Good morning Sunrise....how long has it been?

Every morning Yip and Yap walk the dog before they head off to school. Today as Yap returned from his walk he rushed inside and hollered at me to get the camera. He ushered me outside to take pictures of the morning sky. 

To the west...

...and the east. 

It was funny because Yap even told me where to stand when I took the picture and insisted on checking it on my LED screen! If I thought he could do it without being late for school, I'd let him take his own camera on his morning walk. If I did that though the walk that takes 15 minutes would take an hour! 

This is one of my favorite songs by Jamey Johnson, Good Morning Sunrise. 

Alright, it's about having a hangover and being lovesick but I still think it's a great song. 

Vacation Recovery

Well, we survived a short vacation trip to Kansas City. Wait...didn't I say in my last post we were heading to Denver? That WAS the plan but Mother Nature stepped in and laughed at us. We were planning on driving to Denver Saturday but the mountains ended up getting hit by a storm that day so at the last minute we decided to drive the opposite direction (about the same distance) to Kansas City.

Though it was a last minute plan we still were able to pack in tons of sights and we had a great time. In a lot of the museums we visited there were interactive exhibits that gave you the option to take a video or photo and then email a link of it to yourself. When we visited the Rock and Roll Museum they gave us each a backstage pass with a scanner code. You entered your email once into their computers and scanned your pass, then after every video you recorded you simply scanned your badge to send the video to your email. I think the kids, and DR, created a dozen total videos. (Though DR won't let me share his with you. Party pooper!! ) Here's some the kids made, I think this was one of the highlights of our visit to Kansas City! 

   

Yap on the drums. They also had guitar, keyboard and other music stations. 

Yahoo singing her own song; "We are the best turners in the world." 

Makes total sense, right? 

The boys teamed up to perform the song their class will be singing in the spring concert. All the kids at school have been excited about this concert and have been telling me all about what kind of bugs they are. This song is so stinking cute, I can't wait to see what the entire school comes up with! 

We also visited Legoland, the WW1 Museum and the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank (highly recommend them both!), Kaleidoscope, Science City and Tallgrass National Preserve. I didn't get photos of everything but I'll share what I did get later. 

If anyone is looking for a place to take a family on vacation I highly recommend Kansas City. Not only is there LOTS to do but everything we did was concentrated in one area so we weren't constantly driving. In fact the only driving we did was to and from the hotel. 

Enjoy the music! 

Veterans Day...yes, late.

I realize Veterans Day was a while ago but I had some photos on my camera that I just felt needed to be shared. 

See that handsome guy below? That's our minister Jerry who is a Vietnam Veteran. 

Every Veterans Day the music teacher at our school puts on a Veterans program where all the elementary students sing patriotic songs. It's a serious and somber program as the veterans in the community are recognized. 

This year Jerry led a flag folding ceremony that explained that each fold of the flag is representative of something.  I never realized that there was a meaning behind it. 

Look at all those solemn little faces. It was very meaningful to some of these kids to see their minister Jerry or their uncles or friends in their uniforms folding the flag. 

Those two gentleman folding the flag are not only active servicemen but are someone special to one or more kids in the crowd. I think it's a great thing when adults take the time to share and model patriotism and respect to the younger generation. 

I know Jerry has meant a great deal to my boys. Although belated, I thank you sincerely veterans! 

Red Dirt Music

I must be getting old. 

I must be getting old when I don't like to listen to the "popular" music on country radio stations. It sounds too "pop". Don't even ask my opinion on Taylor Swift. 

Country music just doesn't sound....country anymore. 

Good thing I live so close to Oklahoma. We live roughly an hour north of the Oklahoma/Kansas border. Oklahoma is known for having red dirt, literally...red. You wouldn't believe it but when you cross into Oklahoma it's like they drew the state line right where the red dirt starts. 

There's also a genre of music popular in Oklahoma and surrounding region known as Red Dirt. I have a whole Pandora station just for Red Dirt music. And, most of it, sounds like the country I grew up with mixed with some bluegrass and folk. 

Here's my latest obsession; Turnpike Troubadours song, Long Hot Summer Days. I've been playing it all morning long. Right now this album is available for download on Amazon for $5!! 

What do you think? Would you listen to Red Dirt?