Remembering those that served and gave their lives so we can be free. Start of summer for many with pools opening, but we should not forget those who gave their lives in the line of duty.
Have a happy and safe Memorial Day and remember those that gave their lives.
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| Picture in Hotel Lobby |
We booked tickets to The Mavericks a few months ago. We had a great time. We got into Kansas City early, so we are able to visit some spots for drinks before we went to the concert. We stayed in downtown Kansas City at the Hotel Indigo which was a good spot as we were within walking distance to placed downtown and really not a bad drive (Uber) to the places we were going for the evening.
After arriving at the hotel, we decided to walk down to the Hilton President Kansas City to have drinks at their bar. We had been to this bar a few years ago for Jack's wedding. A few drinks and then we had a snack while we were there before taking an Uber to J. Rieger & Co. We ordered fancy drinks at J. Rieger and had a cheese and meat plate. Such a fun spot! This is where Jack and Katie had their rehearsal dinner a few years ago, so Carrie and I had been wanting to get back over to J. Rieger to take Greg and Erin. Drinks are so good and it is such a fun spot.
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| Lots of Trains |
J. Rieger and Knuckleheads are in an industrial area, so there are a lot of trains. Tracks and trains everywhere which was fun when we arrived and making our way to the concert, but after the concert and the following day, we were not happy to see the trains. Still a fun time! Luckily after we finished at J. Rieger a train had moved so we were able to walk down the tracks a little to be able to cross over to get to the concert. At one point during the concert, a train went by and blew their horn and the place went crazy. Just a cool spot and fun to be outside enjoying a beautiful evening to watch a concert. Amazing!
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| Carrie and John Crossing Tracks |
Carrie and I had to get our selfie in front of the train as we were crossing the tracks to get over to the concert. Always fun to see trains and be around the tracks. Most of the trains we saw in the area were standing still, so I really did not have a chance to see them moving or click-clacking down the track. Still, it was fun to see and we have some good memories of crossing the tracks to get to the concert.
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| Stage Shot of The Mavericks at Knuckleheads |
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| Selfie Picture at The Mavericks |
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| Cousin Tom and John at Concert |
I missed my brother, Tim, at the concert. Confusion on what night we were going to the concert even though we had told him it was Friday night and he got tickets for Thursday. Oops! He got tickets for Friday night, but ended up not being able to make it as Donna was not feeling well. We ran into my cousin, Tom, at the concert. He was walking through the crowd and we saw one another. He bought us drinks and later we were able to buy him drinks.
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| Selfie Waiting for Train to Move |
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| Town-Topic Burgers |
We took Uber to Town-Topic Hamburgers which was very busy but well worth the wait. We snarfed down our food along with many others in the parking lot next to the place. Town-Topic is some place Carrie has said for a few years she wanted to visit when we were in Kansas City, but this was my first trip there. Burgers at 1 am are always good, but wow, this really hit the spot.
We drove back to Topeka on Saturday and I slept for most of the evening while watching TV. We slept late on Sunday as we are not used to partying. So happy that we were able to make it to the concert and have some good memories of the trip. Carrie and I said during the winter months that we were going to try and do more concerts this year and this was the first of the year. We have another one booked toward the end of June and we cannot wait!
We did discuss that we have not been camping yet and this would have been a perfect weekend for camping. We did our first camping trip in 2022 Memorial Day weekend (see post) and we are not sure when we will be doing our first camping trip for 2023. We talked about going in the middle of June, but nothing is set yet. Regardless, we all had a great time in Kansas City for The Mavericks and Knuckleheads outside stage was so fun!
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| Tongue Out and Sleepy Oliver |
Busy weekend with things happening both Friday and Saturday evening. It was a busy week too with meetings, a two day conference, and trying to get some lawn work done.
Picture of Oliver to the left is from Saturday as he was very sleepy from being up late on Friday night. He likes to go his kennel which we leave open all the time and never shut him in there any more, but it is his "safe" place when he needs to get away from us and sleep. On Saturday afternoon, he was so sleepy is little tongue came out and stayed out most of the afternoon. When his tongue comes out, you know he is sleepy and likely a bit grumpy too, so give him his space and let him do as he pleases through the day.
Friday started summer hours at work which is nice. Had a work gathering that evening and then already had plans for a trip to Lawrence for dinner. Had fun celebrating graduation by some colleagues as well as outstanding staff award for another colleague. Congrats to them all! I was only able to stay for about an hour before I had to head out to pick up Carrie and head to Lawrence. We went to Merchants Pub & Plate which if you have not been there, I highly recommend a visit. Good drinks and fun with family and friends.
