Because I Can

On Friday, I became an Iowan again - new drivers license, car title and plates - and the first thing I did was walk across the Dallas County parking lot to the election office and voted. Why? Because I can. I think so many times we get so wrapped up in the election process that we forget what is at the core of it - people stepping up to help our communities grow and move forward.

Running for office is hard, it is endless hours on the phone, reading emails, answering questions and listening to others' voices. Would you give up your weekends and nights to listen to others and their concerns and challenges? When I ask friends why they run for office, I get almost the same answer every time, "Because I can."

The opportunity to make a difference comes in the smallest and simplest forms - from picking up trash left on the street, to running for city council to running for president. People do these things because they can and in honor for the ones who can't. I know I will probably never run for a election position, I don't have the thick skin for it, but for those who are on the ballot tomorrow - thank you. Thank you for taking the time and putting in the passion to help us make a difference. For those of you who have or will vote - thank you.  Thank you for your help in making difference in our communities.

And for those of you thinking about not voting, remember those who wish they could vote and can't. Think about others in countries where they are not allowed to vote on who runs their county. You can and you should make your voice heard on the local, state and national level. It is because we can, that we live in such an amazing country! Get out and vote!

Peace. Love. Iowa.

Eel Pout Festival

Well, it is happening again.  The U-Haul has been reserved, addresses updated and Kleenex boxes emptied.  I am on the move, again.  But this time is a little different, for once I am not moving for me, I am moving for us.

A few months ago, Curtis and I came to a unexpected fork in the road when it came to our original "we should live in the same state" game plan, so decisions were weighed and made and plans were changed with the hope that in the coming months Des Moines would soon be home for us both.

Curtis moved first after securing a new job in West Des Moines.  Boxes were packed, Felix the Cat found a new home (sorry, Felix!) and a lease was signed, and quickly our "normal" weekly drive of four hours was extended to almost six - us and I35 were going to continue to BBFs.

Shreddin' red in Riverton

Then, it was my turn.  I headed out into the job searching world once again, but this time with purpose.  I knew I wanted to stay in the nonprofit sector and found myself continuing to be pulled to a position where I could build relationships and connect people who want to make a difference.  After a couple of months of searching, I was offered the Director of Individual and Corporate Giving position with Orchard Place in Des Moines.

Orchard Place is a youth mental health organization that serves over 10,000 youth in Iowa annually and supports a cause very close to my heart.  In the past two years I have seen the direct impact that mental health issues can have on a family, on a parent, on a kid.  It hurts and it hurts hard and while it is not a something you talk about over dinner or hotdish, it is something that impacts so many families.  When I interviewed for the role, I knew I could do it justice because I knew what was at stake and the importance of their work.  Most importantly, I felt that I could truly make a difference.

Start of 100 miles!

As soon as I accepted the offer, tears started to flow.  I was so happy for this new position and so happy to be moving with Curtis, but yet my heart hurt.  I knew the goodbyes were soon to follow, goodbyes that I loath and can barely get through without a Kleenex in my hand.  You see, it is never truly about saying goodbye to a job or a home, it is about saying goodbye to the people.  It is the people that truly make all the difference.

During the last two years years, I have met so many amazing people and reconnected with old friends, my hometown and Central Minnesota.  By far the best relationship I was able to work on was the one with my parents, who I spent so many hours connecting with all over again.  I learned so much more about who they are now and who they were back then, and I am so proud to have them as my parents and as a source of inspiration.    

Morning kayak up north

Needless to say, the most impactful relationship that I gained while being a second-time Minnesota resident was during a pit stop while traveling through Iowa.  A pit stop that wasn't suppose to happen that night or even at that bar.  But I will forever be grateful for whomever help that pit stop happen because it was there at the OP in Clear Lake that I met Curtis and my life was changed.  After countless miles commuting between North Iowa and Central Minnesota and hours upon hours of cell phone minutes, we are standing on the edge of our next big step together, and I couldn't imagine being in this adventure with anyone else.

So here we go, back to Iowa.  I have realized that I may now hold the record for most times a person has moved to Iowa.  First one for school, second one for work, and this one time, well as corny as it sounds (get it? Corny - Iowa?!? #sorrynotsorry), this one is for love.

To my dearest Minnesota - thank you.  Thank you for the memories, the miles on the bike and that horrible lutefisk feed.  Well, maybe not the actual lutefisk, but you get the idea.  You helped me see why my childhood here was truly one of the best and why Minnesotans continue to hold a special place in my heart.   I look forward to my final week as a resident and my old familiar role as a visitor. 

Dear Iowa - you have been warned, this Minnesotan is coming back!

Central MN Bike Club

  

Joy.

Joy.  Simple pure joy.  Why do we forget so quickly how important that is?  The moment of pure bliss and happiness.  It doesn't happen all the time and many times we miss it, we forget to notice that moment, but then other times, well, we see it clear as day.  I have found one place that is consistently full of pure joy.  A place where tears of happiness flow steadily, smiles are the widest and the hugs are the most genuine, the one place where true raw emotions run fast and hard.  It is at the security doors outside of baggage claim at the MSP airport.

My friend Jen told me during my days in Alaska, that if you ever want to feel pure happiness, go to the airport.  From sadness from saying goodbye, to happiness of seeing a loved one, it all happens in this one spot.  Every Christmas I watch, "Love Actually" and adore the scenes highlighting the emotions occurring at the airport, and in all my flights this has always been the case.  Walking through those doors spur a sense of excitement, of happiness, of joy.  It was there, by baggage claim #3, outside of the security gate at the MSP Airport that I saw it,  the joy in my parents' eyes the moment saw my brother in the flesh for the first time in over a year.

As the escalator continued to its downward movement, I started scanning legs.  Too short.  Nope.  High heels.  Nope.  Winter boots, leggings.  Nope and nope.  And then they appeared - tan feet in a set of wore flip flops with a set of hairy legs attached.  Josh slowly rode the escalator down as I notified my parents of his arrival and then as they both turned around you could feel the exhale, the exhale of year's worth of concern and curiosity followed by the inhale of pure joy.  Their son was home.

The questions and hugs came fast and hard - How was the flight? Are you hungry? Aren't you cold?!?!  My brother answered them all as we worked our way out of the airport and towards the parking ramp.  It was at the ramp that reality set in - my brother had traveled for several hours in his flip flops and shorts to arrive in a state were the current temperature was a balmy 25 degrees.  As we huddled into the car, blasting the seat warmers, we continued to learn about his travels, his new love for Vietnamese coffee, and his teaching aventures in Vietnam.  As the wheels of the car turned on those chilly Minnesota roads, so did the chatter and the excitement to have our entire family in one car, in the same state, and in the same moment of joy.

As we arrived back in Royalton and unloaded our bodies and filed into our childhood home, I found myself letting it sink in.  The joy that comes from being around those who you have grown in front of, who have seen you at the your best and at your worst and still believe in you, who help you to find your breath and push on.  My family does this to greatest extent and to be surrounded by all of them only reminded me of how important family truly is in this life.  For better or worse, they are there and in their most authentic form.  There will be, and have been, days where you truly do not appreciate them, or their opinions, but they are family, so you listen.  Then there are days where you finally get it and see what they were trying to teach and share with you.  The understanding to live life to the fullest, to push yourself, to believe in yourself and to always be on the lookout for that moment of pure joy.