Merry Christmas 2021!

Throw throw Burrito

This was an gift that entertained the kids for hours… THROW THROW BURRITO.

It is also a game I fully expect to throw out the car window before we get to the Oklahoma border… 

Merry Christmas 2021

This was an unusual Christmas for the Joneses, but after it is all said and done… it was still Christmas. We were all together and I think we'll remember this atypical Christmas for a long time.

We sat on the back patio in 80 degree weather and played board games for a few hours. Then we ate some amazing fajitas.

There's more to share, more we did, obviously. But just happy to say it's still Christmas when we aren't home and the weather is in the 80s. 

Merry Christmas from the Joneses! 

Weekend that was, Dec. 3

This was a few weekends ago but as the weekend was progressing, I thought… this would be a good “weekend recap” blog post.

 

Friday was unusual at it started out with a lot of strange objects in the sky. First, Evey and I saw two (what I think were) Blackhawk helicopters go over the house, LOW, around 4 pm. The Chinooks train in the area regularly, but they’re at a comfortable distance. The Blackhawks were low enough that, in my mind, they were just a few hundred feet off the ground. You could see the details of the copter very clearly. (I did snap a photo.)

 

That night, I was outside enjoying the HOJ when Adro pulled up late from work. It was dark out, maybe 6:30 or 7 pm. As I was chatting with her in the garage, I saw out of the corner of my eye a line in the sky. My first reaction was, “comet!” Then I looked closer and saw that there were about 25 balls of light in the sky, in a single line. STARLINK! We watched it for a full two minutes or so, then I went to the backyard deck to see if the view was better. At that point I lost them. They were in the southern sky, tracking northeast. 

 

An hour or two later Adrianne and I are sitting under the propane heater, the KU game was on (I was half-watching) and I was talking to her, facing the west (away from the house.) I saw another string of Starlink sattelites! I hollered for Adrianne to look and we both watched another string, real low in the western sky. I called Bub on the walkie this time (he was next door, having a sleepover) but this time it was only visible for maybe 30 seconds and it was gone. 

 

So that’s pretty cool, right? 

 

The next morning the whole family is starting a road trip to Joplin, Mo. We’re less than 5 minutes into the drive when Evey says, “Dad … are those jets?” I look to the west and we have four old military planes in a diamond formation, with a helicopter following. The planes flew directly overhead, then banked to the north and turned on the smoke. This is in the random northeast Kansas countryside! There was no football game about to kickoff anywhere that I know of. We first saw them while we were still on 1900^th Road, then we got on K-10 and they banked left to add to the show.

 

Crazy.

 

We were on our way to Adrianne’s Uncle Arlan’s funeral. He fought pancreatic cancer. Arlan was a lot of fun, he was kinda crazy and had no problem boozing and telling stories into the night. You knew a good time was going to be had if Arlan was there. He was just as good at listening to stories as he was at telling stories, which I admire. 

 

So we road tripped to Joplin. We stopped in… Carthage, Mo.? And were looking for food. We needed a spot to kill 45 minutes so we (I) was hopeful to avoid fast food. We drove around the downtown area and didn’t really see anything that looked too inviting. Then Evey worked some magic on her phone and said there was a beloved Mexican restaurant less than a half mile away. She counted down the distance as we neared it, turns out we were in a neighborhood right by it…

 

And it was really, really good! I got something called a Volcanita, it was a volcano of grilled chicken and ingredients in a large flour tortilla. I also got a house margarita and they served it to me in a giant flower pot! (You know that material they make flower pots out of? You know what I’m talking about. It’s kinda copper colored.)

 

From there we got on the road and went to Arlan’s service in Pierce City, Mo. 

 

We knew who would be there, and we were happy to represent. But you know how it’s kinda awkward right off the bat? I don’t know why, we know these people. I guess because maybe you don’t know how chit-chatty you should be. Maybe someone there is really struggling and you don’t want to be like, “hey let me tell you how awesome my kids are!” But after about 30 minutes of warm-up we got there and were chatting with Adrianne’s Uncle Aaron and Aunt Cindy, and his girls, and other family. Arlan’s son Wes. 

 

Arlan’s girlfriend spotted Adrianne and said, “there’s a sympathetic face” and bonded and cried with her over the loss of Arlan (this is why you don’t lead with the ‘let me tell you how awesome the kids are,’ right there. Good job Adro.) 

