Birthday 2023

For my birthday this year, Ken decided to surprise me with reservations at the Mercury Room for drinks before going to dinner. The Mercury Room was beautiful and certainly did not disappoint!

Birthday drinks at the Mercury Room

After drinks, we ended the night at Affare for their tasting menu with wine pairings. It was amazing!

Birthday dessert at Affare.

Thank you Ken for spoiling me!

The Campground...

The Campground in Kansas City hosts a Christkindlmarkt each year. Ken discovered this last year when he was looking for ways to bring a little Germany to me since the markets were not happening due to Covid. We went last year and enjoyed sitting outside and having a little gluhwein. 

The bonus about this market is that Lotti gets to go! For the second year in a row, Lotti has written a letter to Santa Paws! Hopefully he brings her all that she asked for.

Lotti and Mom at the Campground, getting ready to mail Lott's letter to Santa!

A family selfie at the Campground!

It is a fun little family tradition and we enjoy getting to take Lotti to the market.

A Day of Keri...

Last Saturday was my birthday and I got to enjoy a three day weekend from the hospital.  After a rough shift on Friday, a long weekend that was all about fun was exactly what I needed. 

Ken always likes to plan whatever I want to do when we celebrate my birthday.  Here is a day of Keri with several pictures:

The day started with coffee and snuggles by the fire.  Both of the girls could not get enough of their mama.  Of course Kya sang Happy Birthday to me, which is my favorite part of turning a year older.

We went on a four mile family hike.  It was very cold on my birthday, the temperature was in the 20's!  It felt more like February than November.

We stopped off at a new coffee shop in Martin City to enjoy lattes and breakfast burritos.

After relaxing at home for awhile, we made our way to Kansas City for drinks and dinner.  Our first stop was Krokstrom a Scandinavian restaurant.  We just enjoyed cocktails, but cannot wait to go back for dinner.

Enjoying my sparkling rose at Grunauer, one of my favorite restaurants.  We had some delicious German/Austrian food for dinner.  I am definitely dreaming of some Bavarian food!

Ken said that if there is one picture that totally defines me, it is this one.  I am digging into one of my favorite desserts, apple strudel and clearly I take it very seriously!  It was so delicious.

Leaving Grunauer with a Kansas City icon behind me, the Western Auto sign.  

Ken definitely spoiled me on my birthday!  The next day the spoiling continued when my friends took me out for lunch and wine tasting.  It feels good to be so loved!

My Birthday...

A little over a week ago, I turned 37.  Now, I am fully aware that 37 is not old, by any means, but I cannot believe that I am in my late 30's!  I think one of the reasons that I keep forgetting is that most people at the hospital think I am in my 20's.  Score for me I suppose.  :)

My birthday fell on a Friday and I had the day off.  It was also in the 30's so Miss Kya and I celebrated with a run outside.  It was chilly and wonderful.

Two happy girls after a run

I did a little shopping and then Ken took me to dinner at the Rieger and then for drinks at Manifesto.  These are two of my favorite places in Kansas City.  We were lucky enough that Manifesto had brought out their Fall/Holiday menu that day, so we got to try some new drinks, which were amazing!

Taking selfies in the dark with amazing drinks

All in all, it was an amazing day.  Ken certainly spoils me and I am so grateful for that!  Here's to another year!

Anniversary Celebration...

This year for our anniversary dinner, we went to a local Kansas City favorite, The Rieger.  We were lucky enough to get to sit at the chefs' table and watch the chefs at work.  It was a really fun experience. We both love the Rieger and both had delicious meals.  Ken is still talking about the Kansas City strip that he had, it was THAT good.

I was in love with my dessert that I had.  It was the frozen souffle and it was amazing.

My amazing dessert

After dinner, we went down to Manifesto for a few cocktails.  This has to be one of my favorite places to enjoy a drink.  It is lit up by candlelight and I just love the entire experience.

Taking selfies in the dark and I was telling Ken to keep his eyes open!

Such an amazing night celebrating our anniversary!   (dress)

Thank you Ken for taking me out and spoiling me!  I appreciate you making all of the arrangements so I did not have to do a thing.  Here's to another 8 years or so!!

Saturday Shenanigans...

Between running 100 miles and me working three in a row at the hospital, it really felt as if I had not gotten to see Ken all that much.  So when he asked me if I wanted to spend Saturday meandering around Kansas City, I was all in!

