"winter must be cold for those with no warm memories"

look what happened here yesterday! this is right outside of my office door, although i now realize that i have absolutely no idea what it faces. i suspect that it is some sort of agricultural endeavor that i would have absolutely no idea about much to the dismay of former classmates like nate ruby, who used to tell stories and then patiently go back and explain any farm terminology involved. i think sometimes people don't actually believe that i'm from iowa. the real kicker is typically my lack of undying love for the state fair. either way, this picture was taken after a beautiful fury of flurries and announced the beginning of winter in the happy valley. i actually sat in my car this morning waiting for my window to defrost and wondered why i didn't remember having to do that all last winter. the answer, it turns out, is that i typically scrape my windows rather than just wait for them to magically clear off. there's clearly a learning curve to winter survival.

last week was the second-to-last home game and the last one that lacey and i will be attending together this year. marcela's brother was in town, so they hosted a tailgate despite the inclement weather. it also turned out to be my first time donning a poncho since riding the maid of the mist circa 1988. i was unimpressed with it fashion-wise, but thankful to have some sort of waterproof outerwear. and even joepa had his rain gear out, after all. the really shameful part was that i spent the majority of a phone call on friday telling matt not to do anything that might lead to him getting sick prior to coming here to visit...and then i stood in the rain all day long. i'm awesome, clearly.

speaking of this weekend, the newest potential endeavor is a laser tag event. this makes me very excited. i'll try not to be so good that i make everyone else cry ;)