Tour of Des Moines & freak blizzard

Today was jam packed and I got a little worried when we started off the morning with the caterer forgetting our sausages for breakfast.  To say that forgetting our breakfast protein was the worst that happened was a blessing.  The whole day went very smoothly and was so much fun.  I was in charge because Kay was at an alumni event at Camp Dodge.  It felt kind of weird leading around a group of 40 adults and keeping them on schedule while answering questions like "Do I have time to use the restroom before the next speaker?"

It was fun to talk with different members of the class and hear about what they do and where they live.  I made some great connections and kind of miss them, in a weird way.  After spending three very full days with the group I made some friends and was having a lot of fun with them.

Our first stop of the day was the State Capitol.  As many times as I've been there starting in like 4th grade, it never gets old.  The building is so beautiful and there's something motivating about walking around next to our state officers.  About half of the class hiked up to the very top of the Capitol while I waited in the basement and flagged down the caterer.  They were with a really cool tour guide who let them go up even higher than the observation deck that most people get to see.  They described the last flight of stairs like the ones in Harry Potter that are just kind of hanging in mid air and you're not really sure how they still support weight.  Everyone survived and they said it was an amazing view.

While at the capitol we  got the opportunity to sit down with Senator Mike Gronstal and Representative Linda Upmeyer.  They introduced themselves and then basically opened up the room to questions, which was kind of fun.  We talked about No Child Left Behind and women in politics.

 Our next stop was the Iowa Judicial Building.  I was excited because I had never been inside this building, it wasn't as exciting as the Capitol, design wise.  Still very beautiful but it was plain and very quiet.  We followed a similar format as the Capitol and were greeted by a Judge and a Justice.
 The picture below was taken as we were walking out of the Judicial building.  Everyone was making comments about how beautiful the snow was with the city in the back ground.  Little did we know that in a short hour and a half the ground would be covered and there would be 0 visibility with 50 mph winds.  A nightmare for anyone traveling home at rush hour, myself included.

Our next stop was the World Food Prize, which I could not wait to see.  The building was the former Des Moines Library and sat right on the river.  It was gorgeous!  The World Food Prize is focused on feeding the world in the future and honoring the progress we have made this far.  The photo below is actually of the Garst Family Farm in Coon Rapids, which I thought was really cool.  

 This glass globe was huge.  It was stained glass and lit up in the middle, probably about 5 or 6 feet diameter.  We got some time to walk around in Howard Buffet's 40 Chances exhibit.  The photography geek in me totally loved this.  Check out the website for more information:  http://www.40chances.com/photos/

By the time we walked out of the World Food Prize it was the craziest white out blizzard I have ever seen.  The radio and TV reporters were telling people not to go anywhere so I stayed at the office until about 7:30 pm.  It still took an hour and a half to get from downtown Des Moines to West Des Moines, which usually takes a maximum of 15 minutes.  I was totally exhausted and ready for bed.