An Unexpected Opportunity for Some Serious R & R

When we first moved back to my husband's small town and he took over responsibility for his family's funeral home, we learned so much about the role of a funeral director. My eyes were opened to the compassion and stability my husband would provide to so many families. I also learned that someone needs to be available to answer the funeral home phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The first year my husband was that person. It was a challenge and we are thankful that we now have another employee with whom to share this responsibility.




Sometimes a situation will arise that offers an opportunity. Last week my husband oversaw a funeral in our building and the family asked if he could drive their loved one down to the Branson, Missouri area for a burial. 99.9% of the time we find a way to fulfill each families wishes and he agreed. My husband calculated the drive time and realized he would need to spend the night. The night, you say?



Over the years, we have heard about the Big Cedar Lodge in the Branson area and an idea was hatched.




I stowed away and after the burial, we headed south to the Big Cedar Lodge. Have you been there?





The road leading to the property winds all around through the woods and sports a "Don't even think about riding your motorcycle on this road" sign. The registration and nearby buildings are gorgeous, both inside and out with a post and beam design, beautiful stained glass and glorious views. We walked over to a cozy coffee house and sat out on the patio in the January 65-degree weather?!?! Can you explain that temperature to me?





Several lodges overlook the valley and this was ours, Falls Lodge...

Our room had a fireplace, jetted tub and balcony. We enjoyed the sunset from that balcony. We were also joined by many creatures, very similar to the room shown here...

no big deal when you are married to a hunter who has more mounted animals than this mini-collection.

Later we ventured to one of the restaurants. You may wonder about a Devil's Pool Restaurant or a Buzzard Bar, but we ate surprisingly well. KC Strip for him and Shrimp Pasta in Marinara Sauce for her.

Big Cedar Lodge is owned by the Bass Pro Shop, so you won't be surprised to learn that I anticipated a bait shop feel with a hunting lodge setting. Thankfully, I was wrong! The property and lodges do have a wildlife theme, but they also encompass all the modern ammenities with a few surprises thrown in. Artisan ironwork graced every building and our room was spectacular. My partner in this sneak getaway was a huge part of the package...you'll have to come up with your own on that one.

We're back to the real-world, re-charged, ready to wrangle boys and take care of business.

Family Fun at The Ozarks

It was a foggy, mysterious morning... ha. Not really, it was blazing hot and suffocatingly humid, and my camera went into shock and fogged over. Perfect weather for a mini-vacation at the Lake of the Ozarks. No, really! The water is readily available for boating or swimming until you are exhausted and then you can collapse in the air-conditioning of the cabin.


My father has a cabin at the Lake. I was surprised when my brother pointed out that this is the fourteenth summer! As I thought back on those first getaways to the cabin, I remembered my oldest, now fourteen, swinging in a bear swing hung from a branch of a stately oak growing up through the middle of the deck. Yep, fourteen years.

We had the pleasure of traveling to the cabin this past Thursday. We were joined on Friday by my brother, Marty and his family. We did, however, face a few challenges at the beginning and end of this trip. We started with a boat that refused to run and an attack on my sister-in-law of a chigger army and ended with a blown-out tire on I-70 in east KC and lost keys that found their way to the inside bowels of the boat under the engine. I'm pleased to say, we managed to pack some fun into the middle.

The chigger bites may have had something to do with the two furry characters in this photo. Leslie and I were the usual escorts when these girls needed to go outside. She's definitely sweeter than me, as her doctor told her it's the worst case of chigger bites she has ever seen. Itch, scratch, groan...

We have a double-decker dock and the kids love to jump off the top deck... love, love, love it. They endlessly entertained themselves making up different ways to jump. I supervised...well, I read my book and sort of supervised.

Saturday brought boating fun...knee boarding, wake boarding and tubing (in my brother's boat). Saturday evening brought a boat cruise.

Boating is such a wonderful experience.






Not only does it style your hair...

It brings out your children's desire for world peace.






Talk about styling hair.

On Sunday we piled in the boat and traveled to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. On a bluff overlooking the lake, a man built a stone castle for his new bride. As these stories go, the man died before he was ever able to live in the mansion and the house later burned leaving only a partial stone shell. Park visitors may climb 316 steps or follow a meandering path to reach the castle. Bart and I climbed the steps, something we did years ago. Funny how it seemed as though they had added 150 steps and somehow thinned the air.




At the base of the bluffs is a frigid spring. How do I know? My nephew took us all to a spot where the water from the spring rushes by out into the big Lake. The adventure is to jump into this water and float out. Say what??? Not wanting to be a wuss or a sissy, I jumped in. Suppressing a scream as thousands of needles pricked my body, I floated out. Refreshing was how my sister-in-law described it! Refreshing? All the boys jumped in over and over and over...can you explain that to me?



It was a wonderful mini-vacation filled with moments of contemplation...

and silliness...



Thanks, Dad, for having the cabin, taking care of it and letting us come visit!

Camping, Swimming and Goofing Around

When I was a kid, we camped for almost all of our vacations. Didn't everyone camp? I thought so. Many of our family's friends camped and we traveled together for many years to set up our tents for a week in Florida. My parents "had it down" even building a large, wooden camp box, which they painted pea-green. The sides folded down to reveal dozens of cubby holes all carefully packed with the essentials. The box stood on legs and with the flaps down provided "counter" space. As long as I can remember, my family also owned a boat, so we camped by the water. I have wonderful memories from this time.

My husband and I have wanted to share the camping experience with our boys, so when we heard a family reunion was being planned at a lake, camping came to mind. The departure day arrived and we began to pack and pack...and pack...and PACK...AND PACK! Clearly we do not "have it down".

We were forced to do some unpacking, so we could fit the kids into the car. Jeez, you need a lot of stuff to camp...at least we thought so!

All that packing was forgotten when we found our campsite.

Ahhh...the water. We sat at the water's edge and enjoyed the view, while the kids explored.




Get a look at this table! Stone posts also line the top edge of the damn on either side of the road. Some campsites had stone fireplaces with cooking grills. Several of the camp areas have old concrete pads with a raised edge...we thought old cabin foundations. No, they once would be filled with water in the winter for ice skating!



This is the...,you guessed it, the potty hole. I kept thinking Civil War-era jail and left the door open just in case.

I neglected to take a photo of the fully assembled campsite, so please conjure your own imagine. It will be better than the real thing. Friday night, Bart's cousins, Rick and Susie, and Jim and Jenni joined us for storytelling around the campfire. Jared, Rick and Susie's son, helped our boys fish and make s'mores. We were all shocked to learn that what seemed like a half an hour had stretched to nearly midnight.

Saturday morning we hit the swimming beach for some surfing,...

jumping and...

Super Hero flying.

Saturday afternoon was the family reunion and Sunday was exploring and boating...more on that later.

This sun-soaked guy, like the rest of us, was sad to leave the lake but ready to be home.