A Weekend of Coffee, Hammocks, and Celebrations: Our Fun-Filled Adventures

Coffee and Breakfast

What a great weekend! Saturday morning found Carrie and me at Circle Coffee for a late breakfast and coffee. I had not been to Circle Coffee in a few months, so it was good to be back. We sat on the patio to enjoy the beautiful morning. After coffee, we headed to the hardware store to get some things. We needed to repair the hammock so that we could get it working and ready for the spring weather. We also needed to pick up some items to hang pictures in my office at work. It was a productive morning for us, which was good.

Carrie helped hang pictures in my office that I moved into back in December. I had not had a chance to hang any pictures and wanted Carrie to help with the process. I also took the opportunity of a Saturday in the office to clean out two boxes that I had not cleaned out since moving into my new office. It looks much better now.

After finishing up the hanging of pictures and putting things away at my office, we headed home. Carrie and Oliver spent some time in the hammock after we got it hung up and working properly. Oliver gets so excited when either one of us heads out to the hammock.

Saturday night, Carrie wanted to go to Free State in Lawrence, so we headed there around five for dinner. We had not been to Free State in a long time, so it was good to have dinner and some delicious Free State beer. Carrie picked Free State for her birthday celebration. Good pick! We enjoyed a few Cyclist beers and a wonderful meal. We picked up Erin and Greg on our way to Lawrence and met Joan and Eddie there for dinner. After dinner, Erin, Greg, Carrie, and I went out in Lawrence and had a good time. It was busy in Lawrence. We finished the evening at John Brown Underground, which Carrie and I had been to previously, but Erin and Greg had not. Fun spot with interesting drinks.

A good Sunday so far with me riding this morning on Peloton, and after the bike ride, I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. It was good because I was able to talk to the neighbors to the east and south of us, as we had not seen each other in a few months with all the cold and nasty weather. It was good to be able to catch up with both.

Oliver in his Bed

I leave you with a photo of Oliver in our backyard that Carrie took earlier this week when I was on my way back to Topeka after being out of town. He loves his bed and he loves hanging out in the backyard, especially if Carrie or I can be out there with him. If we go inside, he wants inside and then wants to go right back out to the backyard. It is a vicious cycle of in and out with him and our backyard.

Have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week.

Exploring Miami and Sailing the Seas: Our Unforgettable Virgin Voyages Adventure

Arrival in Miami

View from Plane

Carrie and I went on our first Virgin Voyages cruise back in 2023, and we liked it so much that we signed up for a second cruise while we were still on the ship. We went on our second cruise from March 28 through April 2. It was another wonderful time, and we're already thinking about our next cruise on Virgin. We started this trip by spending two days in Miami before departing. We really like Miami and wanted to spend time there before leaving on our trip.

Hotel Pool View for Afternoon

We flew down early on the morning of Wednesday, March 26. We had a low-key first day, spending the day at the hotel pool, which was amazing, and then had a casual meal for dinner before making our way back to the hotel. We ate at some good spots this day, including Las Olas Cafe, which serves Latin-style food. It was so good that we went back again the next day to get coffee.

Exploring Miami Beach The next day found us in Miami Beach for breakfast at Cortado Cafe and Coffee House, where we ate breakfast, read, and I did some brief work. It's a popular spot for breakfast or coffee. We enjoyed our time on the corner watching people, and the food was great!

We were close to an Apple Store, as Carrie needed to stop by for an issue she was having with her Apple Pencil. After the Apple Store, we walked along the shops before deciding to grab a quick bite and drink at Oh! Mexico, where we had an appetizer and drinks. Actually, we had one appetizer and three drinks. It was an expensive bill for just an app and drinks, but it was good. It's a good spot to sit on the patio and people-watch while we snacked and drank.

Dining in Miami

Las Olas Cafe We ate at some good spots this day, including Las Olas Cafe, which serves Latin-style food. It was so good that we went back again the next day to get coffee.

Cortado Cafe and Coffee House The next day found us in Miami Beach for breakfast at Cortado Cafe and Coffee House, where we ate breakfast, read, and I did some brief work. It's a popular spot for breakfast or coffee. We enjoyed our time on the corner watching people, and the food was great!

