Happy Wednesday! This week, instead of the usual Week In The Life, I thought I would unpack and share my weekend trip to Iowa. I’ve never been too far into the midwest (besides Illinois many many years ago) and I don’t often get the chance to travel in that direction. I have family in Chicago, so that is typically the only reason we would travel there, but as you all know one of my eventual goals is to travel to each state and explore what each one has to offer. This past weekend, we had games against Iowa and Providence College on Iowa’s home turf. Therefore, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel and see a new state! (The corn state.)Unfortunately, during this trip no corn was consumed. However, we did drive past corn, so I feel like that counts for something!
We left Amherst around 4AM and took our first flight out of Hartford into Chicago. This flight was around two hours and I spent a majority of it sleeping! Our second flight was from Chicago into Iowa and was relatively short, only around an hour. I was able to read more of Conspiracy The Plot To Stop The Kennedys by Matthew Smith. This book, which I ended up finishing on the trip, was a shorter book in length, but a denser read because it information heavy. If you’re into conspiracy theories or things in history that you aren’t often told in history class, then you would enjoy this book. But, if you’re looking for a lighter read or something that doesn’t strain your brain, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Once we arrived at the hotel, we had a few hours to relax and grab lunch. We were all exhausted from traveling, so we slept for a little while and then got a late lunch at Tribute Eatery and Bar. I had an amazing gnocchi topped with short ribs. That night, we had a quick practice and then went to bed early and caught up on some much needed sleep.
The next morning, we did a heart rate spike to get our blood flowing and then walked to Coffee Emporium. This has become one of my favorite local coffee places I have tried. As y’all know, when I travel or visit new places, I like trying their cute local coffee places to get a new or different coffee experience. This one did that and more! The aesthetic was very hip with plants, zodiac themed drinks, and artsy decor. I had an iced coffee with raspberry and mocha (idea credits to the one and only Lizzie) and wow. It was one of the top ten iced coffees I have ever had! (I have had a lot of iced coffees in my lifetime for reference). Right across the street there was a Lululemon and Anthropology. Due to time constraints (and quite honestly personal budget constraints), I did not shop.
That afternoon, we played Providence College and pulled out a 2-0 win! I have a few friends I grew up playing club field hockey with on the team, so it was exciting to see them afterwards! After our game, we attended the Iowa versus Iowa State football game. It was so so so exciting to go to a Big 10 football game. This is one of the biggest football games of the year for Iowa. That night, we relaxed again in the hotel and got another good night of sleep before our game against Iowa and all of our travel the following day.
Sunday morning, Alli and I woke up around 8AM and went on a tranquil run by the Iowa river where there was a cute bridge and even some locks on the bridge before our heart rate spike. We returned to Coffee Emporium and I got the same coffee as the day before because it was too good to try something else! At 1, we played Iowa and lost a tough battle 0-2. Then we began our long trip home with a bus to the airport and connecting flights. During this portion of travel, I was able to continue reading the next book I started, Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, the author of one of my favorite books, American Wife. Eligible is about five sisters who move back home after their father suffers from a heart attack and each of their struggling love lives in the 20s to 30s.
Overall, Iowa has been my favorite away trip in my time with UMass Field Hockey!! This year, we have more home games than away games, but I am excited for more travel (and more travel blogs/vlogs) in the future. This weekend we start conference play! It’s insane how fast the season is flying by- it’s already halfway through September.
Sending love to everyone at whatever point in their season, lives, or semesters they are currently in! I begin my sorority rush process tomorrow with hopes that I will be able to attend all rush events, so that I don’t have to redo the process in the spring! So much more to come and so much love for you all!!!
Xoxo,
Hannahlane
Shop Hannahlane:
- Conspiracy The Plot To Stop The Kennedys by Matthew Smith https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Plot-Kennedys-Matthew-Smith/dp/0806527013/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1A0YB6L9ZPUF8&keywords=conspiracy+the+plot+to+stop+the+kennedys&qid=1663208337&sprefix=conspiracy+the+plot+to+stop+the+kennedys%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-1
- Tribute Eatery and Bar https://tributebar.com/menus/
- Coffee Emporium https://www.coffeeemporiumia.com
- Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld https://www.amazon.com/Eligible-modern-retelling-Prejudice-Project/dp/0812980344/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2T9031S6ZJFQW&keywords=eligible+by+curtis+sittenfeld&qid=1663208527&sprefix=eligible+by%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-1
- American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld https://www.amazon.com/American-Wife-Random-Readers-Circle/dp/0812975405/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HZOD1SV806C0&keywords=american+wife+by+curtis+sittenfeld&qid=1663208565&sprefix=american+wifeby+curtis+sittenfeld%2Caps%2C47&sr=8-1
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