Pumpkin Day ... Sorta

What started as an Edwards family tradition back in the 80's continued with another Pumpkin Day in late October. This year our family traveled south of Kansas City to the small town of Louisburg, KS to the historical Louisburg Apple Cider Mill. We festively joined others in rollicking in apple cider ... served both hot and cold and in the form of donuts. Yes, apple cider donuts. We saw how it was made in traditional Mr. Rogers fashion. Mmm ... mighty tasty. We enjoyed the time together and the drive was pleasant. But when it was all said and done, we didn't get our pumpkins ... at least not yet. Maybe we'll do that next Saturday when they're discounted for quick sale.

Running a 5K Race in KC

Ever have one of those wild hair ideas? Cody had one a couple of months ago ... a goal to run a 5k race. This coming from someone who's never jogged a day in his life. It took one run around the block to realize that jogging was completely different than the morning run on the elliptical machine each morning. Talk about sucking wind! Then came the shin splints. Ugh. Maybe this was a goal to tuck away for awhile. But perseverance prevailed! A new pair of actual running shoes and a full-time coach (Tyson) made all the difference in the world. Three times a week and once on weekends, Cody & Tyson would head out and run around the neighborhood for 2, 3, and 4 mile runs. Father-son bonding time, road kill, and improved health were found along the way. Then came the Kansas City Marathon & 5K race. Cody & his friend Jason Peters joined 8,000 other runners on a chilly 40° morning in downtown Kansas City for a race. "First race ever jitters" out of the way, they were off and running! It was neck-and-neck between Cody & Jason the whole way with several lead changes in the final stretch ... with one of them beating the other by a mere 3 seconds. In the end, Cody ran his first 5K race in 27:56 ... good enough for 31st out of 55 runners in his age group. Perhaps next year's wild hair idea will be the full marathon.

Herffies Reunite

While passing through the Midwest, Kyle Loosle and his mother spent a couple of days hanging out at the Edwards homestead. They started their 12-day vacation in St.Louis and then visited numerous church historical sites en route to visit Kyle's sister Nancy in Wichita. We enjoyed their company and the chance to think back on past memories of good times spent back in Cache Valley. In fact, it was 12 years ago that Kyle and I met while working at Bourns, Inc. A few years later Kyle left to work for some company named Herff Jones - and the rest they say is history.

A Temple in Kansas City

After we started the weekend with a camping trip (see previous post), we settled in for a weekend of spirtually uplifting messages from the leaders of the church via the internet and satelite. During the 178th semi-annual conference, the most exciting news of course was the announcement of a new temple to be built in Kansas City. Hooray!

Camping w/the Beyelers

2 familes ... 2 canoes ... 1 great time. For the 3rd year in a row, the Edwards and Beyelers got together for a night of camping, this time at Leavenworth County Lake. Pleasant temperatures, dutch oven cooking, canoeing and laughing around the fire made for a pleasant fall trip to the lake.

Friday Night Football

The first week of fall meant a father-son trip to the local high school football game. The Tonganoxie Chieftains took on an inner-city team from Kansas City at Beaty Field. It wasn't much of a game with Tongie dominating the Wyandotte Bulldogs 34-8. Perhaps the most entertaining part of the evening was when a breaker blew and some of the lights went out (see picture) delaying the game. All the moths had to migrate to our side of the field. What a shame. What a game.

A Trip to the Mental Hospital

What better way to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon than visiting your local State Lunatic Asylum ... well, at least that's what they used to call it back in the 1930's before they were more politically correct in calling it the State Psychiatric Hospital. An hour jaunt up I-29 to the city of St. Joseph, MO and we found ourselves learning the antiquated methods of treating depression, hysteria, and the like at the Glore Psychiatric Museum. Fascinating for the future psychologist in the family (Paige)! Intriguing for the family mental patient (Tyson)! Mind-boggling for the tour guide (Cody)! The place even came with it's own morgue. One thing we all agreed on ... we're grateful for modern technology, science and the general understanding of mental disorders. None of us would want to have to endure hydrotherapy, leeches, or a frontal lobotomy to release the demons. We prefer better living through chemistry.