Mother's Day

Flat Jason and I went to my parents house for Mother's Day, but we made sure to call his mom. We had a nice lunch, and Flat Jason helped Lauren make one of his favorite desserts - chocolate trifle. (Long "I," as in rifle.) Then the girls retired to the family room to watch P.S. I love you. FJ didn't come; he avoids chick flicks when he can. John and Dad would have done well to follow his example. They both got tired of it and left the viewing area. Good thing, too. We girls were getting tired of the "I-can't-believe-you're-watching-this" groaning!

After the movie, we went to eat dinner at Grandma Schad's house. We didn't have the normal-sized crowd, but it was good to visit with those who came. Mom even posed for a photo with Flat Jason before we left.

So, happy Mother's Day, Mom and Ann...and Grandma! And, to the new mother, Stefani, of my new nephew, Oliver.

Flowers for our fourth anniversary

Weekend Wrap-up

Whew! What a week this has been -- Week 54! It seems like Flat Jason and I have been going non-stop. I told you about our adventures at the roller rink on Monday...

On Tuesday, I went riding with my bike-buddy Jeremy. For the past couple of years, a group of people from University of Missouri and MU Extension have been riding bikes in a loop around town on Tuesday nights. They saddle up at Flat Branch, cross the MU campus, travel some trails in town and end back at Flat Branch. Often, there's time for beer and fun afterward. Well, the Tour de Flat Branch hasn't started yet, but Jeremy and I are trying to get ready for it. This makes our second ride together this season. We've been hitting the Bear Creek Trail. Lessons learned: Properly inflated tires require significantly less effort to propel. Skinny tires don't work well around the lake. Giant hills are WAY more fun to go down.

On Wednesday, I got to pick up my prize from the Bike Fest drawing. I got a headlight and a tool kit! That night, I was supposed to go to a 4-H event, but it got rained out. Instead, I visited with Mandi and some people from her church. We mostly talked about being military wives, something we all have in common, while we ate at Culver's. (If you're going there, you should get the bananas foster sundae. It's to die for!) I also finally connected with a couple of family readiness group people, and it looks like they may start a support group for all of us left-out wives in Central Missouri.

On Thursday, I drove to St. Louis to see Tracy. We rocked out at "Barrage-apalooza," as Matt called it. This sweet band named Barrage was playing at a local high school. I've been in love with their music for years, and they actually toured close enough for me to go see them. There are six people in the group that play fiddle, and others play drums, acoustic guitar and bass guitar. They have so much energy. It's just incredible!

Friday, Stevie V. came to town. It'd been a while since we'd seen him, so Flat Jason and I met Steven and Esther at Gumby's Pizza for some pizza goodness and Pokey Stix. Then we went bowling. We played two games and scored the same number of points each game. I was proud that I got a strike, and I broke 100. My bowling game isn't what it used to be. (Not that it was great to start with!)

Eggs Delicious

Jason and I stayed at Huber's Ferry Bed & Breakfast after our Valentine's Day wedding. Our breakfast was so delicious! We had homemade bread, locally grown and processed sausage, a layered fruit dish and what Jason and I call Eggs Delicious. They were amazing -- so amazing that I asked for the recipe and have made them several times since. I even took them to work and everyone raved about them. So, I decided to share the recipe with you and encourage you to stay at Huber's Ferry Bed & Breakfast. It is a cute place, and the couple that runs it is fabulous!

