Summer

Squeezing in Summer

/ Jessica / 19 Comments

I haven’t been writing on here. With all this talk about fall, I’ve been squeezing in as much summer as I can.

If there was a bus between seasons, I’d be the last one on the bus to autumn. I LoVe, love, love summer!!

Every day for weeks, I’ve been in our pool. They say vitamin D can be soaked up from the sun, I’ve been getting my share, ha ha.

Labor Day came and went with a day spent bowling, a day trip to Arkansas, and two days by the pool.

And, to top off all this squeezing in summer?

A county fair yesterday!

Ferris Wheel
view from Ferris Wheel
these made me laugh!
sunset at the fair
see all those boxes? potatoes!
those potato boxes belong here
yum!!!

We rode the carnival rides. On one, for some reason, I laughed the entire ride! I could not stop laughing!!

this ride made me laugh!

We watched the demolition derby, too. It’s crazy how those cars get all banged up!

loved that a car was pink!
love Ferris Wheels at night

We had a wonderful time! In the next few weeks, there are two more fairs we are going to. Take a few steps backwards Fall, we’re not quite done with summer yet! Most are, of course, but we aren’t. Ha ha.

Hope you have a great day!

Jessica

Scenic Storm Lake

/ Jessica / 15 Comments

There are places, you know, where we just feel like we are home. One of those, for me, is Iowa. My roots run deep in the rural farmlands and in the towns that were built around cornfields, country schools, and churches.

For the last four days, my boy and I have driven hundreds of miles through the Iowa countryside in search of lakes, water parks, and family we haven’t seen in quite some time.

Oh my, have we had fun!

Our first stay was at scenic Storm Lake. It’s a small town, with a welcoming feel. We had two nights at the King’s Pointe Resort. It sits right next to the lake, so the lobby has a beautiful view.

King’s Pointe Resort, Storm Lake Iowa

It has a restaurant and one evening I had grilled walleye and shrimp. Yum!

vacation food

Besides lake access, there are also indoor and outdoor water parks. We went down this orange slide!

water slide fun

There are some really cool parks around town. One has a really nice veterans memorial and a huge anchor from a 1943 ship.

anchor Storm Lake Iowa

We loved the Living Heritage Tree Museum. My favorite one was a tree that is a descendant of Johnny Appleseed’s tree.

tree museum
apple tree

Our time in Storm Lake was pretty amazing. The lodging, food, scenery, downtown bakery, water fun, and sunsets were definitely memory makers.

sunset at King’s Pointe Resort in Iowa

After Storm Lake, we stayed in the Spirit Lake/Okoboji area. Love those towns, too

Hope you’re having a wonderful Saturday.

Jessica

©️Copyright 2022 Unmeasured Journeys

Kangaroo Time

/ Jessica / 6 Comments

Van Buren is a small town in southeast Missouri. The population is 1,241 (in 2020). But, sometimes small towns can offer big things to do.

Tuesday my son and I drove about 40 miles to visit Van Buren and do some of those fun things.

There’s the Jolly Cone restaurant with its outside walk up and order counter. We went there for ice cream, tater tots, and french fries. Yum.

The Landing is a hotel and restaurant that offers float trips down the Current River. They had a fire in 2021, but are rebuilding and open. We didn’t float or stay there this time, but we have in the past. Here is their link is you’d like any information. https://thelandingcurrentriver.com

We went to Big Spring, which I wrote about in my last 2 posts. It’s a wonderful natural spring with 2 hiking trails, some buildings the CCC built in the 1930’s, a campground, picnic pavilions, and access to the Current River.

Another place we went is called Missouri Down Under Adventure Zoo. It is a small zoo, right outside of town. The big draw is the kangaroos. They also have gem panning, a cave, a quarry dig, other animals, and some amazing tree carvings.

The kangaroos are in a huge fenced enclosure and you get to go right in there with them. The day we went it was 102 degrees, so shade was a priority for most of them.

We did see one over at the water tank. I was able to give it a snack out of my cup.

snack time
drink time
shade time
kangaroo time
tree carvings
gem panning
that hole is the cave entrance
inside the cave

We had a great time. They also have lemurs, baby goats, rabbits, birds, snakes, porcupines, and a few other animals. Their website is https://www.missouridownunder.com if you’d like to see the hours or ticket information.