Thankfully, I got to sleep in for awhile and then we headed to the Crossroads area to explore.  Our first stop was Brewery Emperial for an appetizer and a little beer tasting.  We enjoyed some black bean and chorizo meatballs and a flight of beers.  Of favorites were the Biscuit and Kristall Weizen.

A delicious flight of beers

After Brewery Emperial, we walked to Tom's Town Distilling Co for a cocktail and lunch.  I really liked this place.  Ken had been there before for work events, but this was my first time to check it out.   I had a Pinky Blitz and Ken had their version of an Old Fashion.

Ken enjoying his cocktail

 I told Ken that Saturday's festivities were a lot easier than the previous Saturday's!

I thought the bar area was gorgeous!

While we were enjoying our cocktails, Ken told me he had a surprise on our way home.  I had no clue what it might be and was very surprised when we turned onto a street and I saw a big E sign and on the door it said Christopher Elbow.  Now, if you know me, you know how much I love chocolate and Christopher Elbow chocolates are definitely super high up on my list.

Ken took me inside and told me to pick whatever I wanted.  I ended up selecting my own custom box of chocolates and was simply amazed at such a sweet surprise.

Very happy to have gotten to pick my own selection of Christopher Elbow!

Such a thoughtful and sweet surprise.

Saturday was one of those days that I always look back at and smile.  I love meandering around town with Ken and just spending the day together.  

2016 Kansas City Marathon...

In my nine years of marathon running, I had never run the Kansas City Marathon.  That seems kind of odd to think about, considering I have run 10 marathons and only one was local back in 2009.  In my defense, I have usually been busy running the Chicago Marathon or doing an Ironman, so that did not leave me any opportunity to run my hometown marathon.  Well, that all changed this year when I finally decided to register and run the KC Marathon.

The race usually takes place on a crisp, Fall morning.  Usually.  Of course the year I decided to run, the forecast was for temperatures in the upper 70's.  Of course.

 I really did not train all that well.  I was distracted with school and settling into orientation on my unit at the hospital, so I did not do all the long runs I should have done.  I was thinking that the usual 40 degree temperatures would help make up for the fact that the longest run I did was 16 miles on the treadmill.  Well, much to my dismay, the temperatures in the 70's with high humidity did nothing for my under-trained self.  Oops.

When you wake up the morning of a marathon that you did not properly train for, you have to call out the big guns:  the Ironman Louisville coffee mug.  I had to remind myself that at one time, I was indeed a bad ass.

You can also imagine how excited I was to learn that the winds were going to be in the upper 20's during the race and the first half of the race would, you guessed it, be into the wind.  Oh goody.

My favorite view during the marathon, overlooking Liberty Memorial

Needless to say, all elements were against me during the race and I have never wanted to call for someone to come pick me up more than I did during this marathon.  It is never a good sign when you are sweating like a pig during the first mile and you have 25 miles to go.  I like to think I learned a valuable lesson during the race:  Never run the KC marathon again.

My summary of the Kansas City marathon is that it was hot, humid, hilly, and windy.  Looking back, it was kind of a fun thing to do on an October Saturday morning.  I guess I like to inflict pain upon myself, obviously.  Did I mention it was my worst marathon ever?

Kansas City Marathon Finish Time:  4:55

I am pretty sure I am mumbling F-bombs under my breath.  On the positive side, I did receive compliments on my pig tails and my entire outfit.  

Post race with my friend Abby and my mama who had her appendix out a few days prior.  

A big thanks to Ken for coming out to watch me run my 11th marathon!

The Missouri State Fair...

Corn dogs, funnel cakes, carnival games, live stock, and lemonade all in one place?  Sign us up!  Can you believe that Ken and I neither one had ever been to a state fair before?  I guess considering that the Missouri State Fair takes place in August and it is usually in the triple digits might be one reason we had never gone.  With milder August temperatures, we decided to change that.

We woke up on Saturday morning and Ken told me his goal for the day was to win me a prize.  He told me he wanted to go to the fair.  Who am I to deny myself of a corn dog?

We loaded up and made our way to Sedalia, MO for a little fun at the State Fair.

We were both surprised with how large the fair was!

Ready for some fun at the Fair!

We spent most of the day wandering around looking at pigs, chickens, and of course the other people at the fair.  We played a few games, ate a corn dog or two, and enjoyed some beer and lemonade.  We avoided riding any rides because, you know, a basic rule should be to never ride something that can be assembled in less than a day.  Plus, on a girls trip we once met a carney and I have to question this guys ability to problem solve, therefore, he is my only example of the traveling crew, hence no carnival rides for us.  :)

The mule cart show with a lady driver that we watched.  We had no clue what was going on, but we had fun commenting on the carts and the mules.

