Meet Me at the Market and Sarah Vowell

This past week was definitely filled with exploring Cedar Rapids. We had the balloon glow on Tuesday and then on Thursday and Friday, I got to experience some more CR fun.

As many of you know, I adore the Newbo Market. It's hip and fresh and there's so much great food (including those cupcakes!). From early spring to September, every Thursday is Meet Me at the Market. It's a time to get active with other people from the community and even get some food! I discovered this event a few weeks ago when Whitney was in town and we went and had dinner there.

During Meet Me at the Market, you can do all sorts of things like walk, run, yoga, salsa, or biking. This past Thursday, I decided to test my bike riding skills out. I had recently brought my bike back to Coe so was ready for a ride.

Pre-bike ride

We had a decent sized group, probably around 15 people. It was a long ride, longer than I expected. I was also a little rusty and especially at the end, lagged a little. So only progress can be made throughout the rest of the summer! 

My next CR adventure was the following day. While a little sore, this next event wasn't something I was going to miss. If you remember from last summer, Millie and I listened to and met the infamous Gillian Flynn. The Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha libraries sponsor authors each summer as part of their Out Loud! Author Series. On Friday, they brought author Sarah Vowell to Cedar Rapids.

From Simon and Schuster

Now, I've read some of Vowell's books, and they're excellent. On top of that, Coe's first-year common reading book is one of Vowell's, The Partly Cloudy Patriot. Thought it would be neat to hear her read, especially since I was finishing up the reading guide for her book. 

Vowell was great. She was funny and entertaining. She read from various books and it was hard to tell she was reading; it felt like she was just telling us stories. It was a fantastic turn out, which Vowell was pleasantly surprised with. After the reading, I stood in line and got her to sign my book. All sorts of winning going on!