Pretty Prairie (an actual town 30 minutes from Hutchinson) has a whopping population of 680 souls... and Pretty Prairie also have claim to fame as "The Largest Night Rodeo" for the past 73 years. Not sure if it is the "Largest Night Rodeo" for just Kansas or all of Rodeo's in general... But.... let me tell you... it is a BIG BIG BIG exciting event here in this part of Kansas. Folks come from towns all around every year to this event!
Joe and I attempted to go to this rodeo last year while I was in town on a visit to sign papers for our new home... and we actually drove all the way to Pretty Prairie with full plans to attend and be entertained for the evening. It was Friday night and we decided this would be our date place for that Friday night, and we were also celebrating the contract for our new home. However, as we were driving to Pretty Prairie a HUGE thunderstorm rolled in and dumped a bunch of rain quite quickly on the area... by the time we got to Pretty Prairie the storm had passed, but had left a field of mud behind its wrath... not just mud, but RED sloppy, gloppy, goopy mud! I must mention here that I was wearing all white... from head to toe... ALL WHITE!!... it was a brand new outfit... and this is an outside event, sitting on bleachers. NOT that I'm a princess at all... if I had been wearing anything else but ALL white, I would have sloshed my way through the crowd and enjoyed the evening with everyone else... but... not at the sake of ruining a brand new all white outfit... so we turned around and had dinner at the Amish restaurant instead... but vowed we WOULD return the following year to partake of this event.
And that brings us to last Friday night Date night. Joe bought tickets in advance (hearing that they sell out quite quickly for this BIG event) and we looked forward to going all week... like a kid waiting for a trip to Disney Land! We began our date night arriving in Pretty Prairie an hour before the gates opened so that we could dine at the famous "Pretty Prairie Steak House", that sits literally 100 steps away from the rodeo, and is known for being "the eatery spot" to go to. It is a very small, very quaint, hole in the wall, greasy spoon type of place (my Dad would LOVE it!!!) but the character of the place once inside is priceless, and the food was actually quite yummy! They served everything from chicken livers, country fried steak, ribeye's, to quesadilla's!!! And to really give the place character... there was this rugged OLD gentleman cowboy up on a bar stool with an acoustic guitar, on the teeny tiniest little platform that served as a stage, playing.... wait for it.... yup.... Johhny Cash and Marty Robbins hits!!!
This particular night happened to be "Not Too Tough To Wear Pink" night. I wore pink with a white skirt... BUT... it has been so dry here a drop of mud would be worth a bunch of bucks! HA HA HA... Get it!! Rodeo... Bucks!!! cracking myself up here!... any hooty... Joe too would have worn pink, but he doesn't own anything pink, but all the rodeo contestants and most of the crowd were proudly supporting their pink.
It was a HOT HOT HOT night... I think it had been 107 actual degrees that day, with not much of a breeze... but the crowd was excited! Unfortunately the contestants did not do well on this particular night... but the comedian clown and the announcer were HILARIOUS!!! They were their own George Burns and Gracie Allen act!! Even tho the contestants didn't stay on their broncs, barebacked and saddled, or their bulls, or able to catch, rope, and tie down their calves... it was still fun to watch... especially the mutton busting!!! Mutton busting is when the little cowboys/cowgirls (as in ages 4 years old to 7 years old) get on a sheep bareback and try to hold on as long as possible. They were absolutely adorable and just too funny!!! On the way home we had the windows down and we each remarked at how cool it had gotten... then we glanced at the temperature gage and saw that it was still 91 at 10:30pm.... it's pretty bad when your body finally acclimates itself to being in the triple digits temperature for 2 months that 91 degrees feels cool!!!!
Next year when we head back to the Pretty Prairie Biggest Night Rodeo I will definitely be wearing the correct attire for the evening... which consists of... cowboy boots (DUH!!!), tight fitting jeans with a belt that has a HUGE buckle, a plaid shirt, and last but not least... a pink cowboy hat!!! There could be a country/western song written about just the attire worn to a rodeo!!!! There ya go Dad.... here is your chance to write a song and become a country music legend!!! SERIOUSLY!!! And I was amazed to see that not only the young girls/women wore the skintight jeans but EVERYONE wore them... young old, male, female.... skin tight jeans definitely puts you in the category of a true cowboy/cowgirl or rodeo fan!! But then... people watching is a favorite sport for Joe and I anyway... they typically are a hoot and entertainment all on it's own... and people watching at the Pretty Prairie Rodeo is always worth the price of admission. Joe and I had a really good time at the Pretty Prairie Rodeo and definitely plan to go back again next year! Ya'll come and see for yourself... Ya Hear!!!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Starry Starry Night
Star light, star bright
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have my wish, I wish tonight....
Twinkle Twinkle little star
How I wonder where you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky...
Starry starry night...
These are just a few of the ditties that come to mind when I look up at this big ole Kansas sky at night! AMAZING!!!!