We had a great day in Van Buren on Tuesday with some hiking time, ice cream time, and kangaroo time.

Hope you have a great day!

Jessica

Family Day Out

/ Jessica / 3 Comments

Saturday is our family day out. Today we decided to try a bowling alley we hadn’t been to in a nearby town.

I’m not what you’d call a very good bowler, ha ha. But, tonight I broke 100!!!! I got a 119! I think that’s my all time high. I was so excited, I took a picture.

I’m the M

Before the bowling alley, we went to a Missouri Department of Conservation area called Otter Slough. I love that place. In the winter, it’s filled with snow geese. In the summer people fish the ponds.

a pond at Otter Slough
Otter Slough
even these guys were hanging out there

We’ve had a really great day. Love Saturdays. Love summer. Love my family.

Thanks for reading!

Jessica

My Favorite Picture of the Day

/ Jessica / 2 Comments

My gosh, I LOVE being a mom. Is there anything better in the entire universe??

Two days ago, my son and I went for a drive. A local lake was calling our name, so we ventured out there. It was a place we’d taken my momma to when she came to visit once.

Except for a million gnats, mosquitoes, and some bull frogs, we were the only ones there. Sometimes there, the water is so still, that the reflection is pristine. This time the water was moving a bit, but it was still pretty.

I took some pictures, but wanted to show you my favorite picture of the day. No explanation needed on why, I suppose.

Holding our kid’s hands is a gift all on it’s own. The scenery was a bonus.

Hope your day is wonderful.

Jessica

my favorite picture of the day
Ripley Lake
reflections on Ripley Lake

©️Copyright 2022 Unmeasured Journeys

Summertime Swim Party

/ Jessica / 4 Comments

Well, I pulled off a surprise party! For over a month, I’ve had a surprise swim party planned for my husband’s 50th birthday!

A month ago, my invitations went out to some of his work friends, his bowling friends, neighbors, and some local friends.

We were all able to keep it quiet! Even me, which was a bit tricky, ha ha. I almost slipped up a few times.

Because we live near the river and lots of families go there for the weekends, and kids have baseball games, etc, I made it a come and go open house.

Yesterday morning, my husband still had no idea!! About noon, my son and I gave him a gift to open. In it was party blowers and an invitation to his own party! He was very surprised!

We had a great crowd. Everyone brought a potluck dish and we had a ton of food. The temperature was 102 degrees, so the swimming pool was full.

We all had a wonderful time.

Here’s to friends, life’s big celebrations, summer, swimming, and surprises.

Hope you have a glorious day!

Jessica

our pool this morning

Cat on My Lap

/ Jessica / 6 Comments

Pink is my favorite color, but sitting out here at my pool this morning, I’m actually leaning towards blue.

pool blue
summer blue

The weather finally warmed up, so yesterday our pool was full of swimmers. It’s a bit early for swimmers today, so right now, there’s just a cat on my lap.

this is Squealer the cat

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Jessica

Summertime Goals

/ Jessica / 4 Comments

Who’s ready for summer?

We are!! After a spring of solid rain, a week of temperatures in the high 90’s followed by a week of 50’s and 60’s, I sure am ready for summer.

Our 23rd wedding anniversary was May 15th. My husband splurged and got us a big, fancy patio umbrella. It’s 11 feet wide, solar powered with lights, and the umbrella itself rotates!

So, if we are sitting on the patio chairs, shade. And, we can turn it so if we’re sitting/ swimming in the pool, shade. My son gets sunburns quite easily, so pool shade is definitely a gift.

Tomorrow, the temperatures start to build their way back up towards summertime fun. My summertime goals are:

  • wear my swim suit every day
  • swim every day (unless there is lightning)
  • catch fireflies at night
  • blow bubbles
  • watch sunsets
  • take walks
  • have a potluck
  • picnics
  • do sidewalk chalk
  • read a bunch of books
  • do art
  • take naps

Man, that does sound good! Sign me up, I’m ready. Here’s to a great season, whether yours is summer, winter, spring, or fall. What are your goals for your season?

Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!

Jessica

our pool and new umbrella
our 23rd wedding anniversary gift- fancy umbrella