our brand new eyes: Back to MO We Go

So it's technically October (although I'll backdate this post and no one will ever be the wiser). And I haven't put up any pictures from this summer. Mostly because the next trip I need to put up involves a trip back to Missouri that was anything but fun.

I feel like this blog is suppose to be light and happy but life isn't always like that, is it? So I'm keeping it real people. And sometimes life sucks.

Brett's parents are getting older and with that comes a lot of issues that older people face. So we went back to hot and humid Missouri over Brett's birthday to discuss getting his parents on Medicaid and setting up home care and nursing homes and all of this horrible, depressing stuff. And it wasn't fun. Not at all.

Except for a few random highlights.

We got to hang out with Brett's sister, Bonnie, and that's a rare treat because she lives in Hawaii and rarely has a chance to visit.

We got to visit my home town of Columbia for about fourteen hours on Brett's actual birthday and that was really fun and relaxing.

And as usual, we found incredible solace and comfort at Aunt Becky's lake house with a special added bonus of seeing some of our most favorite people, Jason and Finn.

So it wasn't a great trip. But we're going to choose to look on the bright side and be happy about the few stolen moments of fun.

Because sometimes that's what you have to do.

The trip started out a bit ominous.

We were delayed by hours and hours and hours for our flight out of Durango. And then we missed our connection in Denver.

So we spent the night at a hotel in Denver. But of course we didn't actually get to the hotel until like 11pm.

Did you know my children turn into Gremblins after 10pm?

I didn't know that either because they are never up that late.

But they do.

They turn into psycho little Gremlins when they are up that late.

as Julie said, thank God for electronic babysitters

a little downward facing dog to work out the kinks

And so after very little sleep in the hotel, we were back at DIA bright and early the next morning for the first flight out to Missouri.

And when we arrived we found Aunt Bonnie!

And she's crazy.

Maybe crazier than my children.

And they love her for it!

My mother-in-law isn't herself anymore.

She's angry and most of the time she's not very nice.

And it makes me really really sad because I really love her. The old her.

I miss this LoLo.

The crazy, silly one that made me laugh until I cried.

The one that could drink any man under the table.

The one that has to be the life of the party

and loves to play cards and fish and watch the Cardinals play.

I'm not sure where she went and I'm not sure if she's coming back.

And that's the saddest of all.

Celebrating Brett's birthday before our Medicaid appointment.

He was such a good sport about this most shitty of all birthdays.

And then later, really celebrating his birthday in Columbia.

'ole MIZZOU

Flatbranch! Warm, cozy, comforting.

The bartender remembered Brett from working at Flatbranch (our favorite bar in Columbia) a million years ago and so we got a lot of free drinks that night.

Perhaps too many.

This photo montage is of us, waiting outside of Flatbranch for my mommy to pick us up because we couldn't quite drive ourselves home.

Love that lady.

And when she wasn't acting as DD, she was entertaining my children.

Love that lady.

callie & grammie

A trip to Missouri always sucks a little less because of Aunt Becky's house.

Brett's best friend, Jason, and his kiddo, Finn, came from Omaha to play with us.

jason & bonnie

One really amazing thing that happened on this trip is that Bennett overcame his crushing fear of water.

I'm not naming names (Brett Gerard Ziercher) but someone threw Bennett into the deep end of a swimming pool last summer to "teach him to swim" and since that time, Bennett has been petrified of water when he can't touch the bottom.

Even with a life vest on.

It made for a fairly painful rafting season.

But through the magic of Lake St. Louis, he conquered his fear and repeatedly jumped off of the dock and "swam" back to the ladder.

It was so so fun to watch him figure out how fun the water could be and how safe he is with his life jacket on.

I almost cried with joy.

Seriously.