onetruetweedle

My Dad came home from work one day. This day was probably…wow, five years ago now. He was obviously bursting with exciting news, and he presented it to all six of his children at the dinner table that night. His company wanted him to serve as a taxation director in Belgium for two years. He was overjoyed.

His children were…less so. Two years? TWO YEARS?! Away from our friends, our fun, and our…well…freedom? We couldn’t speak the language over there! We wouldn’t be able to learn it soon enough! Two years?! Two years away from home?

The anger festered inside all of us. Or me, at least. It was so selfish of him! He was going to drag us all along on his “adventure”. I liked where we were, I liked what we had. I didn’t want to give it up.

Intending to prove to my entire family what a loon he was, I began to research Belgium in order to pile up a couple dozen solid reasons why we couldn’t go.

But what I found in the encyclopedia surprised me. Belgium looked…fun. Facts came tumbling out of the book at me. The Carnival of Binche. Godiva chocolate. Saint Nicholas Day (and Christmas?!). And the cities! Wallonia, Flanders, and Brussels! We’d be living just north of Brussels – what an experience!

After much more research and eye-opening discoveries, I did a complete 360. Belgium looked amazing. And it wasn’t as if we’d be limited to that one country! All of Europe was out there, waiting to be explored. I saw the opportunity for what it was, and began to lobby my siblings for their approval.

Soon, nearly my entire family was psyched for this to happen. We’d made peace with the difficulty it would bring us, but we decided that the good outweighed the bad.

My Dad came home from work again, this time looking sad.

Due to his company attempting to be as non-discriminatory as possible, they gave the job to one of my Dad’s female subordinates.

So we didn’t go to Belgium.

But I will go there…one day…

The End.

I’ve wanted to go to PEI for a long time. My Mom talks about it in the same glowing terms as my Dad talks about St. Andrews. It’s a place that my Mom has dreamed about since she first layed eyes on “Anne of Green Gables”, and her desire to go there has only grown throughout the years. I’m a terrible son if I can’t get her there…

Simply put, I want to fulfill a goal my Mom has had since she was a child.

Barely worth attending…

To be perfectly honest, it’s a “Loser’s Mt. Rushmore”.

The hike is barely worthy of being called a hike, and the view is mediocre at best. Sitting in the field at looking at the hulking rock is easily the most enjoyable part, though the carving mars the beauty somewhat.

I’ll say it’s worth visitting because I hear the laser shows are incredible, though I was unable to see one. Watch a laser show – otherwise, not worth it.

If you’re planning on visiting the Iowa State Capitol, first off make sure you bring a camera. You’ll be taking a lot of pictures.

Second, make sure you bring someone who lives in Iowa with you. Get that person to speak to their legislator about going “all the way to the top” of the dome. If you talk and plead enough, and only if you have a constituent, you’ll be given release forms.

Fill these out and schedule a time (sometime it won’t be for a day or two) and then get ready for one of the most exhilirating experiences of your life.
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Once I was met by my friend’s legislator, we were taken up to the “Whispering Gallery”. This is as far as 99% of visitors make it, and has an okay view.

After looking around for a few minutes, our guide unlocked a door and motioned us into another stairwell. We climbed for ages, and finally came out directly above the flag and eagle (which can be seen in a photo above). The flag, eagle, and star are suspended over the opening of the dome, and are topped by a large painting of a sky. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get very close, but that was alright since the best part was yet to come.

We climbed up stairs that wound around the inside of the dome before shooting straight to the center of the dome to a platform where we ascended another spiral staircase and ended up…outside. That’s right, all the way on the very top of the dome, outside! We ooed and awwed appropriately, taking as many pictures as we could as our guide tried to hurry us up.

The whole tour took around a half hour, and I would not suggest it for anyone who is at all claustrophobic or afraid of heights.

The tour made my time at the state capitol 1000% more enjoyable. Make sure you get one.

This is one of my favorite places to go in New Jersey…not that it takes much. My Dad always has a story about something that happened to him or his siblings that he’ll regale me with as we drive on the Pulaski.

My personal favorite is the time that he and his family were driving along when the Skyway was brand new and their car broke down in the middle of the Skyway. No way to move it, nothing they could do at all except wait. I can’t do the story justice, but just with the premise there I’m sure you can imagine the hijinks that follow.

The Pulaski isn’t something you go to as a tourist attraction, it’s more of a…memory. Something that has stuck around from another time. I don’t know.

Go look at it. Can’t hurt to.

Free spaghetti refills. Need I say more? I went here a few weeks ago and it was simply glorious. My friends and I ate until we were sick, and were barely able to drag ourselves out to the car.

The pasta wasn’t particularly high-end, but the sauces definitely made up for it. There’s a huge selection, my favorite being “Italian Hot”, if memory serves correctly.

If you happen to be in Des Moines, don’t miss this restaurant.

There’s not much to say about Nebraska, mostly because…there’s nothing there. I drove through Nebraska on my way from Colorado to Iowa and stopped a few times and was stunned by the lack of any…anything. No culture, no development. Just barren land and massive cattle farms.

Not worth going to, I don’t plan on going back.

I was in Atlanta for a week teaching a government class and was able to interact with many government employees. The capitol staff are all very friendly, and I particularly enjoyed speaking with a security guard in the Sloppy Flloyd building.

The trip was worth it, although the capitol isn’t exactly architecturally stunning.