Weekend Update #34, Sister time, Dad time, Friend time

Mot was working Friday, and I hadn't seen my sister in some time....so I went to her place after work. Our main mission was to complete our annual friends and family reunion invites, but I was able to get most of them done before I arrived....and that, happily, left us more time to hang out. :-)

We went to a pizza place for dinner....got hit on my a very talkative dude....then got dumped on my Mother Nature. To say it was just raining would be an understatement. The rain was insane!!!! :-)

And where else do you go when it's raining....why, shopping of course. At an outdoor mall - where you have to go outside to walk from store to store.

But, I don't think it had rained a drop there! The sky was nearly clear, and the temperature had cooled down. Perfect night for wandering.

After shopping, we headed back to her place to finish the invites. We'd forgotten to get stamps while we were out. The ONE thing we knew we HAD to get. :-) :-)

Tom arrived home Saturday morning well rested. They'd be super busy all day, but we actually allowed some rest time during the night. I'm wondering if the rain didn't have something to do with that??

So, since he wasn't in need of a nap, we left right away. Breakfast at IHOP, then went to the campground where mom and dad are camp hosts most of the summer. Dad's birthday was Friday 09/11 (my mother in law's is as well - makes it easy to remember). We sat at the campground and chatted with mom and dad for a couple of hours, and mom fed us lunch.

Later that evening, the boys stopped by, and we all jumped in the car to head to Thurman, IA. (about an hour south) There's a bluegrass band from Omaha, that I've been trying to catch performing.....and they had a gig at a winery Saturday night.

Southpaw Bluegrass Band.....great group!!!!!




I was trying to not be one of "those" people with a camera....so this is best shot of them I had on my camera. The banjo player is there...he's just hiding behind the fiddle. :-)

The show was at the Sugar Clay Winery.....what a great venue!!!! The winery is located smack dab in the middle of the Loess Hills...pine trees all around. The winery had a large wrap around deck that also extended through the timber....ending at a raised deck overlooking some of the vines.





We went through a number of bottles of wine....a meat and cheese tray...and some WONDERFUL goat cheese, pear and walnut baguettes.

We left the winery after the show (about 11:00), the boys bought a case of wine, both couples bought a CD, and all 4 of us left with a t-shirt (or two).

On the way home, we stopped by DC's, a local bar down in the Old Market, for some dancing (Danny and Steve), a couple pool games (Mot and Danny), and some drinkage. :-)

(And, just for the record, there is video of some of the dancing....and for the right kind of bribe, I'll post it. Hehehehehe.)

Sunday morning came quick. On the way home from the winery, we decided we'd meet up again in the morning for donuts. To be specific, donuts as big as your head.


(notice the Splenda packet for size reference)


We passed these two on our way to the donut shop. They were taking advantage of the cool morning and went out for a drive.


Not only did we meet up for donuts...we also all went in our pj's. :-) :-)

Mot and I went home after breakfast, watched some DVR tv, tried to take a nap (another story all together), and then got cleaned up for our Sunday bowling league.

The four of us all bowled pretty well. It was an average setting night...which is usually the night I bowl my best game ever...never fails. Lucky, I just bowled an average game. :-) :-)