We live nestled in the woods, away from city lights and street lights... it is total blackness come night time. I have been taking nightly dips in the pool and just floating on my back as I gaze up at the beautiful stars, as they just hang there like well place twinkle lights. And I am completely awestruck as I think about all who have gazed upon these very stars from the past... such as... Galileo, Vincent Van Gogh, and even Jesus himself. I can't believe that these stars have remained in their same spot for billions of years before I have had the pleasure to enjoy them myself.
As hard as I try to think about the fact that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand in every ocean, every sea, on every beach, sand dune, and every desert... I just can not wrap my mind around it. It literally gives me a headache trying to conceive that fact because... I can't even imagine how many grains of sand are in my hand when I scoop up a handful from the beach... and then I look at the sky and think... but there is sooo much space in between each star... how could there possible be more stars than grains of sand on earth? Totally mind boggling!
I wish I knew my constallations better... but I only know the dipper stars... note to self... I must get a book and study the stars so I know what I'm looking at during my float and gaze pool moments. I am, and always have been obsessed with anything 'twinkly'... such as christmas lights, lightening bugs, and the stars. I literally can get lost in myself while time passes by just watching twinkly things.
Out here in Kansas where the sky is soooo huge and the nights sooo dark, the stars look like you could just reach up and pluck them right out of the sky. As a child... and again with my own children... we have always gone outside to lie on the driveway on our backs just watching the stars... it's such a quiet and peaceful thing to do on warm spring and hot summer nights.
My youngest daughter moved away from home (when we lived in Kentucky) at the tender age of 19 to study fashion in LA... after I helped her move in and was about to board the airplane, I told her to look up at the moon every night and know that I too would be looking up at that same moon and would be thinking of her and wishing her a good night. After a few weeks went by I asked her if she had indeed been doing this... her reply was.... "MOM!!! I can't see the moon or stars in LA"... upon asking her why not... she replied that between the smog and city lights it was impossible to see the moon or stars. On my next visit out to LA to see her... I saw for myself that you really can't see the stars or moon... but then... I guess LA has enough stars roaming the streets they don't need to see anymore in the sky! This is also true for NY City... you can't see the stars or the moon. I find this quite sad because I find such comfort in seeing the stars and moon each night before I crawl into bed.
During the winter I am only able to glance out the window to see the moon... it is usually too cold outside to star gaze... so I am taking full advantage of every summer night now to enjoy my star gazing. Better than "stopping to smell the roses" is "stopping to gaze upon the stars"... tonight take a moment to appreciate the wonders and beauty of GOD's gift of twinkle lights!... it's completely magical!
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have my wish, I wish tonight....
Twinkle Twinkle little star
How I wonder where you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky...
Starry starry night...
These are just a few of the ditties that come to mind when I look up at this big ole Kansas sky at night! AMAZING!!!!
We live nestled in the woods, away from city lights and street lights... it is total blackness come night time. I have been taking nightly dips in the pool and just floating on my back as I gaze up at the beautiful stars, as they just hang there like well place twinkle lights. And I am completely awestruck as I think about all who have gazed upon these very stars from the past... such as... Galileo, Vincent Van Gogh, and even Jesus himself. I can't believe that these stars have remained in their same spot for billions of years before I have had the pleasure to enjoy them myself.
As hard as I try to think about the fact that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand in every ocean, every sea, on every beach, sand dune, and every desert... I just can not wrap my mind around it. It literally gives me a headache trying to conceive that fact because... I can't even imagine how many grains of sand are in my hand when I scoop up a handful from the beach... and then I look at the sky and think... but there is sooo much space in between each star... how could there possible be more stars than grains of sand on earth? Totally mind boggling!
I wish I knew my constallations better... but I only know the dipper stars... note to self... I must get a book and study the stars so I know what I'm looking at during my float and gaze pool moments. I am, and always have been obsessed with anything 'twinkly'... such as christmas lights, lightening bugs, and the stars. I literally can get lost in myself while time passes by just watching twinkly things.
Out here in Kansas where the sky is soooo huge and the nights sooo dark, the stars look like you could just reach up and pluck them right out of the sky. As a child... and again with my own children... we have always gone outside to lie on the driveway on our backs just watching the stars... it's such a quiet and peaceful thing to do on warm spring and hot summer nights.
My youngest daughter moved away from home (when we lived in Kentucky) at the tender age of 19 to study fashion in LA... after I helped her move in and was about to board the airplane, I told her to look up at the moon every night and know that I too would be looking up at that same moon and would be thinking of her and wishing her a good night. After a few weeks went by I asked her if she had indeed been doing this... her reply was.... "MOM!!! I can't see the moon or stars in LA"... upon asking her why not... she replied that between the smog and city lights it was impossible to see the moon or stars. On my next visit out to LA to see her... I saw for myself that you really can't see the stars or moon... but then... I guess LA has enough stars roaming the streets they don't need to see anymore in the sky! This is also true for NY City... you can't see the stars or the moon. I find this quite sad because I find such comfort in seeing the stars and moon each night before I crawl into bed.