Oh! Mexico After the Apple Store, we walked along the shops before deciding to grab a quick bite and drink at Oh! Mexico, where we had an appetizer and drinks. Actually, we had one appetizer and three drinks. It was an expensive bill for just an app and drinks, but it was good. It's a good spot to sit on the patio and people-watch while we snacked and drank.

Stone Crab from Stiltsville

Stiltsville Fish Bar Thursday night, we made reservations at a spot I selected called Stiltsville Fish Bar. We were drawn to this location due to their menu. I was interested in trying stone crab, which I had never had before and had never heard of until we were checking places to eat in Miami Beach. Stone crab is special to the Florida area, and it was good. We only had one as they are expensive, but it was worth the visit. We looked through other places to eat but decided on Stiltsville Fish Bar because of other items on their menu. Excellent!

Other items we had from Stiltsville Fish Bar...

Crab Cake from Stiltsville Fish Bar

 

Fish for Dinner From Stiltsville

Crab Cakes from Stiltsville

Key Lime Pie from Stiltsville

 

Following dinner, we headed to a nearby brewery where we could have some drinks while I watched the Washburn Ichabods on ESPN+ in the Final Four of the NCAA D2 basketball tournament. It was a good spot to watch the game on my phone while having some good drinks. Unfortunately, the Ichabods ran into a good team that went on to win the NCAA D2 championship.

Boarding the Virgin Voyages Cruise

Top Deck and Ready to Deport

Priority Boarding and Perks Friday morning found us headed to port to board the Virgin Voyages cruise line. Carrie and I were so excited to be on vacation and headed to our second cruise with Virgin Voyages. For this cruise, Carrie and I decided to sign up for more events than we did on the first trip. I’m glad we did, as we signed up for a painting class (more on this later), a spin class, morning meditation, and we went to both ports where we had originally thought we would remain on the ship. Again, I’m glad we signed up for more things, and for the most part, we stuck to the areas we signed up for.

The process of getting aboard was easy as we had priority boarding, which included a "Splash of Romance" that got us some Champagne along with some other perks we enjoyed. Virgin added some new options that could be ordered before leaving port, which included a bucket of beers, a bucket of Moscow Mules, and I also ordered premium WiFi so I could watch the basketball games I was hoping would take place on Saturday. The new additions of being able to have buckets of drinks waiting for us when leaving port were great!

Dining on the Ship

Pink Agave One thing I do not like about the Virgin Voyages app is that after the cruise ends, I cannot go into the app to see what we did or details about what we ordered. Everything ends except the home button on the app. However, I think I can remember the places we ate and call those out here.

Pink Agave is my favorite of the places we ate. This was our second time eating at Pink Agave, as the restaurants are similar between ships. Pink Agave has good drinks, the food is outstanding, and the wait staff is on point with recommendations, answering questions, and being attentive to our needs while we eat.

Seafood Dinner at The Wake

The Wake The Wake is another favorite on the trip. We went here twice, once for breakfast and then for dinner. It’s at the rear of the ship with large windows that look out over the ocean as we leave a wake in the water.

Razzle Dazzle Razzle Dazzle is another good place to eat on the ship. We went here our first night and had a good meal along with drinks.

Extra Virgin Our least favorite spot on the ship, both this voyage and our first voyage in 2023, is Extra Virgin. It’s an Italian place to eat aboard, and just like our first voyage, our experience lacked at Extra Virgin. The waiter took a while to greet us, get our drinks, and seemed burdened by our questions. We had the same experience on our first voyage too with Extra Virgin, where the food was alright, but the attention to detail or being there to answer our questions was lacking.

The Galley We did eat a few times in The Galley. It’s always a spot that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks, and we stopped by there most days while aboard. We liked to check their daily special to see what was available and found some good things to eat in The Galley.

The Pizza Place Finally, not mentioning The Pizza Place would be remiss. Another place that is open throughout the day and late into the night, we stopped by to get pizza a few times, which was very good.

