The Des Moines Register is moving out of its big, flagship building on 715 Locust down the street to Capitol Square. I can understand the need for the move, but I am prone to nostalgia.
Photo via this Register slideshow
Even though I only worked at The Register for about three and a half years, it will always have a huge place in my heart. It was the magnet that drew me to Des Moines in the first place, my first job and it’s where I met Joe*.
It’s not just like the building is significant only to me. It’s where dozens of Presidential hopefuls have come seeking endorsements, where reporters have captured decades of history, where RAGBRAI gets planned and thousands of other things to other people. I imagine our house ancestor, Sec Taylor, walked through the same doors we did.
A page from the 1929 Register and Tribune Promotional Book, featuring Sec! Joe and I are talking about turning our spare bedroom into a mini Sec Taylor museum, after we finish the nursery.
The Register is sharing some of this history in fun, interactive ways, and the massive globe from the front lobby is going to make its way to the State Historical Museum, where our neighbor Leo is the new curator!
*Did I ever share the story of how Joe and I met? Maybe not, because I know I come off as a creep.
One of our fun engagement photos
We sort of met at an employee benefits meeting – you know, where they tell you about health insurance plans and whatnot. I still remember that I was wearing a yellow and black polka-dot shirt. I read all of the nameplates of the people who were supposed to be at the meeting, and was amused by the name Joe Jayjack. The letter J is one of my favorites to write. I secretly hoped he’d be a dashing guy about my age – but what were the odds?
Joe used to work late at night designing pages, and he moseyed late into the meeting after having overslept. I was instantly smitten, but Joe has pretty much zero recollection of me. We worked on separate floors, and I would find reasons to walk past his desk for the next few months, and asked Cara’s husband to fill me in on whether or not he was cool, because they sat near each other in the newsroom.
Joe’s more reserved with strangers (although I think that’s definitely changing), so it took awhile for us to connect me to figure out how to invite him to a party. Turns out, his personality was just as awesome as I’d hoped, based on his black frame glasses, pearl-button shirts and shy smile. I had no idea in that benefits meeting that I’d be semi-introduced to my best friend/lifemate, and I know that story sounds borderline stalkerish of me, but I like to think I just have a trusty radar.