During the winter I am only able to glance out the window to see the moon... it is usually too cold outside to star gaze... so I am taking full advantage of every summer night now to enjoy my star gazing. Better than "stopping to smell the roses" is "stopping to gaze upon the stars"... tonight take a moment to appreciate the wonders and beauty of GOD's gift of twinkle lights!... it's completely magical!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Travel Woes and Celebrations
This past weekend Joe and I flew to NJ to celebrate his Grandmother's 95th Birthday!!! WOW!!! What an accomplishment... Nan (as she is known by) is 95, still lives completely independently, she is still going strong, and you would never know the woman is 95 years old! This is Joe's Mother's side of the family and we are blessed if we get to see them once a year... but usually it is 2-5 years in between visits and those are usually at weddings or funerals. But each time we gather, it's ALWAYS a great time spent together!
I am usually a "Pollyanna" type of person and try to see the good in all things and try hard to have patience for those times when I am not in control of a situation. However.... our travel experience trying to get to NJ on Friday is one for the books. Joe and I have been blessed to travel often, including many abroad trips... and we both agree that this was ABSOLUTELY the WORST EVER travel experience of our lives... we swear we are going to write a book about it... because it was just that ridiculous and I just must share the story... mind you, I am not venting... Joe and I amazingly stayed calm, cool, and collected throughout that horrible day, but it is one of 'those stories' that make you shake your head and wonder why we didn't turn around and just say 'forget it'!
Our day started out at 6:30am... Joe and I both did our fitness workouts, then we prepared the house for us being gone over the weekend. It is HOT HOT HOT here in Kansas... and the temperature was going to remain in the triple digits all weekend, so we had to make sure the pool had enough water in it to keep the pump running, watering and over-watering all the plants outside to make sure they wouldn't burn up in the heat. We left the house at 9:00am to make the hour trek to the airport in Wichita. We arrived at the airport at 10:00am for our 11:30am flight to Minneapolis, where we would make our connection flight to Philadelphia, then grab our rental car in Philadelphia to drive the 30 minutes to our destination in NJ... we were due to arrive in NJ at 7:30pm. That was how things were supposed to go!!
Minneapolis was experiencing horrible thunderstorms and our flight to Minneapolis got delayed 3 times... by the 3rd delay it was then impossible for us to be able to make our connection for Philadelphia, and eventually that flight got cancelled all together. So.... plan B began with Joe on the phone to the airlines rebooking us to Memphis as our connection spot... again this plane was delayed to the point we could not make our connection and all other flights out of Memphis were full.... so we get rebooked again... this time to Atlanta. While we were waiting in line at the ticket desk at the gate to get our boarding passes.... the fella in front of us was pitching such a fit for 30 minutes, that the ticket agents had to tell him they were no longer able to help him and would call security if he did not remove himself from the counter... so.... by the time they started trying to print our boarding passes to catch that flight... the flight actually shut the doors and took off as we were at the counter getting them printed. Plan C.... we were then rebooked to Atlanta yet again on a different flight... which Joe was in line for another hour and a half just trying to get those tickets printed. FINALLY at 6:00pm we boarded a flight to Atlanta... our connection would have us arriving in Philadelphia at midnight.
Ah.... but the story not only continues... it gets worse! Our flight out of Wichita to Atlanta got delayed on the tarmac because there were several planes in front of us waiting to taxi out... we were in a long line of planes waiting to depart... thus we arrived in Atlanta late. We had 15 minutes to get from terminal D in Atlanta to terminal A to make our connection... fortunately... that plane was also 20 minutes delayed, so Joe and I literally walked up to the boarding gates just as they were boarding and walked right onto the plane. After all the muck ups and frustrations from earlier in the day, they had put us in first class... row 2. The entire plane was boarded... everyone settled in and ready to taxi... when... they announced that there was a mechanical problem with the plane and we would have to get off the plane and wait for another plane to arrive at another gate. It took another 1/2 hour for the new plane to arrive and another 1/2 hour to get everyone to the new gate, boarded and ready for take off. Again we sat on the tarmac 1/2 hour waiting for our turn to taxi. But.... FINALLY after a long long day of airport hassles... at midnight we were on our way to Philadelphia. Joe and I grabbed a quick nap during that flight... THANKFULLY!! Once we landed, Joe and I were the 2nd and 3rd persons in line to get off the airplane... but then.... OH NO!!! We can't get off the plane because the jetway had blown a fuse and we had to wait for a mechanic to arrive and try to fix it. We waited 1/2 hour on the plane before the pilot said it couldn't be fixed and we would have to exit the plane from the tail. Like I said... we were in row 2... there were 44 rows... we were now the last people off the plane and the de-planing took another 1/2 hour. When we stepped off that plane, it was now 2:00am! Then... unbelievelably.... things continued to get worse.... the entire plane full of people got trapped inside the terminal because no one was left in the terminal and it was completely shut down and locked up. The sliding doors that lead out of the terminal were closed, secured with the alarm on. SERIOUSLY!!!!! WHO gets locked inside a dagum terminal!!! After another 15 minutes a security person came and opened the doors... but Joe had needed to use the restroom facilities and the mass exodus was occurring while he was in the restroom... I'm shouting into the restroom that he HAS to come now before we are locked in again.... which.... yep... that is exactly what happened. We got locked in again!!! Except I was on one side of the door (free to exit the building), but Joe was trapped on the other side with a man, wife and baby. After a few minutes they were also released... but that was the craziest thing... to actually be locked inside the terminal! After waiting for the shuttle to take us to the rental car place, and another 1/2 hour in line waiting for our rental car.... we FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY arrived at our hotel at 3:45am and it was 4:00am before our tired bodies could crawl into bed and our aching heads could hit the pillow. And that's our story!!!