 

Alan and Di couldn’t make it so I did some photography and by then everyone knew everyone. The nicest thing, I think, was when a waitress from the local Chinese restaurant came by to pay her respects and told everyone how friendly Arlan was. We all knew, but it was cool to see someone who was like, I didn’t KNOW this guy but I knew him and I’ll miss him.

 

So then we drove home. By then we were outta gas… but we just had to get home. We tried to get Whataburger in Lee’s Summit (there may have been tears, me or Boyd, I won’t say who) but then, eventually… we got home.

 

It was a drag because the next morning I had to pack and get on a flight to Orlando for a week’s worth of work (back-to-back Summits). But it was still a memorable weekend with the family. And cheers to Uncle Arlan. 

Happy 15th birthday Evey!!!

She rocks that hat! 

Bike ride!

Look at these kids

I'm on my way home. These kids melt my heart. Can't wait to embrace them! 

Rock Chalk 21-22

Evey and I got to take in the exhibition game against Emporia State recently. Cathy our neighbor set us up with tickets.

We had a great time! Hit the new burger place by Jason's Deli before the game. Then KU game. Evey barely remembers the last game she was at so it's been several year…

We had a blast. We also watched KU beat Michigan State last night. Evey likes KU hoops, I think she will be my KU hoops buddy and Boyd is my football buddy.

I'll take it! 

Garage floor project

This weekend the kids and I put an epoxy down on the garage floor. I'm pretty happy with the results. I learned a few things and I also see a few mistakes I made. It'll look better when we have stuff back in the garage.

Evey was a rock star and did the whole project with me. Boyd came in at the end and was a useful helper who saw the project through to the end. Adro helped put the finishing touches on it as well, even though this was her Christmas present (from last Christmas.)

The worst part was trying to mix the two bags inside the big bag. Allegedly you roll the one bag into the other, they both burst inside this larger bag, and then you mix the goo inside. Well, I couldn't get that to work. On the first bag, the only bag I got to break was the one I didn't want to (the largest bag) and despite trying harder on bag two, I ended up slicing both bags through a slit and then squishing it carefully while holding the slit closed. It was a messy, ugly process and my hands are still gross looking.

But it's DONE!

Great work kids! Merry Christmas 2021 Adro!

Happy Halloween!

 

Four generations

 Together in the HOJ on Sunday! 

Chiefs got DESTROYED but we had a good time. Cousin Pete came by. Judy made awesome taco soup. Evey made brownies. The wind about blew the HOJ down but it survived! 

Happy 15th anniversary!

I'm in Louisville but we will be celebrating together soon. Here are the flowers I sent home.

15 years! Love you Adro! 

Happy 10th birthday Bub!

 

Weekend that was... 9.24.21

What a weekend! Let’s update…

 

On Friday I clocked out early. Went and picked up the kids, took them to Lawrence to drop off with Adro because Bub had a dentist’s appointment. I then turned around and drove to De Soto to play golf with Joe.

 

Waze took me a nice, relaxing back way to De Soto. Only problem? Some jackass tailgated me the whole way… even on two of my random-ass turns. I slowed down to 50 at one point, with plenty of daylight ahead of me … moron wasn’t interested, just wanted to be on my bumper the whole way. Apparently he had attachment issues.

 

When I finally got to the golf course, I realized I was coming in from the opposite direction of what I was used to, so instead of a right, it was a left… and it was sudden. I decided a hard brake was what this dude deserved and if he was going to play golf, I was ready to discuss. It was somewhat satisfying seeing him lock up his brakes behind me as I made my left into the golf course. Ha!

 

Golf was good. I dropped a bomb on Joe on No. 5 for par, taking a two-stroke lead, and I played solid from there. Weather was perfect. Music was just OK (sorry Joe.) Strangely the par threes are what killed me. My 3-wood is solid right now…

 

(Interpol on the jukebox right now… so, soooo good.)

 

Drove home and I missed Bub, he went next door for a sleepover. My pal Josh came over with his daughter Isla and we listened to the jukebox and played Uno. Made some frozen pizzas because I’m fancy. Isla took the Uno series, 3-2-2. 

 

Adro went and got Evey who was at the Eudora football game. They lost a close one. Her pal Ryan came over and they had a sleepover (I think they may have helped knock out the pizzas because I may have over-estimated the amount of food needed.)

