Daily Tides 6.10-6.17 KCMO Trip Pt.1

FRIDAY 6.10

I ♥ visits “home”

I ♥♥♥ being with my remarkable family; they are one of my life’s greatest blessings

To quote my dad, “there’s something special about the people you spend your childhood with…”

I ♥ the familiar neighborhoods fill with turn-of-the-century houses on quiet streets and the way those two-lane main arteries suddenly twist or change direction, like streams wandering through mountains

I ♥ turning onto that familiar street and seeing how those beautifully enormous maple trees in the front yard have grown even higher, their branches thicker

I ♥ my parent’s house, it’s encompassing warmth, almost like a physical embrace

I ♥ the frequent thunderstorms and hunkering down under cozy blankets

I ♥ returning to this place filled with so many fond memories

SATURDAY 6.11

It was one of those crisp, dewy, June mornings that sometimes follow a particularly muggy day. The early morning air felt delightfully fresh and the leaves seemed to sparkle with the lingering hint of the night’s residual rain drops… perfect weather for a morning walk and an afternoon swim…

Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed our lounge poolside—our good intentions to read giving way to heavy eyelids… Resolved in relax mode but rejuvenated by our naps, we took a few moments to stop and smell the flowers: meandering slowly through Lisa’s beautiful garden as it was busy donning it’s summers best…

Energized by being together and eager to soak up the warm, breezy evening we moved our dinner party outdoors. Dining alfresco seems synonymous with summertime and our family gives two thumbs up to the elegant, yet easy, and always delicious BBQ shared out on the back patio. You must admit, there’s nothing quite like those first summer evenings outside: bright blooms, a refreshing sip, the promise of relaxing hours spent over delicious food with people your love… what could be better?

Then, in celebration of being together and with summer in full swing, we kept the good times rolling and headed out of a round of miniature golf. Our one wager: the loser buys dessert… hence the $20 ice-cream charge on Matt’s card J

SUNDAY 6.12

A killer-good recipe from our church’s Sunday potluck:

Pineapple Casserole

(2) 20oz cans of pineapple chunks (drain and reserve juice)

Mix:

2 sticks melted butter

3/4 C sugar

6 Tbs. flour

2 C sharp cheddar (grated)

6 Tbs. pineapple juice

Fold in pineapple chunks

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes in a 9x13 pan

2C Ritz crackers crushed over top

1/4 C additional melted butter over crackers

Bake 10 minutes longer

MONDAY 6.13

As Brett and I drove towards the rising sun we noted the spectacular sky: brilliant rays of sun beaming in all directions from behind a large, singular, fluffy, grey cloud. When we arrived at cross country practice thunder rumbled in the near distance and coach immediately canceled practice. L But seeing as we were already up, Brett and I were determined to log our miles; it turned out to be an interesting run… at the trail-head it began to drizzle… at the 2/10 mile marker the rain drops were noticeably heavier… at the 3/10 mile marker it started hailing…. yep, HAILING… in June! We tried (to no avail) to run with our hands over our head to keep those little ice-balls from pelting our face… thankfully, at the 2.5 mile marker, it finally let up and only our drenched appearance and squeaking shoes gave evidence to the miserable first half of our morning run…

That afternoon a mother/daughter shopping day seemed to be in order and we set out for the boutiques in the newly renovated downtown Liberty. We had the best time deciding which sassy lil trinkets I could fit into my suitcase, which ones could be left behind, and which ones I could not pass up but would require a new piece of luggage to tote my treasures home. J

Amid our shopping day we stopped in at the most delightful lunch café—a fascinating old church, turned antique shop and tea room. The menu changes daily, but try to snatch yourself a piece of their coconut cake…mmm!

We shopped and shopped; till the afternoon heat and that awful Midwest humidity set in, telling us that it was time to retreat home and put our feet up.

TUESDAY 6.14

I ♥ mornings. “The early bird” and all that sort of thing…

But add:

Ø Gourmet snickeroo coffee and my open Bible in the stillness of the early morning…

Ø The beautiful view of my parents green backyard and flowers in bloom…

Ø The sound of leaves rustling in the wind and the song birds singing out their melodies…

Ø A second (or third) cup of java…

And I could sit there happily till noon J

In the evenings I tried to help with the week’s dinner menu… AKA “new things” for the family to try. However, I’m pretty sure that dad was silently thinking that “new” is not his favorite after 28 years of marriage…

WEDNESDAY 6.15

Mom always makes life’s mundane routines more fun…

workouts and gardening, booking travel plans and laundry, errands and dishes, cleaning and crafting, re-arranging and organizing, cooking and fluffing, and (more importantly)...

PARTY PLANNING!!!

We couldn’t wait for sissy to arrive so we could celebrate the fact that in three months’ time, we will, Lord-willing, get to meet Baby Harper!

After getting sis settled in, the whole family gather round, one-by-one, in the living room… each person like a piece of a puzzle, every piece contributing something special to the big picture. The air was filled with smiles and laughter and the constant hum of several simultaneous conversations. I’m so glad our family not only loves each other, but we also, honestly like each other J

THURSDAY 6.16

Brett, being the youngest of four kids, was incessantly carted from sporting event to sporting event... Tonight it was our turn to throw on his team colors and cheer him on from the stands J

FRIDAY 6.17

Another lovely grey morning = a terrific excuse for an extra-long sit at the kitchen table (with that third cup of coffee) while gazing out through the two substantial sliding-glass-doors that flood the kitchen with natural light and frame my parents sprawling backyard. A rolodex of happy childhood memories playing through my head as I stare out at beautiful flowers cascading from potted plants and the thick green vines that threatened to overtake the sides of my parent’s old, tatty, wooden deck…

· Playing in the tree house

· Boomer, Trapper, Shadow, Blackie, Duke, Scooby…

· Building the swing-set

· Playing ninjas and power-rangers with my bro and sis

· Constantly having to fix the fence…

· The way dad made us beat the ice off tree branches in the piercing cold after that crazy ice storm…

· Raking the leaves in the fall

· Our “tree house club”

· “Exploring”

· BBQ’s

· Slip N slides

· Family work in the yard days—weeding flower beds, wheel-barrowing bark, planting, watering…

· Hanging out as a family and lots of shared laughter