Jul 31
Yesterday my parents celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary. In this day and age, that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment in and of itself. Add in the fact that they still like each other? Well, that’s priceless. Mom still calls Dad “Boyfriend” (he’s even saved in her cellphone as that – like he doesn’t have another name or something) and my Dad is still crazy about her. He’s even learned to instant message so that he can hang out with her when he’s gone at work. They talk – and it’s more than just “please pass the salt.” I know there are at least eight people in this world that are thrilled that my parents still like each other. (Besides them of course.) No prizes for guessing who. Since there are no prizes, I can tell you who we are – Me, Alisha, Logan, Jessie, Reece, Wade, Sam and Cassie. Maybe I should’ve offered prizes. Reece might be inclined to remember who we all are then.
Dad’s in Brazil right now – it made taking Mom out on a date last night kind of difficult for him. Don’t worry, he’s not a slacker – he’s got plans for when he gets back. Mom was cool about him being at work. After all, having a job’s kind of important when you’re supporting a family. HOWEVER, we couldn’t really let the day go uncelebrated. A waterfall in the living room (don’t ask – just be appreciative when your roof doesn’t decide to leak during a rainstorm) cut a big chunk of time out of our lives, but we still had enough time to do SOMETHING.
My Dad has two favorite restaurants – Ma & Pa’s Kettle and The Rib Crib. He’s a country guy. What can we say? When he’s out of the country, Mom and I NEVER go to either one. They aren’t really our style. (Mom is NOT a country girl.) Except last night. We did their anniversary just like they’d do a normal date night* for them – dinner at Ma & Pa’s and a movie at the local theater. It was almost like Dad was there.
And yes Dad, before you ask – I made sure to get Mom’s door.
*Dad’s already got “real” anniversary plans for when he gets back that are a departure from the normal routine, so I didn’t spoil anything, don’t worry.
Tagged with: 28 years • anniversary • cameron • dad • family • kids • ma and pa's kettle • mom
Dec 25
And snow. And snow. And snow.
Merry Christmas! We have an official blizzard warning in effect until Saturday morning. Cool, huh? Much different from Christmas in Vegas. (I think it was mostly cool because we didn’t have to go anywhere – if we’d needed to go anywhere, it would have been a total mess.)
Today was my first Christmas home since 2005. What a fantastic time! I had forgotten how much fun it is to have brothers and sisters wake you up at 6am because they are so excited Christmas is finally here. (Since I’m a morning person, the whole 6am thing is not quite such a big deal. Except when I stay up until 2am the night before. Which I did. But that is beside the point.)
I love that we all get together and laugh. We love each other. And our whole house is filled with the laughter and love the whole time. No material possession in the entire world can substitute for that kind of love. Christmas is a time when it becomes a little easier to remember to show that love. Just think about it – it’s the time when we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World. I’m amazed when I think about His sacrifice for all of us. Over the past year, I feel like I’ve become a lot closer to Him. It’s a relationship I plan on continuing for the rest of my life.
Tagged with: blizzard • cameron • christmas • family • missouri • snow
Dec 10
My parents have a quote up on their wall. They say it’s from the Princess Bride, but it’s been awhile since I watched the movie (a shame, I know!), so when I see the quote, I really only think of them. Before I tell you the quote, take a look at this picture from the other night.
TRUE LOVE. YOU THINK THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY?
My parents are still crazy in love and I think it’s the best thing ever. 27 years of marriage and 8 kids haven’t changed that – if you asked, I think they’d tell you it’s even better than they imagined. (Well, at least some days they’d tell you that.) Whether the quote’s from Princess Bride or not – my parents have that love story beat.
Oh – and I couldn’t help putting up this next pic. My mom sometimes sings an old song called “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” (My dad does not sing. Except in Church.) This picture makes me think of that song.
One of the greatest things my parents ever did for us was to stay in love with each other. We always knew that my mom came before any of the rest of us (in my dad’s eyes) and that the same was true about my dad in my mom’s eyes. Whoever thought second place could be so good?
