A 6" Anniversary

A baker's dozen. That's thirteen (13) years of marital bliss for Paige and Cody. It also means it's another trip to Subway to celebrate with a 6" sub ... veggie for Paige, steak & cheese for Cody. This year they visited the Subway in beautiful downtown Tonganoxie, close enough to let Tyson self-babysit himself with some Sprite and a video game.

He Shoots... He Scores!

The Utah Jazz made a good run ... and the NBA Finals may be over ... but they're still shooting hoops in the Midwest! We purchased our first basketball hoop a few months ago (with Christmas gift money no less) and finally got around to installing it next to the driveway. We dug the hole very cautiously knowing the gas line was only 18" from the driveway. Fortunately, we didn't need to make any 9-1-1 calls though we had the phone nearby. We poured 6 bags of cement (and etched our names) and waited a few days to complete the installation. Since then, it's been one shot after another (and an occasional dunk) in the driveway at the Edwards home. See the photos by clicking here ...

Also ... Tyson attended his final year of Cub Scout Day Camp (Paige too?) this week and escaped with no ticks, much to his relief. Watch for an extra blog update on Monday as well :)

You're Benched!

The family project is finally finished. We built a custom bench to enhance our viewing pleasure of south-west approaching thunderstorms in the front yard. We cut the boards to length by laying a tape measure across our laps to find the perfect length. Then Cody added a Midwest scene with wood burning skills acquired from his dad, then Paige finished it with a varnish and sealant. Tyson assisted in the final assembly and general leadership skills. Now we have a place to watch the thunderstorms and the lightning bugs. Oh, and Tyson's fishing count is now up to 8 blue-gill for the summer.

His First Fish & More

Cody & Tyson went fishing over at Leavenworth State Fishing Lake Thursday night where Tyson caught his 1st fish ... and his 2nd, his 3rd and 4th. Little blue gills ... but it was fun nonetheless. He now states he likes fishing more than electronics.

Family Summer Vacation

There wasn't a beach or a fancy amusement park, but the Edwards family enjoyed a fabulous, albeit short, vacation to the Heart of America ... literally! Here's a run down of what we did ...

• In between rain showers, we visited the City of Rocks outside of Minneapolis, KS. Here we climbed among the largest collection of sandstone concretions in the world! (... and had lunch).
• Tyson added 150' of sisal twine to the World's Largest Ball of Sisal Twine. Now it's even bigger!
• Feeling a little more balance in our lives, we stood in the exact center of the United States. Well ... okay, the center of the lower 48 states.
• Visited the Higley Cabin where the official state song of Kansas was written. The song? Home on the Range (where the deer and the antelope play).
• Stayed at the US Center Motel in Smith Center, KS ... and they had a pool to boot!
• Got to know the Kansas Highway Patrol just outside of Manhattan, KS.
• Created memories to last a lifetime ...

To see 25 entertaining photos in slideshow format, click here!

Asleep at the Wheel

It was as if the sun came up at 1am in the morning. A bright light filled the room but the birds weren't singing yet ... no, the sound that we heard came from the dozen or so fireman at our neighbor's house. Seems that a young man had fallen asleep at the wheel, jumped the curb and drove through the side of their garage before coming to a stop. Thankfully no one was hurt. Curiosity (and the desire to help) led Paige and I to the scene where we talked to Charles and Kristen and offered our assistance. Otherwise, it was a quiet Memorial Day weekend ... we're off on our overnight family vacation next Friday (and of course, we'll have lot's to blog about!).

Quick! Escape to the Lake!

With an attempted murder suspect on the loose in Tonganoxie, we picked Tyson up from a locked-down elementary school on Friday and headed to Perry Lake. Well ... that really wasn't why we went to Perry Lake. Truth be known, it was the perfect weather for some camping by the lake. Highs in the 70's ... ah, it was beautiful. And we didn't have to go far to get to the lake ... it almost came to us! Many of the campsites were still flooded from the flooding earlier this month. But we found the perfect, secluded site in the Slough Creek Campground on the east side of the lake (about 30 minutes from our house). We used the overnight get-away to go through our emergency preparedness kits and evaluate what we're missing and what needs rotated (including the MREs we had for dinner - simple to prepare and mighty tasty!). Tyson also completed his Outdoorsman pin for Webelos! The camping spirit lived long into the day as Tyson built his own tent with his new Cub Scout knowledge in the backyard - tick free!

[NEW pictures added to the photo album ... click here!]