Fun Weekend Spent at Zona Rosa Shopping, Eating, and Having Fun Preparing for Christmas

We did something new this year by spending the evening in Kansas City this past Friday night. We ate dinner, had fun, and then on Saturday, we went shopping. This is our annual time to buy gifts, maybe a road trip, and then finding within a set budget to buy gifts for Greg and Erin. We mix it up where one year we had to buy our gifts from a certain amount at a certain store. Another year we decided candy would be the gift we would give one another (we had a lot of candy that year). One of my favorites was we decided we would get gifts for one another from the PX Store at Fort Riley and again keeping a small budget, we had to get all of our gifts for one another from the PX. It was so fun!

I took off work on Friday so we could get into Kansas City in the early afternoon. We went straight to Duluth Trading Company in Kansas City. I have been wearing Duluth Trading Co. underpants for a number of years and this was our first time to visit the store. Trying out some new items to wear and we bought Carrie a new winter coat while we were there. 

We then had to make a stop at Bass Pro Shop as some of us had never been there or it had been a long time since we had been to one of their stores. We looked at camping items and tested out some nice chairs they had we could certainly use for camping. We ended up buying candy. In fact, we got some mints that Brenda had told us about that she said she cannot stop eating. Now I am hooked on them and probably going to finish off the bag.

Before heading to the hotel, we decided we should get some apps for a late lunch. We headed to 54th Street Grill & Bar. First time we had been there and it was really good. The bar tender must have had a long day as he was not very talkative, or friendly, but the food was really good. We each got a few apps and it was so much food, we were afraid we would not be able to eat later that night for our 7 pm reservations. 

Deciding it was time to head to the hotel, we got to the hotel to have a few drinks, one of us took a nap, and prepared for the evening. For dinner Friday night, we had made reservations for Cascone’s Italian Restaurant. It was packed and even though we had reservations, we had to wait. It was fun people watching as we waited.

The drinks were really good. I had one of their specials and then Sangria before we ordered a bottle of wine to share with the table. The apps were good here too. For dinner, I got Lobster Ravioli and it was delicious! Finally, to finish off the evening, we each got desserts. Yes, this is after I said earlier we were not sure following apps earlier in the afternoon if we would be hungry for dinner, well, we were hungry and no sign we had any issues other than a few did not finish their dinner or dessert. But it was worth it! I got a cannoli for my dessert which was perfect as it was small and easy to eat.

Following dinner, we went back to the hotel where we played games and stayed up to about midnight. Decided it was time to head to bed as we had a long day planned for Saturday with shopping.

Saturday was a fun day! We were in Kansas City to visit Zona Rosa for shopping. Each person had selected three stores they would want to have Christmas gifts from that the other couple would be selecting. With a limit of $50 (approximately) total gifts could be purchased from the three stores selected or all from one of the stores. Whatever worked out best during the search. 

I had been to Zona Rosa in the past, but never spent the day there. Carrie and I had been there a few times to eat at an Indian restaurant, but never spent the day. It was a fun day and the weather was perfect! 

Following shopping, we went to Brew Top Pub and Patio where we had a late lunch, a few drinks, and watch the Missouri vs. Kansas game (KU dominated). Following the late lunch, we headed back home.

A short two day trip, but it was so fun. I spent most of Sunday catching up on sleep and watching football. I realized as I was preparing to write about our shopping weekend that I did not take any pictures of our trip. I had planned to take pictures of at least our food or of us out and about, but no, I did not take any pictures.

Oliver and I spent most of Sunday sleeping as we were both exhausted. Oliver spent Friday night at my Mom’s and Dina came over to spend the night too. So I know they had fun!

Until next time, have a great week and I will talk to you later.

A Year of Regular Posts to My Web Site and Planning to Keep Posting Another Year... Thanks for Visiting and Following!

Back in November 2020 right before Thanksgiving that year, I started to blog on a regular basis. I planned out to do a blog at least once a week ranging on a variety of topics. Sometimes just me updating what I did the previous week, but trying to post on a regular schedule. Prior to this planned weekly posting, I would do very infrequent and sometimes not post for a few months. 

