Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival 2007

Bass Pro held a very awesome event that our friend Mickey would have certainly been jealous over. It was called the Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival and simply put it is a massive bar-b-que cook off that any one is invited to participate in. Of course the only stipulation is that you have to cook about 200 lbs of bar-b-que in order to have enough for all the patrons that will visit the event.

There was about 60 or so contestants offering just a taste of their product and each of them hoping that they could win over the crowd. That's right, there were no judges, just a crowd of hungry patrons that would decide the best bar-b-que. Every person that entered the event was given a voting ballot in which you were allowed to place a single contestant on. You could only pick one as being the best. That was not an easy task. We tried so many different flavored and textured types of pulled pork that it was hard to keep track of the ones you actually liked. But it was fun trying.

This contest is so big they even had aliens trying out the bar-b-que.

It was such a cool experience walking along this very long line as you slowly made your way to each contestant booth. Some had their booth all decorated up as an attempt to have you remember their booth when it came to cast that single vote.

Neleha ate her self to sleep and ended up getting carried by most of the booths, but we sure had a fun time along with Angie and Aaliyah. We all ate our fill and had a fun time doing it.

The Guinther's Bass Pro & Fish Museum Tour

Kristy's sister, Sherry, and my bro-inlaw, Dale, stopped in for a weekend which made us very happy! So to start any visit to Springfield off right one must pay homage to the great BASS PRO SHOP. Our visit was enjoyed by the kids and adults alike.

What is there not to love about this place? We had a great time checking out the fishes and ducks and alligator snapping turtle, plus of course all the outdoor gear one could ever want.

My good brother in-law Dale off handily remarked when we first told everyone that we were moving here that there would never be reason for him to come to Missouri..... I think he found one on this trip. He had as much fun as I do each week when I visit this store. He wanted to stay longer but time was certainly pressing.

On our way out the kids got to sit on the four-wheelers and imagine for a short time and then it was off to the fish museum.

Out of all the attractions in Springfield that we enjoy, this is our family favorite. We sure do love sharing it with all those who wonder our way. Emily and Braden quickly fell in love with the place as well.

If a person loves the outdoors at all this museum is certain to captivate them. I really enjoy sitting back and watching our family and friends as they venture through this place for the first time. The Guinthers were no exception, they really enjoyed this place and found the peace that it provides. From the graceful animals to the refreshing waterfall and all the things in between, it is quite a place.

At one point I even caught Dale holding off Emily so he could watch a hand cranked movie about conservation. A good indicator of the fun he was having.

There is something very symbolic about riding the escalator down, down, down into the aquarium area. Almost like you're entering the water yourself.

It was very clear that we were all having a great time! Kristy especially, she was so happy during the time that she was able to spend with her sister. I think it was a well needed visit for Kristy and Sherry.

Molly and Emily used all their might to reel in their "Big One" and Dale assisted Braden with his massive catch of the day. Both efforts proved very successful.

Our favorite part of the museum is of course the salt-water aquarium. We simply sat, watched, and enjoyed this very peaceful view into this small piece of the ocean.

It was very nice watching the Guinther family enjoy this place as much as the Batchelder family enjoys it. Good times indeed!

We topped the night off right with a little cup of Andy's Frozen Custard.

It was a little chilly outside so we all crammed into one car to enjoy our frozen treat together.

A great start to an awesome weekend!

Daddy - Daughter Date at Bass Pro's Hemingway's

Kristy and I decided that we were going to implement something that we have talked about doing soon after Molly was born......it has taken awhile but well worth it all the same. What we have decided to do is hold regular (monthly/bimonthly) nights were we each take one of the girls for a night on the town to do their choice of activities. Our first attempt at this effort went perfectly. Kristy took Molly and Neleha was with me. Molly chose to spend the evening at McDonalds at the playland and Neleha....well she loves Bass Pro, and so we headed for the fish restaurant as she calls it in Bass Pro, a.k.a. Hemingway's.

This restaurant serves up some very good sea food and local barbecue flavor on a buffet that just wont quit. On top of that they have a huge salt water aquarium over the length of the bar which easily captivated my little fish lover.

Neleha was especially fond of what she called "baby lobster" which actually was crayfish but not much difference really. We had an awesome meal and spent some real time together enjoying what my little Neleha enjoys, fish and food.

I later learned that although Kristy didn't get to enjoy the high quality food that we did, she had just as much fun with Molly. And so it was that our first effort went very well at spending time with our little angels.