Come On, Come On, Let's Go and Again and Again and Again

Here is some gorgeous Iowa prairie. Maybe you have to live here to appreciate its subtle beauty, but I'm a huge prairie lover. If you ever want me to help you with a prairie burn, let me know. I've had tons of experience with them.

Well, kids. This weekend was really nice, for the most part. I ran my eight mile route for the first time of the season and the heat and the extra couple of miles definitely kicked my ass. Because I am obviously very, very ill, it also made me want to do it again once or twice next weekend, to see if I can kick its ass instead.

Here is some kind of wild flower remnant leftover from last year.

Saturday night I told my friends' G. and D. that I would meet them out and I tried, I really did. I got ready, I walked downtown and had a beer and heard fun stories from the night before (after I had already gone home). I was feeling like I was getting a migraine, and I was kind of annoyed with the world in general anyway. Then G. and D. went out to smoke and I was left with some great kids who were in their twenties and so not understanding any of my cheesy pop culture references, when I realized I just needed to go home. So, I said my goodbyes and took-off.

I decided to watch a movie. I figured I probably just needed to be entertained. I hadn't really heard much about it, so I tried viewing Henry Poole is Here. Um, it just wasn't my thing. It was all about having faith and about how you just needed faith. NO. MATTER. WHAT. FAITH! Over and over again. I felt like I was being bludgeoned with it. Don't get me wrong. I'm all about faith, but it would also be kind of neat-o to have that faith served up with a little plot too. It reminded me of the overkill at the end of La Bamba where they showed you every person in the world's reaction to Ritchie Valens dying in that plane crash. His mom, his brother, Donna, his second grade teacher, his dentist, the pack of stray dogs that roamed his neighborhood. I get it. I'm supposed to be sad... So, wait. What was I going on about? Oh, Henry Poole. I didn't even finish it, because I was completely faithed out.

Sunday was such a gorgeous day here. I couldn't stay inside or I turned into one of those cats that sit on back of the couch and swat their paw at the window. So, I ran my six mile route and went on a long bike ride.

I didn't take one of those kick-ass "ride as fast and as far as you can" kind of rides. I did blaze up a couple of hills, but for the most part, I wanted to meander and look at and take photos of stuff. It was so nice. As you've probably noticed, I rode by some prairie. Then I passed this sign, and figured I should really check out something called a "Visionary Stone".

In case you were curious too, this was what the "Visionary Stone" looked like. It was a big rock on a hill with a bench next to it. A little anti-climactic, but then again, nice and restful with a beautiful view.

I couldn't get a decent shot of the view for some reason. I think the sun was hitting it wrong, or maybe I just suck. Anyway, this photo doesn't do it justice.

After my run and ride, I was suddenly very hungry. The girls and I decided to eat dessert first and went to Dairy Queen before we went grocery shopping. Bad idea. I forgot what sugar does to Stinky. It makes her insane and overly silly. At one point she was being so obnoxious that Coadster and I ran down the aisle with the cart to get away from her. Lesson learned.