A tour of "The Moines"

A good friend and I took advantage of a free weekend and set off for Iowa. We loaded up on gourmet chocolates and hopped in the car.

Our Friday night was spent catching up with friends and just chillaxin'. :)

Saturday was spent seeing the "sights" in Des Moines and my listening to Emily say over and over, "I didn't realize there was actually stuff to do in Des Moines!"

(insert my trip to Trixies Aveda Salon on the South side of Des Moines to get my hair cut and colored. Katie did a fantastic job and I really do love my hair short and dark. I'll get tired of it about the time the weather gets warmer for good.)

Our first stop was to Java Joe's Coffeehouse in the Court Ave. District downtown. Emily and I got hot drinks and Iowa-famous Dutch Letters. :) Perfect beginning to a great day!

After Java Joe's, Emily and I went to the Capitol building.

After the Capitol, I told Emily we had to stop by Raygun, a stellar little Des Moines original. I found two sweet t-shirts to purchase. A perfect, fun little place to stop and even just have a laugh or two.

We took a walk around East Village downtown and happened upon a great, new little spice shop called Allspice. Fantastic! I purchased Tuscan Herb EVOO and Spicy Curry Powder. :)

After a few more stops in East Village, including a much-loved antique shop, we landed at our destination, Noodle Zoo. Emily got a fun little salad and I got a Pesto Shrimp Wrap with Spinach, Avocado, and Asiago Soup. 

After lunch, we trekked back to Ankeny to visit more friends. Our next stop was at Glazed Expressions in Clive. Emily and I each painted a piece of pottery. Hers was a gnome and mine was a mug. :)

Before:

 After:

 Before:

 After:

My mug says "So this is LOVE" with 1 John 4:10 written inside the top. :) I attempted to make chevron stripes.

After feeling like kids for a few hours, we headed to the mall. Apparently we wore ourselves out because we felt like zombies. The last part of our day was going to Spaghetti Works in Des Moines. The all you can eat pasta was a big hit for Emily. ;)

We had a great weekend and Emily kept talking about heading back the next weekend to hit up more of Des Moines "hidden treasures." :)