 

Back at the HOJ, it was barely 10 o’clock and I was falling asleep. Josh and Isla went home and Adrianne reports I fell asleep instantly. It was a long week. Plus, my 3-wood. Dolla billz.

 

***

 

Saturday I woke up early (well, I went to bed early) and snuck in a work-out (I know!) then I made literally six omelets. Is that how you spell omelets? I think it should get an extra l. Omellets. Maybe not.

 

Then we went to Bub’s soccer game. We played in De Soto, on the crooked field. It slopes on a severe angle. If you’re defending the north goal, you have to be ready, the ball funnels right at you. Interestingly, Adrianne loves this field and doesn’t see the problem. The kids and I discussed it and we think she might have slope blindness. If that’s a thing. 

 

Boyd played goalie first half and only gave up one goal, when the team totally bailed on him. These kids… if they’re playing offense, they swarm their own teammate. If the ball penetrates our goal box? They scatter like it’s a grenade. I don’t get it. I may have made a girl cry but in my defense, she cried before the first practice even started. (She came back on the field and even had a few decent plays.)

 

Our team lost 2-1 (maybe 3-1) but honestly, the goalie single handedly beat us. He made crazy saves and we took a ton of shots… even dominated time of possession (TOP). We got three PKs. Kid saves three PKs!!! Crazy. I do think the kid was 17 or 18, but still — he had a nice game! I hope he enjoys college next year.

 

We got home and had a decision to make. Go play in the EHS boy’s basketball golf tournament? Or chill-ax? Both kids had sleepovers, and I had just cooked six ommmelletts. We decided we deserved a break. We called it a fun day to do whatever you want.

 

Boyd took a short rest then ran next door to hang with Aiden. Evey took a little nap then went to her room to watch Netflix. Adro was productive and watered then cleaned the garage. I mowed the yard then came to the HOJ and cleaned here and there in anticipation of the KU/Duke game. Everyone was happy (and the weather was beautiful.)

 

Adrianne finished her chores then came over to the HOJ and sold me a free beer. We collectively killed the Coors keg. It was a good keg. It was $59 and actually, North Coast paid for it. I don’t love Coors, but I love cheap keg beer. And I really love free keg beer.

 

Kansas played well for a half. I enjoyed watching them. They’re getting better.

 

As the sun was going down (and the weather was so nice) I proposed an outdoor movie to the family. Only Adrianne said no. So I set it up and we watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Adro even joined us! It was a nice cool night, we all had hoodies/stocking caps and blankets. The movie looked great. I’ve been wanting to watch that movie on the projector since we got it. Adro scored it on Redbox for $1 recently, good get!

 

I fell asleep by 10:30 again. I had a cool dream that my Dad and I went to a Wichita Wings game together. The only weird thing about it was it was at a strange location, maybe Southwestern Moundbuilder’s gym in Winfield, Kan. But I was my current age, and he was like I remember him.

 

***

Woke up around 6 a.m. because let’s be honest … that’s almost 8 hours of sleep right there. 

 

Did not go workout because instead we went to go praise sweet baby Jesus, in person for the first time since March 2020.

 

The return to church was… the return to church. (I have so many questions.)

 

We then went to McDonald’s where I got a bacon-egg-and-cheese biscuit, hold the bacon. Or, wait! There’s some bacon hidden in there. I was SO HUNGRY but McDonald’s chose not to feed me this time. I’ll never order that again. Or I’ll order three of them. Even church was more satisfying. 

 

Got home and I got my game face on. CHIEFS! Prepared the HOJ. 

 

Sis and Marina came over. Jess brought some good queso dip. Neighbors came over as well, minus the dad, who had to work. I grilled cheeseburgers and they seemed to be a hit! But the game was a dud, and the Chiefs lost again, falling to 1-2, last in the division. Frustrating game.

 

I decided to stay in the HOJ all day. It’s 6 pm as I write, and I’ve been out here since 11 am. But the Ryder Cup was on, then the afternoon NFL game (fun watching Tampa lose) and soon Sporting will kick off. 

 

Boyd came over and asked if he could go hang out at Aiden’s some more, I said yes, be home by 7:30. The girls are going to go see the move “Carrie” or “Karey” or “Carey” or “Cary” or “Kerry” I don’t know. Sounds awful. I’d rather go to church and then eat a baconless bacon-egg-and-cheese biscuit.

