My Top Eight

A couple weeks ago I told you my Top 9 Reasons I love Fall, number two on the list was Fall festivals. Last weekend, the family headed to Apple Butter Makin' Days, which sometimes I say too fast and it comes as Apple Makin' Butter Days. This is one of my most favorite traditions. 

Each year we meet at Chris' Grandma Pearl's house, in Mt. Vernon, and make the short jaunt to the town square to check out what the vendors brought for us to oohhh and ahhh over this year. 

Hurry up guys!! I can already SMELL the fried onions and potatoes!

If you have never been to Apple Butter Makin' Days in Mt. Vernon, here are My Top Eight reasons to convince you it's the BEST Fall Festival ever, and that you must go to next year:

1. They have thought of everything! Mini-carnival? Check. When your kids start whining, you can dump them off with your significant other, then venture to the square alone and uninhibited.

2. Different strokes for different folks. I don't know if it's the crisp Fall air, or the scent of Apple Butter, but people seem to feel free to express their truest self:

 You know you want to know this fabulous lady. I NEED a ride in that car.

 and look at these little hippies....

 

You go, girls! Express yourself with those tie-dye skirts and funky glasses!

3. The proud courthouse that looks on proudly as the square fills up with excited shoppers throughout the day. Even if it's crowded, you're in the Midwest.....people still have manners and say excuse me.

4. Entertainment. This stage has performers singing, and dancing all day, serenading you while you haggle with the booth owners hawking their wares:

This was a particularly delightful blue grass group.

5. Spending time with the ones you love, hinting at possible Christmas presents:

I think Chris' outfit is very Fall appropriate and manly, don't you agree?

6. The WIDE variety of goods to admire or purchase:

This photo doesn't do these justice, but they are mobiles made from branches with with sweet hand sewn colorful birds birds perched on them.

I loved this stuffed owl that asked: "whoooooo tooooted?" 

We could have used this growing up in my house!

Blue is my favorite color, and I bought the PERFECT pair of earrings then found some awesomely creative necklaces:

The incredible car show comes in at 7:

 

I don't remember giving them permission to show my car? 

 Oh well, I can ride home in my other one:

Sure! I'll give you a ride. I'm just heading to the beach!

What's that you ask? What is the very very very best part of Apple Butter Makin' Days?

It's not the fried potatoes, or frozen cheesecake on a stick. It's not the cool stuff, or even spending time with your family.......

The very best part of Apple Butter Makin' Days is....

8. The Wiener dog races:

I've never been more happy in my whole life than I was in this moment....

When Mr. Speckles took home the gold.

See you all there next year!

Let's party

In my early to mid-twenties (not that long ago!), the majority of my friends were getting married. Chris and I traveled far and wide to attend their glorious weddings. I love weddings, well....let me be frank:  I actually love the receptions. When we got married, I felt like I was always arguing: "Yeah, I get the ceremony is important and all that, but the reception! Now that's where we want to spend the most money!"

 I think the ceremony part of a wedding is an intimate moment between the two people standing together at the alter. It makes me itchy to think of all the people staring as you say such sacred words to your beloved, and on top of that, watching you kiss the first kiss as a married couple! But it's all worth it because after that comes the absolute best part: the reception. It means you get to hang out with your friends, drink cocktails, dance and eat some form of cake. It seems that as I get older the wedding invitations became more and more sparse. So when I had a chance to fly to South Dakota last weekend to celebrate at just a wedding reception,  I jumped at the chance. 

Bill and Kyle have been together for about five years, and eloped in Iowa back in May. 

They had their reception in their hometown, Mitchell, South Dakota. It was perfect:

First of all, I should mention that Mitchell is home to the "Corn Palace". 

I insisted we take a picture on the way to our destination: 

 Ta-da!

The entire outside of this building is covered in corn husks making an amazing corn mosaic!

The reception was near a lake. The weather cooperated wonderfully, and shade from the trees and breeze off the lake, instantly had us relaxed:

Friends gathered to talk, 

and eat:

  

The bruschetta was so delicious that at one point we sent someone back inside to get "community bruschetta" 

A plate almost over flowing with tomato goodness and piled high with bread. 

Of course large amounts of wine were consumed:

But we managed to stay classy, and represent Missouri with pride.

Work it!

 By the way, Lesley, every article of clothing you buy, from this moment forward, needs to be 

that fantastic shade of hot pink. Love it. 

Speeches were given, toasting the couple: 

Hi Ryan, lovely speech!

 I loved the simple elegance of these wild flowers in mason jars, the flowers covered the hillsides of South Dakota, making it look like a fake picture:

   Cork screws were the party favors. I loved mine, but quickly realized I didn't want to be tackled by a TSA agent for trying to carry it onto a plane, and begrudgingly had to leave it behind.

Billy, Kyle, and Me. 

I should add that Chris and I left our house Saturday morning at 4:30 AM to catch my 7:05 flight. Then the very next day, Sunday, I caught a 1:10 PM flight home with a 4 hour lay-over in the Minneapolis, Minnesota airport. If you would like to know the best places to get a quick bite, sneak in a nap or buy some starbucks in the Minneapolis airport, I'm your girl. I did manage to land safely back in Tulsa Sunday night, but exhausted.

However, I shouldn't complain too much because if I hadn't been on the exact flight I was on (heading to my four hour layover in Minnesota),  I would have never got to see this beauty of a hair-style:

You stay classy South Dakota!

H2O

I finally feel like I've recovered completely from our whirl-wind of a family vacation! Geez, it only took me a month--yes, it totally was that epic!  How so, you ask? Let me show you:

Every morning, at the crack of 9 AM, my mom would head to the beach, and snag us a good spot under a shady cabana. The leaves made the best sound in the breeze, perfect for a mid-morning snooze.

Andrew may look like he's people watching, but he's actually sound asleep. 

The kid can sleep anywhere, anytime and in any position. Frankly, as an insomniac, I find it rather annoying.

The ocean!

 It was just as expected: warm and salty (that's what she said). 

 As you know we are avid lake goers and have quite a bit of skill when it comes to 'floating.' Obviously floating in the sea is different than OUR lake, but the concept is the same .

The only bummer, about the water, was a huge storm had come through the week before and brought tons and tons of seaweed with it. We were fighting the spongy, prickly, bushy algae all week. At one point, I heard my mom yell: "GET OFF ME SIGMUND!!" Confused by the lack of anyone near us, I said: "Who the heck is Sigmund?" Mom continued to yell while picking seaweed off her shoulder: "Sigmund the Sea Monster!" The seaweed was then known as Sigmund the remainder of the trip.

Having only been to the Pacific Ocean, I loved the clear water, seaweed and all. 

We usually started the day off at the beach, and when the tides started bringing Sigmund the Sea Monster our way, we headed to the resort pool that was complete with a convenient swim-up bar (Now we're talking!). Many a good times were had in this pool:

Me and the guys, at the bar. They are posing as "dragons"--don't ask.

The swim up bar was really cool and all, but something became WILDLY apparent to me when I didn't see anyone leaving the pool ALL day while consuming copious amounts of alcohol (I think you know where I'm going with this): We all were swimming in a pool of stranger's pee that happened to be mixed with a little chlorine.

To be honest, I got really grossed out by this thought the first day...

......then I got another margarita,  peed in the pool, and got over it.

Home sweet Home

We made it home from our FANTASTIC vacation in the Dominican Republic last Friday morning, around 3:30 am. The rest of our weekend/week was spent doing laundry, doing more laundry, did I mention laundry? And recovering. And paying bills. And remembering what it's like to get back to our reality.  As the vacation week ended, Christian developed what we called the "end of vacation blues." I really can't blame him! It's hard to go from this:

to this: 

Since I received my passport 2 days before our departure and was officially allowed to leave the country. I finally allowed myself to pack. In fact,  I was so excited hold the passport in hand (no matter how bad the picture was) I actually packed Monday night for a Wednesday flight.

When you go to a different country, you're automatically prepared for it to be different even if you don't really know how to prepare. My dad handles this by loading his carry-on with every electronic cord imaginable (just in case), his lap top, neosporin, hydrocortizone cream, three different pairs of sunglasses, books, magazines, band-aids, and a full mini-bar (just kidding). My carry-on had four books, literally.

We stepped off the plane already in slight culture shock, but happily surprised. How cute is this airport?! P.S. notice dad's heavily laden backpack, it's like he's a pack mule.

We were so charmed by the sweet thatched roof, and the lush greenery that when we walked inside we immediately were re-culture shocked by 'island pace' which means lines and lines of people all wanting to go to the same place in a hurry:

You can't tell by this picture, but my dad's head is on a swivel trying to figure it all out. 

See what I mean about the lines?

We did finally make it to our magnificent resort. 

Whenever I was a little girl, and we would go to a home improvement store like Home Depot, where they had fake kitchens or fake bathrooms on display, or go to a model home, set-up with furniture so you could see what your future home might look like, I always pretended it was actually my home. I'd say things like: "Well! What are all these people doing in my house!?" and then proceed to pull an imaginary cup out of an imaginary cupboard to serve my guests (who were probably like: "Get out of the way little girl, we're trying to see the depth of this cabinet!). 

Let's be honest, we were in IKEA a couple years ago, and I was still doing this. My point being, the hotel ended up being my imaginary house for the week-and-a-half:

 

"Hey guys! Ya, just go over and talk to my servants, they'll tell you which room is yours....."

 

Please enjoy this porch swing located in my hallway, and please notice my fancy plants I had planted last Spring- the gardner is doing such a wonderful job!

 

Your room is that way, brothers! Yes, continue down the walk-way there and you'll run right into it. No, no, don't thank me! Family is always welcome.

See what I mean? I'm a weirdo. 

However, I soon realized I wasn't alone in my weirdness....

As we got more settled into the resort (my home) that first day.....

I discovered my family was making it there home too, but in different ways: 

Mom found a comfy couch to lean back, kick up her feet, drink an adult beverage and take pictures.

Christian claimed the place as his own by drinking the contents of a coconut he found while relaxing in this little hut right outside our door (he would later sleep here-twice). 

Chris and Andrew have their own way of their own way of making a hotel their own...

...and that is stripping down to shorts and the resort provided robe. 

I'm sure you're not surprised, but this is not the first picture I have of them in various hotel robes...

After we all felt we had sufficiently gotten comfortable in our new place, we got together in one of the comfortable cabanas in the lobby. Why here? Well, isn't that obvious?

So we could greet new guests and say.....

WELCOME TO OUR NEW HOME!

Ten best ways to have a great 4th of July:

1. Load the boat with flotation devices and people: 

2. Head out on the boat to find a nice sunny spot in a secluded cove. If you are like Christian and have been up since 3 am, working, you are probably exhausted and may want to find a shady spot on the boat and take a quick cat nap:

3. After finding the perfect spot,  you float.....

and float.....

and float...

Proper beverages are must, naturally.

4. Noodle placement for optimum floating is not optional: 

Yeah, he knows what this looks like, he just doesn't care because great floating has been achieved!

5. Don't forget to get a fantastic group picture!

6. and remember to come prepared with stories to share:

"And then I says to this wise guy, I says: Yo! I've had it up to here with yo' bull shiz..."
I think Chris'  sweet aviators and fu man chu makes me think of him with a 70's New York accent. 

7. If you brought furry friends, they may need a piggy back ride, even if they are wearing their own $35 doggy life jacket: 

8. After a full day of floating, talking, laughing head home for the main event: 

Forget the tickets to the gun show, this is what you should want to see! 

9. Let your dad take a picture of you looking REALLY excited to be holding a sparkler:

There is no better way to express your love for American then to blow stuff up.....

10. Finally, make sure your furry friends are dressed to represent their love for their country: 

and it doesn't hurt if you are wearing your favorite patriotic outfit either: 

HAPPY FRIDAY! I HOPE YOUR 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION CONTINUES WELL INTO THE WEEKEND! 

LOVE,

This girl