We were only able to catch a couple hours of sleep before we were scheduled to meet up with the NJ families to begin the 95th B-day celebration. Joe and I did managed to grab an hour power nap before we had to head out to the big B-Day bash event... and then after the bash Joe and I, along with his two brothers/wives, sister/husband, drove to Philadelphia for hoagies and cheese steak sandwichs for some private time together. A) it is tradition that we consume as many hoagies and cheese steaks possible during our NJ trips... B) we are NEVER disappointed with these DELISH treats... C) it is so rare these days that all us siblings/spouses have the opportunity to spend any quality time together anymore... we didn't get back to the hotel til 1:00am.... having to be up at 5:30am to start the whole airport process home again. Fortunately and Thankfully.... our travel experience home was quick and easy, no delays, no hassles! WHEW!!!! I'm not sure either of us would have been able to handle it if it had been a muck up again. Needless to say... both of our butts have been dragging from the time we got home. I'm taking today nice and slow... just putzing around the house and getting laundry done.
Nan's B-day bash was held in a banquet center, with a catered buffet. The family had decorated each table with balloons, small boxes of candy and a memorative candle for each guest. Joe's cousin (Kathy) who makes theme cakes, made the beautiful 3 tiered (each layer with it's own filling flavor)... it was all white with real red roses swirling up the side. The buffet consisted of baked savory chicken, stuffed shells, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, roast beef on rolls, tossed salad and a display of various cakes.... and there was also a candy bar set up with many sweet treats. Another of Joe's cousin's (Jenny) brought along a boombox with several CD's and declared herself the DJ of the evening. There was a dance floor that even had a mirrored disco ball hanging over. The songs played were a variety of oldies (played softly during dinner), then favorite dance tunes, as well as some Elvis, Country and a few slow dance songs. The dance floor was busy all night long... mostly with the youngsters (ages 2-12)... but some of us older kids also enjoyed bumping, jiving, hopping and twirling on the dance floor as well. It was just silly type of fun... the best kind of silly... the kind where you are with dear family and can allow the child in your to emerge and enjoy with full abandonment. I enjoyed watching the young children dancing all night long... out of 12 or more children in attendance, there wasn't a cry, whine, or tattle out of them all night long... it was just long distance cousins coming together and enjoying every single moment together possible.... they were just pure delightment!
We were soooo grateful that we actually did make it to NJ so that we could be there to celebrate with his family for his Nan's 95th B-day! It was a whirlwind visit with the Jame's Clan... but even with all our travel woes... it was definitely worth it!!! A GREAT time was had by all!!
In the end... I don't know how Joe and I managed to remain sooo calm, cool, and collected throughout that horrible, horrible, horrible day... but we did. I think we kept thinking that with each muck up it was the last, naively thinking that was the worst that could happen... and it does indeed make a great story that will be remembered and shared the rest of our lives!
As Pollyanna would say.... play the happy game... find goodness in everything... keep a positive heart and know that things will always get better in the end. The fun times we had with the family gathering and the new memories made during this visit... is, and ALWAYS will be totally worth the effort!
I am usually a "Pollyanna" type of person and try to see the good in all things and try hard to have patience for those times when I am not in control of a situation. However.... our travel experience trying to get to NJ on Friday is one for the books. Joe and I have been blessed to travel often, including many abroad trips... and we both agree that this was ABSOLUTELY the WORST EVER travel experience of our lives... we swear we are going to write a book about it... because it was just that ridiculous and I just must share the story... mind you, I am not venting... Joe and I amazingly stayed calm, cool, and collected throughout that horrible day, but it is one of 'those stories' that make you shake your head and wonder why we didn't turn around and just say 'forget it'!
Our day started out at 6:30am... Joe and I both did our fitness workouts, then we prepared the house for us being gone over the weekend. It is HOT HOT HOT here in Kansas... and the temperature was going to remain in the triple digits all weekend, so we had to make sure the pool had enough water in it to keep the pump running, watering and over-watering all the plants outside to make sure they wouldn't burn up in the heat. We left the house at 9:00am to make the hour trek to the airport in Wichita. We arrived at the airport at 10:00am for our 11:30am flight to Minneapolis, where we would make our connection flight to Philadelphia, then grab our rental car in Philadelphia to drive the 30 minutes to our destination in NJ... we were due to arrive in NJ at 7:30pm. That was how things were supposed to go!!