 

Weekend is almost over. It was a good weekend. Sad it’s over. But I’m looking forward to this mild weather.

(Interpol just came back on! So good.) 

Par, par, par!

Boss

That's my dude!

Bub and Aiden

These two have become pretty good buds! 

The weekend that was, 8/6/21

Really great weekend, I hope yours was great as well.

 

Started off Friday after work with watching THE SUICIDE SQUAD with Evey on HBO+. Evey fell asleep on it so I hit pause and got busy.

Boyd pointed out the cool sunset
to me over the walkie
as he walked home from Aiden's.

 

On Friday morning I saw a Checkers ad that inspired me to go buy some KC strips (the power of advertising!) so I grilled up a feast of KC strips, pork chops, corn on the cob, baked potatoes (yes, off the grill) and for the first time ever, mushrooms.

 

I was grilling and having a good time when Adro rolled in. Her and the kids hung out for a bit. I told them to give me an hour and dinner would be served.

 

Boyd came up to me 30 minutes later and said, “Dad, I don’t think I can but… the neighbors invited me to go fishing and I was wondering…”

 

I told him: dude, fishing sounds like so much fun! Have a positive attitude when you ask me and yes I’m grilling steak but I know you’re not a big steak lover… let’s talk it out. So we quick-fixed him a PB&J and he was off to go fishing with his buds. Awesome!

 

I slowed down the grill a little bit and brought everything in. The steak was just “OK,” I don’t know exactly where I went wrong, maybe I got distracted. It wasn’t as juicy/tender as I wanted it to be (but the temperature was right.) I’ll try again. The meat was beautiful going in. I’ll fiddle with it for next time.

 

The mushrooms though! HOT DAMN. Judy, we’ll eat this soon. I wrapped them in foil with a combo of red wine; teriyaki sauce; garlic salt and butter. Oooooooohhhh it was so good. And yes, I was the only one who ate them. 

I read this horoscope ... as the plumber was 
here replacing my water heater!

 

The rest of the feast was a’ight, I’m not gonna lie I made too big a salad and it wasn’t my best performance. Looking forward to trying again.

 

Boyd came home at 10 pm and sadly he didn’t catch anything but had a good time.

 

Momma was exhausted and going to bed soon so her and Evey were cuddled up ready to watch TV together. I still had energy (where did all this energy come from? Oh yeah, beer.) so I set up the movie projector and had a movie-for-one projector party and watched…. MARIO PUZO’S THE GODFATHER. This was a Father’s Day gift and I thought, you know what, it’s ok to not watch a superhero movie every once in a while! I projected that bad boy. 

 

It was great. I realized that I’ve seen the first two hours maybe 10 times, but I don’t think I ever saw the last hour or so (or maybe the middle part of the last hour… maybe that part has been cut out of the TV showings?) and it was pretty cool. Nice night. I gotta say I enjoyed my Friday night.

 

--

That's a breakfast right there!

 

Saturday I got up and immediately went and did the recycling (it was killing me) then came home and made a small breakfast for Evey and I. Used some of the local stuff… our tomatoes and pepper, an onion…  it turned out nicely.

 

We discussed our options (we had NO PLANS) do we go to the movies? The pool? Something else? Summer is almost over and oh yeah Dad has four cities he’s hitting in the next three weeks (Delta permitting) so what do we do?!?

 

The plan was: girls see OLD (M. Night Shymalan movie that will never be remembered in another three weeks) and Bub and I catch RIVER CRUISE (or whatever it’s called, with the Rock.) I got home from recycling and learned that Boyd was like, “F the Rock” (or something like that) and had no interest in seeing any movie that didn’t involve all four Jonesys (I can admire that.) So what now?

 

Boyd’s friend Nolan invited him over a weekend ago to swim/chill. I suggested, maybe we invite Nolan over while the girls go see OLD. This idea was met with praise all around (sometimes Dad is brilliant) we invited Nolan, he was in and everything from there was butta.

 

The girls took off, Nolan came over. I finished THE SUICIDE SQUAD (review at the end) then got busy cleaning the kitchen, doing some laundry and being all around awesome with loud music and no shot-clock. 

