Finals week in December is where we have exams for our courses marking the end of the semester. It was over and we friends hung out at each others place for playing games having deep conversations and cooking food. We had good time and then as Christmas was round the corner some of them had to leave to visit their relatives leaving three of us back in Ames. Trust me 11 people hanging out and three people hanging out is a bit different. All of a sudden one of my friend comes over WITH A CAR and an amazing day is planned.

The day started with the ‘Ada Hayden Lake’. This lake is very close to my place and I had been there once when I had landed in Ames and that was summer time so it was all beautiful. But today was a chilly winter day and the lake had frozen. We saw a few people ice fishing on the lake and curiously took a few cautious steps to check the thickness of ice, then decided to cross the lake on foot.

After Ada Hayden we had planned to go to Saylorville lake, unfortunately when we reached there, a signboard greeted us which said the lake was closed for the winter. So we had to be content watching it from the top of the bridge. It was a beautiful sight to watch this huge expanse of the lake covered in snow. A new place has been therefore added to the bucket list for summer 2017.

We then headed to the Jordan Creek mall in Des Moines and since it was lunch time resolved to get food. I had heard from a few friends about this place called ZOMBIE BURGER. They are known for their burger and agreed on that part as it tasted great. But the best part was the chocolate cake shake. The thick shake was just brilliant and worth the money. As the name suggests it was like melted chocolate cake in a cup and I had to exert my lungs just to get the shake through the straw.

As the dusk started to roll in, we wandered the streets of Des Moines admiring the Christmas decorations on the houses. Then we went to the downtown, roaming the empty streets and the beautiful Capitol building. On our way back visited a church as it was Christmas Eve, which was fun because of all the festivities happening. We were hungry so  returned home as all the restaurants were closed and ended the day.

This trip even though was short, gave me a new friend. Life is about having friends and making new ones. So it was an eventful day with good food and experience.

HAPPINESS IS SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS.