Sunday, October 24, 2021
October 16 Washburn Faced Off Against Northwest Missouri State University and We Won!
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Where Has October Gone and What is Next?
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Fun Weekend with Sports, Nice Weather, and More Sports
We started off the weekend by attending a Washburn volleyball game Friday night. Washburn volleyball team is ranked #1 in the country and has a seven game winning streak. The first two sets were fast winning by a huge margin. The third set we lost a bit of focus and lost but came right back and won the last set to win the match. Carrie and I went to the game and had a great time. Only six home games remain on the regular season, so hoping we can make it to a few more before the regular season ends. Washburn volleyball plays again this evening, but we are headed to the Washburn football game, so likely will not make it to the volleyball game tonight.
Saturday, we had talked about a few of us going to the tailgate and game. When it came time to leave for the tailgate (around 11 am) others decided they were going to skip as it was going to be hot. I took a few chairs and a tent earlier in the day as I took the car for work. So, when I went at 11, I only took a cooler. I saw fellow fans and hung out at the spot. The game started and I got a notice on my phone of activity at our front door. I also got a notice that Carrie was leaving the house, so I checked our Ring app and I could see Carrie leaving with a cooler. I thought, well, that is kind of odd. I could then see her heading my way on Find My app and eventually Carrie and Greg came walking up. It was pretty cool! They came and joined me for the game.
It was supposed to be hot (low 90s) but it turned out to be really nice. A breeze that was blowing and overcast, so it helped with the heat. We had a good time and talked with our neighbor, John, about combining our tailgate spots in the future as both of us are struggling to get others to join our spots. I told him I was certainly open to doing so. Washburn won 23-20 in overtime. It was a strolling end to the game. We hung out a while after the game before eventually cleaning up and heading home.
Carrie and I thought about going to another volleyball as they were playing at 6 again Saturday night, but we both decided we were tired after doing the tailgate and game. We had a fun day and I am looking forward to Chiefs playing tonight.
Normally at this time of year, I would be on the road back from Helena, Arkansas from the King Biscuit Blues Festival, but with it being canceled this year, missing out on the festival, seeing friends, and the travel to/from Helena. I miss seeing all of our family and friends for the King Biscuit Blues Festival, but hopefully we will be back in a year. It has been fun seeing family and friends post memories from past festivals, but I cannot wait to get down there again.
Until next time, have a great week and I will talk to you later…
Saturday, October 09, 2021
No Exercise Happening Around Here… Time to Get Focused
Remember a few weeks ago when I said I was getting back on the bike after taking a long break from early July? Well, that getting back biking and working out only happened for about a week (see Back to Bike Riding from August 15) never happened. I rode the bike for exactly one week (three days a week) and then never got back on it. Part of this was simply because I did not have time, but the other was that I had no motivation to get on the bike again. After spending November to June biking weekly, I dropped off cold and having a difficult time to get back on the bike let alone exercise.
The new plan is that here in about two weeks, I am going to start biking again. I plan to get up early and bike in the mornings. The good thing is that Carrie is going to do so with me so she can do Yoga. I think having one another getting up will help motivate. I am hopefully that it will take me long to get back in biking form. When I tried it for that week back in August, I was so sore I could barely walk, so that did not help with the motivation either.
To help me stay motivated once this starts, I plan to start writing about my progress here on this site. If nothing else, if I know I need to write an update at least once a month on my progress, that will give me a goal to strive to so I can get back into shape. It is so easy to just stop and it takes a lot of determination to get it going again… it can be difficult. Let’s Go!
Sunday, October 03, 2021
YouTube TV May Drop Channels — Come On! Every Few Months It is a Battle!
In the recent update, it sounds as though we might lose NBC channels which includes a multitude of other channels including Bravo, Golf Channel, USA, etc., so it could be a huge segment of our channels that might disappear. YouTube TV did tell us through an email that if the channels do disappear, they will reduce our monthly bill by $10 to make up for the number of channels that disappear.
Updated note from September 30 from YouTube TV is that nothing has changed. We do still have the NBC channels, but negotiations are still in progress, so who knows what will happen.
On Saturday, we received a note that NBC and YouTube TV came to terms and we will keep NBC. Thank goodness! Still, we go through this process and it needs to stop.
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Oliver Turned Ten Back in June and September 24 it is Ten Years with Our Family
Sometimes it takes FaceBook to pop up a reminder to remind us how old our little puppy is in our family. Is that bad? For some reason, both Carrie and I were thinking that he was 11 this year. Until a memory showed up on FaceBook earlier this week to remind us that we brought little Oliver into our family ten years ago to the day. Although he was born in June 2011, we for some reason had been thinking the past year or two he was older. We celebrate his birthday in June and also celebrate his joining our family in September.
I thought it was time to provide backstory of how Oliver became a part of our lives. Some already know this story, but use it as an excuse to post pictures and story of our little dog. On June 7, 2011 we had to put our dear cat, Sidney, to rest (see Sidney Our Friend). Carrie and I were both so sad even though we knew the time was fast approaching as he was old and could barely get around the house. He was having problems with going to the bathroom and not himself the weeks leading up to the decision to put him down. We had watched his body and character change over the previous months and in consulting with our vet, we made the difficult decision to put him down. We were so sad and decided we would not get a pet for a long time.
Then along came a Washburn Alumni fun run with friends in September 2011. We finished the run and our friends Shayne and Autumn asked if we wanted to stop by a local pet store to look at dogs. Of course we said sure and went with them to look at dogs. Lesson learned on that one and only go to a pet store if looking for a pet not just to look. We looked at a few dogs through the window and eventually we saw a little long legged dog with black and white fur playing, or trying to play, with his brothers and sisters. His little bottom up in the air as he was chewing on a toy, seeing him run around, and having the time of his life. Carrie said I think we need to see that one right there.
We took him to a little space where we could hold and play with the little guy. The next thing I knew, Carrie was holding him and saying how we need to take him home. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she held the little puppy. We later found out that his name before we had him was Trooper II. So we still refer to him sometimes as little Trooper. Carrie crying and telling me I need to hold Trooper II, I picked him up and looked back at Carrie and had tears going down my face. He was perfect!
Some how it was only Carrie and I that came away purchasing a pet. Shayne and Autumn had the idea to look at dogs, but they managed to walk away without a new member of their family. Granted, we had to wait until the next day to pick up Trooper II. We did buy supplies so we could be ready for him when he came home and we Discovered the Moment to buy Trooper II and all of the supplies.
The next day we brought Trooper II home and named him Oliver. For the first few years we had him, we would buy him toys just about every time we went to the pet store for food or came across something we thought it would like. He had so many toys that we had two bins where we kept his toys. We recently weeded out his toys and down to one bin. We donated his toys to friends with dogs and Human Shelter for dogs looking for a home.
Oliver was my first dog to buy and have to train from as a little puppy. Other dogs that had been in my life were bought and trained by my parents or siblings with dogs they had acquired through the years. Having a new little puppy as so fun but also exhausting. Getting up multiple times through the night to take him out to go to the bathroom, get him acquainted with going outside, and making sure he was not chewing through the furniture. We bought gates so we could keep him in one room to keep an eye on him.
Some of my favorite memories of Oliver was setting up a webcam so we could “watch” him while we were at work. I set it up so my parents could watch too. In the early years of Oliver being with our family, we kept him in his kennel during the day. We could not trust him in the house to not get into things or cause a mess, so I set up a webcam that broadcast with a private link so we could keep an eye on him during the day or when we were away. I recall when Carrie or I would get home from work, my parents would usually be calling at the same time as they were watching “Oliver Cam” to see his reaction as we returned home. I have some voice messages from my Dad when he would be on the phone watching Oliver and saying he knows we are home as he can see him getting excited.
To this day, Oliver still loves his kennel. We allow him full roam of the house, but his kennel is his safe spot. He goes there when the weather is bad or he is scared. He goes there when we are leaving for work. We leave the door open on it all the time but he still goes there to sometimes sleep or just wait for us to leave the house. One of our favorite things he does is that when we are leaving he goes to his kennel and we sometimes forget things so we come back and he will be in the middle of the family room looking at the garage door as if he is busted he is not in his kennel. He will quickly run back to his kennel as if to say he is a good boy. It makes us laugh each time.
A few photos of Oliver through the years. We love our boy so much and so happy he is part of our lives. He is the best dog in the world even if he is a little testy when taking him on walks, he is the best.
Happy joining our family anniversary, Oliver, and I look forward to celebrating with you again next year. We love you!
Celebration of Nineteen Years in Lawrence, KS at Free State Brewing and 715 Mass on September 21
When we were at Free State Brewing at the bar enjoying some drinks, we spoke to a man at the counter enjoying a drink and waiting on his food for a while. We had a nice visit with him as he was in from Chicago visiting his daughter who had graduated from KU and then had just had a baby. The man was taking a break from baby duty to enjoy a cold drink and pick up their dinner. He said since his daughter went to KU he had been going to Lawrence for many years and he always enjoyed his visits to Lawrence, KS. We shared that we used to live in Lawrence and I was born and raised in Lawrence. We shared how we would go to Free State Brewing regularly when we lived there and how much we enjoy their Cyclists which is a nice and refreshing beer with lemonade.
Following drinks at Free State Brewing we went to our reservations at 715 Restaurant. We had reservations at 7:30 and sitting on the patio. Actually, it is their parking spaces that were converted to seating. They did a very nice job with it as there is plexiglass, plants, walls, etc., and it did not feel like we were sitting next to the street. We could barely hear the cars going by right next to us. Sure, every once in a while we would hear a car horn, but no different from being in a business and hearing the horns. It was an enjoyable evening and wonderful way to spend our anniversary.
Drinks at 715 Mass |
Apps at 715 Mass |
Dinner for Carrie |
Dinner for John |
Pictures from our evening at 715 Restaurant. It was truly amazing. We had not eaten at 715 Restaurant in a few years, so it was good to be back and enjoy a delicious treat on Mass in Lawrence, KS. If you have not been to 715 Restaurant, I highly recommend you stop by to check them out. Check them out for a drink, for an appetizer, dinner, or even dessert. Ah, we did have dessert but no pictures of it as it disappeared too quickly.
Here is to nineteen years of marriage to my best friend. To end, drinks we had at Free State Brewing and a toast to Carrie as we look forward to our twentieth year of marriage and many more years to come.
Where are your favorites places to eat, or drink, in Lawrence, KS? When you visit from out of town is there a place you have to visit each time you are in town? I would love to hear your favorites so we can share stories and maybe find a place I have not been or have not been in a number of years.