Long time, no side notes! Yet here we are in all our spring glory. But don’t worry, like many a previous Side Notes, I have a snow picture for you in this edition.
Phew! Glad that’s taken care of.
Where are you these days? Out planting new bulbs? Dusting off the lawnmower? Walking the block to get your 10,000 steps in for the day? We are all over the place and kind of loving it. K-Hubs and I snuck in a few date nights and took exactly zero pictures, which I totally get. Because when we first started dating camera phones weren’t a thing yet. So, aside from social media, it doesn’t dawn on us to take a bunch of photos. We just chow down and converse without interruption because date night. And it’s glorious.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I’m glad you’re here. So pull up a chair, and let’s chat!
WHAT WE’RE EATING:
I am breaking a calendar rule because technically this recipe is an April deal, but whatever, man. I’m just doin’ what I’m doin’. We are in LOVE with this Green Apple Ginger Juice. And I don’t know if it’s the sweet ‘n slightly sour flavor or the blue and white straws next to the vibrant green juice, but I am enamored. Thank you for understanding. So far, I have managed to drink this every day. It is my new thing and I will love on it forever.
WHERE WE WENT:
We went back to Ames and traipsed around Iowa State University again. And if I could just do nothing but take pictures of the campus all day, I totally would. This time we went through Beardshear Hall because it was actually open when we were there. And I cannot even with its beauty. The outside portion of the dome is green, and since that’s where you go to pay your university bill, the joke is the money floats to the ceiling and that’s why the dome is green. Probably there is truth to that.
Toodle and I did all three flights of stairs. And you might not think that’s such a big deal, but the stairs basically resemble something out of Hogwarts, and they just kind of float in the air. It takes a little getting used to. But we did it!
We also went to Howe Hall, home of the virtual reality center. When I was a grad student at ISU, one of my professors got our class in with permission to actually use the virtual reality center. It was pretty incredible. And, like the Beardshear steps, it took a little getting used to.
But Toodle and Twinkle were crazy about all the structures and gadgets in the building. And my “Cool Mom” quotient went up slightly. I. Will. Take. It.
Okay, but then my heart shattered into a thousand pieces because my favorite haunt in the whole wide world went out of business on March 31st. And I literally cannot even. Send prayers. Or maybe a few crispy meat burritos. Totally your call.
Taco Time has been in my life SO LONG I actually first went there as a preschooler with The Gram. True. Freaking. Story. She lived in a nearby town, and when we wanted fine dining that a four-year-old could also enjoy, she took me to Taco Time for Crispy Meat Burritos. And so, for over 30 years, I have patroned this joint. One time, I ordered something other than a Crispy Meat Burrito, and it was a disaster. Never. Again. I will have my burritos and I will have them all. You now know where I spent my time in college.
Even better is the outpouring of love from the community. Upon hearing of the impending closing, people actually called Taco Time to pre-order hundreds of frozen crispy meat burritos to store, presumably, in their deep freezes. This stuff is for real. Even K-Hubs, a die-hard Hawkeye, confessed that Taco Time was the ONE THING Ames had that Iowa City didn’t. And those are the facts.
So on our day trip over spring break, I did the only thing an ISU alumna and doting wife and mother would do. I straight-up ditched my family uptown, ran over train tracks back to Taco Time, and proceeded to hunker down on two Crispy Meat Burritos. And are those someone else’s finger smudges on that seat? YES, THEY ARE. What are germs in Taco Time? They are nothing, nothing, I tell you. We are all in this together. Let me live my life.
I HAVE NO REGRETS.
Okay, do tell. Have you ever had a favorite restaurant close? How ever did you survive?
In burrito solitary! The end.
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