Iowa and Its Glories

Jam packed day in Iowa today.

Jenna and I started off with a lazy morning looking at wedding favors to get an idea for Jenna's upcoming wedding. She is leaning towards playing card decks as of right now, which seems really cute. I was also able to see the dress Jenna picked out and it is even more beautiful in person than I had seen in the pictures she sent me when she was shopping for it.

Above is Jenna in her dress. So exciting! I can't believe one of my best friends is getting married already and seeing the dress makes it so real.

After the wedding previews, we decided to check out the Amish community about 20 mintutes away from Iowa City. Truth be told, the Amish really do drive horse and buggies and don't use electricity. It was interesting to see.

A buggy riding down the main rode in the city of Kolona where most of the Iowan Amish people live.
Kolona has this AWESOME old fashioned bakery. I had a piece of carmel apple pie that is probably the best dessert I have had in months (better than cupcakes). I also had a home baked wheat roll that was perfect for a bread connoisseur like me.

From the bakery we checked out the cheese factory that makes white cheddar cheese. Again, it is amusing that I lived in Switzerland for 2 summers and NEVER saw a cheese factory until Iowa. The factory even had a Swiss flag on top, even though I am sure the Swiss wouldn't approve of cheddar cheese...
Above is the cheese making area in the factory. Here the cheese curds are being separated from the whey. They had free cheese curd samples (and Jenna bought some), and the curds taste like salty mozzarella cheese. Weird thing is the curds squeak when you chew them! It sounds like they are polishing your teeth.

Down the street (two doors down to get a clue of how small Kolona is) we stopped by the Amish Market. The Amish who own the store make their living by buying bulk items of spices, cereal, pastas, flour, pretty much anything, and repackaging it into pound and half pound bags. It is ridiculously cheap. For example, you can get a pound of penne pasta for 62 cents.

This is Jenna in an aisle of repackaged goods. Please notice the gas lamps above her to light the store when it gets dark.
This is the sprinkle shelf. It has all kinds of fun sprinkles for baking. Isn't it pretty?!

When we got home from Amish Ville we met up with Eddie, Jenna's fiance, and made our way to Cedar Rapids for a minor league baseball game. I had never been to a minor league game before so I was excited to check it out.
The team in Cedar Rapids is called the Kernels, as in kernels of corn. Ha. Nicely done, Iowa. The game started at 6:30, we showed up at 6:40, drove right up to the front row of parking, parked for free, and then paid $10 for 5th row seats. I kid you NOT.
The view from our seats.

The Kernels game was incredibly eventful. The level of play of baseball is Single A, just above college I would say, so still a little sloppy, not like watching the Giants (knock on wood). The stadium is really nice and it feels like an intimate setting to watch baseball because it is little and you are right next to the players. During the game I saw a home run, a pitcher hit a batter to walk in the tying run, a batter bunt a ball foul into his helmet and get called out because the umpire didn't see the ball hit him, a head coach get in a heated argument with the umpire leading to an ejection, AND the most exciting was when the guy sitting next to me proposed to his girlfriend in the 6th inning on camera with a huge diamond ring and she said yes in front of the entire stadium. That was probably the most eventful baseball game I have ever experienced. So much fun too! We cheered and danced and sang. I would totally go back and cheer for the Kernels again (except they are an Angels affiliate and Giants fans DO NOT like the Angels.. hmm).
Jenna and I enjoying the game. The Kernels ended up winning the game 6-5 and there was a bigger than expected fireworks show after the game. Good times. It felt very summery tonight hanging out with friends, eating BBQ, watching baseball, and seeing fireworks. I bet I wont even do something that American on the 4th of July!

Tomorrow I am flying home in the afternoon. Brunch in the AM with some of Jenna's med school friends and then we will trek it over to Des Moines to hop on the plane. Fun visit. I wish Jenna lived closer.