 

OH! Also, I bought Volume 8 of the Especially Evey (But also Boydee) blog book… 2014. It’ll be here in a week or so. And since I was feeling spend-y (forgive me) I bought Captain America # 130, from 1970… offa eBay… for $23. Decent copy, this is the oldest issue of Captain America I DO NOT own… and features Hulk, Batroc the Leaper and Whirlwind. I am now only 11 issues shy of a complete run (GULP!)

 

While Evey was at the movie she was invited to a sleepover at Adira’s, with Abby (I think) as well. So she was suddenly booked for the night… then Bub went next door and guess what? He’s invited for a sleepover too. Suddenly, Adrianne and I were alone-ski. What do we do?!?

 

Well first we watched some TV (Backyard Bar Wars and Drunk History) then I proposed we go to the…. Ca-SEEEEE-no! That idea was met with a “yes!” and we were off.

 

The casino was fun. The best part was the end where we took a $50 ticket I had and played $5 hands at Video Poker. The stakes were higher than normal and we were on a roller coaster… some wins, some losses, some smaller wins and more losses. But what fun. I was legit cheering every full house, three of a kind. 

I took the kids to the pool Thursday 
afternoon, for a short swim. I worked while 
they swam. Koko enjoyed the trip too.

 

Sadly, no “big” hands. We faltered down the stretch and busted. 

 

SO It was time for… JACK-IN-THE-CRACK!!!

 

Jack-in-the-Crack is my new jam. Their egg rolls are SUBLIME… clearly deep fried to damn near extinction… and then served to me as perfection. And their tacos to go?!? Yeah!!!! Whatever I’m spending at 1 a.m. at the Legends drive-thru, it’s not enough. Well done, Jack. 

 

(the story of the debacle that is the drive-thru is not noteworthy. Only that we got our food, eventually, that’s what is important.)

 

--

 

Sunday… let’s see, Sunday? 

 

Woke up with a level one hangover (thank you Jack) and made Adro a boring breakfast: scrambled eggs and sausage in a tortilla. Then I proceeded to make myself an AMAZING breakfast… utilizing Cathy’s onion, our tomatoes and peppers, and a little salt and pepper… I told Adro it reminded me of the breakfast burritos I used to get at Mirth (remember that place! So good. And the only thing missing was their breakfast potatoes… which the cook was kind enough to detail how he made them to me one day!)

 

Got the Impala started (it’s been running raggedy lately) and went and picked up Evey. Back home, we watched online church (sorta, St. John’s is throwing curveballs). Then I chilled as Adrianne worked on some of Bub’s old/new clothes bins. 

 

Then I got going again, took the Impala to O’Riley’s for some medicine (we’ll see) then to Rick’s for a pint or two. Rick was there so I got to say hello to him and talk about the old times and get razzed about whatever I wrote in a magazine lately. Good times.

 

Back home. Adro and Evey are in the back yard in hammocks, reading books. Boyd just got back from Aiden’s. I’m in the HOJ listening to loud music, enjoying the sunset. 

 

I don’t know how a weekend could go any better.\

 

SUICIDE SQUAD review: I laughed several times, but some of the cartoon violence was off-putting to me. Also, I didn’t like the huge plot holes they embraced (like how they were going to infiltrate Starro’s lair) and how they passed that off as being cute. Some of the violence (Peacemaker Vs. Flagg) was also a little much for me on a Saturday afternoon. Great music though and some clever moments/one-liners. Starro was excellent, the way they handled that monster. Margot Robbie is excellent. I liked it. I think I might have liked it better if I was with a fellow adult man, with beer in hand, so I didn’t have to blush at the brazenly stupid parts. Overall, I’d watch it again. Bonus points for the Pixies song. 

 

 

 

 

Evey's summer vacation report

 Hey everyone! It's Evey! 

Me and my family had a great summer vacation, and sadly it is coming to an end. We have 9 more days before school starts and my brother starts 4th grade, and I go into high school as a freshman... but even though we are all sad about school starting, I thought I would talk about my favorite memory from summer. 