Minneapolis was experiencing horrible thunderstorms and our flight to Minneapolis got delayed 3 times... by the 3rd delay it was then impossible for us to be able to make our connection for Philadelphia, and eventually that flight got cancelled all together. So.... plan B began with Joe on the phone to the airlines rebooking us to Memphis as our connection spot... again this plane was delayed to the point we could not make our connection and all other flights out of Memphis were full.... so we get rebooked again... this time to Atlanta. While we were waiting in line at the ticket desk at the gate to get our boarding passes.... the fella in front of us was pitching such a fit for 30 minutes, that the ticket agents had to tell him they were no longer able to help him and would call security if he did not remove himself from the counter... so.... by the time they started trying to print our boarding passes to catch that flight... the flight actually shut the doors and took off as we were at the counter getting them printed. Plan C.... we were then rebooked to Atlanta yet again on a different flight... which Joe was in line for another hour and a half just trying to get those tickets printed. FINALLY at 6:00pm we boarded a flight to Atlanta... our connection would have us arriving in Philadelphia at midnight.
Ah.... but the story not only continues... it gets worse! Our flight out of Wichita to Atlanta got delayed on the tarmac because there were several planes in front of us waiting to taxi out... we were in a long line of planes waiting to depart... thus we arrived in Atlanta late. We had 15 minutes to get from terminal D in Atlanta to terminal A to make our connection... fortunately... that plane was also 20 minutes delayed, so Joe and I literally walked up to the boarding gates just as they were boarding and walked right onto the plane. After all the muck ups and frustrations from earlier in the day, they had put us in first class... row 2. The entire plane was boarded... everyone settled in and ready to taxi... when... they announced that there was a mechanical problem with the plane and we would have to get off the plane and wait for another plane to arrive at another gate. It took another 1/2 hour for the new plane to arrive and another 1/2 hour to get everyone to the new gate, boarded and ready for take off. Again we sat on the tarmac 1/2 hour waiting for our turn to taxi. But.... FINALLY after a long long day of airport hassles... at midnight we were on our way to Philadelphia. Joe and I grabbed a quick nap during that flight... THANKFULLY!! Once we landed, Joe and I were the 2nd and 3rd persons in line to get off the airplane... but then.... OH NO!!! We can't get off the plane because the jetway had blown a fuse and we had to wait for a mechanic to arrive and try to fix it. We waited 1/2 hour on the plane before the pilot said it couldn't be fixed and we would have to exit the plane from the tail. Like I said... we were in row 2... there were 44 rows... we were now the last people off the plane and the de-planing took another 1/2 hour. When we stepped off that plane, it was now 2:00am! Then... unbelievelably.... things continued to get worse.... the entire plane full of people got trapped inside the terminal because no one was left in the terminal and it was completely shut down and locked up. The sliding doors that lead out of the terminal were closed, secured with the alarm on. SERIOUSLY!!!!! WHO gets locked inside a dagum terminal!!! After another 15 minutes a security person came and opened the doors... but Joe had needed to use the restroom facilities and the mass exodus was occurring while he was in the restroom... I'm shouting into the restroom that he HAS to come now before we are locked in again.... which.... yep... that is exactly what happened. We got locked in again!!! Except I was on one side of the door (free to exit the building), but Joe was trapped on the other side with a man, wife and baby. After a few minutes they were also released... but that was the craziest thing... to actually be locked inside the terminal! After waiting for the shuttle to take us to the rental car place, and another 1/2 hour in line waiting for our rental car.... we FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY arrived at our hotel at 3:45am and it was 4:00am before our tired bodies could crawl into bed and our aching heads could hit the pillow. And that's our story!!!
We were only able to catch a couple hours of sleep before we were scheduled to meet up with the NJ families to begin the 95th B-day celebration. Joe and I did managed to grab an hour power nap before we had to head out to the big B-Day bash event... and then after the bash Joe and I, along with his two brothers/wives, sister/husband, drove to Philadelphia for hoagies and cheese steak sandwichs for some private time together. A) it is tradition that we consume as many hoagies and cheese steaks possible during our NJ trips... B) we are NEVER disappointed with these DELISH treats... C) it is so rare these days that all us siblings/spouses have the opportunity to spend any quality time together anymore... we didn't get back to the hotel til 1:00am.... having to be up at 5:30am to start the whole airport process home again. Fortunately and Thankfully.... our travel experience home was quick and easy, no delays, no hassles! WHEW!!!! I'm not sure either of us would have been able to handle it if it had been a muck up again. Needless to say... both of our butts have been dragging from the time we got home. I'm taking today nice and slow... just putzing around the house and getting laundry done.
