1824 + 500 = stuff for you!

Uuugh.

Blizzards.

Wind.

Horizontal snow.

I kind of feel like I am in Minnesota right now.

Even Maia is having issues adjusting to these Minnesota like conditions.

Kind of fitting for today.

Because today's a b-i-g day in the PS household.

Today is February 1st.

Today, I can say I have lived in the great state of Iowa for 1824 days. 

That would be 5 years folks. 

Yes, five.

Five years. Four more years than I was supposed to live here.

I've lived here so long, I feel that I could wear this shirt and get away with it.

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What I really want is a shirt like this:

Yes - I will admit it - I love Iowa. I love living here. All the lame Iowa jokes I heard growing up in Minnesota (and I am sure I shared a few along the way) are wrong. Iowa is awesome.

FIVE YEARS! Crazy talk, right?

A lot of fun has been had these past five years (Hey - did you know Nic has lived in Iowa for 7 years?!)  I can't even begin to list all of the fun we've had.  Maybe you should just scroll through a few posts to see for yourself...

...all 500 of them!  That's right - I told you it was a big day!  This is our 500th post.  That's even crazier talk!

You know, I am not a popular blogger which is totally cool. But the blog has grown over these past years.  What started off as a blog to keep our families updated on our life in Iowa, has grown into a blog to keep our families + 3 more of you updated on our life and my running in Iowa.  :)

Our first post was short and sweet. Oh so sweet.  Look, we were so young back then!

In honor of me living in Iowa for 5 years (FIVE YEARS!!!) and our 500th post, we thought it would be fun to giveaway a few of our favorite things from Iowa of course!

In no particular order, these are a few of our favorite things (are you singing that line??)::

Backyard Candle Company Pumpkin Cheesecake Candle



Backyard Candle Company has grown by leaps and bounds since I have lived here. Back in the day when I worked at Family Video (don't ask!), I would order these from an employee who made them in her basement. Now they have absolutely the cutest store ever and is my first and last stop for gifts for any occasions.

The pumpkin cheesecake candle is the most delicious smelling candle out there. I promise, once you smell it you won't be able to burn anything else.  My family and friends are hooked and I can seldom go home without bringing them replacements.

My friend Becky's statement pretty much sums up how awesome it is:

I bought a soy candle yesterday at Hallmark- the last one [Backyard candle] you gave me was done a month or two ago and I couldn't wait any longer!  It is cinnamon bun- not as good as pumpkin Cheesecake, but it will do. 

Peace Tree Brewing Co. Pint Glasses and Coasters



Because I am pretty sure I cannot mail actual beer, these awesome pint glasses and coasters from our favorite craft brewer will have to do.  I just raved about Peace Tree Brewing a few weeks ago, (and then got the sweetest shout-out from the brewery itself!) but have no problem doing it again.  Peace Tree is AWESOME.  Get yourself to Iowa stat and find some Peace Tree beer!  Heck, if you come to visit us, we will buy you some Peace Tree beer.

Since we've discovered Peace Tree, we rarely stock our fridge with anything else.

Yoder's Cashew Crack Crunch  



We discovered this amazing treat at Kalona General Store, located a few towns away.  This is another item that Nic and I get requests to bring to Minnesota (Hi Mom and Roger!).  Seriously, it is like crack.  Once you take your first bit, you cannot keep your hand out of the bag.

Made from just three ingredients (butter, sugar and cashews), it is the best candy I have ever eaten. I tried to recreate it a few years ago and failed miserably.

IMT Des Moines Half Marathon



Okay, clearly I cannot give away the race itself, but I can give you ONE FREE ENTRY into the half marathon!  WHOOP!

I ran the IMT Des Moines half marathon this past Fall for the first time and fell in love (recap here).  This is an absolutely beautiful course, flat and fast with plenty of spectator support - all of which lead me to achieving a huge PR for this distance.

2011 marks the race's 10th year, so it is going to be an ever more amazing event than it already is.  I plan on running the half again this October...or who knows, maybe I'll go for the full.  Either way, you can plan on me being in Des Moines on Sunday, October 16th. (Note, this race entry is non-transferable.  Whoever wins, must use the entry or forfeit it.)

Hmmm...so what happens if you win the free entry for the half marathon, but don't live close by?

One Free Night Stay at a Des Moines Hotel

My favorite radio stations in the state of Iowa, KCII, KNIA and KRLS are generously donating a one night stay at a hotel in Des Moines for you to use race weekend.  Awesome, right?!  Details on the actual hotel will be available at a later date.

Pre-Race Dinner!

I am going to be in Des Moines for the half marathon and if you win, you are going to be in Des Moines for the half marathon...so, want to go to dinner? :)  Nic and I would love to treat you and one guest to a pre-race dinner on October 15th. Mmmmmm....pasta!

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So there you have it - a few of our favorite Iowa things.  I still can't believe I have lived in this state for 5 years.  I swore to Nic when he forced me to move here that we would only be in lame Iowa for 1 year max.  Funny how life doesn't always go according to your plans, right?!

How to enter our giveaway:

1. Leave a comment.  Tell us what you love about the state you live in.
2. Leave a comment with your favorite Iowa joke.  We've heard them all people, but this will be fun!
3. Follow us (and leave another comment letting us know, or leave a comment letting us know you already do)

We will randomly draw a winner on Sunday, February 6th.

We would like to thank our favorite companies for donating the above items for our 5 year + 500th post giveaway: Backyard Candle Company, Peace Tree Brewing Company, IMT Des Moines Marathon, and KCII, KNIA, KRLS.  Thank you for making this possible and for making years in Iowa great ones!

{Disclaimer - this post is not intended to hurt the feelings of my super close, awesome friends who have not made the relatively short trek to Iowa to visit us. I mean, it has only been 5 years - that is practically nothing in the grand scheme of things, right? 1824 days - I know they were busy each and every one of those days. No hard feelings, I swear. Only 5 years...shmmfff.}