It's My Life

Every September for the past three years we have gathered our friends and embarked on a camping trip at a local county park, Smithville Lake. We started off with 8 families, 14 children, and a total of 30 people spending one night under the stars.  This year we had 12 families, 16 kids, and a total of 36 people and for the first time ever we had more people spend two nights and not one. The weather this year resembled the first camping trip three years ago. Our first night was pretty brutal. The wind was strong up till about nine p.m. and then the clouds blew away and the temperature dropped.  Those of us who have been to every camping trip had a jolly time of reminiscing about the similarities!  Each year we have some type of "organized" activity. I based this year's theme on games from my childhood. My mother always took us to small town celebrations where we played the funniest games. This year's theme was Family Competition.  Luckily for us the cold,...

Disney World. Some parents cringe at the sound of it. Some parents tolerate it for the love of their children. Then there are the category of parents like I am in. I live for visits and trips to the Happiest Place on Earth. And our countdown to return to this magical place just hit single digits! Hot on the trail of our last Disney World trip (March 2013 ) I began making plans to return with some good friends of ours. They have a little girl the same age as The Short Chic and thought it would be awesome to go as a group so their daughter would have someone to share the experience with. As we began planning and decision making (on property vs off property/ driving vs flying) my husband suggested we reach out to a friend who has a Disney time share. He had offered us some time in the past. Not only did he agree to sell us some points he also agreed to go with us. That is how we became #DisneyPartyofTen ! Slowly we have observed milestones in our countdown. We customized our ...

Any other weekend it looks just like a farmer's field accessed by a country road off an under-traveled state highway. It is no different than the other farmer's fields that surround it. That all changes on Labor Day Weekend. That is when the farmer's field  transforms into a launching pad for a Hot Air Balloon Festival that has been occurring every Labor Day for the past thirty-eight years. The Great Pershing Balloon Derby occurs just west of Brookfield, Missouri every Labor Day weekend.  The festivities need a small amount of luck; the weather conditions have to be perfect to fly a hot air balloon. So, if the rain stays at bay and the winds are low it is worth the drive to this north-central community to see the balloons. The schedule is pretty much the same every year. There is a flight and night glow Friday night, Saturday and Sunday evenings of the festival. There is also morning flights on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings. There are small town festi...

Labor Day Weekend we achieved one of our 2014 goals. We visited our fifth state park in a year and earned our Camper's Award from the State of Missouri. Long Branch State Park is located in Macon, Missouri right at the intersection of 36 and 63 Highways. For those of you from the Kansas City area it reminds me a lot of Smithville Lake. The lake is completely the focus of this state park. We explored the lake by driving around. It was apparent really quickly that this lake is huge. Not only did we find Long Branch Lake but we also found Macon Lake. Both entertained us. Long Branch has a camping area with electric hook-ups but they also have primitive camping available as well as hike-in camping. Our campsite was located in a tree grove which provided great coverage from the sun.  The shade coverage provided us with amazing sleep both nights because the sun was kept at bay. We also enjoyed two rain showers during our holiday weekend. We like to hike during our state par...

This week we have to say "see you soon" to some dear friends. Their life journey is taking them away from Kansas City and across the country. I have spent some time reflecting on our friendship and time together.  I met my friend Meeghan in graduate school before I was married; back when it was just The Boy and I. Meeghan's husband grew up in a small Kansas town which is where she lived when we met. Meeghan introduced us to her husband's childhood best friend and his wife ((Glen and Jen) when they moved to Kansas City. All three of us ended up having little girls that were exactly six months apart. The Short Chic is the youngest.  Through the years we have had a lot of fun memories. Fourth of July parties in a small Kansas town. A lot of birthday parties. Even swimming and gymnastics all at different times. There have been so many social gatherings in the years that we have been friends.   Baby brothers have been added to the mix. Older brother...

I have seen a few of these around campsites and I knew I would like to have one. The only problem that I had is The Husband. He already thinks we drag too much stuff with us when we go camping and if I had told him my desire to have a PVC Camping Light Pole he would have shut it down quickly! So, that leaves a girl with only one choice: Figure out how to do it by herself. I did some internet searching and found a few road maps on RV forums. They seemed easy enough! I visited the local hardware store for the supplies: An exterior post lantern light 2 inch PVC pipe (I used 5 feet but had to purchase a 10 foot piece) A 3 inch toilet flange A 3 inch to 2 inch Reducer PVC Glue A 12 foot electric cord kit 2 - 3/4 inch PVC Caps I also used a few supplies we already had on hand: White Spray Paint 3 1/2 foot - 3/4 inch PVC Pipe Drill Bits (1 inch and 1/2 inch) Tent Stakes The first step was preparing the lantern light. I could only find black i...

 We started school today. The Short Chic started first grade. She was so excited. She allowed me to walk her to the bus but that was it.  Her favorite food is cheese pizza. Her favorite thing to drink is Sprite (but she only gets it with pizza!) Her favorite tv show is Jessie!  When she grows up she wants to be a Disney actress, a dancer, a gymnast, and a designer. (She believes in keeping her options open!) She hates to clean her bedroom or pick up after herself. She also does not like bugs or crawfish.  She loves Monster High and American Girl Dolls. He is a Senior. Today was his last first day. Well, except for college. He recently decided he might want to be a teacher when he grows up. His favorite food is Mexican Food. His recently gave up drinking soda.  He loves sports. He hates vegetables. He spent the afternoon getting a job (the second one this week). He starts tomorrow afternoon. I can't believe he is graduating in nine months!