Dale's Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Dale's birthday! I seem to get more excited about these things, but I think he enjoyed his special day too. Now I get to enjoy the fact that I am dating an "older man." See, I am still in my forties; for a few more weeks!

Truthfully, we both are enjoying this time of life. We don't mind the birthdays and feel fine about getting older. It's a great time of life! Birthdays always make me think about the past a bit but mostly look toward the coming year. I do look forward to the next year together!

Volunteering at 801 Grand

Sunday morning my friend, Jennifer and I did our annual shift for the American Lung Association. When I first moved to Des Moines I looked for opportunities to volunteer. I have always been passionate about volunteering and I knew that it would be a good way to meet people. When I met the volunteer coordinator for the ALA, I offered my services. I invited Jennifer to join me and this is our third year helping at the 801 Grand Power Climb. Climbers race up 40 floors of the tallest building in Iowa after gathering donations to fight lung disease. Jennifer and I have wisely decided to skip the stairs and ride the elevator up to the fortieth floor where we organize and manage the buffet table at the finish line. We are in constant motion for at least five hours, serving hundreds of pieces of fruit, pastries and bagels along with gallons of water and coffee. We have a system and enjoy the morning lots. It feels good to contribute to an important cause and meeting the climbers of all ages is a bonus. We are looking forward to next year already.

Hockey, Hockey and More Hockey

Our Valentine's weekend was spent at hockey arenas. It's been quite a hockey winter this year. My nephew, Jake, had a hockey tournament in Ames on Saturday, so he brought a friend and his parents and came to visit me and see the Iowa Chops play hockey on Friday night. Dale and I met them at the arena after they had a snowy drive to DM. We enjoyed the game then came home and stayed up late (well late for me, it was midnight!) Saturday we watched Jake and his teammates win two games in Ames before heading to Great Plains for pizza. It was great to have time to hang out with Dan, Jill and the boys. The Iowa Chops were so grateful to the fans that braved the snow storm on Friday that they gave free tickets to all of us for Monday night's hockey game. Dale and I will be heading to the arena again on Monday with our free tickets. I think that might be enough hockey for this week!

My daughter, the photographer!

Ashley has officially set up a website for her photography.

www.ashleyschragephotography.com

I am proud of her for following her passion and working hard to develop her skills. Feel free to check out her website or pass it along to others who may be interested in looking at the photos or making arrangements to set up a session. I do realize that I may be biased as a mom, but I think that the photos are gorgeous!

Sunday Skating

Jay and Briana liked the idea of going ice skating at the outdoor Brenton Plaza in Des Moines. Jay had not been ice skating for almost twenty years and Briana had never ice skated. The weather was gorgeous and the sun was so warm. It was a great day to be out there.
I choose to photograph rather than skate. I always say that I do not want to be the old lady on the sidelines, but I just did not feel brave enough to put on ice skates after breaking my arm three months ago. I am also in physical therapy for an apparent frozen shoulder and did not want to mess up my shoulder or any of my bones. So Dale and I watched from the sidelines. I told Jay that if I don't break another bone between now and then, I will skate with him next winter. Not sure how my ankles will hold up since it's been close to forty years since I wore ice skates, but I think I will find the answer next winter. Dale is brave enough to skate, just kept me company, but next year we will both be out there! It was a wonderful weekend. Thanks so much for coming down, Jay and Briana!

Saturday at the Iowa Chops

It is so fun to have Jay and Briana here for the weekend! Jay had wanted to see the new Iowa Chops hockey team play at Wells Fargo Arena, so we made it to a game on Saturday night. It was a fun game. Chops won and it was very physical hockey.
We also got to the Des Moines Art Center to see American Gothic by Grant Wood, which is here from Chicago for a few weeks. It was a quick trip through the art center because we wanted to be outside to enjoy the spring thaw and temperatures in the fifties. Unfortunately that meant that the lawns and gardens were quite muddy so we headed to Qdoba for the very best burritos. It is a favorite stop for me and I was thrilled to find out that Briana understands the joy of Qdoba. Dale led us on a driving tour to see West Glen, Jordan Creek, downtown, East Village, Gray's Lake, Valley Junction and other fun places. We both love Des Moines and enjoy the chance to show others, especially the "kids." It's been a great weekend!