Eggs Delicious (AKA Savory Eggs)

2 (10-12) servings
2 oz. (8 oz.) Kraft Old English cheese
1/2 tab. (3 T) butter, cubed
1/3 c. (1 c.) half and half
1/8 tsp. (1/2 tsp.) salt
1/16 tsp. (1/4 tsp.) pepper
1 tsp. (1 T) Dijon mustard
5 (14) eggs
1 tsp. (1 T) chopped chives
2/3 c. (2 c.) grated sharp cheddar cheese
dash (dash or 2) paprika

1) Butter 2 2/3-cup ramekins or a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Cover bottom with Old English cheese. Top cheese with dots of butter.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together half and half, salt, pepper and mustard. Set aside.
3) In another bowl, beat eggs and chives.
4) Pour half of cream mixture over cheese.
5) Pour eggs over cream mixture. Top with remaining cream mixture.
6) Top with grated cheddar cheese and paprika. (May be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point.)
7) Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cinco de Mayo

When I remembered today was Cinco de Mayo, I lamented the fact that the gang wasn't going to get together for Mexican food or to swing a stick at a donkey pinata like we had in the past. But, then I remembered that I was going roller skating at Empire Roller Rink for Bike, Walk and Wheel Week and I got excited! It's been a while since I've been roller skating, and I have to admit I was a little nervous, nervous enough that I didn't skate on the floor with Flat Jason. He stayed safely in the booth with AJ and watched the skaters make their rounds. FJ even got to meet Hannah Montana!

While FJ was making friends in the sound booth, I was making friends of my own. I met a cute little girl named Annie.

She was a little shaky on her skates, so we went around the floor a few times. Then she got in line to limbo and did a great job! She was one of the winners! I also met a sweet little girl name DeArial. (I hope I spelled that right, girl.) She was a little shaky on her skates, too. As it turns out, she lives across from the park near my house. What a coincidence! AJ took photos of us skating together. Look, that's us over Jason's shoulder!

I've never had a chance to participate in the Bike, Walk and Wheel Week before. I've always been too busy, or at least that's what I told myself. This year, I'm making time, and it really has been great. I went to Bike Fest on Lowry Mall the other day to find out more about this special week and what accessories I could get for my bike to make it safer to ride. Turns out my name was selected in a prize drawing and I get to pick it up on Wednesday. I can't wait!

Happy Birthday! Happy Prom!

Happy day! Lauren's birthday was Saturday -- the same day as the Eldon High School prom. She has been working with the prom committee all semester to make sure that the entertainment was going to be a live band named The Marquette Weekend from St. Charles. The band arrived at 4 p.m. to set up. I helped finish putting together the stage and arranging decorations to make sure the band had enough extension cords. Then, I headed to Jefferson City to take some photos in the Governor's Garden to take photos of Lauren and her friends. (For more photos of Lauren and company, see my Facebook album.) After photos, we went back to Eldon for prom.

Mr. White got roped into chaperoning the dance. We chatted for a while. I learned about a few things that happened after I left for college and something interesting about Mr. White: turns out he did some writing for the National Guard. Who knew?

Loved The Marquette Weekend! I've been wanting to hear them for a while. That's one of the reasons I crashed prom. Plus, c'mon -- a live band beats a DJ any day! I made sure they knew it was Lauren's birthday, and they played one of her favorite songs: Euphoria. What great guys! Happy birthday, Lauren!

Eldon FFA Banquet

It's FFA Chapter Banquet time. I headed down to Eldon on May 1 to see what was going on with the Eldon FFA and take a few photos on the side. Flat Jason and I loaded up on some carbs while we visited with Grandma and Mom and Dad. I'm not sure if I told you, but Dad was elected to the school board. This was the second event that I've been to with him that he had to stand up and be recognized. It's kind of weird to me, but so far I think he likes it -- being on the school board, I mean, not getting everyone to look at him. Ha! I spent most of my evening hanging out with Tim Flora and taking photos of the students. This is the second or third year that the ag department has used a backdrop, and I think it makes a big difference. Now if they could only teach the kids how to "window up" for their photos! Anyway, the chapter has been really successful this year. They even have two teams, Parliamentary Procedure and Ag Sales, that won at state contest and will compete at National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this fall.

After the banquet, Lauren, FJ and I headed over to the high school gym where there was much prom decorating to be done. We checked out the sweet Eiffel Tower and scoped out where the band was going to be. Prom is going to be on Lauren's birthday and The Marquette Weekend, a live band from St. Charles, is going to be there.