We're back!!

We are back! I am telling you, between the heat and the traveling, I am beat!
Ok, from the start, we got back from Branson Wedneday night around 10pm. It was a good trip. Lots of fun, but super crazy. Not a place we will probably vacation often, that is for sure.

We went to church last Sunday to the 9:30 service. Our truck was loaded so we headed out on our way after that. I had packed a picnic lunch so we could stop and do that. We ended up eating sparatically from St. Joseph to Sedalia. A potty stop there and then on down south. We arrived in Branson around 5pm. We checked into our hotel, looked around the grounds and then headed out for Pizza. We went to this place called Papa Grands and it had this huge guitar sticking out of its roof. It was pretty good. Then we ran to Walmart to pick up some plastic wear and milk for cereal in the morning. WE thought the deal was that the place we had was more like what my parents have with a kitchen. Well, you got to stay in one of those if you bought part of their property, which was the meeting we had to attend Monday morning. So our cooler was full of ice to keep the groceries cold that we had brought. We came back to the hotel and the kids crawled into the huge tub and took a bath while Chris and I tried to come up with a plan for while we were there.
Monday we had to be at the meeting at 8:30, so we got up, ate some cereal and were under the impression the meeting would take 90 minutes. We were in there for 4 hours. In addition to it being our anniversary, we were feeling like our time was being wasted. We listened to them and then politely declined 5 times!!. It was like they didn't get that we really didn't want to invest $10,000 in a 2nd home when we don't even have a 1st. We left there and headed to Steak and Shake for lunch, since it is Chris' fav restaurant. WE came back to the hotel to take a nap before heading to Celebration City. We got there at 3, when the park opened. We rode the carosel first, and then the go karts. We headed from there to the Veggie Tales movie and to meet Bob and Larry. After that we rode a water ride and the kids rode a couple of kid rides before we headed to the eatery for supper. They had a barbeque place, so we had pulled pork sandwiches. Then it was off to the ferris wheel to see the sunset and let our food settle. Then we rode the bumper cars and Chris headed for the Ozark Wildcat. The kids and I went to the kids part again and they rode an airplane, a train and some ladybugs before wanting to go on one that threw you up in the air. At first, Hannah wasn't sure she liked it. She cried, then laughed, then cried, then laughed. She went a second time and decided she hated it. Then they all dared me to ride the Ozark Wildcat, so I did. It was really fun, and fast. By this time, it is moving on the time where they set off fireworks, so Hannah and I headed to the carosel for that as her last ride and Chris and Nathan headed to the flying airplanes for their last ride. We went to the parking lot to sit int he bed of the pickup to see the fireworks. The kids were tired, so we headed back, all to bed by 11pm
Tuesday we woke up late, getting to sleep in. We went swiming for about 2 hours before heading to the hotel to get ready for our trip on the Branson scenic railway. We got there and loaded the train. We were in the dome car, which meant we were above the whole train. We rode through 2 tunnels and over 2 trestles. I am sure that if you know Nathan very well, he was on the edge of his seat the entire 2 hours we were gone. They had a snack car, so we got a drink to share and ate in the dining car. If you see him soon, you will have to ask him about it.
It was a really cool ride for all of us. On the way back to the hotel, we looked at a couple of the shops and hit Montana Mikes to use our food voucher for supper. Chris got a steak and I got Chicken fried steak. Nathan decided he liked mine too, so he ate half mine. Hannah had a grilled cheese and that was good for her. WE got back to the hotel and watched a movie and then headed to bed.
Wednesday, we checked out and went to Krispy Kreme to see doughnuts be made and then eat some. The kids thought it was amazing to see. They got a free trial doughnut in it. Then it was on to Springfield to check out the Bass Pro. We got there at 11:30 and left there around 3pm. there were some really neat things inside. One of the fish was "waving" at Hannah. I got video of it, it was pretty cool. Then we headed to Lamberts on our way out of town. When we got there, figuring since it was the middle of the afternoon, they wouldn't be busy. Wrong! The CBS early morning show was there doing a special segment on travel or something, so it was crazy busy. It was ok. The kids thought the throwed rolls were cool and the fact that they just dumped fried okra in the middle of your table. We were on our way back home by 5pm.
A couple of stops for potty and one time at Harry Truman reservoir for a "stretch". You know, Chris needed to stretch his arm with a reel and rod in it there. :-)
No catching anything, but it was a nice pitstop. We were home in St. Joe late.
Woke up to unpacking things and the kids played all day in their rooms. We took a break from all the "fun" to go mini golfing.
Today we went and got groceries and visited the Bond family garage sale. Right now, the kids are resting and Chris went to donate blood and hit the library. WhenI get off, I have laundry to fold and dishes to wash and to put the suitcases away. Hopefully the next week won't be much.
Sunday is a dinner for the Mark and Rachel, whom we will miss much, but know God has his hand on their path. And Chris is back to work tomorrow morning.
I hope all of you are staying cool and keeping Christ first.
Will write again soon and maybe not so tired. :-) (Yeah, right!)
All our love