Activities on the Cruise

Carrie on Left, Mine on Right

Painting & Boozy Bevvies We signed up for Painting & Boozy Bevvies, which I will admit, I was a little anxious about doing. We had a great time. Champagne was being served, and they walked us through painting with watercolors. Truthfully, I was surprised how well mine turned out, where I can actually see the sun reflecting off the water. We sat at a fun table with other sailors and had good conversation.

Spin Class The spin class I attended was a lot of fun. The class totally kicked my butt, but it was worth it and made me feel good to work out while enjoying food, drinks, and snacks throughout the day while aboard. The class was packed, and I only did one spin class, but I would sign up for classes on our next trip.

Port Stops

Selfie at Pool in Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic As I mentioned earlier, we did make it into both of the two ports where we stopped. At the Dominican Republic port, we stayed at the resort pool off the ship and had a wonderful day. We found a nice spot with some shade to spend the day and enjoy the pool. There was a lazy river too, which we did, but we ended up getting out about halfway through as it was a long experience.

Bahamas Port

Bahamas: Virgin Voyages Beach Club at Bimini The other port we stopped at was in the Bahamas at the Virgin Voyages Beach Club at Bimini. This was our second time at Bimini. This time, though, we got there early around 9 am and had a great spot in front of the beach. It was an enjoyable day spent at the beach, and again we enjoyed good drinks, delicious food, as well as reading and snoozing. Wonderful day spent at the beach.

Departure and Final Thoughts

Leaving the Ship The last day aboard the ship was Wednesday, April 2. It was a sad day as we were leaving the ship and our vacation was ending. The process to exit the ship was the easiest it has ever been on any ship. We were off the ship and headed to the airport within thirty minutes. The fun had only started, though, as our flights were changed because of weather. We ended up not getting home until Thursday, with our Wednesday night flight being canceled.

Selfie in front of Virgin Voyages Ship

Looking Forward to the Next Cruise We had a great time on our trip and thoroughly enjoy Virgin Voyages. We are not sure when we will be sailing again, but we do want to go again on Virgin Voyages.

See all photos from our trip on Flickr.

Nashville Birthday Bash: Honky Tonks, Brunch, and Bourbon Steak!

On Our Way to Nashville

Here we are in the middle of July and it is hard to believe that a month ago we were in Nashville, TN for the 50 birthday celebration for Corrie. We had a great time. I meant to write this following the trip, but we were busy following the trip and did not get it done. We had a wonderful time in Nashville and plan to go back in the future. We went to so many great spots to listen to great music, drink, and of course we ate at some great spots too. This will be a few of the places we went but not an inclusive list.

Drinks at Assembly Food Hall

We were in Nashville from June 13 - 17. We packed in a lot during our time there. We would sometimes sleep late to about 9:30 or 10, but we were out the door and doing things in Nashville everyday we were there. We would not head back to take naps or breaks, but it was nonstop and a great time. Picture to the left was a spot we ended up a few different times called Assembly Food Hall. A variety of places to eat or get drink. Fun spot!

Group at Brunch

There were ten of us total on the trip although all ten were together I believe only two days together. Picture to the right was brunch at Adele's where we went Saturday morning on June 15. We all came away stuffed and happy. I want to go back there in the future for dinner. We spent that day going between drinking spots while the ladies went shopping. 

I am jumping around a bit, but on Thursday we spent the day on Broadway going around to the various bars. It was so fun with great bands at each and every stop. Some places would have multiple bands playing at the same time, but the way the bars were set up, you could only hear one when in the vicinity of that band. Most bands would take donations with a bucket or with a QR code to send money. We did both methods while we were going around Broadway listening where we would drop cash into a bands bucket or send Venmo through their QR code.

Dinner at Bourbon Steak

The highlight of the trip was the birthday dinner for Corrie at Bourbon Steak. We had reservations for ten and we had talked about doing a private dining room but ended up leaving it in the main dining room. When we arrived, we were surprised they took us to the private dining. It was incredible with the views, the food, and the company. The picture to the left, or the others in Flickr album, do not give it justice. We had our own wait staff that took good care of us. Javier was in charge of the wine and we had three bottles of wine through the night. It was a fantastic evening! 

