Bursts of Color

What a beautiful day! I grant that it's Monday, but the colors outside are really mood lifting. I recently found a few Fall bloomers I couldn't resist on the clearance rack of the nearby greenhouse. After a couple weekends they are actually in the ground and already sparkling with bright shades of pinks and yellows. I was going to take a few pictures of the countryside yesterday but I have apparently allowed the battery in my camera to run down. I plan to recharge the little inefficient beast today and post a few shots of the area just in case you haven't had the chance to enjoy the real life watercolor scenes of Fall yet.

Closing the 09 Vacay Book

That evening I dropped Kayla off at her parent's place north of Bolivar. Her brother, Chris, would join her later that evening after a long drive from Texas. The next day the two of them would head to Columbia to visit their parents at the hospital.
After kicking Kayla out of the car I took off for south central Missouri to grab a little family time of my own.
When family time wrapped up the following day, the three of us gathered back in Humansville and spent the next couple days in late night conversations, late morning wake ups, and back roading through the landscape of Polk County… In a Jeep, with the top off!!! It was great weather to be out and about with friends and we learned a few things about the area. First, if you need to find someone and don't know where to look, plant yourself at the convenience store because they will pass through sooner or later. Second of all, we grabbed lunch at a small café in town. It was a pleasant surprise to dine on what has to be one of the best salads ever! I don't remember the name, but if you pass through Humansville, swing by the little café on Main and enjoy!!
Last but not least, backroading is still a great way to spend time. Yes, you burn a little gas but you see the good stuff when you venture off the beaten path. For example, while touring the countryside one day, we got a kick out of this sight... I love people with an entertaining sense of humor!! Do you have to be a small town kid to appreciate backroading, or do urban/suburbanites somehow learn that pastime too?
After a couple days entertaining ourselves, Saturday rolled around. Chris made another trip to Columbia to visit the family. Kayla and I ventured back to the Lake of the Ozarks for the jet ski adventure we missed earlier in the week. That evening Chris joined us at the lake for a night on the town at a little club down the road. Bright and early Sunday, he set out for the long haul back to the Lone Star state. Kayla and I returned to Columbia for another visit with the family. Her dad was feeling a little better after his week of recovery and her mom seemed to be a little more rested after the whirlwind week they had experienced. That afternoon we returned to Kansas City to do the rental car and checked luggage shuffle. We made it home and can't wait for the next vacation adventure.

Back to Vacation Past

A little slow on the follow up to the stories I suppose, but there's more to come…
It just so happens we had a great vacation.
Fred and Deb, it was great to see you.. even if you did spend most of your time "hanging out" with the nurses and doctors. There's a good chance they were better company, not to mention, a lot more useful under the circumstances than the rest of us! Hope to visit with you again
We had a great visit with the family and we wanted a spontaneous spin to vacation anyway! After we left the hospital we traveled south to the Lake of the Ozarks. Thanks to my friend Nicole who did a little online search, we found a great resort for $67 a night. At least half the price of some places we checked into and it was very nice. The only downside was the regional cheerleading competition that was being held there that same week. When the guy at the desk shared that information, images of teenie boppers doing cartwheels up and down the halls while giggling and screaming cheers throughout the night passed through my mind. Thankfully that was not the case because he placed us on a floor far away from the sleep threatening spirit squads. We had an awesome balcony overlooking a wonderful scene of greenery and the lake. One evening we participated in what we refer to as "sauna golf." It's an easy game, just attend any mini or full size golf course on what would have to be the muggiest, most miserable, humidity filled day of the year. As you step onto the course, make sure you are surrounded by a number of people (dozens works best) who can slow down the process of actually finishing all 18 holes. You will honestly find yourself fighting the temptation to jump into the mucky oddly colored "water hazard" at the course.

Congratulations, you have now experienced Sauna Golf!! We managed to survive the game by cutting out a couple holes early to make it to the air conditioned theater to see "The Hangover." By the way, I thought it was hilarious!!
During our time at the lake we also enjoyed a couple days of sleeping in, swimming, and a great morning at the spa with massage, manicures, and pedicures! Wonderful!!
We were going to head out for an adventure on Jet Skii's but Mother Nature had a different idea when she sent a monsoon our way. At that point we were already planning to leave the lake for another adventure and this just bumped up the schedule.

When Things Fall into Place...

Then that’s the place you're supposed to be… The next 24 hours were spent packing, doing laundry and trying to think of anything we might need for a week on the road to Colorado and who knows where. What shoes do I need, turn off the air, take out the trash, lock the doors… where are my keys!!!
I made plans to get to Kansas City early so I could tackle a couple of pre-trip tasks, including the need to arrange a rental car. The air conditioner I thought was working in my car decided to fail. That's not acceptable so a rental was a must! Uncharacteristically, I arrived in Kansas City right on time. As I pulled onto the highway toward the airport I got a call from Kayla. She had spent much of her day preparing in the same way, packing, unpacking and repacking. She was at the airport in Chicago about to board the plane for the short flight but called to let me know something had come up. Her parents had called to say that her dad was going to have surgery that evening… a long awaited major surgery… in a matter of hours… in Missouri!!
Of all the places we could have been, the numerous plans that came together to those same plans that fell apart, we were thankful to be where we were. When she arrived in KC we turned our little rental, loaded down with anything and everything, east toward Columbia. We arrived with a couple hours to visit before the operation started.
By the next morning her dad was resting comfortably, or at least as comfortably as one could after an internal overhaul. By the afternoon his color was good and he was visiting with everyone in the room.
Since things were going well they encouraged us to take off on our adventure. We did decide to oblige...

