At The Lake

On Sunday we enjoyed some pre-Memorial Day festivities at Lake Winnebago at Roy & Angie's.

As soon as we loaded on the pontoon and got to the other side of the lake it started POURING. And I mean hard.

All it took for the rain to stop and for the sun to shine was to dock the boat.

The "boys" enjoyed fishing from the dock (Steve for the second time that day). Nate and Dalton caught their first fish so it was a momentous occasion!

And then the little ones found the water...who knew freezing water could be so fun!

Surprise!

Allison is one of my closest friends. After living in other people's houses for years, a couple of weeks ago Steve and I helped to finally move her into a home of her own. Needless to say Steve and I are extremely happy for her.

It's a cute two bedroom/one bath that already has Allison's signature touches (including Steve's fav sleigh coffee table).

Allison's boyfriend KP threw together a surprise housewarming party in less than 48-hours. So last Friday we invaded her home, did a quick pick-up (things boys just don't see) of her bedroom and traditionally scared her as she walked into her own home.

Honestly, if anyone ever throws a surprise party for me in my own house I may lose it. Anywhere else is fine; but me not having control of what my home looks like may put me over the edge.

Luckily, Allison is more go-with-the-flow and enjoyed every minute of it.

Thanks Jack & Beverly!

I woke up to a very pleasant surprise Sunday morning. Jack and Beverly got a new bed and gave us their king mattress!

Steve and I slept on a double bed for years until Jack and Beverly sold us their queen mattress. So we've really moved up the past six-years (all thanks to the Parks).

The Steves, my dad and our neighbor Scott went into action getting the mattress, box springs and frame from three different places.

Here are photos of the bed going up our 1924 narrow and non-straight stairs!

Old Looks New

As I was off with my friends, Steve, of course, was hard at work beautifying our home Friday night.

He spray painted our outdoor wicker chairs and planter stands brown to match our door that we recently painted brown.

These wicker pieces came from my parents, who got them from my Grandma and Grandpa Bird and so forth so they are meaningful in addition to a great accent for our home.

The Killers Concert & Fire Station Fun!

My birthday present from the girls was a ticket to The Killers concert at City Market on Friday night. Since Michelle is in Cali, our friend Monica graciously joined us.



Monica, Jen, Allison and me with our "illegal" camera.



Six years ago Allison and I parked at the fire department for another concert. We asked again and they said sure! Boy, we had no idea what we were in for.



After the concert they graciously fed us hamburgers, fried pineapple and chips. And they even let us up in the truck. I also wore this extremely heavy helmet for 30 minutes or more. That thing weighed at least 1/2 as much as me.



It's extremely important to always have a model pose whenever one is at a fire station.

My new friend Paige Davis!

On Friday, Paige Davis from Trading Spaces was at Beauty Brands promoting her Starlight Theatre show "Sweet Charity" that's coming to KC in July. Beauty Brands is the presenting sponsor hence the BB connection.

I've always thought she seemed very fun (which I like) so I was quite excited to meet her. I was right! We talked the entire time. She's extremely friendly and easy to talk to.

I told Jacque she's irreplaceable as my BFF as I was sure Paige was going to want to be my new best friend. Of course that was a joke but I'm sure Paige is very excited to see me again in July. :)

A Night Out At The Ballpark

Wednesday night Steve and I enjoyed our second Royals game of the season.

We have very generous friends and employers because we've enjoyed both games from rockstar seats.

EVERYONE around us was taking photos.
Here is the photo of us.

Brookside Art Fair Grillin'

Saturday night we enjoyed grilling out with friends, family, three little boys and a baby!

Here's a picture of Nate post mud dive. Dad is currently on his way home to get another set of clothes!

Nate never stopped moving Saturday night!

The bubble makers.

Trolley Run

On Sunday the Steve's, our neighbors, me and 7,000+ people ran the Trolley Run. It's a 4+ mile run that goes down the trolley trail by our house. It starts in Waldo, winds through Brookside and ends at the plaza.

Probably all of you know I (& Ann) do Jazzercise. People laugh but Jazzercise is hard and a fantastic workout.
And most of you know I don't run. My brother runs, my husband runs, but that's it. So this was a big deal for me.

I jogged the entire run and averaged a 9:27 mile.
Nate was even there with Ann and her mom, Geri, to meet us around the finish line with a New Year's Eve horn that I think spent most of the time on the ground!

Steve S's time wasn't posted but I'm sure he did 7:00 miles. He's quite the long distance sprinter.

Most importantly the run benefitted the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired. I've worked with this organization the past six years through my job and they serve a tremendous service to our city. We're lucky to have them here.

And no, I could not walk or go up stairs Monday or Tuesday...

May Day. Huh?

Another May Day has passed in Kansas City without children enjoying the tradition of May Day baskets. Thousands of children are missing out on the fun of filling small baskets with candy, ringing a person's doorbell and running away before they can answer.

As I near my 10th anniversary as a KC resident, I'm still floored each year when I mention May Day Baskets and get a blank stare on the other end.