To see all photos from our trip, you can browse them using the images below.

Fun memories to celebrate the birthday for Corrie. It was fun hanging out with everyone to celebrate big birthday weekend for Corrie. Carrie and I hope to go back to Nashville sometime soon.

Kansas City Kickoff: Concert, Hotel Stay, & Nashville Bound!

Carrie and John in Hotel

Carrie and I had the opportunity to get tickets to the Chris Stapleton concert in Kansas City on Wednesday, June 12. Carrie had a friend she knew that was selling tickets and we jumped at the chance. This was the night before we were scheduled to leave for Nashville, so we decided to get a hotel in Kansas City for the concert and so we would be set for leaving for our trip on Thursday.

We stayed at the Hotel Indigo in downtown Kansas City where we had stayed before. It worked out great as it was within walking distance to the concert and then a short drive the next morning to the airport.

Drinks Before the Concert

We stopped by the hotel bar before the concert to have a few drinks. Nice bar and beer was ice cold which was good on a hot late afternoon before heading to concert. It was fun sitting at the bar as we could see people walking by and we knew where they were headed in their cowboy boots, hats, and attire. No country dress up for us, but we were ready for the concert.

We made it to the concert and ready. The concert started at 7 with two opening acts, so we were a little late getting into see the first act. Not bad with good energy. The second opening act was really good. Marcus King and Allen Stone were good. Fun sound and got the crowd ready for the main event. We had a good time listening to them and watching T-Mobile Center fill up for the main act.

Selfie with Robin, Amber, and Crew

After we bought our tickets from a friend of Carrie, Carrie was talking to another friend of ours who was also planning to attend. Found out they were going to be sitting right in back of us. What are the odds? Robin bought her tickets through a web site and here we are sitting right in front of Robin and Amber. Too funny! Robin and Amber hooked us up with some free drinks from the T-Mobile VIP space where they were at when we arrived at the concert. Brought back a number of drinks for us to enjoy throughout the opening acts.

Chris Stapleton Stage

Chris Stapleton came back on for an encore and played two more songs. He puts on a fantastic show. The sound was excellent plus the video production of the video board above the stage and on the sides were excellent with interactions to what he was singing tied into visual effects on the screen above. It was fun!

Following the concert, we walked out of the T-Mobile Center toward our hotel. We immediately smelled amazing smells as we exited. There were food vendors everywhere and of course we had to get some for our walk back. We got hotdogs covered in veggies. Now, for $10 a piece, we probably would normally not have stopped to buy one, but after beer, music, and fun, we forked over the cash and carried them back to our hotel to enjoy in our room. Great way to end the evening. 

The next morning, we got up, had breakfast in the hotel bar which was really good, and then headed to the airport. A great time in Kansas City before our trip to Nashville. So glad Carrie found the tickets for the concert.

The Mavericks in Kansas City and a Relaxing Weekend

The Mavericks

This past weekend, Carrie and I took a long weekend trip to Kansas City to see The Mavericks perform. It was actually our second time seeing them in KC – they put on such a great show, and we already have plans to go again next year!

This time around, we met up with my brother Tim and cousin Tom for the concert. It was Tim's first time seeing The Mavericks, and we had a blast right up front – we were only about four or five people from the stage!

Tom, Tim, and John at The Mavericks

Opening Act at The Mavericks

Raul Malo of The Mavericks

Group Photo at The Mavericks

Selfie at The Mavericks

Oliver in Hotel Room

Oliver enjoys hotel life

We brought our dog Oliver along with us. He actually loves staying in hotels! He enjoys relaxing in the room while we're out, but his favorite part is definitely the walks he gets throughout the day. It's hilarious to see him prance down the hallway, knowing exactly how to get in the elevator, and thinking every door we pass is "our room."

Exploring Kansas City

We arrived in Kansas City on Thursday afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Intercontinental on the Plaza. This hotel is dog-friendly, and they haven't charged us a pet fee either time we've brought Oliver.

Pancakes at The Classic Cup

Friday morning, we slept in and then headed to The Plaza for a late breakfast at The Classic Cup Cafe. They have a great patio, perfect for people-watching with Oliver. The pancakes were fantastic, and Carrie loved her breakfast sandwich – the homemade fries were a hit too!