I have been able to keep my commitment to post on a weekly basis. My day to post is Sunday each week. At times I do one post and other weeks I will do multiple. It all depends on what happened that week or what I want to share for the week. I do also try and post an update on holidays and have those post on the day of the holiday (i.e. Thursday). 

This has been a fun process. Only a few times did I struggle with what to post or trying to get it written and done before the day was over on a Sunday. Often times, I write whatever I plan to post early in the week and schedule the posting to publish early in the morning on Sunday morning. 

My plan is to continue posting at least once a week for another year. I enjoy it and while some have wondered why, I enjoy the process and thinking through what to post. Typically I post what we did on a vacation along with pictures, but I usually do not post where we are going ahead of time or that we will be gone... only the summary of the trip and pictures after we are back.

I appreciate my regular followers and those that comment on posts. Of course my other goal is to have regular visitors to my site (https://www.haverty.net/) and doing a regular post each week drives traffic to the site. I have had the web site https://www.haverty.net for a long time and it is good to say I average approximately 2,500 visitors each month to my site. I would like to see that increase and the only way to increase traffic is to post more each week.

There is an option on the page to subscribe to posts so that you can get the updates in your email. This can be found on the right side of the page in a section called follow.it. Simply enter your email address and click Subscribe. It is an easy way to get updates each week that I post to the site. 

So, I appreciate your visiting my site, or subscribing through follow.it. Watch for my updates for another year and know that I truly enjoy doing these weekly posts. Thank you for visiting and following.

Progress Update for One Month Mark of Bike Riding and Exercise... A Starting Over Approach

When I posted back on October 31 that I was starting my exercise routine again (see post), I posted the total workouts I had done as I started that process. I plan to do monthly updates each month to show my progress. At the end of October as I was starting a regular routine, I was at 275 total workouts. I planned to ride three times a week. I did not meet that goal exactly, but I did manage to get a workout in at least once a week and usually more than once a week, but it depended on what was happening that particular week.

As of today, December 5, 2021, I have 290 workouts. I averaged about ten minute rides for my workouts during this time. I am still battling the fatigue of getting back into biking and struggling with my backside hurting from the seat, but it is getting better. I know the more I ride the better it will get. For the first month, I was keeping my rides anywhere from 10 - 15 minutes. This past week, I have started doing longer rides at 20 minute workouts. I plan to stay in 20 minute range for a few weeks before expanding out to longer rides.

Started November at 275 workouts... A month later, I am at 290 workouts.

It feels good to be back on the bike and getting some type of routine going in terms of exercise. My plan for early morning workouts did not go very well as I struggled to get up those extra 30 - 40 minutes early to get on the bike, so I decided for now, as long as I am riding, doing so after work will be enough for me. I make sure that during the week when I get home from work, I do not do anything else, but go straight to change and get on the bike. That helps to not cause loss of focus on doing the ride. Sometimes other evening events interfere, but I am working through trying to plan for those so I can change days or get up early and workout.

My long-term goal is to work in a jog for my workouts giving me four days a week to exercise. That will likely not happen again until sometime in the spring at this point. I am happy to report that after a year of owning the Peloton Bike (see post from November 15, 2020) I am back to using the bike and plan to make it my routine moving forward. Regardless of whether we are traveling, tired, etc., I plan to keep some form of exercise in my weekly habit. Once the habit stops, it is so difficult to get it started again and I do not want to restart this process of becoming accustom to the bike in the future.

Until next month with another update from my exercise, have a great workout and see you on the virtual trails of Peloton!

Follow up on Thanksgiving Day Turkey Breast Cooking Plus Oliver Not Feeling Great During the Holiday

For Thanksgiving this year, we did turkey breasts on the grill. We decided not to do fully turkey, but only the breasts. We did salt, pepper, some other seasoning, and then butter over the top. We were debating on whether to put them breast up or down. We thought we had them breast up as we thought they would cook better that way, but then after I posted the picture to the left on Twitter, a friend commented how they were breast down. Possibly thinking they were whole turkeys, but I am sure they were breast up. 

