Backyard Golf Tournament

There are a few times over the course of the summer that one finds himself smiling while he's mowing the lawn. One would be the first mow of the summer and another, the last mow of the summer. But there's another time as well ... when one has the opportunity to mow 9 holes of golf in one's backyard.

Over the past four (4) weeks, the "Links at Tonganoxie Creek" has taken shape. The fairways and greens were carefully laid out and then manicured meticulously while the 'rough' grew in around them. A final trim was made on Saturday morning with the greens being mowed at an extra low blade setting. Holes were marked, flags were staked, and the scene was set for the Inaugural Tonganoxie Golf Tournament (also known as an Elders Quorum social in Cody's backyard).

Not only was the competition stiff and the course challenging, but there was smoked brisket and home-made root beer too! The weather was beautiful, the wiffle balls were flying well, and there was a great sense of brotherhood and friendship had by all. Now ... the rest of the yard needs mowing, and probably without the same enthusiasm.

4:40 video clip of the tournament can be viewed by clicking here as well.

The Course:


The Tournament:

It's Football Season!

The smell of tailgating. The intrigue of fantasy football. The gathering of friends. It must be football season! Friday night was a perfect night for nine (9) guys to get together to watch the Kansas City Chiefs taken on the Philadelphia Eagles at (new-and-improved) Arrowhead Stadium. There were exciting moments. There were some sobering moments (Sheffield's injury and the team prayer on the field). There were some disappointing moments (aka "another Chief's loss"). All in all it was a great night to introduce the football season.

A First Class Scout

After months of hard work and a week long summer camp back in June, Tyson earned his First Class Boy Scout Rank tonight at a Court of Honor. Hooray for Tyson! We're proud of him ... and he's already looking forward to working towards his next advancement. Oh, and he also earned his Aviation, Automotive Maintenance, Leatherworks, and Weather merit badges.

The Fair was Fair

We couldn't tell you the last time that we missed a fair. I guess you can say we're just fair-goin' people. Our own Leavenworth County Fair doesn't start till next week here in Tonganoxie, but tonight we took advantage of a beautiful Friday night and headed into Lawrence to the Douglas County Fair. That's one thing about living in a state with 105 counties ... they're small and they all have their own fairs. But that many fairs can sometimes lead to a fair that's only ... well ... fair. But one of these days we'll get up to the Iowa State Fair - the granddaddy of them all! Oh ... but tonight's fair did have something to offer that we haven't seen before: hail bale tossing competition! Who can toss a bale of hay the highest? See the video below (although you might want to mute the "fair" background noise) ...

Non-Traditional Camping

Camping in Utah may have awarded us with mountains, rivers, and scenic vistas ... but it never included a day at the beach and a production of Cinderella in the same trip!

On Saturday, the Edwards headed over to Shawnee Mission Park (about 30 minutes from home) to take part in the Great American Family Campout. At our check in, we were given our packet that included all-day passes to the beach. We plastered on the sun screen and sunk our toes into the sand as we enjoyed our escape from the brutal heat of summer. Suddenly, the humidity didn't seem so bad. Tyson dove for muscle shells (he called them clams) and Paige spent most of her time chilling with a book.

We opted to head over to Subway for dinner (a sure sign that this wasn't a typical camping trip). For entertainment, watch Tyson order a sandwich. Let's just say that he struggles with so many choices.

Back in the park, we walked from our tent over to the Theater in the Park to join thousands of others for a production of Cinderella. It was lovely.

While most of the other attendees headed for their cars when the show was over (around 11pm), we walked back to our tent. Despite the fact that the sun went down hours ago, the heat and humidity remained fully intact. No need for sleeping bags. No need to close the door. In fact, no need for the tent ... oh wait, bugs.

Church starts at 9am on Sunday mornings (always has, always will) ... which meant that we were up at the crack of dawn to head back home ... shower ... eat ... and yet we still made it to church on time. Yaaawwwwwwwwnnnn.