After breakfast, we wandered around the shops before heading back to the hotel for a relaxing afternoon of reading, snoozing, and hanging out with Oliver.

Oliver at Breakfast

Walking Oliver Late at Night

Drinks, dinner, and good company

That evening, we met up with Erin and Greg for drinks at Chaz Restaurant and Lounge before heading to our dinner reservation at McCormick & Schmick's (always a delicious choice!). We finished the night with drinks in the bar area of our hotel.

Us on The Plaza

Relaxing Saturday and back home

Saturday was another slow start. We grabbed coffee at Summer Moon Coffee before heading to meet Erin and Greg for lunch in Lawrence, instead of Kansas City. We dropped Oliver off at my mom's place before lunch and then spent most of the afternoon catching up with her before heading back to Topeka.

It was a fantastic weekend filled with great music, seeing family, delicious food and drinks, and beautiful weather. We made some wonderful memories, and we hope you had a great long weekend as well!

Happy Mother's Day to All the Moms Out There, Especially Mine!

Tongue Out and Sleeping

Every year on the second Sunday of May, we celebrate Mother's Day, a day dedicated to honoring the incredible women who raised us, nurtured us, and loved us unconditionally. But where did this tradition even begin?

The origins of Mother's Day can be traced back to ancient civilizations who celebrated fertility and motherhood. In the modern era, credit for the holiday goes to Anna Jarvis of West Virginia. After her mother passed away in 1905, Anna campaigned tirelessly to create a special day to recognize the sacrifices and contributions of mothers. It wasn't until 1914 that President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother's Day an official national holiday in the United States.

Why is Mother's Day so important? Mothers are the cornerstones of our families. They are the ones who bandage scraped knees, celebrate our victories, and offer a shoulder to cry on during our defeats. They are our biggest cheerleaders, our confidantes, and our guiding lights.

This Mother's Day, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to three amazing women: 

Carrie (Wife and Mom to Oliver), you take good care of Oliver and me. Oliver wanted to wish you a Happy Mother's Day which he did with kisses first thing this morning when he saw you wake up. Oliver cannot wait to snuggle on the sofa with you to celebrate.

Mom (Nancy), thank you for your unwavering love and support throughout my life. You taught me the importance of hard work, kindness, and resilience. Your endless patience and guidance have shaped me into the person I am today. Of course Oliver had to be part of the day to help celebrate.

Joan, Happy Mother's Day! Your warmth and thoughtfulness aren't reserved for holidays – your delicious cooking and special gifts are a constant reminder of your love and support. Thank you.

To all the moms out there, Happy Mother's Day! May your day be filled with love, laughter, and appreciation. You are all truly heroes.

Valentine's Day Dinner at Soliloquy was a Fun Experience

Menu from Soliloquy

Valentine's Day had Carrie and I at Soliloquy for a fancy Valentine's Day dinner and drinks. We had a fun time. Carrie saw the announcement about the event on FaceBook and had sent it to me a week or two ahead of Valentine's Day. It looked good and different, so I booked reservations. The menu was already set along with drinks to accompany the meal. The picture to the right is the menu from Soliloquy on Valentine's Day. I believe I heard this was the second time Soliloquy had done this for Valentine's Day. It was fun!

When we arrived, we walked in and did not even give our name, but they seated us. Carrie and I laughed as we were not sure how they knew who we were, so we asked the waitress and she told us that she just knew. There were only a certain number of guests as the 6:30 pm seating sold out, so she knew we were one of the couples.

Fluer de Lavende Drink

Some of my favorite items from the menu included the zucchini salad. The first drink we had which was Fluer de Lavande. The Wellington took the show. It was amazing! I had never had a Beef Wellington before and it lived up to the hype. I have seen it done in movies and even cooking shows, but I had never had it before. the flaky crust with the perfectly cooked prime tenderloin was delicious. To finish the night I had the Irish coffee which was a take on the original recipe which was also very good.

