Day 5 – Filling my suitcase with farmers market produce and heading home!

I slept better than I thought I would on the ground at the campsite.  We got up at around 7am, lit a fire (after a long friggin time and a lot of ‘encouraging’).  We even got it going enough to make breakfast – scrambled eggs and bacon – which was yummy!

I look like it was so under control! LOL

After breakfast, we cleaned up, I packed (Amber and co were gonna camp out again so the camp stayed standing) and we headed in to Cedar Rapids to hit up another first for me.  A Farmer’s market!

One street of the market!

The market was bigger than I expected, it had everything from meat to produce, to handmade jams, crafts and soaps – it was pretty cool.

Averie getting her face painted
Amber and Averie
Kissing Aunty Las
she loves me in spite of my gingerness!

I came away with some raspberry jalapeno jam, two different dips (cran-cherry and avacado), a wet rub for meat, two loaves of fresh baked bread (garlic rosemary and ‘everything’ bread) and a slice of pecan cake to take home to my babe – not a bad haul at all! The fresh lemonade we had was delicious (and refreshing in that heat!) and we got to try a bunch of foods on various stalls.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to hoke out a farmers market in Houston if we have ’em!

Pronounced 'chee-bo'

For lunch, we met up with Emily, Aaron and Sarah in a place I am quickly growing to love, Cibo.  It’s a fusion restaurant and it’s pretty tasty! Sarah brought my Trash the Dress cd of photos (whoot!) which I have been seriously excited about getting – and, with good reason…

Aves watching the fishies!
Water wall

After lunch, we bolted home, I re-packed (glass jars require precise packing!), showered (I didn’t want to get on a flight stinking of deet, sun screen and garlic!) and we headed to the airport where I said a sad g’bye to Averie, Amber and Aaron…

At security – I got my hands tested for explosives (and again, made an inappropriate joke to the TSA agent about how I’d been playing with fire before going to the airport!) and got through without getting in trouble (thankfully!).

I boarded the plane and took my seat -but the plane was pretty empty so I moved to a two-seater.  I made friends with a very loud and animated 9 year old boy from San Antonio called Tyler.  He talked to me about Mario and Sonic, asked me to help him open his can of juice/food and, in the end, told me that I looked good – ever seen NCIS? He kinda reminds me of DiNozzo in it…lol!!

He also asked me my age and told me I didn’t look 26…score! LOL! Then he said I had magic powers (to which I replied that’s just my Irishness shining through!)

It was a looooooooong flight cause he wouldn’t shut up the whole time, but it was kinda fun! I landed to a very happy husband – who’d spent the week in a whirlwind of busy of his own (and being fed by the lovely Magz, so he didn’t starve or eat frozen pizza every day!)

As always, I can’t wait to go back to Iowa for my next adventure!!