A weekly list of things accomplished, enjoyed, learned, tried and remembered.
1. Father’s Day. For Father’s Day this year–Super Rockstar just wanted to go to church, have some fried chicken and then enjoy doing his favorite unplugged activity–painting. But, by far, the best part is him reading the cards that our boys make for him–they are always equal parts funny, insulting, and touching. I hope all Dad’s, Daddy’s, Fat Man’s (what our boys call Super Rockstar), Old Man’s (also a loving endearment our boys use) and Father’s enjoyed their day too.
2. A Soggy Gig. An overzealous monsoon season has been challenging for SofaKillers this summer–so many outdoor gigs have been cancelled and rescheduled. This was their first year playing at Banning Lewis Summer Concerts and even though the sky looked threatening, the show went on…mostly. So many folks came to enjoy listening to some great music in hopes that the clouds would pass us by and even when it started sprinkling, they stuck around. The sound crew was determined to keep going no matter what, but when the sprinkles turned to big splashy big drops and lightening loomed on the horizon–they decided to quit a little early. Just moments after they packed up their gear–a huge golf ball size hailstorm came through, so…good call on the quitting a little early.
3. Kansas for the 4th. I know a vacation in Kansas isn’t on most people’s lists of summer destinations, but we travel every 4th of July to Hutchinson Kansas–my hometown where my parents live (and now my sister Stephanie and her husband Todd do too). We love seeing family and enjoying our favorite things about Hutch. And for you skeptics out–there are some really fun things to do:
The Cosmosphere. Right in the heart of Hutchinson Kansas is a true gem of a museum that houses the history of USA space exploration–it includes the era of the race to the moon between the US and Soviet Union, the Cold War, first travels, and so much more. It is incredible how much history, information and real deal artifacts are housed there–I was so impressed with it all. There is also a huge dome theater that has showings of various documentaries. We watched one called Secrets of the Sea and loved it. They also have a really nice gift shop and cafe. It is impossible to take it all in in one visit, but if you are ever in the area–I highly recommend it.
The Hutchinson 4th of July Parade. This was our first time going and we had such a great time. Small town parades are always worth it. I think if you have a car or a cause, they’ll let you participate. Haha. My favorite was the guy wearing the “poo” costume promoting his dog poo clean up business. My second favorite was sitting behind a guy that was handing out ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ stickers to everyone–including the folks on the Democrat party float. He thought it was great fun. Them? Not so much. But we all got a good giggle out of it. The boys loved getting lots of candy and popsicles.
Grandma’s Pool. Okay, it’s not really her pool, but this is what my boys call it. They’ve been coming here every summer since they were little. It is a very nice city pool called Salt City Splash–there are several splash areas, slides, and a huge pool with diving boards. Going off the high dive is always the way Morgan and Grayson spend the hours we are there. Super Rockstar and I enjoy laying in the hot Kansas sun and cooling off in the pool.
Fireworks. Super Rockstar, my boys and their Uncle Todd spend a lot of time choosing (and spending a small fortune on) as many fireworks as they can. There is always a battle to plan with tanks and smoke bombs and this year they really got a kick out of some parachute ones. The rest of us sit back and watch–oohing and ahhing. The neighborhood was so full of big boomers that we didn’t feel the need to walk over to the fairgrounds and watch the big fireworks show that the city puts on every year.
My sister’s house. My sister, Stephanie and her husband Todd moved back to Hutch a few months ago. They have a great house and hosted a cookout while we were in town. As a fun surprise, one of my cousins and her family just happened to be passing through town and joined us. It was so great to catch up and enjoy some delicious food.
Food. Speaking of food–my parents go all out for 4th of July with a delicious steak dinner. I would have taken a picture, but I’m a pig and ate it all before I remembered to. There is also homemade ice cream. It is “man’s work” to churn the ice cream–with my boys and all the men taking turns showing their vast strength. Interestingly enough–Super Rockstar was strangely absent and only reappeared when it was all done. Hmmm. Strange. However, we all enjoyed eating it.
4. Movies and Shows to Watch–Volume 70.
5. My Favorite Memes of the Week.
As always, I would love to hear from you. I hope you have a great week!