Blindfolded with Pointy Objects

Like I mentioned in the previous posts, we planned for vacation to be an adventure before we even stepped on the door. This one didn't fall short of the goal. So far our vacation plans for South Carolina fell through, last minute airline deals = not so last minute, and now the 24-hour reserve we had on a cruise was dropped somewhere short of 24 hours. As of Friday evening we were officially on vacation and no place to go. Over the previous couple of months we'd tossed around ideas, one of which… throw a dart at a map then hit the road. On a side note, I'm not a dart board owner but recently I found a dart. It was in a dart board that had been thrown away. I wasn't intentionally dumpster diving, I just happened to come across it, I promise. Anyway, I grabbed the dart just in case.
Now that our latest plans had crumbled, we decided to do a little more searching/surfing then discuss our findings the following day, Saturday. That morning I ran a couple of errands and ended up back at the office where there are multiple computers for searching ease. For inspiration, I placed a map of the United States above the computer and searched flights for anywhere, Florida… beaches and theme parks… California…more beach… Colorado… Colorado, what could we do there??? White water rafting… a possibility… Finally in a fit of frustration I took out the dart, closed my eyes and tossed it. Apparently I forgot to inform the dart that anyplace chillier than Missouri was not an option, because the thing landed in the chilly tundra of Canada, yuck! My own personal theory is we wait all winter for cold to go away, so going somewhere cold during summer is ridiculous.
Curt, one of the DJ's who seemed amused by the desperate vacation search, informed me proper dart throwing procedure calls for a twirl then toss. Ahhh, good idea! Relieved there was a professional on hand to clear up the bylaws, the first throw was disqualified!
I stepped back, took a couple blinded spins and threw the dart toward what I hoped was the map …… And the winner is, Colorado! I like it.. A few moments later I shared the results with Kayla who was all for a Colorado White Water Rafting adventure. There should be plenty to do and the state is also close enough to Missouri that I could drive out and we could road trip across the countryside.
Decisions made!! The following day Kayla, who lives in Chicago, would take an affordable flight into Kansas City instead of the pricey Denver option. I would pick her up in a rental car (with an operating AC) and we would be westward bound!!

Vacation Eve and Counting

When the 24-hour hold was placed on the cruise, we set to work making our travel arrangements to Miami. Kayla lives in Chicago. I'm near Kansas City. Between the two large airports we should be able to find flights to South Beach without much trouble… or one would think.
On a daily basis there is a plethora of emails bragging about these amazing "last minute deals." Most of the time those bargains are off to places that would be great to visit. I'll confess though, I don't usually read the whole thing because I don't have the time to go. During this planning adventure, I've officially read the fine print and have learned something about those "deals". It's bull!! The majority of these require a 10 to 14 day purchase prior to departure. If I can't purchase a ticket and be on the plane/boat/train/camel or water buffalo within 24 hours then it's not a last minute deal!!
Despite the false claim, we both found decent priced flights that would put us in Miami enjoying the sunshine in about 48 hours. That would be plenty of time to enjoy the beach before the cruise left port. With a little excitement as well as relief knowing when, where and what we would do, the call was made to secure the cruise…
or attempt to...

Mission Vacation...

Vacation! It's a great time to get away, relax, take in sunshine and visit with old friends. You've got to love it. This year was no different in the amount of fun, but quite different in the follow through. My friend Kayla and I had been planning to take a vacation for the past couple of months and finally settled on the week of June 22nd as the time to escape. In 2008 we took a trip to Vegas where we won some and lost some, just the way Vegas should be. This time we decided vacation would be an adventure from the very beginning, long before stepping out the door. How does that happen? By making absolutely no plans! We didn't know where we wanted to go so we decided to "let the cards fall where they may" and see what happens from a last minute adventure.
A few days into June, our friend Chris in North Carolina invited us to his place on the lake. He would take off a couple days to join us but thought we could find plenty to entertain ourselves in the meantime. Lake, boats, and sunshine in a land many states away… that sounded like a great idea so we started plotting when and how to get there. As travel plans fell into place, things on the other end fell apart. Chris had unavoidable stuff come up so he wouldn't be able to amuse us girls as planned. That's ok, we've got plenty of time!
As the vacation countdown continued, we dedicated hours to the search. Four days out, Kayla found a great 4-night deal on a cruise. Sunshine, boats, beach!! Can't beat it! She put a 24 hour hold on the cabin while we tracked down flights to Miami. We don't fly out for three days, that's plenty of time...