Iowa.....Part III

Wednesday evenings are hockey night for the Eppers household. Jaden is on a youth hockey team and they have their games on Wednesday evening. So, when the kids got home from school, we loaded up and headed for the a local Pizza Hut for pizza and pasta for dinner. The kids had a great time playing in the Play Area while waiting for the food to arrive. We all ate more than we should have and still had to ask for a carry-out box!

Since we had a little spare time on our hands and I needed a few items, we ran across the street to the Big K-Mart. I found a good deal on a pair of lounge pants and shirt and picked up some soda and a birthday card for my nephew. The kids once again wanted and/or needed many things, but I was a good aunt and said "no" this time! The weekend's coming!!!

Having made my purchases, we headed for the hockey arena, which is at the Iowa State Fair Grounds. We made a bee-line for the locker room so we could get Jaden suited up in time to get on the ice and practice before the game. This was no small feat! Once we got him stuffed into his gear, he looked like a robot instead of a little boy! He went directly to the ice rink and started practicing with his friends. We went to the best spot for taking pictures and I snapped a few. Then, we headed for the heated area upstairs. It was cold in there!


I cannot honestly tell you who won the hockey game, as I'm not even sure score was kept! Jaden had a good time and was hungry afterwards (any surprise there?!). So, being the good aunt that I am, we went by the snack bar and got he and Alix a quick snack before loading up for the ride home.


Thursday was an education in rare weather phenomena! We had a winter storm warning, with expectations of ice accumulation followed by snow accumulation. As the ice began to fall, I noticed that I was hearing it thunder. Then, suddenly I noticed what appeared to be lightening. I was quite sure I was wrong as I had never heard of such thing. I was proven wrong when, with the next thunder clap, lightening danced across the sky lighting up the entire area! For the first time in my life, I had witnessed a thunder snow! I had never even heard of a thunder snow, but found it is indeed a rare weather phenomenon. Well, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all!

The kids were due to be dismissed from school at 12:15, so Katie left work early in order to pick them up. They arrived home safely, although cold and wet. Katie gave the drive a good Iowan effort, but decided it was futile as most of the ice was so slushy it just rolled back into the drive sooner than she could shovel it out.


We had made plans to go out on Thursday afternoon, but decided it was best to stay in due to the unpredictability of the weather. Katie made Shepherd's Pie for dinner, which was wonderful, and we spent the evening playing games, watching T.V. and wrangling the kids during bath time. Bedtime came sooner than the kids wanted, but nonetheless, had to go. The house was quiet and the animals and I settled down for some quiet time with the computer before dropping off to sleep.

We had made no specific plans for Friday evening and were just playing it by ear. Around 5 p.m., a young friend of Alix called to invite her to go to the local YMCA for swimming with her and her Mom. Shortly thereafter, one of Jaden's friends called asking if he could come and have a stay over. So, by 5:30 p.m., Katie and I were headed out to drop off Jaden once Alix had gone with her friend.


We dropped Jaden off at his friend's house and then went to Taco Johns for some Tex-Mex for dinner. It was really good food and the dessert was exceptional. I'm not sure what it was called, but it was a sweet bread deep fried and rolled in sugar and cinnamon. It was soooooo good! I only ate 2 small pieces, but could have eaten many more!

We picked our food up at the drive-thru, drove home to eat and just lounge around while the kids were out. Alix came in around 8 p.m. eager to tell us all about her swim time at the "Y" and show us her injured toe. It seems she had rubbed it raw on the pool. Exactly how this happened I'm still not sure of! She settled in with me and Katie and the animals on the sofa and snuggled while she watched T.V. with us. She and Katie both soon fell asleep. They were so sweet lounging there on the sofa and cuddled up with each other! I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures!


They woke around 10 p.m. and plodded up to bed, leaving me to entertain myself and relax with my computer and the animals. Izzy the cat has taken a liking to me and wants to curl up around my neck while I sit watching T.V. or trying to do something at my laptop and Dafne the Beagle wants to be lying within close proximity so as not to feel left out! I have become so attached to these animals! I think I will miss them almost as much as I will Katie and the kids!

Well, that does it for this week, up till bedtime on Friday night. Tomorrow is a new day with new adventures! We plan on visiting the local Art Museum tomorrow afternoon while Jaden is at a birthday party. I'm eager to see what the day will bring! More Iowa notes to come..........