Every Sunday

At the beginning of my VHS of Summer Stock, a 1950s movie musical starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland, there is a "tabloid musical" called Every Sunday where Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin try to rustle up a crowd to listen to a concert in the park.

Columbia doesn't have to worry about its citizens being interested in an outdoor concert.

Flat Jason and I went to Shelter Gardens to see the final concert of the season on Sunday. Although it had been rather hot all day, it was comfortable in the shade. There was quite a crowd, but most were in lawn chairs. We were able to lay our sheet right out front. We shared a picnic dinner, complete with sparkling grape juice.

We even shared with a cute curly-haired dog whose person was sitting behind us. The poor thing almost got into a scrap with another dog sitting nearby, but their people held them off.

We stood for the national anthem, and the concert began. They had a lot of fun music, but I think I liked the bits and pieces from Beauty and the Beast best. Flat Jason even perked up near the end when they played a salute to veterans. They asked the service members to stand when their music was played. FJ doesn't like to call attention to himself, so instead of standing, he sat up straight...and then promptly returned to his leisurely reclining.

The band played for an hour, but I think it was over much too quickly. It was a nice way to spend the evening.

Someone in Kosovo hearts me

We're officially more than 100 days into the deployment, only 42 weeks to go. Jason has been great about calling and e-mailing. He even surprised me with flowers and, most recently, a t-shirt.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. And for hanging out and talking with me. It really means a lot.

Saturday in the park...

Flat Jason volunteered to be my roady this weekend as I traveled to New London for the sesquicentennial. (That's 150 years.) They had a parade and lots of activities around the courthouse square. We stopped by Extension's booth. They had a smoothie cycle that 4-H'ers were using to make smoothies and encouraging others to make their own. It was right up Jason's alley: a healthy snack and exercise. He was glad he came.

Later, we went to the mall and Hobby Lobby. We also checked out a free event where the farmers market usually is. It was crazy-crowded, so we went to Stephens Lake Park. Our friends, the Lancasters, were enjoying a lovely evening outside. We joined their small party and visited until dark.

Impromptu Bowling

Flat Jason and I were invited to go bowling with Brian and Kathleen. We went to Town and Country late, around 9 p.m., because games are half price. Good thing to know in case you have some free time on your hands. And talk about cheap fun --the bowling alley gives out these scratchers tickets that have bowling-related prizes on them, and Brian had an extra one for a free shoe rental. Sweet! Anyway, we met their friend Rick, who didn't talk a lot. I probably made up for that.

I was totally inspired by Kathleen's bowling shoes. She bought a pair of amazing purple shoes to wear because they bowl so frequently. (Brian has his own shoes AND ball...that's how much they bowl.) So, I'm looking for a pair of crazy shoes myself.

We couldn't squeeze two games into one hour, but I'm sure you're all super curious how the game turned out. My stellar score was 72. Sigh. I usually get closer to 100, but it takes a game or two to warm up. Oh, well. At least, I wasn't in last place!

After the game, we got some Shake's. (Or is it Shakey's, Brian?)It was a nice evening, so we sat out on the patio enjoying our frozen custard and chatting with a nice family with a young girl who looked like she was wearing as much dessert as she had eaten. Everybody loves Shakes!

At last, an evening with Willie

Holy cow! I just had the most wonderful evening!

Flat Jason and I met our good friend Sara at Shakespeare's Pizza for dinner. We also purchased a t-shirt, which you can see FJ was excited to model. We enjoyed some cheesy bread and then our pizza.

Then we changed into our concert attire. Sara, our Willie Nelson aficionado, brought t-shirts for Flat Jason and me to wear to the concert. After we were properly outfitted, we headed to Jesse Auditorium.

The concert was amazing! But c'mon, did you expect less? It's Willie Nelson! He played all the old favorites, some new tunes and a surprising number of gospel hymns. I certainly enjoyed them, and I was pleasantly surprised that everyone else did, too. People were dancing in the aisles.

After the concert, we headed outside to get a photo with the tour bus. Check out the sweet shirts Sara let us borrow!

Planting time

After church, we changed our clothes and headed to Jane's house. She gave us some salad and coffee cake. Then we went outside to plant.

It was pretty warm outside, so Jane decided we were just going to plant her rosebush. She said it's a cabbage rose. Her mother planted it on the farm in Virginia. Jane's sister-in-law, who still lives on the farm, sent her a couple slips of it to plant and grow in her garden. I dug a hole and watered the soil. I wasn't too careful with the hose, and I squirted FJ pretty good. Luckily, it was hot outside; he dried quickly. We planted and staked the rose, and then we went back inside to chat.

I was inspired by Jane's garden project, so when we got home, we went to work on mine behind the duplex. Weed-pulling was the task of the day. It was still terribly hot, so we took several breaks, but we got it done.

A nice visit with Jane and size discrimination at Hollywood Theaters

Flat Jason and I got up and went to the market again this week. Peaches, blueberries, blackberries, corn-on-the-cob, zucchini and yellow squash. What a bounty! We also picked up some honey ice cream in mocha flavor.

Then, we stopped by to visit with Jane. She seems to be doing well. We visited a bit and ate a wonderful piece of coffee cake that she had made. She mentioned that she had a couple of things that needed to be planted. We volunteered to come back on Sunday afternoon to plant them.