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| Carrie Reading with Oliver |
Saturday night we were meeting family for dinner at Blind Tiger and then Soliloquy for drinks. This was my second time to Blind Tiger in the past month or so and once again the food service was very slow. We waited for about 45 minutes for food and had reservations at 8:30 at Soliloquy. The last time I was at Blind Tiger took 45 - 60 minutes for food to be at our table. With no mention it was taking the kitchen either time a long time, this time we could not wait and decided to leave just as it was coming out to the table. Blind Tiger might want to start warning customers if it is going to be 45 minutes plus for food to be ready as that is just too long to wait for food.
We did have some apps while we were waiting for food which was good as that turned out to be the meal for the table. We left and arrived just in time for our 8:30 reservation at Soliloquy. If you have not heard of Soliloquy, be sure to check them out. They are in the same building where Circle Coffee is located, but with Circle Coffee being closed Saturday evening and not open on Sunday, Soliloquy is able to use the space to serve spirits, cocktails, and creating memories with a pop-up place to enjoy some drinks, snacks, and company on Saturday evening. So fun and what a great idea! It was our first time to Soliloquy and we will go back!
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| Sleepy Oliver... Keep Those Eyes Open! |
After being gone last weekend to Texas and not having mowed the lawn in over two weeks, I had to mow on Sunday. Oliver does not like to go in the yard when the grass touches his belly. He will stand on the cement and do his business on some grass overreaching to the pavement. The only time he will go out in the grass, when it is long, is when there is someone walking with a dog. He forgets and runs out to the corner of our back yard to bark at the dog. Then, you can almost see him realize the grass is touching his belly and he will jog along the fence back toward the back patio where he will sit and watch for the next person to cross the street in back of our house.
Now, he can go in the back yard without blades of grass touching his belly. I got the lawn mowed, trimmed, and I used the blower to get other yard stuff away from the house. Oliver is set for another week in our back yard.
I trust you had a great weekend and hopefully you were able to enjoy the nice weather we had this weekend here in Kansas. Hoping we have some more nice days to come before it gets hot. Until next time, have a great week!
We flew down to Dallas, TX last Thursday which is the reason there was not an update on Sunday per usual. We went down to celebrate a graduation for our friend Corrie's son. We flew down to Dallas and then drove with Javier to Houston, TX where the party would take part. We had a great time! The weather was good with some rain, but it did not deter from the fun we had while in Houston. We even got some pool time in before the celebration on Saturday night.
You will not be surprised that I did not get many pictures from the graduation party but we came away with some good memories and enjoyed spending time with our friends.
The last time we were in Houston was back in December for New Years and at that time we had our dog, Oliver, who joined us. The picture to the right is Cooper and Carrie with Cooper getting a belly rub. I am pretty sure that Cooper was happy Oliver was no where around his house.
A quick trip flying down Thursday and then heading back on Sunday. Our flight Thursday morning left at 7:30 am and then the return flight was scheduled for 8:20 but ended up being later which got us home to Topeka around 11:30 Sunday night.
Short trip but a large time was had in Texas. It was good to fly down this time instead of driving which we have done the last few visits to Texas, but I also like taking my dog with me when we travel, so he was missed.
I did not get this posted on Sunday, or Monday, as I was exhausted after our trip and went to bed early Monday night. Finally feeling back to normal after traveling and a lot of fun.
Until next time, have a great week!
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| Carrie in the Hammock |
What wonderful weather we have had the past few weeks. Carrie has spent most evenings in our hammock with the nice weather. Oliver is usually close by or in the hammock with her. The picture to the right was taken Tuesday evening with a wonderful evening after we had been out to eat that evening, we got home, and Carrie went straight for the hammock.
We did see the temperatures increase from 70's up to mid-90's on Saturday and Sunday. I mowed the last Sunday morning before it got too hot, but it will still pretty warm.
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| Oliver and Carrie Outside Salut |
Thursday night, we went to an awards ceremony for Carrie's work where they awarded medals to Bonner graduates. It was a fun evening to hear from Bonner graduates. After it was done, we went to Salut to have a drink on their patio. We took Oliver as he had been home all by himself for most of the day. He had so much fun sitting on the patio as people were leaving and arriving to Salut, they would ask if they could pet him, and he went crazy. He loves attention especially when it is from someone other than Carrie and I. Between guests arriving/leaving, he would look through the window at the people inside with a look on his face as though he did not understand why they were not outside seeing him or he was not inside with them. Funny guy!