Tagged with: allen • cameron • dad • family • missouri • mom • princess bride • shannon
Oct 26
My family has chickens. I think they have about 40. I’m not sure. I never feed them – that’s my brothers’ job. Which is fine with me. Chickens sort of stink, after all. But one thing I do love about having chickens close – the eggs. Beautiful fresh wonderful eggs. They are so fantastic. The drawback? Well, after having been spoiled for so long by fresh eggs (I’ve been out in Missouri for almost 5 months), I simply CANNOT eat a “store-bought” egg. As in, it’s IMPOSSIBLE. I can’t order eggs anywhere – I just cannot stomach them if they are more than a day or two old. But the fresh eggs? Well, I can’t get enough of them. Poached eggs anyone?
Tagged with: cameron • chickens • eggs • farm • food • fresh • missouri
Sep 29
Or Not.
I was sitting here tonight thinking about my blog post, and thought I’d make a list of the top ten the things I miss about living in the city. Turns out, I couldn’t come up with ten. Sure, I miss the convenience of having some things right there – Whole Foods, Bikram Yoga, Cool Art Galleries, Great Restaurants and Good Shopping – but for most of those things, 40-60 minutes really isn’t a bad drive. (It’s not like I’m facing lots of traffic on that drive.) I’m debating whether it’s worth the trade-off. You see, I have “space” issues. Eventually I want my own space. Like acres of space. Enough for at least two pigs (see About Me). And two big dogs. And room to grow my OWN organic wonderful fresh local produce. And maybe even raise my own steaks. (aka, I could create my own Whole Foods. And it wouldn’t even be nicknamed Whole Paycheck.)
It’s a toss up. If I found a way to put a Bikram Yoga studio somewhere on my space, I think I’d have a clear winner. For now though, I’ll just drive.
Tagged with: art galleries • bikram yoga • cameron • country • fitness • kansas city • missouri • vegas • whole foods
Sep 22
So I used to live in Vegas. Now I live in the country. Definitely a switch. A welcome one for sure, but a switch. Here’s my nod to Vegas – a little country bling from the local dairy. I saw this shirt and had to have it. I guess part of me will always love a little extra sparkle.
Now this is not just any dairy. It’s the Shatto Milk Company and they keep some very happy employees – of both the two-legged and four-legged variety. I LOVE Shatto! Which is kind of funny considering I don’t drink milk often – and most of the time when I do, I drink soy milk. Their branding is just so fun! I love their moosletter and their milk soap is fantastic. And for the times when I do drink regular milk, theirs is the only one I’ll drink.
I went on a tour of the dairy during their annual Family Farm Day. I was surprised how spotless it was – it is a DAIRY after all. Even more surprising – that’s the way it is ALL. THE. TIME. My sister Jessie works as a bottle washer at Shatto, so I stop by on a regular basis. And every single time I do, it’s still spotless. Love it!
Tagged with: cameron • country • missouri • shatto • vegas
Yesterday my parents celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary. In this day and age, that’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment in and of itself. Add in the fact that they still like each other? Well, that’s priceless. Mom still calls Dad “Boyfriend” (he’s even saved in her cellphone as that – like he doesn’t have another name or something) and my Dad is still crazy about her. He’s even learned to instant message so that he can hang out with her when he’s gone at work. They talk – and it’s more than just “please pass the salt.” I know there are at least eight people in this world that are thrilled that my parents still like each other. (Besides them of course.) No prizes for guessing who. Since there are no prizes, I can tell you who we are – Me, Alisha, Logan, Jessie, Reece, Wade, Sam and Cassie. Maybe I should’ve offered prizes. Reece might be inclined to remember who we all are then.
My Dad has two favorite restaurants – Ma & Pa’s Kettle and The Rib Crib. He’s a country guy. What can we say? When he’s out of the country, Mom and I NEVER go to either one. They aren’t really our style. (Mom is NOT a country girl.) Except last night. We did their anniversary just like they’d do a normal date night* for them – dinner at Ma & Pa’s and a movie at the local theater. It was almost like Dad was there.