Later that afternoon, we went to see Mamma Mia! at Hollywood. I was super-excited; Flat Jason was less so. We hit the concession stand before the movie. That was where we met Aaron, who was completing his first day of work at Hollywood. He was a nice guy, even posed for a photo with FJ.

However, the guy that was taking tickets was not nice. I didn't get his name, but he informed me that Flat Jason could not accompany me into the theater. When I asked why, he said that FJ was too big. Interesting, I think, because FJ is, in fact, a bit smaller than the real Jason. I told the Meanie that I could put Flat Jason in front of me on the floor, but he still insisted that I couldn't take him in. Instead, Meanie locked FJ in the "office" all by himself. I couldn't believe it, but I didn't want to cause a scene, so I went ahead and watched the movie.

I thought Mamma Mia! was very enjoyable, and to make it up to FJ for getting put in the big-people jail, we stopped by Wal-Mart and bought the movie soundtrack. Then, we went home and had an ABBA dance party. Sweet!

Sometimes it's a God thing...

I had to make a trip to the mall on Saturday afternoon and I just happened to run into Laura, a fellow married-but-single. We stopped in at the Asain store in the mall. I'm not sure of its name, but it had tons of fun bamboo and Asian decorating items.

We checked out a few other stores. Then Laura suggested we get pedicures. I was up for an adventure! We went to California Nails for some special treatment. I got a deep red color for my polish. Laura got a pink color to match a dress she's wearing to her brother's wedding.

I was pretty excited until I had to take off my shoes and sit in the chair. That's when embarrassment set in. My legs were covered in those darn mosquito bites, and I felt like a leper. But the guy doing my feet didn't say anything.


Afterward, we stopped a few other stores and ate dinner at Sonic. A cold front was moving in, and we finished our meal quickly. I never knew it could be that chilly in July!

The best part was Laura said she had thought about calling me, but she figured I would be busy. I definitely was not, and I was totally glad that we ran into each other. It really brightened up my gloomy evening.

A Day at the Market

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day...what better to do than to visit the local farmers market? FJ and I gave our empty egg cartons to an egg producer for reuse. We also picked up some blackberries and corn-on-the-cob.

There was quite a selection of produce. Thankfully, I had a limited supply of cash, so I wasn't tempted to be extra produce that might spoil before it got eaten.

I also realized just how ravenous the mosquitoes were at Cooper's Landing. My legs and feet were covered in small red bumps, and they itch like CRAZY!!!

Crooked Jack at Cooper's Landing

Friday night was a special treat. Flat Jason and I went down to Cooper's Landing to see Crooked Jack. A girl I work with and one of the editors at the Missourian play in the band. They do old-timey, folksy, bluesy kind of music. I like them. We met a few people from work and the Whistance brothers, very fun guys.

We grabbed a beer, an ice cream and a picnic table close to the music. I also ordered some delicious Thai food: ginger, pork, cashews...yummm!
The night was gorgeous. There was a slight breeze and a beautiful sunset. We had a great view of it across the river.

Fireworks and more!

Happy Independence Day! Flat Jason and I celebrated the 4th of July by pulling some furniture out of storage and hanging out with family in Chillicothe, Mo., including fam visiting from Colorado and Alabama. Fun times and talk about a crowd at the Meneely mansion!

When we arrived, we were introduced to a game called Corn Hole. I'm proud to say that I'm better at Corn Hole than I am at Washers, but that really doesn't take too much. We warmed up with Corn Hole before breaking to eat food prepared by the Chefs Meneely.

Then we waited for nearly 30 minutes as the boys figured out a suitable bracket for our washers competition, complete with team names and a losers' bracket. Lauren and I paired up again with mixed results. The A-Team, as we were named, beat only one team: Art and the Farm. Happily, it was one more than we won last time we played. I think Lauren and I should practice some more...

After the tournament, which the Avengers (Megan and Steve) won, we headed into town to watch the fireworks show. According to those familiar with the usual Chillicothe show, it was not impressive, but I enjoyed the show. Then we went back to the house to watch more fireworks.

And, as requested, I posted a clip of the day's events on Youtube.com:

Lunch with two of my favorite men

Flat Jason and I occasionally go out for lunch after church on Sundays. Last Sunday, we went out to eat with AJ at McAlister's Deli. I made sure to get their famous sweet tea, even though Jason prefers to skip the sugar. I really like going there. It's always quiet and peaceful and the food is great. It's also pretty cool that they play Christian music.

Discover the Magic of 4-H

One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to meet cool 4-H'ers. I went to a military family camp at Camp Cloverpoint sponsored by University of Missouri Extension 4-H and Operation: Military Kids. The camp was Harry Potter-themed. The families learned about 4-H, competed in contests, sang songs and did other fun things. Since it was a military camp, I brought FJ along. He got to hang out with some of the counselors: Orin, Kelli Jo and Elliot.

Pet-sitter Extraordinaire

Flat Jason is pretty dependable. When he says he'll do something, he always follows through. He also doesn't do a lot of traveling, which makes him a great pet-sitter. This summer, he's already helped out a few friends.

At the end of May, we took care of Kodiak Holderieath for a few days while Mandi traveled. We got to play catch and take long walks together. A fun fact about Kodiak: her eyes are two different colors!

Last month, Thor and Chicken Plasse stayed with us for about a week. They weren't as fun to play with as Kodiak, but FJ really enjoyed watching the hermit crabs move the shells around their tank. In fact, he was a little bummed out when he had to give them back to AJ.

Now I'm wondering if I should get Flat Jason his own pet...