"I wanna eat my turkey like a Barbarian!"

Ice Skates and Cheesecake

All of the big, mature trees in the yard drew me to this house and I have said multiple times that the vines on the fence give the backyard character. So my oldest reminded me of these words as I was cussing all of the mounds of leaves that have accumulated in the planting beds and every time my rake would snag a vine and halt my progress. "Mom, remember you said; The vines give it character." Yeah, yeah...

Well after two days of cleaning out gutters, raking, blowing, and mowing up leaves, not to mention all the Tylenol and sinus meds... I decided no matter what, we were doing something fun to round out our holiday weekend. So, with thoughts of ice skating and mouth watering cheesecake in mind, we packed our winter wear and took a short little jaunt over to KC to first visit Crowne Center.

Then it was off to The Plaza for cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory. By the time we finished eating Syd and I were literally falling asleep at the table. We wondered if they would just let us sleep and wake us for brunch the next morning but the thoughts of our warm, comfy beds sounded more appealing and the tuxedo chocolate cheesecake was carefully boxed up to go.

Thankful...

... For my wonderful, crazy, dysfunctional family, healthy, hilarious, and intelligent children who constantly keep me on my toes, and great friends who brighten every day. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. 

Peace

"What did you do this weekend Cj?" 
"Oh we buried my Dad."
"Um... didn't he pass away in January??" 

Yeah.. it's weird but that's exactly right. Dad was cremated and first mom wanted to wait until Spring when everything was in bloom and it was nicer. Then we experienced some creative differences on the head stone. So he's been hanging out at the funeral home in a vault and next thing you know it's November, the weather is iffy, and mom just wants to get it over with before the holidays to obtain a bit of closure. I think part of this whole scenario is that we were putting it off so we wouldn't have to relive all that over again.. but that was inevitable.

It was a nice, small gathering of friends and family on a cool morning. Grandma and Mom said a few words and told a few stories that made my sister and I both laugh and shed some tears. Hopefully now everyone can experience some peace, including Dad and he'll stop pulling pranks on us.

Daylight savings need to roll back at least three more times for me to get everything done this weekend that I wanted to but the list definitely has a dent in it now. I would have made more headway if it hadn't been for the spring on the garage door breaking on Saturday and the fact that we had early plans to go out on the town with friends as well. I started painting and couldn't put the brush down so I ended up allowing myself 15 minutes to shower, dress, and redo my make-up and hair. Needless to say.. we were late but I seemed to be the only one feeling anxious about it.

We hit some new places this weekend and revisited some favorites. Friday night we hit the Barrel House; a dueling piano bar that has fast become one of my favorite places to go on the weekend. Saturday, after hopping from Free State Brewery, to Yokohama, we bounced over to Henry's on 8th, a quaint, dark bar above a coffee house that use to be an apartment whose specialty was Sangria. Our final landing was at the Hotel Eldridge where I enjoyed a Kahlua and coffee in an attempt to stay awake and keep up with the rest of our party. I love so many things about this town but mostly I love having my own personal activity escort who knows all the fun, quirky places to go downtown. There is no other place as diverse as Mass Street.

Sunday was spent out in the yard cleaning out over grown, neglected planting beds, cutting down little trees that have popped up in random annoying places, and the dreaded dry, dusty leaves that make my sinus' go ape crazy. Finally, at about 6:15pm we allowed ourselves to sit and watch some football. Ah, the joys of owning a home again.

I wonder what will break next?

Days like today I am reminded of the belief that the only man that can fix anything is your daddy. Daddy's give you unconditional love, a shoulder to cry on, and will hunt down and kick the ass of the person who broke your heart. Right now my heart aches for my daddy and that shoulder.

Louisburg Trip

Saturday we took a day off from working on our "to-do" list to enjoy a perfect warm Fall day in the country. I had to have a little chat with myself Saturday morning as I battled to over-come the feelings of anxiety about playing hookie. "Take a day off already!" So, I did.

Step #1- washing the apples at the Louisburg Apple Cider Mill

I'd heard some people talking about the Louisburg Apple Cider Mill so I thought we would check it out. On paper it looked interesting; complete with a 10 acre corn maze, farm animals, pumpkin patch, and hay rack rides. The hay allergy attack I had by the end of the day reminded me why I don't spend a lot of time outdoors this time of year but, oh well! The apple cider slushies and the apple donuts made up for that.

 

Just a mile down the road from the cider mill was a sign for Somerset  Ridge Winery so we thought we would check it out on the way home. The girls weren't thrilled; they said the place "smelled funny." So they drank root beer and ate their rock candy from the cider mill while we enjoyed a bottle of Buffalo Blush. 