Nan's B-day bash was held in a banquet center, with a catered buffet. The family had decorated each table with balloons, small boxes of candy and a memorative candle for each guest. Joe's cousin (Kathy) who makes theme cakes, made the beautiful 3 tiered (each layer with it's own filling flavor)... it was all white with real red roses swirling up the side. The buffet consisted of baked savory chicken, stuffed shells, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, roast beef on rolls, tossed salad and a display of various cakes.... and there was also a candy bar set up with many sweet treats. Another of Joe's cousin's (Jenny) brought along a boombox with several CD's and declared herself the DJ of the evening. There was a dance floor that even had a mirrored disco ball hanging over. The songs played were a variety of oldies (played softly during dinner), then favorite dance tunes, as well as some Elvis, Country and a few slow dance songs. The dance floor was busy all night long... mostly with the youngsters (ages 2-12)... but some of us older kids also enjoyed bumping, jiving, hopping and twirling on the dance floor as well. It was just silly type of fun... the best kind of silly... the kind where you are with dear family and can allow the child in your to emerge and enjoy with full abandonment. I enjoyed watching the young children dancing all night long... out of 12 or more children in attendance, there wasn't a cry, whine, or tattle out of them all night long... it was just long distance cousins coming together and enjoying every single moment together possible.... they were just pure delightment!
We were soooo grateful that we actually did make it to NJ so that we could be there to celebrate with his family for his Nan's 95th B-day! It was a whirlwind visit with the Jame's Clan... but even with all our travel woes... it was definitely worth it!!! A GREAT time was had by all!!
In the end... I don't know how Joe and I managed to remain sooo calm, cool, and collected throughout that horrible, horrible, horrible day... but we did. I think we kept thinking that with each muck up it was the last, naively thinking that was the worst that could happen... and it does indeed make a great story that will be remembered and shared the rest of our lives!
As Pollyanna would say.... play the happy game... find goodness in everything... keep a positive heart and know that things will always get better in the end. The fun times we had with the family gathering and the new memories made during this visit... is, and ALWAYS will be totally worth the effort!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Fireflies and Skeeters
It is definitely that time of year again.... when... the fireflies are out and the skeeters... aka mosquito's... are biting! I LOVE the fireflies... want to build a bat house for the skeeters! I have that really sweet blood that not only attracts the skeeters... but they literally eat me up! FYI.... I read that if you wear white skeeters will leave you alone... they don't like white fabric!
Fireflies, Lightening bugs, Glow bugs..... whatever you call them in your neck of the woods... they are one of my most favorite things about summer! The neighborhood where I used to live in Kentucky had millions... and I do mean millions of fireflies. One night when we were coming home late from a cookout... I noticed that the trees looked like someone had strung up twinkle lights... I thought this was such an odd thing to do during the summer... I would expect that more at Christmastime... but then... I realized it wasn't twinkle lights, but fireflies in the trees... seriously that is how many fireflies were in the trees. After that... my daughters and I would wait til dark and take a "firefly watch' walk. The fireflies would arrive in June and last through late July. Anytime we would have visitors staying at our house.. the "firefly watch" walk was always a MUST!! We have many memories of many "firefly watch" walks. I have just started to notice the fireflies here in the woods behind our house... and while they are always sweet to watch.. I still have never seen anything like the fireflies from our old neighborhood.
Of course... everyone remembers back to their childhood when catching fireflies in old mayonnaise jars was the thing to do each night while our parents sat in lawn chairs under the carport drinking iced tea and/or coffee and chatted/visited... my Dad drinks coffee from the time he gets up til the time he goes to bed... Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall!!!! Pots of it.... many many many pots of it! I myself, drink gallons of sweet tea... which is a very 'southern' thing!
As a child, I would run around all summer long barefoot... as much as possible... and hated it when summer break was over and it was time to don shoes again for school! We lived in a subdivision and all of the neighbors would gather at night... alternating houses each night... the parents talked, the kids played "hide and seek"... "ghosts in the graveyard".... "tag"... and "firefly catching".... and I also remember keeping the fireflies in a jar in my room at night to serve as a night light... my Mom always made us release the poor dears free in the morning. On those hot summer nights when the neighbors gathered in our yard and under our carport, my Mom always made kool aid ice cubes as treats for all us kids, and they were the PERFECT refreshment when you are hot and sweaty on a summer night. When it was time to go in for the night and take our baths... the bottom of our feet were literally black! Ahhhh.... but those truly were the good ole days... and I have to say that I think I had the absolute bestest childhood ever!
As an adult... I still enjoy watching the lightening bugs and remembering my childhood days, the days of my girls childhood, all our firefly walks, and looking forward to my Grandsons first summer when they ask GG for a jar to catch fireflies in.... and I'll make sure I have a couple on hand just for that purpose!
Fireflies always have, and always will bring a smile to my face as they remind me of the most perfect free summertime entertainment. But then... I've always been a sucker for twinkle lights too!
Twinkle Twinkle little firefly...
Fireflies, Lightening bugs, Glow bugs..... whatever you call them in your neck of the woods... they are one of my most favorite things about summer! The neighborhood where I used to live in Kentucky had millions... and I do mean millions of fireflies. One night when we were coming home late from a cookout... I noticed that the trees looked like someone had strung up twinkle lights... I thought this was such an odd thing to do during the summer... I would expect that more at Christmastime... but then... I realized it wasn't twinkle lights, but fireflies in the trees... seriously that is how many fireflies were in the trees. After that... my daughters and I would wait til dark and take a "firefly watch' walk. The fireflies would arrive in June and last through late July. Anytime we would have visitors staying at our house.. the "firefly watch" walk was always a MUST!! We have many memories of many "firefly watch" walks. I have just started to notice the fireflies here in the woods behind our house... and while they are always sweet to watch.. I still have never seen anything like the fireflies from our old neighborhood.