My favorite memory from going to South Padre Island is when me and my family rode The Banana Boat. We had signed up that day to go on the Banana Boat and we had to wait for a really long time to get on. My mom was scared because she didn't want to ruin her makeup and everyone we had watched had fallen off the ride and into the water; I told her that it was probably because they were doing it themselves and falling over on purpose... but that was not the case. Once it was time to get on the Banana Boat we were all stressed out. We had to go deep into the ocean and then get on this huge inflatable and everyone was watching us get on. Me and Boyd got on super easily but then it was dads turn... dad threw his leg over the boat and made this huge grunt and tried to throw himself on the boat and he bounced back off into the water. It was so funny, and everyone was staring. Dad got up out of the water and laughed it off like a man and tried to get up on it again... and once again he fell off; but this time he took mom with him and fell on top of her. They both fell into the ocean and everyone around us was laughing. They both got out of the water and finally with some help from the instructor, they made it on top of the Banana Boat. The ride itself was very fun. There were two times where we got dumped into the ocean and there was one time where dad fell on top of me but other than that it was a great time. We really needed a break with the stress from the pandemic and we hadn't gone on vacation in two years so we all had a lot of fun with each other... but now it's time to go back to school! 

Onion rings and things

Great weekend here! Let’s recap:

 

·      Thursday night Adro and I started our weekends early and hit Hollywood Casino “before the world shuts down again” and had some fun. We had a good time and I actually came out ahead, handing Adro a ticket for $57 as we left. My mantra was “Jack in the Crack!” at that point (I also pre-gamed at Rick’s) so she took me through the drive-thru. I got a cheeseburger, fries, three egg rolls and SOME TACOS TO GO!

·      That night’s mantra was, “Jack in the Crack… why?!?” I was sick all night. I think it was worth it, hard to say. I do remember the eggrolls being sublime.

·      Friday was a low-key workday. Adro had to go in in the afternoon, I clocked out around 2 pm. That evening Adro brought home groceries. We had a light dinner (sammiches and chips, fruit) then went downstairs to play “Trains on Time” (not sure of its real name, I lost horribly, Adro won and almost lapped me) then watched GATTACA on Blu-Ray (kids liked it OK, Evey was disappointed in the ending. Both stayed up to finish it though.)

·      Interrupt this post to announce! USA just won the Gold Cup!!! And I just beat Shinobi (three quarters) to celebrate!!!

·      Saturday morning I woke up and got after it. Mowed the whole lawn (a little over two hours) rushed inside and made an approved breakfast (ham/egg/cheese biscuits were shot down in favor of ham/egg/cheese croissants??? OK) and then back outside to burn some old brush plus a pile of webworms I found. GROSS! The pile burst into flames and I was sweating like crazy but got it done.

·      Back inside I got cleaned up then went downstairs to mess around with my comic book collection. That was fun. I watched YouTube videos while I did it.

·      Got hungry again (I’m always hungry) so I made two frozen pizzas for the family. 

·      Adro bought movie tickets to see Snake Eyes, 4:45 showtime. I came back upstairs and caught 15 minutes of shut-eye. 

·      Got to the movie (didn’t know I-435 and 119^th was shut down) just in time. We all enjoyed the movie! I think I liked it the most. Cool origin story of the coolest Joe.

·      Hit the Mexican restaurant in DeSoto for the first time. Good stuff! We all enjoyed it. 

·      I got dropped off at a local bar to hang out with a friend. Biker bar. We stayed there for all of ten minutes, and as we left, drunk bikers started brawling. Ugh. We got outta there.

·      SUNDAY! I woke up with a legit level three hangover. Didn’t get moving until mid-morning. Showered, tried to knock off the cobwebs. Evey got up and helped me make breakfast and clean the kitchen. Breakfast burritos were on the menu. They were awesome, and mostly made by Evey Melosa Jones! Nice work Evey.

·      Bub got invited to Nolan’s to go swimming. The earlier plan of going back-to-school shopping was nixed. Girls went on their own. Bub went swimming. 

·      The weather was amazing outside so once I felt human, I went and cleaned the HOJ and worked on getting the Impala started. Also watched the Olympics.

·      That about brings me back to now! USA wins. Defeated Shinobi. Snake Eyes awesome. Yard looking good.

 

Hope you had a nice weekend as well!

Beach bums

Here's a pic of the Jones family before they headed out on a (terrifying) banana boat trip! 

Girls just wanna have fun

Evey and Momma as they were ready to head out to Legends for a shopping trip! 

4th of July 2021

This year's 4th festivities were much different than previous years. Our guest list flipped the script… this year we had Willy and Lervy, along with Adro's dad Alan and his wife, the first time those two have visited us at the new house.

It was a fun adventure. I cooked on the flat top grill probably 7 times in 6 days. We got the Impala out a lot. We drank a keg (spilled some too.) We blew some stuff up then ate some s'mores. We hung out every night in the HOJ. 

