Branson Thanksgiving Weekend

My parents have been going to Branson for over 20 years.  They've watched it grow from a sleepy little southern town to a mecca of music.  For years, they have gone for Thanksgiving and several days after.
This was the first time I've ever joined them.  I lived in the greater Springfield, MO area for a long time many years ago and never felt compelled to go to Branson much.  But now at 41 years old, I wanted to give it a try.  And see my parents!!
Chad and I drove down the day after Thanksgiving.  From Lawrence, it took about 4 hours.  We ate a lot of snacks along the way and stopped in Ozark, MO for lunch at Braum's where they not only sell good fast food, but have an entire mini grocery store inside.  Ozark had grown since I moved away.  I saw the area where I lived for awhile and remembered the time I had a pot bellied pig show up in my yard one day that had escaped from his home.  In the days that he lived in my years eating crabapples and dog food, I named him Benedict Arnold.  LOL

We got to Branson and traffic wasn't terrible...but it wasn't easy.  The nice thing about Branson is that every grumpy mean driver in the USA becomes a totally different person when they get there.  Everyone lets people into traffic.  No one is seen yelling behind the wheel.  And while that's amazingly nice, it makes traffic move really slow.

We got to our motel Branson's Best and the customer service was excellent!

It has a great location and it's easy to get everywhere.  Access to side roads to bypass The Strip as much as possible.

We checked in and then hung out with mom and dad before we got ready for our evening show.

Keep in mind that I was a big Lawrence Welk fan in my childhood.  I can remember going to Grandma Katherine and Grandpa Leo's house in the country and watching the show while I sat in from of their little space heater.  So I have a fondness for all things musical...

Andy Williams is my mom's favorite.  And my personal favorite song of all time is Moon River.  I'd actually like to have it played when I die and my casket is carried out of the church.

Andy Williams singing: 1961 Moon River

My parents took us to The Moon River Theatre to see The Andy William's Christmas Show.  Sadly, Andy passed away earlier this year, but the show goes on...

Everything about the theater experience was great.  The lobby was decorated for Christmas and the art he collected over the years is expensive and astounding.

Here's the whole group before the show:

Before the show started, they had clips of Andy over the years.  It was my favorite part of the whole night!

Andy and Jack Jones Duet

I could go on and on about the show itself, but I'll just say that it was great!!

Afterward, we had a quick bite to eat and then went to bed. 

Saturday, we drove around Branson and went to The Chateau on The Lake.  It's south of Branson just a few miles and is right on the lake.  It's breathtaking during the holiday season!  Here are some photos from the lobby.

Oh, how my mother and I love a photo opportunity!!

Went shopping at The Landing and had lunch at an Irish Pub.  Then we attempted to go to Starbucks, but it was crammed full of people.

That night, mom and dad had tickets to Shoji Tabuchi. 

Chad  and I had the evening to wander around and we ended up at an outlet mall and got a few things.

Then we headed to Danna's BBQ.  And let me tell you, it was literally the best food that I ate in all of 2012.  

We shared 2 baskets.  Ribs, catfish, sausage, fries, coleslaw, bakes beans and a Memphis roll.  And it was incredible!!!  The Memphis roll blew Chad's mind.  It was just a simple roll, but it looked like they put a hole on top and stuck in a pat of butter that melted inside and out.  The ribs were the best I've ever had and the catfish was perfect!
If you're going to Branson, you have to eat at Danna's!!
Danna's BBQ website

Then we went to old downtown hoping some shops would be open.  But the only place open at 8 pm on a Saturday night was (drumroll, please...)  Dick's 5 & 10.
As Chad said midway thru the store:  Mind=Blown.
Check out their site!

In Aisle 1 I saw infant clothes, ladies underpants, socks and board games.  And it just got better from there.
They have EVERYTHING!!!!!  It was a paradise for us!  I had to control myself so I wouldn't buy a million things!  I got (SPOILER ALERT for dad and brother) political paper dolls-Ronald Reagan and George Bush and even saw political playing cards.  Chad got a model airplane.  And the experience was so mind blowing, I chose for my 1 souvenir a Dick's mug.
I'm not kidding, go to Branson and check this place out.  I could have stayed in there for hours.  One of the employees told Chad that they could stay open until midnight every single night and stay busy the whole time.  There is just so much to look at!  It's hard to describe...

 On Sunday, we woke up and went to breakfast at Panera's.  Delish!  Then mom and dad hit the road for their 8 hour drive home.
Chad and I had talked about getting Old Time Photos taken while we were there.  As a matter of fact, we talked about it a lot.  So we pulled into a parking lot and went in not knowing what to expect.  Most of those places have signs that say $10 or whatever.  So I had thought we'd walk out spending about $20.  Boy was I wrong...
It was fun dressing up.  And it was fun getting the photos taken.  But we walked out $128 poorer.  There's so many extra charges for prints and if you want to be able to use the photos for prints of your own, you have to purchase a disc of the photos for $125.  We talked them down...but still...
Can't show you the photos...we're saving those for our Christmas cards.  They're pretty hilarious!!  So many it was worth the $128!!

Just an example...obviously it's not us...but you get the idea...

In a nutshell, Branson was awesome and we really can't wait to go again!!  Does that mean we're old?  Heck no!

Puppies!

My sweet dog, Isabelle passed away this April.  We had belonged to each other for about 15 years.  It was so hard to see her go.  Words can't describe the experience.  I was lucky to have a supportive family and a wonderful vet who made sure she left my world with dignity.


A friend was planning to have a litter of puppies this summer.  They were pomapoos.  At first, I resisted the urge to claim one of them.  Too soon, I said.  But when they were born and she sent a photo to me, my heart melted.  I knew that Issie would know that I had a huge empty spot in my heart after she left.  So I said yes to a sweet black girl puppy.  She was born in the KC area about 45 minutes from me.  But my friend was kind enough to send me daily updates.  And she brought the momma dog and the puppies for a visit when they were just babies.
Here she is at about 1 week old:  
So tiny and fit in the palm of our hands.  We decided to name her Harper.

Chad fell for the brown boy.  But at the time, he was spoken for.  He was so cute and funny!
Here he is with my friend, Jeinny, at about 3 weeks old.


About a week later, I found out that the boy was now available.  I begged and begged Chad to let us have both.  But he wanted just one...the boy.  And I wanted both!!
We brought Harper home by herself.  She was itty bitty and liked to climb my shoulder.  She had a cute bow in her hair the night we brought her home.  And she slept in a little box next to me in bed.

After a couple of days, Chad couldn't bear the thought that they little brown boy didn't have a home...so he called our friend and said that we'd take him!
We struggled with a name for him.  Chad wanted to name him Chewie but I like people names.
We settled upon Jackson...Jack.  (but I always call him Jackie).


They are spoiled, of course.  And they keep us up at night, but they are amazing!  Now I think I understand what it's like to have kids!!

Fall Living Room

The plan was to take a family fall photo with the puppies.

But the camera battery was dead...

So you get a photo of my living room instead.