The Clingers: January 2026

Welcome to our Best of 2025 list! As you will soon learn, 2025 is The Year Abby and Braden Went To Peru, and many of our best things from this year happened in that one hectic, perfect week. But we had lots of other adventures: Braden went to Spain, we explored some of our neighboring states, we all got some quality Idaho time, and we had some fun right here in Iowa too. So, without further ado, in no particular order, here are this year’s winners!

Best Meal - Zig Zag (Arequipa, Peru)

When the waiter sat us next to the Eiffel-designed spiral staircase and put huge paper bibs on us, we knew we were in for a good time. We ordered the Ramillete de Quatro Lomitos - small steaks of beef, chicken, lamb, and alpaca served on a slab of volcanic rock, accompanied by four tasty sauces. It came with sides of potatoes, quinoa, and veggies. We also each ordered two drinks - Cola Escosesa and Chicha Morada. After the meal we had to go back to the hotel to take a nap. Please enjoy these videos of Braden and Abby trying alpaca meat for the first time!

Best Breakfast Burrito - Tres Hermanos (American Falls, Idaho)

This longtime favorite has yet to be beat! Best enjoyed at Three Layer Park with the roar of the dam behind you and a stray cat eyeing your burrito from a distance.

Best Celebrity Sighting - The Pigeon

The Pigeon came to Mom’s library, so of course we had to say hello! Frankie has historically hated the sight of people in mascot costumes, but she was surprisingly excited to see the pigeon and take a photo with the star of her favorite books.

Weirdest Pizza - Gas Station Breakfast Pizza (Iowa)

When Abby’s coworker suggested that they order a breakfast pizza to share, she had so many questions. Is this an Iowa thing? (Yes.) Which restaurant should we order from? (Not a restaurant - Casey’s gas station.) What’s on it? (Bacon, scrambled eggs, and green peppers. And it has cheese sauce instead of tomato sauce.) Is it actually good? (Actually, yes!) Is Braden still suspicious? (Undoubtedly.)

Worst Travel Experience - TIE! Driving from Iowa to Idaho, Flying from Idaho to Iowa

For the first 14 hours of our 17-hour car ride to Idaho for Christmas, things were going as well as could be hoped. Sure, the car had made some weird sounds around Omaha, and Frankie didn’t fall asleep until 10 pm, but we were making pretty good time. We stopped in Ogallala, NE to sleep for a few hours and then got back on the road; we were going to make it to Pocatello by dinnertime! Then, as we exited the highway into Kemmerer, WY for our final gas-and-potty stop, the engine went CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK and we slowed to a crawl. We had to stay the night in Kemmerer, and Braden’s dad came to rescue us and take us the rest of the way home the next morning.

Then, a short week later, Abby had to head back to Des Moines for work. Sunday morning Braden drove her to the Salt Lake Airport, where she would board a flight and, after a short layover in Las Vegas, be home by dinnertime. (We really need to stop planning to be places by dinnertime, it never works out!) She made it through security smoothly, but then a series of worst travel experiences occurred: the flight to Vegas was delayed, then the flight to Des Moines was delayed, then the flight to Des Moines was about to take off when the captain was informed that the Des Moines airport was closed due to a sudden snow squall, then the flight was cancelled. Then Abby cried a little and bought a phone charger, then she got on a flight to St. Louis, then she ate a $30 salad that turned out to be kind of gross, then the fire alarm went off in the airport, then that turned out to be a false alarm, then she finally got on a plane to Des Moines, which mysteriously sat on the tarmac for an extra 40 minutes after it landed, and then there were no Ubers in Des Moines! But after a few tries she was able to find an Uber XL to take her home to Indianola, and finally rolled into bed at 2:30 a.m. Then she was late for work the next day.

Best Bike Ride - Minnehaha Park (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

In the middle of Minneapolis there is a huge park with a beautiful waterfall, and across from the waterfall there is a little shack where you can rent the most perfect two-person bikes. We cycled around the park side-by-side, with Frankie strapped in the front, and enjoyed the waterfall and the river, as well as many statues, trees, and flowers. After doodling around for an hour or so, we had worked up quite the appetite, so for lunch we ate yummy seafood at the Sea Salt Eatery, located right in the park.