Somerset Ridge Winery

Cyndi Lauper and The Nerd

My oldest struggled this year with, "Am I too old to trick-or-treat? Will my friends think I'm uncool?" She waffled back and forth but at the last minute decided she would walk around with her sister and their dad. Her original idea was a plain white t-shirt with the word "COSTUME" on it written in sharpie but it didn't turn out the way she had hoped so the nerd glasses were plan B. Syd, on the other hand has known for a month that she wanted to go as Cyndi Lauper and actually wore a costume I wore a few years ago (with some altering, of course). I took my usual spot at the door handing out candy. After a long day of painting, all I wanted was a little quiet down time so I built a fire, lit some candles, turned off all the inside lights, turned on Sunday night football and patiently waited for the doorbell to ring. I considered a big glass of wine to round out the evening but didn't figure that would impress my neighbors too much when I answered the door and breathed on their children.

We spent a very low-key Halloween compared to past years. I didn't dress up or even carve a pumpkin but we decorated some and more importantly got the pleasure of experiencing the holiday in our new neighborhood. 

Scarecrow fun...

 

The Perfect Evening

Stuffing mushrooms

What do you get when you combine a slow cooked dinner simmered to perfection, a good bottle of wine, and the enjoyment of an open fire outside on a cool Fall evening? You get the perfect end to a long lonely week. Sitting outside on my patio brought all my positive feelings about this home to fruition. The dancing flames and the bright stars made all of my stress melt away. What gives me even greater peace of mind is knowing there will be many more evenings such as this one and I have someone dear to share them with.

2010 Late Night in the Phog

 

 

"So this is what it looks like when Skittles throw up."

Everyone says I am crazy for letting Gen do this to her room but 1. It's only paint, 2. the finished product actually looks pretty cool (if you are a pre-teen girl), and 3. she promised that wherever she is when I sell this house, she would come back and help me paint over this monstrosity. Most importantly this is what she wanted and it makes her happy. That's good enough for me.

I am downright giddy today for a multitude of reasons. One of which is that my mom is coming to visit today to deliver some Halloween decorations for the girls and to see our new place. Tomorrow would have been dad's 68th birthday and I know that is one reason mom is coming to visit. She silently mourns the 22nd of every month saying, "Well you know what today is don't you?" since that is the day of the month dad passed away. I refuse to acknowledge that fact every month; it's just too much and I wish she didn't either. It's just ironic that he was born on that day as well. My dad loved this time of year. We loved spending our Sunday afternoons watching football on TV and yelling at the officials. The last game we watched together was an Alabama game; right before the SEC Championship. Another reason I'm giddy is I received my confirmation yesterday and all the arrangements are made for December to go to Nashville to watch the Titans. Absolutely nothing compares to the South during the holiday season and I can't wait to get back down there and soak it up. As far as 10-22-2010, there will be celebrating, reflecting, and some sadness. Unfortunately, it is all in the process of moving forward and I am so thankful to have the months ahead to look forward to.

In the past five months I have packed and unpacked two houses. I am so ready to tear down all these cardboard boxes and put them in storage for a very long time. This move was the last for quite a while. It feels so weird to think that I am in my very own home and scary to think I am responsible for everything now. The girls picked out some pretty wild colors for their rooms that I will post later and I have my own decorating ideas brewing as well. I am so impatient; I wish I could snap my fingers and have it the way it is envisioned in my head. We did get a really good start Friday. We started painting just as soon as I got the keys. Seeing some color on a few of these stark white walls was invigorating! My new place is steadily changing thanks to some great helpers and several late nights.

I even got a surprise visit from a couple of my besties on Saturday followed up with some fried pickles and baked oysters at our favorite place on Mass; Jefferson's!

From the minute I walked through the front door with my agent this house just felt like "home." It was a feeling I didn't get from any other property we viewed and I remember telling Gen that this house needed us. I know personally this place has already done wonders for me and it hasn't even been a week yet.

Tailgating on da' hill

Our surprise visitor. Baby Jay popped in for some cashews and a photo op. The girls were thrilled!

 

Monster Bash 2010

This weekend the Lawrence Phenix played in the Monster Bash fast pitch tournament in Shawnee. Much to Gen's dismay and agony, the coach took it upon himself to decide that each of the girls should dress up like a Disney princess and he would dress up as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. This was such an ordeal for Gen that it was almost a deal breaker for continuing with this team. (It was THAT bad). She would have much rather have been a zombie or a ghost, anything but a stupid princess. (Her words, not mine). Once she makes up her mind that she hates something; she doesn't make any attempt to hide her feelings. I am pretty sure she gets that from me. We Aries women are a tad bit opinionated at times.