It was a whirlwind but a ton of fun. Like vacationing in our own house! Now, back to work! Home sweet home. 

Happy Father’s Day 2021

It was a hectic day because I had to fly out... but my family still made it so special! 

The kids + Adro knew I had to fly to St. Louis but they took me out to Mexican. It was SO GOOD!

Love this family! Second annual "pic from the tailgate" featured here. What a beautiful family!!! 

The Citizenship Award goes to ... Evelyn Jones!

Recently Evey wrapped up her middle school career. In honor of finishing 8th grade the school hosted a promotion for all the students.

There were two awards handed out at this ceremony, to one girl and one boy: The Kansas State High School Activities Association Citizenship Award, voted on by the teachers of the school.

I'm so proud that Evey Jones won the award! They announced her name and she didn't even comprehend it, she was so shocked she just kept sitting there and her friends told her to go up and shake the Principal's hand.

Mr. Thomas emailed me this photo recently with a note telling me how much they all enjoyed having Evey as a student in the school. To get an email from the school principal, praising your kid? Just... wow. The certificate also arrived in the Jones house, where it will be proudly displayed.

Great job Evey, your mom and I are so proud of you! Next stop, high school!

Bball at the Joneses

Neighbor kids came over and shot hoops with Evey and Boyd last night. Me, Adro and Judy sat in the garage and watched. It was a fun Friday night! 

Wet, too. Cathy told me we've had 8 inches of rain this week. We've now had 9 straight days of rain. 10 is the historic record, according to Lezak. Crazy! 

Shinobi is BACK, baby!

We've been playing in the HOJ. The new neighbor kids too. It's a lot of fun! Screen looks better than when it was new. 

Found a guy in Lawrence who likes to refurbish them and keep them original. Feels good to have it back. I've owned this machine since 2001. 

Had it back for two weeks now. Still haven't beaten the game yet. Soon! 

It’s Friday!

The weekend is here, thank goodness!

The weather has been spectacular these last few days. Yesterday I clocked out at 4 and mowed the lawn. It looks GOOD! And now we have 7 days of rain in the forecast... bring it! 

Yesterday after I finished mowing I grabbed a beer and sat down at the HOJ. Evey joined after taking Koko for a walk. Adro and Boyd and the cat were there too. I put on some music and grilled a few hot dogs. We ate outside and watched the sun go down. So pleasant! Great evening.

Summer break is almost here. Only 8 more school days! Evey will be a high schooler and this guy will be a 4th grader. Crazy! 

No complaints here!

We got to see Evey perform on stage tonight and she was awesome!

She played two different characters in "Complaint Box // Lemonade." I've got a few clips ready for YouTube, I'll just have to get them ready. (And get connected to internet.)

This class caused a lot of stress for Evey, almost daily we'd talk about 'the drama in drama.' Meanwhile... straight As in science, math, etc...

Well, that class is pretty much over and Evey is staring down high school. In the meantime her class all peaked at the same together and it was a big win! 

Hard to say why some classes are so rough and random while others make sense and you can control what you can control... but Evey, you were fantastic tonight. Well done!

On to the next challenge! 

"Old MacDonald..."

I’ll pack-a

The moon is 400X sleepy

The other day... it was a Friday night, I think... I walked into this sight. I thought they were faking/pretending! But I stood there in the living room for a solid minute, ready for them to break character ... the TV volume was way loud... and I was like, "shit, they're really all asleep!"

So I tip-toed out of the house and went next door to the HOJ and listened to the jukebox while I watched NBA hoops. 

This was early, by the way... it was like, 7 p.m.

The next day they told me they were watching a TV show about the mysteries of the moon. 

Turns out, the moon can also knock you out, unexpectedly! 

Tarzan, king of the jungle

Flat Joneses come home in style!

Picked these up from Allen Fieldhouse this week! Excited to have them home!

Rolling in my ‘64

I shut the hood after practice on Thursday to be greeted by this sight... 

Save Evey!!!

She was like, "Dad take our photo!"

I was like, "Evey don't get stabbed!!!"

Spring break 2021, whoooooooooo!!! 

IMG_85161.jpg

The weekend that was, 3.5.21

Lydia and her fam came by the house a few weekends 
ago! She's our Goddaughter.

