Kansas City Trip (March 4-6, 2011)

The last time I was in Kansas City was June of 2008 for my college roommate, Gretchen's Bachelorette party. A few months back, Mark and I decided it was time for a return trip, so Gretchen and I figured out a weekend that worked for both of us, and escaped the snowy frozen tundra in Minnesota for a weekend getaway.

We took a half day of vacation last Friday and started out on the 7-hour trip on down there. We arrived shortly after 7pm, and visited with Gretchen a while, waiting for Ryan to get off work before going to find something to eat.

54th Street Bar & Grill

Gretchen recommended trying out 54th Street Bar & Grill, which was a great recommendation and so yummy!





We started out with an appetizer of waffle fries with a yummy cheesy dip


Ryan and Mark both ordered the 9oz sirloin, Gretchen ordered the salmon, and I had the Rattlesnack pasta (which was super spicy!).

World War I Museum

Gretchen recommended that we check this museum out, and I'm so glad we did! We went there around noon on Saturday.



This part of the exhibit really blew my mind. It reminded me of Christmas ornaments, and it was pretty amazing how intricate some of these grenades were.


The detail was incredible for the displays!


Two of the most sobering parts of the museum were to see the dog tags from back in the day, along with the miniature child-sized uniforms.

Liberty Monument

After the museum and Liberty Monument, we found some lunch and did a little shopping at Crown Center. Afterwards, we got some ice cream, then headed back to Gretchen and Ryan's to relax a while before going to find some good BBQ for the evening.

Smokehouse BBQ

We left it to the "natives" to choose where we ought to try out some of Kansas City's famous BBQ. We were initially going to try Gates BBQ, but it was pretty late by the time we left, and apparently the best one is in a sketchy part of the city, so we decided on Smokehouse, and it didn't disappoint!

Mark and I split a family platter, and we were more than full! Ryan and Gretchen got pork (Gretch) and beef (Ryan) burnt ends. The whole meal was delicious, but the beans were especially notable!

Sunday

Mark and I started out back home after church with Gretchen and Ryan at The Summit, stopping only for a bit in Sioux City, and then again in Worthington for supper.

It's always so good to catch up with old friends :) Miss you, Gretch! Hope to see you again soon :)

February 2011 Recap

Riley's 5th Birthday (February 4-5)

We headed down to Humboldt the first weekend in February to celebrate Riley's 5th birthday with him at Godfather's in Humboldt. Earlier in the day, Mom, Jason, Mark and I enjoyed lunch at Subway and Mark and Jason gave the car a good wash down.



Before the big party, we went back to the farm for a bit, and I got some GREAT pics on a short walk around the grove.






I happened to meet Caleb and Uncle Kenny's snowman and Jim cat's long-lost love child too:


Riley had a Toy Story themed party, and it was so nice to see my two nephews - Riley and Reign - as well as Josh, Tiff, Mom and Jason :) Amanda and Michael were out of town, however, in Cedar Falls, showering Michael's sister, Kimberly with bridal shower gifts, so we unfortunately didn't get to see them.












Happy Birthday, Riley!!

Superbowl Sunday (February 6)

After church and lunch in Humboldt with Mom, we headed on the road in order to make it to Worthington in time for the big Superbowl game. With the Vikes VERY far out of contention, our neighbors to the east, the Green Bay Packers were the obvious choice for our pick this year. Aaron Rogers and the Pack took the game from the Steelers, and we ate lots of food lol We made it to the Grabers shortly before kickoff, and enjoyed the evening cheering on the Pack (and cringing at the Black Eyed Peas) with the best of 'em!

Valentine's Day (February 14)

Mark and I had a nice Valentine's Day together - just relaxing together after work and a nice workout at the gym. I grilled up a porterhouse steak with grilled mushrooms and onions, along with some farm fresh corn (off the cob), sour cream and onion mashed potatoes and watergate salad. We made a pact to not do gifts this year, but thoroughly enjoyed our cards. Oh, and Mark broke the pact and got me a new CD - Jim Brickman's "Love", which was wonderful :)



After supper, we enjoyed the red velvet cake I made, then spent the evening relaxing together and cuddling, and I made some yummy strawberry blended drinks. After almost 6 years together, I love this man more than ever before :)

Stromboli Night with the Simon's (February 18)

We invited our friends, Todd and Rachel over, along with their adorable daughter, Lucy, for stromboli and games. Would you believe that I forgot to take any pictures of the occasion? I guess that's what happens when you're having fun! We devoured the stromboli and salad, then cleared the table and we taught them a few new (to them) games - Rage and Last Word - while Lucy watched a movie on Netflix.

We always have such a good time with the Simons, but we don't see them near enough!

Visit to Humboldt (February 26)

We headed on down to Humboldt Friday night to celebrate Mom's 64th birthday with her! When we got there, we enjoyed some delicious Cheeseburger Soup, courtesy of my baby sis, Amanda, and some beer bread. We then visited into the evening, catching up on some American Idol and watching Kaleigh Mae begin crawling! It was so fun to be there for one of her "firsts" :)


Uncle Mark helped put Caleb to bed by reading some books with him. A natural? :)

The next morning, I enjoyed some snuggle time with Caleb (although he had to be bribed with fruit snacks) :)


Uncle Mark had to help Caleb fix his combine...

...and Kaleigh continued to be cute :)

Josh, Tiff and the kiddos came over Saturday evening, and we had pizza and some angel food cake with strawberries to celebrate Mom's birthday! I've apparently been bad at remembering to take pictures, though :(