Ken enjoying his beer at the fair

The proud owner of a stuffed husky that only cost us $30 in games to win, but you know, winning the husky made it more fun!

We definitely had a fun afternoon at the fair!

Back to Back Husky Hikes...

One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday is load up in the car, stop for a latte, and head towards Perry Lake for a hike with Ken and Kya.  Fortunately, we have had some pretty mild weather lately, so we got to do this on back to back Saturdays.

Kya never turns down a hike.  Never.

Our favorite area to hike at Perry Lake is on the Old Military trail.  You have the choice of two different trail heads at this spot.  We chose the less hilly side on this first day.  

Kya and me.  This girl sure does love to hike!

Our best attempt at a family picture.

We hiked around eight miles and then made our way into Lawrence for lunch and beers.  This and the hiking go hand in hand for us to make a day of it!

Two Alley-Oop Dunkels and some sunshine, yes please!

Ken enjoyed his day of hiking with his girls!

The sign of a successful day for a husky!  

This past Saturday we decided we could not pass up the beautiful day and drove to Perry Lake yet again.  This time we went the opposite direction, which is a hillier hike. It is my favorite trail to hike on in Kansas.  We ended up hiking around 10 miles up and down the lake.

These two had a lot of fun hiking!

The hike from Kya's point of view.  

The wild flowers have bloomed!  The blue heart flower is my favorite.

With the weather warming up, our hiking opportunities are getting more limited.  The weeds are starting to grow and the snakes are coming out.  We ended up seeing two snakes on our hike this past week.  Eew!!!  

Easter...

We have very simple Easter traditions in our house:  brunch and the zoo.  Basically, we like cocktails and elephants!

This year we went to Voltaire for brunch.  It did not disappoint and we will definitely be back.  I was hooked once I had one of their yummy cinnamon rolls!

In our house, brunch always includes bloody Mary's and mimosas!

This cinnamon roll was delicious!  Those are brandied cherries you see. Yummo!

The weather was not super wonderful Easter morning.  In fact, it was snowing.  The snow did not last for long, but it was still pretty chilly out.  It was not too cold for us to venture off to the zoo.  Apparently, we were a few of the only people in Kansas City that was braving the zoo.  

I had to take a picture because we have never had rock star parking at the zoo before!  It was like our own private zoo.

Since it was on the chilly side, we did not get to see all of the animals like we would have on a nicer day.  In my opinion it is almost worth it not to have to deal with the stroller mania that is usually at the zoo.  I was only disappointed that I did not see the chimps.  You win some, you lose some.  

The stare down.  We walked around the corner and this guy was hanging out on the path.  He waited quite a while to move too.

The elephants' habitat was under construction, and for a moment, I thought we might not get to see them.  We saw some zoo workers walking llamas and they told us where to go to see the elephants.  Ken and I also got to pet the llamas!  

The elephants were getting ready to be let out of their sleeping area and have some lunch.  I was very excited to see the elephants eat hay.  I had no idea that they ate hay.

Lunch is served

Sweet little elephant

The hay always tastes better on the other side of the fence!

I love the elephants!

The sun finally came out and made it a beautiful day!

Celebrating Katie's Birthday...

On Saturday we spent the day celebrating our wonderful friend Katie's birthday!  She wanted to go to Union Station for the Uncorked Wine Event.  This was the first year for the event, but the March of Dimes used to put on a Winefest and this event was very similar.  I will say that the March of Dimes event was much better and I am not just saying that because I know the people at March of Dimes.  :)

Nonetheless, we had a great time at the event.  Ken chose to drink only rose wine, which was kind of difficult to come by.  All too soon it will be nothing but rose season at our house.

The birthday girl and her man.  

Ken and I had a good laugh about this picture. I usually do not notice our height difference, but it was in full force on Saturday!

Katie and me. We both liked the New House wine the best.  It is definitely what we like to call a Porch Pounder!

After a few hours of drinking wine, we made our way to the Melting Pot for dinner.  Mike and Katie had never been and Ken swore he would never go back, ha!  

My delicious raspberry-lemon martini

Katie and Mike red-faced from the steam.

Happy after eating our weight in fondue.  I consider it practice for the fondue eating in Switzerland!  You have to train for those sorts of things, you know?

Happy Birthday Katie!