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| Coffee and Reading at Circle Coffee |
I mentioned I mowed this morning and spending the afternoon preparing for the week. Looking forward to a busy week and I will catch up with you next week.
Have a great week!
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| Me in Hammock... Oliver in Sun/Dirt |
Busy weekend with events Friday evening and then up early Saturday morning. Still, made time to relax in the hammock outside with Oliver. However, he found a nice spot in the yard with good sunlight and a patch of dirt. I will say, that is the only patch of dirt in the back yard, but he finds it and hangs out there any chance he gets.
Friday night we celebrated Carrie's birthday with her family. Yes, her birthday was a few weeks ago, but this was the first time we had to get together as a family to celebrate. Had a wonderful time at The Weather Room. Good drinks, food, and company was good to celebrate her birthday. A perfect ending to the week which seemed like a long week for some reason. I realized that we did not get any pictures Friday night so again I am trying to improve on taking pictures and capturing moments, but still thinking of it after the fact in most cases.
Saturday morning I was up early to attend an event on the Washburn campus for the new law building. Helped to make sure everything was working properly for the meeting being held in the still being constructed law building. It went off without a hitch.
Carrie went to auditions from 1 - 4 pm on Saturday and should hear on a part by Monday. So excited she is auditioning for plays. Hoping she gets a part so I can see Carrie on the stage again.
Saturday night, we were at Topeka Civic Theater to watch The Crucible. Had a fun time at the theater and the play was good. The last time I saw "The Crucible" was probably twenty years ago with Eddie was in the play. The cast did a good job although at the end it felt like it was anticlimactic as this play just ended and the cast came out on the stage. When Eddie was in the play, the end was intense with the sound of those being accused being hung. I still remember that feeling and we talked about it as we left the play last night. Still, the cast did a good job last night and we had a great time.
Sunday is a day to catch up again in the lawn. Need to mow again today and do some clean up from winter with limbs, leaves, etc. Should be a slow Sunday which is good as we prepare for another week. This week Carrie has her Bonner Event Thursday night that she is getting ready for and I plan to attend with her.
Until next time, have a great week!
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| Mowed Lawn and Fire Pit |
First time to mow for the year and decided to do some limb cleanup too. Goal for the year is to stay ahead of limbs and not have a huge pile at the end of the season that needs to be hauled off. I have been burning for about four hours so far today as I started after I had finished the front and had just started mowing the back when I decided to start burning. Carrie was giving me grief saying that need to keep the limbs for camping, but where we camp, there are a lot of limbs or we can just buy firewood. Plus, we will have more limbs down that is a guarantee.
Oliver stayed outside with me for most of the burning today although he just went inside as I think he is a sleep and needs an afternoon nap. Poor guy! He likes to help and watch what I am doing when I am outside. He also loves to watch for people walking along the street and run out to bark at them. So, we have a party while we are outside working in the back yard and Oliver is the leader of the other neighborhood dogs making sure to alert the others when there is something to bark at.
On Saturday, we decided to drive around and look at camp sites and we started at Clinton Lake which is just outside of Lawrence, KS. We found some good spots we are hoping to be able to do here soon. A lot more camp sites than I was thinking from when I would go out to Clinton Lake. However, way back when I was going there, it was not to camp, but to boat, so camp sites was not something I was paying attention to at the time. We found some good spots that Carrie wrote down in her notes.
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| Cabin at Lone Star 2014 |
While we were at Lone Star Lake, we did stop by to look at the lot where my parents had their cabin. I spent many a day out at the cabin when I was little, growing up, and even after Carrie and I were married, we spent time out at the cabin. I had not been to look at the cabin, or land, since it was sold in 2015 or so. The people who bought it have done amazing things with the land. Still the same structure for the cabin, but modernized as far as I can tell from the outside. I could tell it was the same base with a rock structure, but they completely redid the outside siding, new deck, and made the drive much better. A new dock was nice too that was covered, had a lift to lift their boat out, and good swimming area. It looked really nice which was good to see. It did bring back a flood of memories of spending so much time out at Lone Star.
I did not take any pictures while we were at the old spot of my parents cabin, but there were a lot of memories of the good times had when we would go there. I also remember all the work that it took and I only did a small portion of the work with my Dad and Mom doing most of the work. Cleaning, getting ready for parties, mowing, and the list goes on and on. I appreciate all the work my parents did to keep the cabin so we could go to it for all of those years.
It has been a fun weekend and on that I will end this update. Have a great week!