Tiramisu

As we finished our meal and they brought out the the Irish coffee and final dessert, we were discussing if we would do this again next year if offered. We enjoyed the experience. Some of the food was different, but we enjoy trying different things and experiencing new things. I think we would do it again. 

We paid for our reservation a week or so ahead as I had mentioned. When they dropped off a card, I thought it was the bill. It was sealed with wax. When I opened the envelope, it had the menu inside. No bill, so everything was done and paid for including the tip for our table service. It was nice as we left and had enjoyed a new experience.

Carrie and I had a fun night out experiencing something different. Food prepared in different styles along with drinks. It as a fun night and so glad I was able to spend it with my Valentine. Love you so much Carrie!

Have a great week and I will talk with you next time.

Trip to Palm Springs, CA November 30 - December 4 Update... Note, we had a great time!

Mountains and Palm Trees

I did not have a chance to write up our trip to Palm Springs, California after we got back. We went to Palm Springs, CA November 30 - December 4. We met Javier and Corrie in Palm Springs. We got together a few weeks ahead of our trip to pick a place to go. We wanted to go some place that none of us had been before. This took a few messages back and forth and discussions before we finally landed on Palm Springs, California. Palm Springs did not disappoint! We had a great time! It was beautiful and we ate at some good places as well as had drinks at some good spots too.

Breakfast at Farm in Palm Springs

For breakfast the first day, we went to Farm in Palm Springs. A breakfast spot that was amazing. The set up of Farm was cool with indoor and outdoor sitting. The drinks were amazing! The Bloody Mary here was so good, I could have had a few of those. Breakfast was simple and delicious with some really good fried potatoes.

We wanted to get an early start to the day as we had plans to visit Joshua Tree National Park, do some bar hopping, and then have dinner at a fancy place that night. A lot planned for our first full day in Palm Springs, California.

Tree Behind Joshua Tree

During the day, we drove out to Joshua Tree National Park to look around. Beautiful to see it and yes it was a bit chilly. We saw people climbing the rocks and on top of the high cliffs which was cool, but mainly, we enjoyed looking at the mountains against the sky with Joshua Trees mixed in and around the area. I am so glad that we decided to go out this day instead of waiting until the weekend to get out to see the sights.

Early evening found us at The Parker Palm Springs for drinks. We took an Uber to start our evening with drinks before heading to dinner. It was a cool spot where we later learned that movie stars would frequent for an after party for an event that takes place each year in Palm Springs. We only had drinks here and a lot of laughs. It was a fun spot and glad we were able to make it there before our evening of dinner.

Group Picture at Bar Cecil

That night, we had reservations at Bar Cecil that Carrie had found and got up early a month earlier to get reservations. As I mentioned, Carrie had to get up early a month prior to get reservations. She had read some place that reservations were hard to get and they opened a month in advance, so she got up early one morning in October to get our reservations. I am so glad she did! We had a great time!

Palm Springs reminded me a lot of Albuquerque, NM that we have visited a number of times for vacation. The mountains, look of the homes in the area, and the weather made me think of Albuquerque. In the evening, it would get rather chilly and we especially felt the cold when we traveled up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway which took us to the top of a mountain to overlook Palm Springs. We had drinks at the top of the mountain while looking at the views before heading out to see the rest of Palm Springs.

To see all pictures from our trip, please use the viewer below to browser our pictures. Note, there a lot of selfies and silly pictures as we had a blast! The full album can be viewed on Flickr at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjB5Zwg

As you can see from our pictures and description, we had an excellent time. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, we plan to do this on an annual basis where we pick a location where none of us have been. We recognize this will become a tough task as it took us a while to land on Palm Springs that none of us had been to before, but it is a good challenge and I look forward to see where we go next year when we make the trip to the unknown.

Until next time, I hope you have wonderful travels and are able to visit some place new each year.

Carrie and John attended Dwight Yoakam concert on June 22 in Kansas City with summary and pictures

Drinks Before Concert

I have mentioned a few times in past posts that Carrie and I are trying to do more concerts this year. We attended our second concert of the season on Thursday, June 22 by attending Dwight Yoakam. Overall, we had a great time attending the concert. Dwight Yoakam was really good and solid in his performance. The special guest opening for Dwight Yoakam was Aaron Lewis. I was not a fan of Aaron Lewis, so I could have done without hearing him on stage. 

