Labor Day Weekend

We "worked" hard all weekend to have lots of fun (I know, it's corny). I'm not sure at this point I even remember all that we did.

On Saturday, we went to the KC Irish Fest at Crown Center. The first thing we noticed was that the fountains (except for the one the kids play in) were dyed green. They also had a couple of kids' areas. James made a bracelet and a crown. Later he really had fun in the bounce area. We listened to part of a talk about how James Joyce changed the English language. We were on our way to some fun music, but they stopped for a break as we got there. I ran into someone from MOMS Club with her family. We also ran into David and Theresa, friends of mine (David was my first OT boss!) from Columbia and had a nice time talking to them. It's always fun to see people you know at a crowded place, and I don't have that experience as much as I used to (believe it or not, Lori). The festival was fun, but considering how expensive everything was, and that you had to pay to get in, we expected maybe a little more. However, once we got a stout to drink, we miraculously started having a great time. It must be noted that it was a Boulevard Stout, as there was NO GUINNESS anywhere at the Irish festival. Apparently Boulevard and Miller had the beer contracts. We ended with James playing in the (non-green) fountain.

Nice action shot!

Should the woman running the kids' bounce house be smoking?

Not Guinness, but good enough

On Sunday, we went to SantaCaliGon Days in Independence. It is to celebrate the Santa Fe, etc. Trails. It was so different from the Irish Fest. One day we drive a short way and are at a big crowded festival in the middle of the city, and the next day we drive a short way and are at a festival that has a small town feel to it (in a good way!). We liked the carnival there, but decided that James would probably not respond well to the rides once they started moving. So we walked around a lot, ate carnival food (and felt lousy later), and just relaxed.

There was a booth selling subscriptions to the KC Star, with a very high pressure salesperson. He acted like he had the best deal you would find anywhere, tried to write down our names immediately, and then acted offended that we'd seen a better price elsewhere. His best price was $7.95/month for Sunday delivery. Considering that the paper is only $1.25, I'm failing to see the bargain there. But, he did give us a reprinting of the very first issue of the Star from 120 years ago. Yikes. Two big things I noticed about this paper. They were pretty graphic in those days. There was a VERY descriptive story about a woman who died and her alcoholic husband, as well as one about 5 children trampled by a team of horses (which also trampled a dog "deader than a doornail"). The other thing I noticed was that the print was very small. I have the benefit of yearly eye exams and good contacts, and I found myself squinting. How did people read this 120 years ago?

That evening, we went to the coffee shop for a cheese plate (yummy!), a beer for Blake, and wine for me. It was really, really good, and then we walked around the area to the fountain. It was a beautiful night.

Monday, Blake went golfing, James went out with Larry and Debbie, and I ran a couple of errands. Then Blake met me at Starbucks for a bit. I then went to Archiver's and have now started on our Save the Date cards. I love them and can't wait to get them sent out! That evening, Blake and James went swimming and I relaxed at home.



Since then, it has been raining, so we are staying in, and I am back to being a tv junkie, watching the Republican Convention. It is a much different experience than the Democratic one. I'm not going to start discussing all of my opinions on everything here, because once I start, I just may not be able to stop, and this post is already long enough!