What a fun weekend! Let’s recap: 

Friday afternoon the weather was great so I went outside and moved some stuff around the HOJ, including bringing the umbrella back out. Once the sun went down I ran to Lawrence for a couple cheese pizzas and brought them back for dinner. 

The five of us watched the finale if WandaVision. Adro and the kids liked it; I hated it. Then we started watching Coming to America 2. I stopped it halfway, worried that the kids weren’t liking it. We watched an episode of The Chase. That was awful too, all three contestants lost so they just brought the first guy out one more time to arbitrarily lose one more time. Mom wanted the other Jeopardy! champs to come out for the final battle, but she doesn’t write the rules to that show, much to her dismay.

It was late and everyone went to bed. I put on a pot of beans and cut up some potatoes for the next morning, then went to bed.

***

Saturday morning I jumped out of bed, ready for action. Went and did the recycling. Came home and made breakfast. Then we got ready for our first soccer practice of the season. The practice was good! All the kids were well behaved and listened. I think everyone had fun. 

Me and the kids went in the Impala so I could wash it after practice. After I finished washing it (and spraying the kids accidentally… several times… through the cracks in the windows) Boyd was like, “Dad, can we grab a treat to celebrate our first practice?” Listen, I just washed the car, the next logical thing to do is drive 75 mph down the road and blow off all that water! I cussed at the idea and suggested we go to the gas station. For a bottle of water… but then acquiesced. We pulled into Sonic for milkshakes and to watch the water spots dry on the hood…

An old-timer pulled up next to me and hollered at me that he liked my car. We chatted a little bit, he was more interested in chatting than I was (not to be rude, but I didn’t have much to say and the way we were parked, he was pretty much behind me, which made for an awkward neck turn for me.) He kept going on about how nice it must be to take a ride in a car like the Impala and I said, “you know it is! Just getting it out. And the kids are like, Dad, let’s get some milkshakes, and I was like, heck yeah!’ 

I turned back into the car and Boyd was like, ‘heck yeah? You wanted to get a bottle of water!’ And Evey was like, ‘you didn’t even want to come here!’ They called me out for my made-up story to the old timer. I had to laugh.

We came home and Adrianne was cleaning out the woods on the north side of the property. She did so much work and really improved the way it looks over there. Our land gets better and better…

I changed out of my soccer gear and Evey and I headed to Lawrence. Quick stop at Dick’s to spend a $10 rewards card that was expiring. Evey got a cool Chiefs hat, I got a KU stocking cap on clearance for next winter…

Then we went and drove for an hour. Evey’s learning and she did a great job driving all over West Campus. We ended our lesson when mysteriously, a few KU and Lawrence cops started ascending on the area. “It’s getting hot over here Evey, let’s bounce!” She put it in park, we switched drivers and made out getaway. (Evey is pretty sure there was a daytime drug deal about to happen.)

From there, on to Chops Comics for some bags and boards and a few $1 comics. Then I invited Evey to 23rd St. Brewery and she was in. We sat at a booth distant from everyone else and enjoyed some chicken fingers and Big 12 basketball. 

Finally we came home, and Adro and Boyd were in the HOJ pretending to be napping on the new hammock Adro bought. Adro bought two hammocks, different styles. I helped her with the second one and then got ready for company…

My sister and Herschel came over and watched the sun go down with us. Made some fajitas and ate inside, then came back over and started a bonfire. It was a beautiful night out! We chilled for a while and enjoyed the bonfire and some cold drinks. 

They took off and I stayed outside a while longer burning more of the brush Adro pulled out of the woods. I don’t know what time I finally went to bed, but I know I had the music cranked up to 11. No worries, the neighbors aren’t bothered, I don’t think!

***

Sunday. Woke up with a level three hangover. Made breakfast burritos. Went next door to try out the hammock. It’s not built for me, I don’t think. I did see a bald eagle fly by while I was in there! Came back over to the house for online church at 11 a.m. Then we all finished Coming to America 2. Turns out the kids and Adro enjoyed it as well as me! Randy Watson at the end was perfect. So silly and stupid, just what the doctor ordered.

We all came over to the HOJ. First Evey and Bub were in the hammock, Evey was reading her book to Bub. Then everyone moved around, various magazines, books, comic books, napping. Really relaxing day. 

All-Star weekend on the TV now. Gonna wrap up this weekend. It was a good one! (And yet, somehow I didn’t take a single photo!)