The Whims of Anna

Friday, July 19, 2013

Sisterly Spring Break

The last week of March, I made a trip out to Utah to bring back some of the large wedding decorations and backdrops. I spent a week visiting family and working hard to clean and organize the wedding shed and decide what needed to come back with us. I also lucked out and was able to attend Girl's Night with my best gal pals. We went to dinner and talked for hours.

Melissa, Annie, Lisa, Anna, Leia, Becky and Tanessa

My dad helped me score an awesome deal to buy an older, but still good, Chevy Blazer that would allow me to haul everything. With careful packing, I loaded up the truck and made just enough room for Denise and Melanie to squeeze in as well.

After Mom stuffed us full of pancakes and eggs, the three of us headed out on the road on March 30, for what ended up being a very long road-trip back to Missouri. Apparently we have a hard time being quick when we just want to play at all the rest stops. ;)

Ready to go!

Entering Colorado:

Playing at our favorite rest stop in Colorado:

Finally, we made it to Kansas!

Look Mom! The drinking fountain works with no hands!

It was a long drive.....

We made it home Sunday morning at 6:00am, just in time for a quick nap before church. After listening to the ward false prophet we came home to make Easter lunch.

For dessert we made Bunny Rolls!

Afterwards we visited the temple.

The rest of the few days that Melanie and Denise visited us were spent having adventures. We went to Loose Park and had a history lesson on the Battle of Westport. We also played on the little toadstools and chased geese (well, Denise chased geese..).

We visited Crown Center and enjoyed the candy store and played in the Crayola store:

We also discovered a little town!

This really was the weather that day; sunny in Missouri and raining in Utah.

This hat was over $120 at Halls Department Store!

Here are some of our other adventures:

Going to Build a Bear and getting a teddy for Melanie.

Visiting the US Toy Firetruck:

Making funny faces in the mirror:

Eating the best BBQ in town!

Overlooking Kansas City at the WWI Memorial:

Playing with Godiva (the pup doesn't look too thrilled though...)

Buying matching t-shirts at UMKC while Alexander was in class:

We had so much fun I almost cried when it came time for my sisters to leave. However, they had lives to get back to and they got to go on their very first plane ride. I was a very nervous mother hen at the airport, making sure they got through without any problems. I was so glad to hear that they made it back to Utah safely.

Enjoying the plane ride:

I love having people come visit me. I always get to do so many fun things! Thanks for coming ladies!! :)

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Having an annual St. Patrick's Day party is probably the most genius idea I've ever had. This year we celebrated our 2nd annual event and had such a blast! At the official count we had: 22 adults, 5 babies and 1 toddler cramped into our tiny apartment but everyone had a great time!

We celebrate in a more traditional and authentic way, playing Celtic music and serving up traditional Irish dishes. We joked about having an Irish jig competition but just had fun visiting with all our friends.

I've never worried about running out of food at one of my parties before, but this year it was a reality. People ate and ate until everything was gone. We served: Irish Country Stew; Soda Bread w/ Irish butter; Irish Cheddar & Dubliner Cheeses w/ Melba Toast; Scones (lemon ginger, raspberry white chocolate and blueberry); Eton Mess (meringue cookies in whipped cream with strawberries); Mini Toad in the Hole (sausage in Yorkshire pudding). To top it all off we served Mormon beer: Homemade Rootbeer carbonated with dry ice, which seriously stole the show! It was quite the feast!

Thanks so much for everyone who was able to attend! We had so much fun and look forward to hosting next year's big bash. Does March 15 sound good?

Our Friends (sadly, this isn't everyone):