Free Doughnuts and the Cowboy Store

Bright and early we headed out for Branson but we first stopped into a couple of Springfield's hot spots. In fact "Hot" is what made the first place so good. Krispy Kreme doughnuts is one of our favorite places for Saturday mornings, especially when the red light is on indicating that fresh doughnuts are rolling down the line. That red light also means that everyone entering will receive one free hot & fresh doughnut. Sherry and Dale quickly fell in love with this place as well.

There is something very fascinating about watching anything being made, doughnuts are no exception. From the dough mixer to to the glazer the doughnut making process is simply amazing.

Being St. Patrick's Day weekend they had a very special doughnut that was in the shape of a clover. It tasted good as all their doughnuts do.

Our last stop before heading for Branson was PFI, it is the largest western wear store in the state of Missouri. I knew this place would really go over well with Sherry and Dale.

We all really enjoyed looking at the boots and hats and all western things in between. Braden and Neleha kept us pretty busy as they wanted to try on and play with everything.

At one point a funny thing happened when Barden was able to sneak away from us and was caught by one of the PFI employees. That walked him right back to Kristy and said there you go, theres Mommy. He does look way more like Kristy then Sherry so the mistake was understandable.

After having our Cowboy Store experience we were ready for Branson's very own Silver Dollar City.

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!

Goin' Toothless

Miss Molly has been losing teeth left and right but on this particular night she topped all, she lost 2 of them. That's right, in the same night! She just loved the fact that she had lost more teeth than all her friends at school but I must admit, her smile was was taking a very big hit for this accomplishment. But she sure did look so cute with her big toothless smile.

Dynamite Fashion Show

Ever year the Forest Institute Financial Aid Office hosts a fashion show to promote their "No Default" program. This program is essentially to teach people how to pay off their school loans efficiently and more importantly entirely. This fashion show is very unique simply because of the spending limit models can use to purchase their attire. What the Financial Aid Office does is give each volunteer model $25 for which to purchase their entire runway attire, and that is the limit. They also throw in the proper motivation to buy the nicest stuff you can find for such a limited amount of money by offering prizes for different categories.

When I heard about it back when I was first interviewing for the school I knew this was right up my alley. I don't know too many other guys that love to shop at thrift stores as much as I do....well with the exception of my favorite movie character Napoleon Dynamite. So to honor my favorite character I got my $25 and headed to Goodwill, Disabled American Vets, and the Salvation Army thrift stores to buy some threads to make me look like the man without a plan.

I found a 3-piece suit, clip-on tie, brown leather shoes, and glasses for less than my limit. I was in business. We were allowed to supply our own accessories so the additional wig and numb-chucks topped off my presentation. I edited a track from the ND soundtrack for my runway song, it was the suit-walk, it work perfectly! I put on the best show I could as did my best not too embarrass my sweetheart who was watching from the audience, but I think I failed in that effort.

My runway performance included me quickly pulling my clip-on off and throwing it in the crowd, swing around a pair of numb-chucks, and pulling out some tater tots from my pocket and eating them. It was so fun but to be honest I couldn't see a thing the entire time. The glasses were actually +3 reading glasses which made everything blurry beyond recognition. Fun times indeed!

In the end I was awarded the honor of having the most complete outfit, 'HECK YES I DID'. Better than that however Kristy ended up winning the big door prize which was a very nice over-night suit case on rollers. We had some seriously sweet luck!

St Patricks Day with Green Eggs and Ham

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than with Green Eggs and Green Ham. That was not all however, we also had green cookies, green juice and a green shamrock cake. The girls had a blast as we filled our bellies full of green things and then put up our St. Patrick's Day decorations. A great way to spend an FHE on this very green day.