 

She made the most of it as Mulan the warrior princess and even one of her coaches said, "Gentry, that costume is so you!" The day was filled with dug-out decorating, teams in various costumes, creepy props all around the complex, pumpkin decorating, and even a dance competition. We had an evil jester as an umpire and Gumby too. We saw teams dressed like everything from Ghost-busters to 101 Dalmatians complete with Cruella Deville as their coach. All of the activities were judged in the hopes that the most creative team would win cash credit towards future tournament entries. Of course she didn't want to do the dance competition and the fact that she had no facial expression or sound coming from her mouth made that obvious to everyone. Ah but mom knows how to motivate her tom-boy; thank goodness for her love/weakness for ballpark hotdogs!

 

 Much to her relief, day two of the tournament was just regular softball. 

Having a pre-teen daughter can be a real beat down sometimes. They like to constantly remind you that you are old and out of touch and how much smarter they are. It's great to have someone so enlightening around to bless my meaningless existence every day. On the flip side I am really starting to see her grow as a person and that part makes me smile. I was speechless when she came home from school and announced she had filed for student council. She made campaign posters and did the work to get the support of her teachers. This was something she was truly excited about doing; being in a leadership position and I couldn't help but wonder, "who is this kid?" Seeing as though she knows everything she should at least use that extensive knowledge to benefit her school, right? Well, although she gave it a good shot she ended up losing out to one of her new best friends and seemed okay with the outcome. Still, I thought this was a pretty brave move for a rather shy girl in a new city; in a new school without a blanket of friends as her comfort zone. I am so proud of her for having the courage and hopefully she will repeat the process next year in 8th grade.  

Missouri Weekend

I normally would not consider Missouri my idea of a fun-filled weekend but man was I wrong. This weekend we explored some of the most beautiful scenery and I have the pictures to prove it. The whole premise of our trip was to attend a friend's wedding in Roach Missouri of all places. Along the way we got a kick out of sights like this one.

Guess this bank would be a busy place in this little town.

Once we got to Roach we had reservations at a cabin along the bank of the Little Niangua River. The cabin and the campground was very nice and clean however the cabins did not have running water and we did all our cooking over a campfire.. which turned out to be really fun! I know we ate better there than we would have at any restaurant; gouda stuffed chicken breasts, stuffed jalapenos, grilled veggies and then scrambled eggs and even grilled apples in the morning.

Saturday morning after a big breakfast we headed into Camdenton to Ha Ha Tonka State Park to do a little hiking. Turns out we did a LOT of hiking but the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Ha Ha Tonka is known for its complex geological features and is filled with caves, underground streams, springs, sinkholes, and a large natural bridge.

 On the way back to our campground we just happened to come across a sign for Casa de Loco Winery so we thought we would check it out. What a nice surprise it turned out to be! Supposedly the winery was formerly the location of an insane asylum. I have no idea if that is accurate or an excuse but we enjoyed a bottle of "Bella Dolce" on the deck overlooking a natural spring. We also met two sisters there who were on a weekend trip that we recognized from the hiking trail earlier.

 We were enjoying the wine and the company so much that we had to make a mad dash back to the campground to get ready for the wedding. We considered 'punting' it.. but knew we would regret doing that.. eventually.

The wedding was a beautiful display of black and white held in Stoner Green... in Roach Missouri. (No, I'm not making that up). The black and white theme was apparently so popular that later that evening a skunk decided to make an appearance and left the wedding party a not-so-nice, pungent present.

Sunday our trip home included yet another winery off the beaten path just outside Knob Noster. Who knew Missouri grew such yummy grapes? This time we enjoyed a bottle of a red wine called "Damnifino." I had to bring home another bottle just for the name.

After two good experiences we quickly decided that we will make a concerted effort to test drive more Missouri wineries and one by one cross them off our list, seeking out the best wines the area has to offer.

KC Weekend

One of the great things about living in Lawrence is that a trip to Kansas City takes about the same amount of time as it use to take me to drive to work each day. The only difference is there is so much more to see and explore in KC and I have yet to get tired of visiting the Power & Light District. I have been looking forward to this weekend for weeks and it felt so invigorating to get away if even for just a couple of days with my girl, Tanya. What was even better was being surprised by a visit from one of my other best friends.

Our weekend consisted of checking out the Renaissance Festival; something I'd been curious about and that curiosity has now been sufficiently satisfied. We did have a good time throwing axes however I discovered that no living creature will ever have to fear being hunted by me with a bow and arrow. We drank beer with the pirates, laughed at the cod pieces, and had a well endowed wench explain to the guys what a cleavage goblin was. There were some interesting characters running around there for sure. Even Captain America was sighted, obviously confused on which era he was suppose to be celebrating.

Saturday night was full of good food, yummy drinks at various spots in the District and us ending up in an Irish pub listening to a live band playing '80's music. The entire bar sang a stirring rendition of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and I got goosebumps when they sang my favorite song of all time, "Don't Stop Believing." The night ended much too soon with us closing down the bar and after lots of hugs and a few tears we quickly made plans for the next time we would get together. Time goes by so fast but I cherish the memories we created this weekend and can't wait for the next adventure.