I cooked them on indirect heat using the convEGGtor at 325 degrees sitting on a rack. The turkey breasts were around 7 lbs, so we figured it would be about two hours to cook. Got the rest of it set up and going without too much trouble and let them sit in the BGE cooking away while we got ready for the day.

After a little over two hours, they were looking really good. I rotated them a few times to get even cook throughout. Using thermometer that I monitor remotely with my Apple Watch and iPhone, I was able to watch their progression to completion while watching parades and getting ready for the day. I have to say, these two turkey breasts probably turned out the best I have ever done in terms of appearance for how they look. Nice golden brown overall which I have not had happen with previous turkey cooks regardless of whether they were whole turkeys or just the turkey breasts. I believe this is the second year in a row where we did turkey breasts and these turned out really good in appearance.

I did have some issues having them cook evenly which is why I was rotating them to move the one in front to the back and then later reversed. The internal temp was high for one bird or in one part, but not to the target temp of 165 in another portion. So, I probably left them on a bit long which meant they were a little dry, but that is what gravy is for to help with dryness. 

We have one turkey breast remaining which we will do one weekend as a treat. It is back in the freezer waiting for the next time we cook and do some favorites of Thanksgiving Day food.

I did have my little dog, Oliver, out helping me with the cooking. He was not feeling well the days leading up to Thanksgiving and then he got a little worse going into the weekend from that Thursday. In fact, we were planning to take him to the vet first thing Monday morning to have him checked over. In the picture to the right, this is Oliver enjoying the sun, but you can see he is not feeling the best. I think on Thanksgiving Day he was not eating and not a lot of energy.

As we went into Saturday and Sunday, he went over 24 hours without eating anything. We had tried doing this to him the Tuesday or Wednesday of that week, but he did this on his own. It helped and by Saturday/Sunday he was back to himself. He was eating, running around the house, and not having any issues. We were so happy to have our Oliver back to "normal". We decided we would play it by ear for the vet Monday morning and he was doing great, so we did not take him into see the vet. He has been good ever since which we are grateful happened.

Overall, we had a fantastic Thanksgiving. The weather was beautiful, ate a lot of wonderful food, and we had a good day talking with family. Plus there was sports, so that was fun too!

Attending Arkansas Game in Kansas City T-Mobile Center Tuesday Night and Even Watched some KSU Basketball that Night Too

T-Mobile Center Holiday Classic
Kansas State vs. Illinois

This past Tuesday, I had the chance to go to the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. Eddie knew that the Arkansas Razorbacks were playing in the tournament and wanted to go watch them if the Hogs could make it to the championship game on Tuesday night. On Monday night, Arkansas played the Kansas State Wildcats. The Hogs were able to advance to the championship game Tuesday night with a victory over the Wildcats. So, he got us tickets and we were set for the Tuesday night games.

This would be my first time at the T-Mobile Center (formally the "Sprint Center") and it did not disappoint. It is a fun environment and while there were not a lot of fans in attendance to the games, the space seems like it would have no issues handling the crowds. Even the parking was pretty simple. I had been to the College Basketball Experience many years ago, but I had never been in the T-Mobile Center. So, I was excited to have the opportunity to go to the game. We got into Kansas City in time to see a little bit of the first half of the KSU vs. Ill game.

On the way to Kansas City for the game, we called T-Bo to let him know we were going to see his Hogs. There was some woo pig sooie said a few times during the call. Our seats were great as the pictures show although as Greg said, I am not sure there is a bad seat in the house. They did not have the upper tier open for public seating, but there were a lot of open seats. The Arkansas crowd was strong with chants, cheering, and yelling during the game. I know Arkansas travels well, so it was fun to see them at the game. We connected with some Arkansas fans that were around us which was fun. The couple in front of us had a  daughter attending Arkansas but they were from Kansas City. The couple in back of us I believe were also from Arkansas but living in KC area.

We were able to watch a fun game. Neither team started off great, but it went down to the wire which made it fun. Cincinnati played a tough game.

T-Mobile Center Holiday Classic
Cincinnati vs. Arkansas

Fun night in Kansas City. Although, we did not get anything to eat at the game. Waffle House was mentioned at some point, so we tried to go there on our way home, but it was take out only. What? For Waffles? No thanks. So, we ended up not eating anything, but had a great time. We saw a good game, the Hogs won, and we made some good memories. 

