A once a year occurrence to look forward to

Don't you just love looking forward to a certain month because for the last 10 years you have enjoyed an activity during that month that has proven to be fun, festive, FREE, and one ALL the kids will enjoy?

August is one to look forward to our family because we get to participate in an outdoor carnival for the entire family sponsored by Brad's work. FREE lunch, soda, train rides and BINGO keep us coming back every year!

Last Blast of Summer

Carson, Jessie and I enjoyed one last blast of summer fun when we attended the Missouri State Fair--Sedalia, Missouri.  We drove down Friday night and attended a wedding reception of Andrea and Wyn--the daughter of a family friend we knew when we lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin--Bill and Cindy Decker. The bride was stunning and the groom dashing at the lovely outdoor event.

Spending the night at the "Night" Motel in Willow Springs, MO was quite the adventure. A quick search on PriceLine revealed that hotel fees in Sedalia were well over $100 and not even 2 stars! This fair is a BIG deal to Missourians.

 The $54 a night room was only air conditioned by a window unit. The last time (on our honeymoon 24 years ago) I spent the night in a similar room, I didn't do any "sleeping" as it was too LOUD! The intense thunderstorm in the middle of the night also added to the ambience, however, prevented me from getting any decent sleep! The desk attendant even informed me that I paid TOO much for the room and should contact the front desk for better rates the next time I stay!!!!!!!!!!!
              .....right!!!!.....


Morning came early and the loving arms of my sweet daughter wrapped around my neck sent me into spasms of annoyance as I tried to snag a little more sleep.

The entrance to this Fair was this large, brick structure.

Decorating these fans was the best idea of the morning as we used them to "cool" us throughout the humid day.

This slide most likely existed before Missouri became a STATE!

Tower of Terror!

We were amazed at the size of this farm equipment's tires!

Carson's fascination with science led him to spend several hours at this small Science Fair within the State Fair. The workers began calling him by his first name. Local Missouri universities Science departments sent their representatives to teach the interested visitors.

 The "Swine" building, although not a favorite for Carson and Jessie, made us laugh out loud because of the seriousness of the pig owners. They wanted to be as comfortable as possible during the week-long competition and some even set up their home-away-from-home!

No matter how "homey", no one could avoid the SMELL!

 For 4 hours, the kids went from ride to ride without standing in ANY lines! They were nearly "spinning" when they stopped!

 One would never know of the dangerous storms that ripped through the Missouri region only two days prior to our attendance! We witnessed many large trees split in two. The day after the storm, the Fair delayed opening by several hours in order to clear debry.

It was a beautiful day for an old fashioned ferris wheel ride!

The newest EAGLE SCOUT

Congratulations to my second son, Hunter, for achieving the rank of  Eagle Scout. He passed his Board of Review which is the last step towards Eagle.

ScoutMaster--Doug Bills, ---Hunter---Jason Bagley--Young Men's president

The proud parents at the Board of Review

An attempt at domesticity

I have never proclaimed to be a good cook, just one who gets a edible meal on the table every night!  But I am a pretty good "baker" because that is what I love to eat most--SWEETS!

 As witnessed by this sinking Marble Birthday Cake for Brad's 46 birthday, I may not make dessert look good, but the recipe is fool-proof! It is from my arsenal of recipes from Brad's childhood--and he LOVES it! Anything yummy for my "Man" on his birthday!

 Making homemade cards is always a fun activity for Carson and Jessie. They must take after their grandmother, who makes ALL her own cards! Carson spent a long time creating this masterpiece

and Jessie made Brad 10 cards! She is my craft queen!

Hunter's Busy Summer

The very first day of summer, Hunter gathered his friends and fellow scouts together and worked on his Eagle Project--something he had planned months prior. 

As any mother of an Eagle Scout knows, the application and paperwork is one of THE hardest parts of the project. It was Hunter's goal (and mine) to get everything complete and turned in by the end of the summer!  

Hunter is seen here working on his paperwork! He taught ME a new way to enjoy my computer time!
 Grandma Bishop created this beautiful plaque to commemorate Hunter's Eagle Scout Rank. She was in town at the beginning of Summer and presented it to him--even though he was not an OFFICIAL Eagle

GUESS WHAT? HE (we) DID IT!  

Last week, Hunter turned in his final project paperwork and application to the BSA and is now awaiting his Eagle Board of Review date which should be Aug. 18!

Although as a family, we MAY not of accomplished ALL of our Summer goals, this is a major accomplishment for Hunter and we are PROUD!

 The following are a few of the other Summer activities Hunter participated in:

 ---Parties with friends---

---Jacob Squire, Hunter's friend from early-morning seminary, invited some friends over to view his collection of "toys" Hunter was enthralled!

Hunter and his EFY youth group created this banner as their flag!

EFY 2011:  Believe, Hope, Endure

MU Campus  •  Columbia, Mo.  •  July 5-11

Hunter attended this week-long youth camp and met many new friends from around the country who share the same LDS values and standards. Dances, workshops, talent shows, activities, and just hanging out with friends was the agenda for the week.

 New friend from Springfield, Mo.--Austin Dean

 Looking good for the girls!

Roommate and friend for life:  Micah Hansen

EFY Soulmates!

Cute girl, Hunter! What is her name?

...Photos curtesy of Hunter Bishop...

New faces...new friends...new Facebook posts from around the country!

Austin and Jared came up from Springfield, Mo. to attend a tri-stake dance in the Kansas City area. They stayed over at our house and had a blast!

After EFY, it was off to Scouting's High Adventure with the troop from Overland Park 1st Ward--584!

L to R:  Landon Gille--Sebastian Cuadros--George Gille--Hunter Bishop--Micah Hansen--Brad Bishop--James Naylor--Chaz Soubie--Kevin Fox

Three-days tubing, wake-boarding and water-skiing at Stockton Lake in 100-degree temps. was enough to wear any 14-16-year-old boy out!

 With temps over 100 degrees and in the 90's in the evening hours, there was no relief from the beating sun, except in the water. The scouts and leaders are great examples of endurance and strength and making the best of any situation!

 Hunter's FIRST time up on skis!

 Jessie told Brad that he looked like a teenager when she saw him wearing his hat this way!

 Hunter worked hard to stay on the skis for as long as possible!

 Tubing was fun for all of the scouts! The back of Hunter's legs suffered the MOST sun damage as they were exposed ALL day to the intense UV rays!

 On the third day, the campers were exhausted and attempted to find AC and stay indoors. Besides the cool of the van's they traveled in, the closest building was the Stockton Lake Visitor Center and Army Corps of Engineers.

 The group learned all they wanted to know concerning the nearby dam.

 ...and cooling center!

After fun in the sun, this group of Scouts served the people of Joplin, MO by helping with cleanup from the deadliest tornado in US History! Here is a link to those pics taken by George Gille:

JOPLIN MISSOURI SCOUTS from OP 1 serve