Of course... everyone remembers back to their childhood when catching fireflies in old mayonnaise jars was the thing to do each night while our parents sat in lawn chairs under the carport drinking iced tea and/or coffee and chatted/visited... my Dad drinks coffee from the time he gets up til the time he goes to bed... Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall!!!! Pots of it.... many many many pots of it! I myself, drink gallons of sweet tea... which is a very 'southern' thing!
As a child, I would run around all summer long barefoot... as much as possible... and hated it when summer break was over and it was time to don shoes again for school! We lived in a subdivision and all of the neighbors would gather at night... alternating houses each night... the parents talked, the kids played "hide and seek"... "ghosts in the graveyard".... "tag"... and "firefly catching".... and I also remember keeping the fireflies in a jar in my room at night to serve as a night light... my Mom always made us release the poor dears free in the morning. On those hot summer nights when the neighbors gathered in our yard and under our carport, my Mom always made kool aid ice cubes as treats for all us kids, and they were the PERFECT refreshment when you are hot and sweaty on a summer night. When it was time to go in for the night and take our baths... the bottom of our feet were literally black! Ahhhh.... but those truly were the good ole days... and I have to say that I think I had the absolute bestest childhood ever!
As an adult... I still enjoy watching the lightening bugs and remembering my childhood days, the days of my girls childhood, all our firefly walks, and looking forward to my Grandsons first summer when they ask GG for a jar to catch fireflies in.... and I'll make sure I have a couple on hand just for that purpose!
Fireflies always have, and always will bring a smile to my face as they remind me of the most perfect free summertime entertainment. But then... I've always been a sucker for twinkle lights too!
Twinkle Twinkle little firefly...
Monday, July 4, 2011
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!
The 4th of July... and what it means to me...
SUMMERTIME.... as in the PEAK of summer
HOT HOT HOT SUNSHINE
Flags flying/waving
Parades
Festivals on Main street
Bands playing with lots of fife and drums
Baseball
Pool time... swimming (with those wonderful smells of chlorine and coppertone sun tan lotion in the air)... boating... going to the lake... skiing... splashing... tubing
Family and/or friends gathering to celebrate the long weekend and the holiday
Cookouts (good ole American standards of hamburgers, hotdogs... aka weenies..., ribs, potato salad, watermelon, apple pie)
Homemade ice cream.... and taking turns doing the churning... the old fashion crank style way!
Laughter/Giggles
Fireflies... watching them... catching them and keeping them in an old mayonnaise jar... using them as a night light and then releasing them in the morning
Fire crackers... ALL day long!!!
Sparklers... including a burnt finger or two!!! those dang metal sticks get pretty hot!
Americana clothing being worn by everyone, everywhere
Flip flops
Going to the park to watch the fireworks displays while laying on blankets or sitting in camping chairs
and the finale of all the OOOHHS and AHHHHSS with each explosion of light bursts while watching fireworks being set off
Kissing under the moon
We Americans are very blessed to be living in a free country for 235 years!... celebrate it with all the charming traditions of the day... fly your flag, beat your drums, set off your firecrackers, have a cookout... and enjoy spending the day with who you are with!
SUMMERTIME.... as in the PEAK of summer
HOT HOT HOT SUNSHINE
Flags flying/waving
Parades
Festivals on Main street
Bands playing with lots of fife and drums
Baseball
Pool time... swimming (with those wonderful smells of chlorine and coppertone sun tan lotion in the air)... boating... going to the lake... skiing... splashing... tubing
Family and/or friends gathering to celebrate the long weekend and the holiday
Cookouts (good ole American standards of hamburgers, hotdogs... aka weenies..., ribs, potato salad, watermelon, apple pie)
Homemade ice cream.... and taking turns doing the churning... the old fashion crank style way!
Laughter/Giggles
Fireflies... watching them... catching them and keeping them in an old mayonnaise jar... using them as a night light and then releasing them in the morning
Fire crackers... ALL day long!!!
Sparklers... including a burnt finger or two!!! those dang metal sticks get pretty hot!
Americana clothing being worn by everyone, everywhere
Flip flops
Going to the park to watch the fireworks displays while laying on blankets or sitting in camping chairs
and the finale of all the OOOHHS and AHHHHSS with each explosion of light bursts while watching fireworks being set off
Kissing under the moon
We Americans are very blessed to be living in a free country for 235 years!... celebrate it with all the charming traditions of the day... fly your flag, beat your drums, set off your firecrackers, have a cookout... and enjoy spending the day with who you are with!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A Stroll in the Park
Here in Hutchinson Kansas we have a "Main Street Gathering Spot"... which is a mini park in the middle of downtown on Main street. At the edge of Main street sits a pavilion where local bands set up to play music of all sorts from the start of spring til late fall... until the weather is too cold. Surrounding the pavilion are grassy knolls with a man-made stream running down the center.