It was a good way to lead into the holiday weekend and to be able to participate in Feast Week of Tournaments. Such a fun time of year and some really good games. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oliver and Dina
Thanksgiving 2011

Dina and Oliver on Thanksgiving 2011. He was so little. What a fun time of year with Thanksgiving. The good food, the beautiful weather, and connecting with family. I look forward to Thanksgiving each year and while some of that has to do with the great food, I enjoy everything about Thanksgiving. The time leading up to the holiday when the trees are changing and dropping leaves. Even the change in weather as it gets colder and frost starts occur overnight. Soon, we will have our first snow fall. No, I am not ready for snow...

I will spend this Thanksgiving with Eddie, Joan, Greg, Erin, and Carrie. We will eat a lot and then possibly play games or certainly there will be some football watching and basketball watching taking place. I will talk to my mom and siblings on the phone throughout the day. We might even see if we can do a Zoom call to connect with everyone, but sometimes that proves to be a difficult task, so maybe just phone calls.

Kansas plays basketball on Thanksgiving Day at 1:30 pm, so I know I will be talking to my sister Dina following the game, but likely before too. I know that I will watch for her half-time report on FaceBook she posts each game and we will connect afterwards. I will conference in my Mom on the call to discuss the game. I think this will only be the second game my Mom will be able to watch as the others have all been on ESPN+.

At some point during the day, I will have spoken to all of my family. I will hear what they are doing on Thanksgiving Day and what they are eating. Maybe even share information regarding what wine or beer they are enjoying during the day. 

I am grateful for my family being healthy. I look forward to the day when we can be together once again on Thanksgiving Day as we used to do not many years ago.

Jerry Ready to Eat and Drink
Thanksgiving 2009

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Day! I know I will be like Jerry, pictured to the right, where I will be ready to eat, drink, and be jolly on Thanksgiving Day 2021.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Working Out, Washburn Sports, Chiefs, Lawn Care, and Other Odds and Ends

My workout routine worked for about a week and then I stopped being motivated to get up early to ride the bike. This past week, I did not ride once and have today (Sunday) to get back on track. The previous two weeks, I was able to get up at 6 am and ride the bike. Tuesday and Thursday this week, my alarm was set, but I could not get up to start my ride. 

I plan to change it again this week and go back to working out in the evening instead of trying to so first thing during the week. I will revert to riding Tuesday and Thursday in the evening after work and I believe that will help me to stick to the plan. More on my progress in another week or two as I post a full monthly update for how it is going.

Yesterday, Washburn played in the first-round of the NCAA tournament. We had a fantastic season with some huge wins and great memories. Washburn lost yesterday 30 - 14 in the first-round. The season will go down as one of the greats in my memory. We now turn our focus to basketball. We actually missed the first home Washburn game yesterday as we were out at Johnny's Tavern to watch the Washburn game. I followed along on the basketball game and we won 90 - 47 over Baker.

This afternoon we have the Chiefs playing Dallas. We sit in first place in the AFC West. Not too bad after the first few weeks where no one was sure what was happening with our Chiefs. I am looking forward to the game and for a win over the Cowboys. Let's GO Chiefs!

Thanksgiving is this next week and it is one of my favorite holidays. I love the food and I cannot wait. This time of year is also when everyone is out doing their leaves. Our lawn, patio, driveway, and curbs were packed with leaves. I was going to do them, but they got out of hand, so I reached out to business I thought had shut down, but they continue to do lawn work and more importantly clearing leaves. On Tuesday, I called Green Boys LawnCare, Inc. and asked if they could add us to the schedule. They told me with all the wind, recent rain, etc., it might be a little bit before they could get to us. They got to us the next day. Yard, driveway, curbside, and back yard looked great... well, until the next day. More wind and now can hardly tell they were at our house. I told them when we spoke, it will probably be a two or three time visit for our house to clean leaves. So trees, now is the time to drop your leaves and prepare for winter.

Short work week, so enjoy your Sunday and a few days of work. Until next time...