I Joined the Gym

I needed something to motivate me to exercise. I have all the equipment needed to a good workout at home but that just wasn't doing the trick for me.

So I decided to join Planet Fitness. It took everything I had to go the first time but I did it. They have this area where there are 10 different workout machines and steps to climb. You work each machine for 1 minute, rest for 30 seconds, then do stair steps for a minute. After one round you've done a 30 minute full body workout. 

It wasn't that bad although the picture says otherwise. After the 30 minute workout I did 20 minutes on a sit down elliptical. It was hard but I really enjoyed it. 

My favorite part was the hydro massage chair I used for 10 minutes after the workout. Cross your fingers I last longer than one week!

Gender Reveal - It's A Girl!

After dropping Violet and Lincoln off at school, Melissa and Jamie brought Hazel to my house so they could get the sonogram for the gender of Baby #4.

The first 10 minutes after Jamie and Melissa left were filled with tears but Ma worked her magic and after popsicles, bubbles, race cars and funny pictures, Hazel and I had a fun morning.

Melissa and Jamie were convinced Baby #4 was a boy but I wasn't too sure. From the beginning I thought it was a girl but Melissa seemed so persistent that it was a boy I almost changed my mind before the reveal. The look on Melissa's face was priceless when pink smoke came out instead of blue.

Everyone thought it was going to be a boy except the two grandmothers. I know my reasoning but not sure of Laura's....Instinct?

Either way, we're all happy to welcome Baby Girl Taylor in January 2022.

First Day of School

The first day of school is always filled with stress and anxiety.

Violet's heading off for 3rd grade....

And Lincoln is starting at Violet's school in kindergarten. While there were tears going in, there were smiles coming out. Hopefully everyone adjusts and the pandemic doesn't cause any unforeseen pressures.

Tie Dye Failure

I thought tie dying would be a fun activity for Violet and Lincoln (Melissa forbid me from letting Hazel get dye all over her). Violet and Lincoln have tie dyed before so I got 2 shirts for me and one for Hazel for us to tie dye.

Hazel's shirt turn out real cute - of course Violet took charge of that shirt. The shirt with the green sleeves was also Violet's creation. She did try to make a heart in the center which she saw on YouTube but the heart didn't quite come out as planned. I can't blame Lincoln for the other shirt. I folded it and tied it. Lincoln used the dye. Either I had too thick of folds or we didn't use enough dye.

We're not giving up. We'll soon have another attempt and hopefully those shirts will come out better.

High School Reunion Lunch

Every month the '73 graduating class of Van Horn High School tries to plan a lunch to keep in touch with old friends.

And every month the numbers dwindle down. It mostly depends on how many other family commitments are made. This month's lunch was at Smokehouse BBQ with 4 people in attendance. I like the smaller groups. You're able to talk without all the interruptions from others.

Kansas City Monarchs Baseball Game

KCP&L's retirement group plans about 5-6 events throughout the year for retirees to get together and visit. Since the pandemic, events have been cancelled.

A trip to Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas, to watch the Kansas City Monarchs play baseball was our first event since the pandemic began. The Monarchs (formerly known as the T-Bones) is a major league partner team. While the stadium was small and a very small crowd, I didn't see even an inning of the game due to constant chattering with old friends.

Maybe I'll plan to take the kids out there. Tickets are cheap but they make up for it with their food prices. $20 for a hotdog and beer...YIKES!

Themed Slot Tournament

I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a picture from Harrah's advertising a slot tournament.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw this picture. I thought "this is a cute theme". Then I realized, that's my son. Michael's team's theme was "Back to the 80's". He's such a dedicated employee. Who else do you know who would walk around a casino dressed like this. By the way, his team won the slot tournament!

Top Golf

Robin, Regina and I usually get together for each other's birthdays but because of all the pandemic restrictions, we put those gatherings on hold.

We decided to get together at Top Golf and call it a 2021 celebration of birthdays. After swinging a golf club for 3 hours, I'm sure I'm going to pay for it with sore muscles.

Nace Brothers Groupie

While it's been over a year since I've been to a concert, the Nace Brothers is one of my favorite local blue grass bands.

The Nace Brothers were playing in Blue Springs at Rotary Park, so Trish and I headed out for an evening of song and interesting people watching.

Aunt Pam wasn't able to attend the Sunday concert but the Nace Brothers were playing at Knuckleheads, so once again I went along...same songs, different venue. No matter that it was the same band, it was good to get out and listen to a live band. My next concert is scheduled for September to see the Doobie Brothers at Starlight Theater. Let's hope the Delta variant slows down and the concert isn't canceled. Fingers crossed!