . . .


At least today's surprise road trip was to one of my favorite cities, Austin. I have a job interview tomorrow morning, so I drove down this afternoon. Once I made it to the hotel, I realized I had forgotten contact solution, so I made a trip to Walgreen's. Of course, when I saw a Half-Price Books, I had to stop. It was a nice diversion as always.

August 1st - Cane's

I tried Cane's chicken for the first time this evening when we stopped there on our way home from Baton Rouge. I really enjoyed it, especially the chicken fingers and special sauce.