Todd Swank's Diary Entry for September 27, 2026
I’m starting to realize most of my social life lately revolves around sitting at a table and eating with different people. This week started with taking one of our favorite grandmas, Grandma Linda, out to Texas Roadhouse. She doesn’t eat much anymore, but that doesn’t stop us from bringing her along. Somebody has to watch me eat enough food for both of us.
Tuesday night the eating tour continued as we checked out Chula’s, the newest Mexican restaurant in Prior Lake, with our good friends Tom and Kellie Wolf. Apparently one restaurant wasn’t enough, because afterward we walked downtown to get ice cream. I’m choosing to focus on the word “walked.” At least I’m getting a few steps in on my way to becoming a glutton.
Saturday we headed south to Des Moines, where we spent the night practically in the lap of Iowa’s State Capitol. It’s a pretty spectacular building, completed in 1886 and topped with a 23-karat gold-covered dome that rises nearly 275 feet above the city. It looked especially impressive glowing outside our hotel window at night.
Of course I can’t come to Des Moines without hanging out with my old buddy Krazy Kory. Keeping with this week’s apparent theme, I figured we should document the occasion by taking a picture of us eating. We met at Jethro’s BBQ in Altoona, where I had some excellent boneless chicken wings covered in spicy sauce. At this point, I’m basically just traveling around the Midwest finding different people to eat with.
The real reason for our trip was the wedding of the son of one of my oldest friends, “Jammin’” Jason Davis. We go back to our high school days on the Clear Lake wrestling team, were roommates at a couple different colleges, and best men in each other’s weddings. After surviving all that together, ending the friendship now would require way too much paperwork.
I’ve known Seth since he was born, but this was our first time meeting his new wife, Annie. She seems like a lovely young lady, and it was great seeing the two of them together. Their ceremony was beautiful, personal, and full of smiles, and we were really happy to be there to help them celebrate such a big day.
The River Center in downtown Des Moines made for a pretty spectacular setting. The restored historic building sits on the site of Des Moines’ first brewery and is filled with exposed brick, steel beams, reclaimed wood, and some absolutely enormous sliding wooden doors. I have no idea what originally required doors that size, but apparently early Des Moines had livestock roughly the size of dinosaurs. It was a really unique place to watch Seth and Annie get married.
There’s something pretty inspiring about watching young people get married. Seth and Annie were surrounded by friends and family, with nothing but dreams and excitement about what comes next. It made me a little nostalgic for when Miss Sheri and I were that age, starting our own adventure with absolutely no idea what we were doing. Come to think of it, that last part really hasn’t changed much.
We had a great time at the reception catching up with family members we’ve known for decades but haven’t seen in years. There’s something funny about trying to cram ten years of life into a 20-minute conversation. “Kids good? Still married? Everybody healthy? Great, we’re caught up.” It was genuinely nice seeing people we’ve shared so much history with and realizing how quickly all those years disappear once you’re together again.
It was especially nice catching up with Jason’s wife Amy after so many years and sharing such a special weekend with their family. One minute Jason and I were wrestling in high school, and somehow now his son is married. We had a wonderful time celebrating Seth and Annie, reconnecting with old friends, and eating my way through Iowa. Life moves fast. Weekends like this remind me to enjoy the ride.
@toddswank The entrance of the wedding party for Seth and Annie Davis! #wedding #entrances ♬ original sound - š☠️ź꒐š¦“š¦“ź¦šš¤
@toddswank I asked our Vegas Loop driver how we’d get out if the car got stuck. His answer involved a window breaker š³ Then he explained when the door could open. Apparently “how do we escape?” isn’t in the welcome brochure. #VegasLoop #LasVegas #HyperLoop #TheBoringCompany #WindowBreaker ♬ original sound - Todd Swank
@toddswank I almost said no to night snorkeling with manta rays in Hawaii because all I could think about was sharks. My sister talked me into it—and I nearly missed the highlight of our trip. At one point, six manta rays were doing slow barrel rolls beneath us. One brushed my belly, and it tickled. š³ Some of the best memories start with “absolutely not.” #MantaRays #NightSnorkeling #HawaiiTravel #OceanAdventure #FaceYourFears ♬ original sound - Todd Swank
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