Most Cinematic Meal - Cafe Zoetrope (San Francisco, California)

After stopping in at the Beat Museum and buying a collection of Gary Snyder poetry at the famed City Lights bookstore, Braden made a beeline to see the plaque commemorating the historic Chilecito neighborhood (where a number of immigrants from Chile lived during the gold rush). The plaque was embedded in the sidewalk next to a beautiful wedge-shaped building with Cafe Zoetrope on the ground floor. Braden said to himself “Zoetrope, like Francis Ford Coppola's production company, American Zoetrope? That’s odd, it can't be FFC’s. He’s just into wineries and crazy over-budget spectacles.” But then he saw the posters for FFC’s most recent crazy over-budget spectacle on the wall of the Cafe. After looking at the menu, Braden decided to keep walking. But then he walked 2 1/2 blocks and realized that all the food in SF is too expensive anyway, and he may never again have the chance to eat in a restaurant owned by the auteur behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula/Jason Schwartzman’s uncle. The mocktail was delicious, as were the Bumbula Al Broccali e Salsiccia (pasta with a red wine cream sauce, broccoli rabe and sausage) and the tiramisu. (Abby: don’t look up how much I spent on this meal, please. It was, in true Francis Ford Coppola style, a crazy over-budget spectacle.)

Biggest Roadside Attraction - Albert the Bull (Audubon, Iowa)

At 30 feet tall, with a 15-foot horn span, Albert the Bull is an absolute unit!

Now we know what's at the end of the rainbow!

Biggest Party - Ottersberg Family Reunion

What happens when you get hundreds of Ottersbergs together? Hilarity. You know what else happens? Happy tastebuds. In July Braden’s family hosted a HUGE family reunion. It was great to catch up with cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws and out-laws. While the food was amazing and the activities were fun, the best part was getting to remember together and make new memories. And seeing everyone in their Grandpa Wayne-style mustaches. The worst part was discovering that we are too out of shape to do the wheelbarrow race.

Wheeeeeeeeeee!

Best Tour Guide/Photographer - Joel (Machu Picchu, Peru)

Our Machu Picchu tour guide gave us a wonderful tour of the ruins. He was full of fun facts and historical contexts, he answered all of Braden’s questions, and he gave us plenty of time alone to take in the majesty of our surroundings. He even made us feel better about the crazy bus ride up the mountain. But where he really went above and beyond were the photos. Every time we handed him a phone to take our photo, he had something new up his sleeve. There were serious shots, fun shots, looking-into-the-distance shots, videos that looked like drone shots, and panoramas where we ran behind him so it looked like there were two of us! Thanks so much Joel, we will treasure these photos forever!

Farthest Distance Traveled - Braden went to Spain!

One of the best parts of Braden’s job as a Spanish professor is that the college he works for has professor-led May Term study abroad experiences. He wasn’t expecting to get to lead one in his first year on campus, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, he had the incredible opportunity to take students to Madrid and Barcelona! He was bummed not to go to our old stomping grounds in Andalusia, but he ate well, spent time with some bright students, attended some great plays, reconnected with old friends, and saw some excellent art.

Best BBQ - Joe's KC BBQ

While Braden was gallivanting around Spain, Vince came to stay with Abby and Frankie, and they decided to have some fun of their own! They took a day trip down to Kansas City to see the Red Sox play the Royals, and before the game they stopped at Joe’s KC BBQ. They waited in line for a very long time, but it was worth it! We ordered a Z-Man sandwich, ribs, pulled pork, and sausage, and it was all very delicious. (Although, to be honest, Vince’s smoked ribs are just as good!) Then we explored KC and went to the game, where the Red Sox beat the Royals 10-1. Go Red Sox!

Most Ice Cream Eaten - TIE! Braden and Frankie

2025 was the year Frankie discovered her favorite treat - ice cream! After a 4th of July celebration during which she was allowed to eat two whole scoops, ice cream became an important part of her whole personality. Her favorite dress? Ice cream dress. Her favorite toy at the library? Ice cream toy. Her favorite place to go? Ice cream store. Her favorite pair of socks? Elsa socks, obviously. But the ice cream ones are a close second.

Frankie would have won this category outright if her competition wasn’t the OG ice cream lover, Braden. After all, where do you think she got her ice cream-loving genes?

Abby is lactose intolerant, and is therefore ineligible to compete in this category.

Best New Job - Librarian

After working as a Substitute Librarian for about 4 months, Abby was promoted to full-time Adult Services Librarian at the Des Moines Public Library in March. That means that, after eleven years of marriage (during 8 of which one or both of us were in school), we are finally both working in the careers that we went to school for! Living the dream, baby!

Best Camping Trip - Bear Lake, Idaho

It’s been a long time since we had a classic Stirling Family camping trip! Great food and lots of snacks? Check. Freezing in tents? Check. Campfire stories? Homemade boat race? Matching t-shirts? Check, check, and check. Plus, we were in Bear Lake, so add in a few raspberry shakes, some light spelunking, and a day at the beach. Pure summertime magic.

Best Zoo - Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Omaha, NE)

We all had the day off on Labor Day this year, so we took a day trip to the Omaha Zoo and had a blast! Notable animals we saw include elephants, giraffes, butterflies, tapirs, bats, penguins, sea lions, and Frankie’s favorite - a huge tank of fish!