The concert was at Azura Amphitheater which I had not been to in over 10 - 15 years. I actually do not recall the last time I went to a concert there, but it was a fun spot. They had the upper area, grass, closed for the concert, so only the lower section which is seating was open. A good variety of concessions with food, drinks, and even high end cocktails, so it was a fun night. Prior to the concert we did a little tailgating before heading into the concert. After hearing Aaron Lewis, we wish we would have stayed out in the parking lot longer to enjoy a few more drinks.

Carrie in the Shade

After we made it inside, we found a shady spot to hang out and relax. Sipping on drinks and we had a delicious hotdog from concessions. Dwight Yoakam went on stage around 9 or 9:30, so we had a long time waiting for the earlier acts to finish up and the main event to start. We believe Dwight Yoakam was waiting for the sun to go down fully as that's when he finally came out on stage. The concert started at 7 and then main act went on stage much later. We did not get home until about 12:30 that night.

I would go to another concert at Azura Amphitheater as it was a fun spot. It was our first country concert to attend in a long time, so we will have to evaluate and see if we will attend another one in the future. I have fond memories of Azura Amphitheater, formally Sandstone Amphitheater from back in the day, where I saw a number of concerts when I was in college. Fun to be back there and enjoy the outdoors while listening to live music.

Shot of Stage with Dwight Yoakam

At one point while getting drinks, I did snap a picture of the stage although I see I did not get a good picture of Dwight Yoakam as he was behind the post. There was a good crowd at the concert and we had a lot of fun watching people, enjoying the music, and enjoying being out and about together.

Until next time, have a great weekend and get out and hear some live music!

Romeo & Juliet Production as part of Lady Shakes Theatre Company at Jayhawk Theatre June 9, 10, and 11

Selfie Back Stage

Carrie finished up a play last weekend that she has been rehearsing for the past month or so. She did great! Carrie has been a part of Lady Shakes Theatre Company the past few years and last weekend finished the production of Romeo & Juliet. The cast was great and they did a wonderful job.

I attended the play on Friday, June 9 and had a great time. It was the second time seeing Lady Shakes Theatre Company perform at the Jayhawk Theatre. I believe it was my third or fourth time seeing a play by Lady Shakes.

Friday night had a good crowd and the theatre opened an hour early to give the audience a chance to eat at a food truck and have some drinks. I went with Eddie, Joan, Greg, and Erin. The theatre had it set up nicely with tables in the front section so that people could eat, have some drinks, and be comfortable for the performances. We had a great time!

Photos from the performance on Friday, June 9...

Carrie Performing at Jayhawk Theatre

Wide Shot of Performance

Carrie Taking a Bow

Curtain Call End of the Night

It is so fun to see Carrie performing on stage. She does such a good job. I am not sure I would be able to say my name if I were performing let alone remember my lines. Carrie seems to have no problems and did not even seem nervous as we drove to the theatre that evening. I am so proud of Carrie for doing these productions and I take great pride in seeing her on stage.

I did tell Carrie Friday night following the performance I would do the other two nights too, but I ended up only going to the one performance. The Saturday and Sunday performances had fewer people in the audience, but Carrie said they were good shows. Following the Saturday night performance, Carrie went out with the cast for a drink. Even though the rehearsals were not a lot of fun, I think she had a great time performing and being with the cast members. She told me Sunday following the last performance she almost cried on her way home thinking that was it.

Selfie Post Opening Night

Following the Friday night performance, we were able to get some food for Carrie and take a selfie. Carrie had spent most evenings rehearsing as it led up to the production and most nights she would get home around 10:30 - 11:30 and would finally eat dinner. It has been good to have Carrie back home and on a regular schedule. Plus, our dog, Oliver, likes having the routine back with both of us around. 

Congrats on a job well done and I cannot wait to see what you do next. I had fun listening to you rehearse although I do not think I helped you with your lines at all this time. You had a unique way to rehearse with the recording of all the other voices and you would use that to rehearse your lines. Worked like a charm! Great job!