A Trip to Des Moines

As I head into this weekend, I thought it would be fun to reflect on and tell you about the fun time I had two weekends ago.

Two weekends ago, my amazing roommate, Kaitlynn, took me home with her. Kaitlynn and her family live in the Des Moines/Altoona area which is only about a 45 minute drive from Iowa State. She picked me up on Saturday morning and we headed to her house which I had been to before to drop off our things. Then we started the drive into downtown Des Moines.

Prior to this trip I had never been to Des Moines so Kaitlynn wanted to take me on a tour of some of the famous/fun spots. Before heading downtown she made sure to show me monuments of her town, pointing out some of her favorite spots, and driving by her high school. Our first stop was the Capitol building. This building is absolutely gorgeous. The gold top truly makes it a site to see and eye catching. We took some fun photos in front of the capitol but from this spot you can also see the skyline of Des Moines so we made sure to take some photos of that as well.

After this stop we headed into downtown Des Moines where we got to see Principal Park (home of the Iowa Cubs), some cool restaurants, and we stopped at a famous mural wall. The photo on the right shows one specific mural which is well known. If you watched the Bachelor when Chris Soules was the Bachelor you might recognize it as the mural that was painted of him and one of the women. While the two didn't end up together, this mural is still fun and romantic. The mural was was extremely fun, expressive, and creative. Des Moines must be the place! :)

Mural Wall

Mural Wall

After wandering our way around Des Moines and stopping to walk around the Sculpture Park we made our way to Jordan Creek which is a large mall nearby. Kaitlynn and I are a bad match for shopping because we both love it. We ended up finding some good things and our bank accounts weren't too hurt! Then we met up with her whole family for dinner. I am so thankful for her family and the way that they have welcomed me in and included me. They have made my transition to Iowa State so much easier. We ended the night watching a Hallmark Christmas move which was tons of fun and then we headed to bed.

Sunday morning we got up, had some breakfast, and then I got to attend their home church with them. It was so cool to experience something different and to be able to compare and contrast all while knowing that we worship the same big God! Following the service I was introduced to many influential leaders that Kaitlynn and her family know and then we went to get some delicious lunch from a local restaurant. After eating and getting everything together they drove me back to the dorm.

I am so thankful for this chance to see and do something new and to be somewhere other than my dorm room. I am also so grateful for Kaitlynn and her family and they way they have welcomed me in. If you're reading this- THANK YOU!!

Much love,

Madison

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