Apr 18
Except for calla lilies. But calla lilies don’t grow out in Missouri unless they’re in a pot indoors. The last time I tried to grow them, they died. In less than a week. And that was in Las Vegas, where they’re actually SUPPOSED to grow. May the calla lilies I killed rest in peace. (Okay, confession over.) Now I just enjoy calla lilies when other people grow them. I feel a lot less guilty that way.
There IS a cool story behind my love of calla lilies. (It doesn’t involve dead ones, don’t worry!) When I was around 14, my church group had an activity for moms and daughters. The moms were asked to identify a flower that reminded them of their daughters and talk a little bit about it. My mom went above and beyond. (If you know my mom, that is no surprise.) My mom chose a calla lily for me – and she brought a beautiful silk calla lily with her, along with a whole letter about why calla lilies reminded her of me. (No, you can’t read it. Mostly because I can’t find it right now. I think it’s in an old journal somewhere.)
Anyway, back to lilacs. Of all the flowers that grow in Missouri, lilacs are my favorite. They come in the most beautiful colors, can grow as bushes or trees (and are equally gorgeous either way!), smell absolutely divine… AND I just discovered a whole bunch of them blooming in my postcard. (Notice the transition… I’m totally claiming Loose Park as “mine” now.) What a great life.
Tagged with: calla lilies • kansas city • lilacs • loose park • mom • spring • vegas
Nov 22
I might miss the city more than I thought. If you look at how much I am driving lately, I miss it a ton. I’m about an hour and a half away from Kansas City – one way. That hasn’t stopped me from making the drive at least once a week, normally twice. Sometimes three times. (Something’s gotta give. Obviously.) A few things I miss having close:
- Concerts. Especially free concerts. UMKC has a pretty talented crowd and you can check them out often. Here’s the performance calendar. I’ve been to a handful of their concerts and wasn’t disappointed at a single one.
- Restaurants. I like variety. In a small town, your options are limited. Sushi, for instance, is pretty much out. And if you really don’t want to cook, it’s nice to not have to resort to Pizza Hut.
- Movies. One screen, one movie, one showtime. Not exactly the best way to catch the latest. (That makes the assumption you want to see any of the latest, but it’s nice to at least have the option.)
- Workout Facilities. Running on the street is awfully nice, when it’s not freezing outside. But sometimes a girl wants a nice gym with lots of machines, a few exercise classes (kickboxing anyone?), and access to a personal trainer. And bikram yoga? Don’t even get me going on how much I miss having a class fifteen minutes away.
- Education. It’s not even just the “formal” education that’s accessible in the city that I miss, but the other options that are part of city life. Hula dance classes for example. (I used to hula and I’ve started dancing again. I am still very bad. Which is why classes are important.)
- Shopping. I. Like. Clothes. Now, as a preface – I CAN live without them. But I like them. And the shopping in Kansas City is fantastic. (On second thought, maybe I should move farther away…) It’s not just clothes either – City Market totally rocks.
Looking at all this, I realize that I might be (gasp!) a fake “country mouse.” (Some people might call that a snob, but I’m not one of those people.) Of course, whenever I pictured myself living in the country (before I actually lived here), it involved a husband and a few kids. Living single in the country is a little (okay, a lot) different. Sometimes life turns out different than you planned. So you adjust. For now, I’m happy that I can entertain the idea of adjusting. We’ll see where it leads me.
Tagged with: bikram yoga • city • country • food • kansas city • missouri • movies • shopping • vegas
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
