Red, Bride, and Blue: Iowa Style.

As I previously mentioned, Wheat and I spent our holiday weekend in Iowa of all places. My cousin, Blake, was getting married in Des Moines, so we were excited to take another road trip for a weekend of celebration, love, and AMERICA.

We spent most of Friday afternoon catching up with my Nana, Aunt Nancy, and Jim. I don't see this side of my family nearly as often as I'd like, so I really cherish the little time we spend together. After lunch, we went to my Aunt Nancy's house to see all of her animals. Although she is a doctor, she is also licensed and registered as a wildlife rehabilitator. So, whenever a wild animal is injured or abandoned, she gets a call to pick it up and nurse it back to health.

During our visit, she had four fawns, five raccoons, and several squirrels. She also has four horses and tons of dogs and cats, including a retired racing greyhound and a pretty intimidating cat that is a crossover with an African serval. The raccoons were my absolute favorite, but I also loved the three-legged deer named Tres. At two-days-old, she had to have her back leg amputated after being run over by a tractor. It's amazing how fast she gets around on three legs.

Wheat got to bottle-feed a deer named Timber while I tried to think of ways to keep a baby raccoon in our apartment.

That night, we had dinner at Applebee's before scoping out the quaint, Dutch-inspired town of Pella. We checked out the the Molengracht Canal, which is modeled after an actual Dutch canal, and the Vermeer Mill, the tallest working windmill in the country. Then, despite my insatiable sight-seeing appetite, we headed to the local watering hole to appease my sister some of the other members of the group.

After leaving the bar, we went straight to a designated parking lot for a good view of the town fireworks. First, we hit the grocery store for more libations and an American favorite, Twinkies. I know I'm spoiled as far as fireworks go (nothing compares to the WEBN/Rozzi fireworks on Labor Day), but this display lacked a bit. Either way, it was nice to sit in the car with Wheat and my sister, admiring the lights while listening to the incredible Ray Charles rendition of "America the Beautiful."

Saturday afternoon, we drove to Des Moines for the wedding festivities. For lunch, I insisted on fueling my obsession with all things zombie, so we waited in line at the super popular Zombie Burger + Drink Lab. I regret nothing. The vibe of the place, the decor, the menu, and the food were totally worth it. The names of the burgers are incredible and they even have a fake zombie-related newspaper on the back of the menu. Between the entire group, we ordered the loaded nachos (amazing), the loaded fries, cheese curds, and the Mac Dog, a deep-fried hot dog covered in mac & cheese and bacon. Yes, you read that right.

Completely stuffed, we made our way to Sticks, the furniture factory where the ceremony and reception were held. The space was gorgeous - industrial with touches of light and succulents on every long table. The ceremony was lovely, too. Blake looked like a goddess and it was nice to finally meet her new husband, Ryan. We danced a bit, the food was wonderful, and the peach pie and ice cream for dessert was both unique and amazing.

This little rascal stole that succulent.

The next morning, we took our time before heading home. After saying goodbye to Nana and Kristine, we made a pit stop in Eldon, Iowa, home of the American Gothic house. If you're ever nearby, I highly suggest stopping. The visitor center has a little museum dedicated to Grant Wood's famous painting and its countless parodies. FYI: The people in the painting are Wood's sister and his dentist.

The best part? They have all the props on hand to recreate the painting for a picture. Wheat is, in fact, the most compliant best boyfriend in the world.

Since our nerdiness knows no bounds, we made yet another stop in Galesburg, Illinois, the birthplace of poet Carl Sandburg and the site of the fifth Lincoln-Douglas debate. Knox College, a small liberal arts school, hosted the debate and has some plaques set up on its gorgeous campus to commemorate the event.

In order to remind ourselves that we aren't an 80-year-old couple, we ended the night back in Indianapolis with a Chinese buffet and a late showing of 22 Jump Street. I'm so lucky to have found someone who truly enjoys the same nerdy things as me, someone who I'm proud to introduce to my family and friends, and someone who holds my hand during six-hour car rides.

Oh, and have I mentioned how much I love my awesome family?