Joe and I typically head to our favorite Italian Bistro each Friday night to have "Date Night"... where we usually run into several local folks whom we chat and visit and/or share a beverage with. It reminds me of "Cheers"... "where everyone knows your name" kinda of place. Even on the nights that we don't run into anyone we know... it is still a very quaint place with wonderful food to spend our Date Night.
Last night after dinner, Joe and I decided to stroll along Main street and enjoy the heat of the night... it was still 98 degrees at 9:00pm!!! As we approached the park, we saw a band setting up with several families and couples gathered to listen and enjoy on the grassy knolls the music of the night... they were sitting in folding chairs, lawn chairs, camping chairs, on the stone wall surrounding the park, sitting on blankets, lying on blankets and/or just sitting hinnie to grass on the grassy knoll. The atmosphere was one of total relaxation and enjoyment. There were old couples, young couples, newly dating couples, children, families, families who brought their children's friends with them. There was soft chatting, group chatting, but mostly LOTS of laughter and giggling, and children running and giggling. Talk about a page out of time... it was totally like a scene straight from Andy Griffith and Mayberry!
Joe and I sat on the concrete wall surrounding the park and just enjoyed 'people watching'. My favorite was watching the children of all ages running and chasing each other, giggling as they dipped in and out of the water in the man-made stream, with parents watching carefully to make sure they didn't get hurt, but also delightfully enjoying the pure raw innocent fun their children were having. There were two Hutchinson City policemen strolling around the edge of the park... stopping now and then to enjoy the music... one of them reminded me of my Grandfather. My Grandfather used to own and run a Security Police business and was often one of the guards himself. He truly was my most favorite person to watch last night, because it has been a long long time since he passed away, and since I have seen anyone who even remotely reminded me of him... Grandpa was a very special and unique character indeed!!!
I felt like I was actually in a Norman Rockwell painting last night or in an episode of Andy Griffith. It was one of the most charming nights I have spent since the time when I was a child in my own small hometown of Jeffersontown Kentucky.
Joe and I will spend the rest of this 4th of July weekend strolling through downtown Main Street... watching the parades, watching the firework displays, people watching, and enjoying being a part of this lovely little town we now call home. Wish you were here with us to see and enjoy the charm and innocence of days gone by... that haven't gone by at all... because they are still here in Hutchinson Kansas!
HAPPY 4th OF JULY to all.... Be safe and have fun in this land of FREEDOM... The Good Ole USA!!!
Joe and I typically head to our favorite Italian Bistro each Friday night to have "Date Night"... where we usually run into several local folks whom we chat and visit and/or share a beverage with. It reminds me of "Cheers"... "where everyone knows your name" kinda of place. Even on the nights that we don't run into anyone we know... it is still a very quaint place with wonderful food to spend our Date Night.
Last night after dinner, Joe and I decided to stroll along Main street and enjoy the heat of the night... it was still 98 degrees at 9:00pm!!! As we approached the park, we saw a band setting up with several families and couples gathered to listen and enjoy on the grassy knolls the music of the night... they were sitting in folding chairs, lawn chairs, camping chairs, on the stone wall surrounding the park, sitting on blankets, lying on blankets and/or just sitting hinnie to grass on the grassy knoll. The atmosphere was one of total relaxation and enjoyment. There were old couples, young couples, newly dating couples, children, families, families who brought their children's friends with them. There was soft chatting, group chatting, but mostly LOTS of laughter and giggling, and children running and giggling. Talk about a page out of time... it was totally like a scene straight from Andy Griffith and Mayberry!
Joe and I sat on the concrete wall surrounding the park and just enjoyed 'people watching'. My favorite was watching the children of all ages running and chasing each other, giggling as they dipped in and out of the water in the man-made stream, with parents watching carefully to make sure they didn't get hurt, but also delightfully enjoying the pure raw innocent fun their children were having. There were two Hutchinson City policemen strolling around the edge of the park... stopping now and then to enjoy the music... one of them reminded me of my Grandfather. My Grandfather used to own and run a Security Police business and was often one of the guards himself. He truly was my most favorite person to watch last night, because it has been a long long time since he passed away, and since I have seen anyone who even remotely reminded me of him... Grandpa was a very special and unique character indeed!!!
I felt like I was actually in a Norman Rockwell painting last night or in an episode of Andy Griffith. It was one of the most charming nights I have spent since the time when I was a child in my own small hometown of Jeffersontown Kentucky.
Joe and I will spend the rest of this 4th of July weekend strolling through downtown Main Street... watching the parades, watching the firework displays, people watching, and enjoying being a part of this lovely little town we now call home. Wish you were here with us to see and enjoy the charm and innocence of days gone by... that haven't gone by at all... because they are still here in Hutchinson Kansas!
HAPPY 4th OF JULY to all.... Be safe and have fun in this land of FREEDOM... The Good Ole USA!!!
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About Me
- Vickie G
- I am a short little lady with a passion for cooking and pilates. I have been married for 31 years to my high school sweetheart (my soulmate and love of my life!!!) and we have 3 amazing daughters. I am 50 years old and love living life with as much zest as possible.