 

Gen giving her new DeMarini a test drive....

She has been given the task of guarding first base and she takes it very seriously. She doesn't let anything get by her.

September 15, 2010

I should be trying to sleep but my mind is full of anxious thoughts and won't let me rest. I have been searching daily online, driving around neighborhoods, and thumbing through the Saturday open houses for weeks trying to find just the right home. After viewing several in what would likely be a very boring episode of "House Hunters", I finally found the one that feels like 'home.'  Today the seller accepted my offer and in 30 days from today, it will be mine pending that a few inspections go well. My garage is stacked floor to ceiling with cardboard boxes; the ones that had no place to go. Finally, they will be unpacked, broken down, and no longer will we have to utter the words, "Oh, that is in a box somewhere."

Gen had a big weekend in her first tournament as a Phenix. It was two grueling days of softball for a team that has a lot of growing to do. That seems to be a common theme around here lately. Hopefully they will soon redeem themselves and gain some much needed confidence. They sure look good though!

Saturday was an awesome day for some football and a much needed win there as well! We had the best time cheering on our Hawks and soaking up a perfect Fall day with good friends and good beer. Rock Chalk!

It hasn't taken long for my girls to find their niche here in Larryville and as a result we spend the majority of our evenings running. I was really hoping to be able to participate in Fall Dog Day's because it is just two nights a week but even at that there just isn't time.

A couple weeks ago Gen got the opportunity to tryout for the Lawrence Phenix softball team and they offered her their 12th spot. It is a brand new 12 and under competitive team within the Phenix organization and some of the girls have never played competitive ball before. We have tournaments until the end of October including one called the "Monster Bash" for Halloween and the team practices twice a week. By next Spring I'm positive we will see a totally different skill set and hopefully Gen has found a team she can grow with. Her first tournament as a Phenix is this weekend and it will feel weird not seeing her in that white jersey she wore for four straight years.

Syd is still hopeful she will find a softball team in the 10 and under division but until then she has jumped right back into dance lessons, specifically hip hop. I was worried that she would struggle with a new school, new instructor but even with missing the first night she picked up the steps very quickly. Her instructor is a young man who loves to dance and Syd says he is crazy. I think that makes for a perfect combination so she should do well.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting workout dude's parents and his sister and her family. I was so nervous but from the minute I got out of the truck and saw those bright friendly faces, all that anxiety disappeared. The first thing his mom did was give me a big hug. It was like we had known each other all our lives. I had an "aw" moment when I met his dad; he reminded me so much of mine. Something about his facial features and the way he spoke made me think of my dad and all those times I sat with him around the kitchen table shooting the bull. I got to listen to them tell hilarious stories in between brief intermissions to fetch more ice and whiskey and by the time we left, my stomach muscles ached from laughing. It was the perfect evening and one that I hope we will repeat soon.

I had been anticipating this Labor Day weekend ever since last November; the beginning of the college football season. This year especially for a number of reasons. First, going to KU football games is something my sister and I have established as "our thing." We always have a good time regardless of the outcome and this year we have the best seats we have ever had. Score! Second of all, living in Lawrence has given me what I have always longed for but missed out on; tailgating with friends. No more two hour drives rushing to get to town to make kick-off. My sister knows how pissy I get when I miss all the traditional pre-game events and if I miss kick-off, it's not pretty. I got really excited when I heard they are serving veggie burgers this year at the stadium. Oh my gosh.. that's a little slice of heaven in my world!

Lastly, this year I have workout dude and he loves the game just as much as I do. That is a huge thing we have in common and something I've never fully experienced with anyone else. He is a creative cook so we have big plans for elaborate tailgates with his buddies and my friends have made plans to come join us as well.

This is a rebuilding year for my team and our first game was ugly to say the least but we can only go up from here. It will be a struggle but as a fan I will keep the faith and even a bad day as a Jayhawk is better than not. Regardless of the score, experiencing Memorial Stadium like I am this year is what I have always wanted and I will absorb every minute of it while cheering for my Hawks and praying for a win.

Rock Chalk my friends!

Better than Birks??

This is the look that made even Syd, my fashion diva go, "Huh? Really?" No, I'm not talking about the awesome shirt. I'm referring to the footwear that has become popular at the Junior High.

After the first week of school Gen announced that a lot of the kids at school wear Birkenstocks with short socks... and she thought it was kinda cool. My response to her was, "AAAAGGGHHH!"

I'm not sure if this look is better or worse and she has crazy socks in every color to mix it up each day. Even my Croc wearing friend said, "Even I don't wear socks with sandals!"