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...