Operation Windmill: Stand Up!

June 22, 2013 ~ If you remember waaaaaay back when (May 4, 2012 to be exact.... but who's counting right?) my hubby went an hour and a half away to get this beauty for me. I know... It looks like a bunch of scrap metal but if you look real close it's a windmill! I LOVE WINDMILLS!!!! For some people they love the water/beach and find it relaxing.... for me windmills are super relaxing! Love watching them spin freely in the wind! 

Well we've had quite a detour with our barn (hail storm on September 7, 2012) that resulted in having to remove most of the metal and replace it which then post-poned my windmill being put up. Every time we went to see the progress on the barn I would tell Brandon "Well, looks like the windmill is still sleeping.... when will she ever wake up!?!" Now that we are 99% done with the barn it was time to start Operation Windmill: Stand Up! 

Brandon and the guys had to get additional metal to extend the windmill and put additional bracing on it. (I only wanted an old "authentic" windmill which means they get bent after many years of being in fields. A new one wasn't an option) After working on it over the past week or so they were finally ready to stand it up! 

Guys working on getting the windmill head attached while on the ground.

Hubby even poured a concrete pad for her to sit on! 

(Thank goodness we own 2 bucket trucks to get this job done!)

How can you not get excited to see this going on???

I'm a happy, happy, happy girl!

!Standing in at 48' tall and she was spinning for us even before she was set....

Isn't she perfect?!?!

They still need to add some bracing and put her tail on but I absolutely love it! This windmill will serve no other purpose other than to watch her spin in the wind! (I know it's kind of crazy not to use it for it's intended purpose but seriously y'all... it's Michele Spry and you know I don't do things like normal people!)

Charley's Buffet in Lincoln, MO

June 21, 2013 ~ Tonight was "DeVry Date Night" (DeVore's / Spry's) and we wanted to go somewhere different yet away from Columbia, MO. We all love Columbia but we wanted to try something new and take a little bit of a road trip.... let me tell you... it's never a dull moment with the Spry's!

So I threw out a couple options and one of them was Charley's Buffet in Lincoln, MO..... I get a text back from Shelly that says "Google says Charley's is 4 hours away.... NO WAY!" Seriously.... where is your sense of adventure and do you always believe what the internet says??? After Brandon told her it was only 1 1/2 hours away and she was all simmered down and ready to try it! We jumped on I-70 and went through Tipton to Stover to Versailles to Lincoln, MO!

  We were laughing and singing and then Brandon spotted a strap on the side of the road and says "That's an $80 strap and we need that" so he turned the truck around so we could grab it. It appears his $80 find was broken and useless..... DeVore's .... welcome to roadside junkin'!

Brandon didn't know for sure where this place was but he had a good idea. He needed to turn on a road and there would be a yellow house with a wrap around porch on it and a lake. Well apparently we took a wrong turn but luckly we ended up where we needed to be thanks to OnStar! (We should have went just a little further before taking that turn)

We finally made it in 1 1/2 hours! 

We told Gene and Shelly they were in for a treat as this was some good eating!

This place is country and you can't help but notice the dessert bar!

I bet you have 40 homemade desserts to choose from and oh my gosh they are amazing! 

In these buffet stations is amazing goodness! 

They have some of the best tasting food from homemade fried chicken strips (not the frozen kind), shredded ham, fried noodles, fresh corn, yams, mashed taters and homemade rolls... YUM! 

We were all starving by the time we got there as we didn't leave until 6 PM and I didn't eat lunch to save room. I am pretty sure we slammed some food down in about 15 minutes. Oh my gosh it was amazingly good but holy smokes I was ready for a cot! You can't go somewhere like this and not have dessert.... and baby they have just about everything you want! Pies like banana, chocolate, coconut, chocolate peanut butter and then cobblers.... blackberry, blueberry, apple, peach, rhubarb, and much more! Seriously there is like 40+ to choose from and plus they have ice-cream too! 

It was so good and I am glad we don't live close to them but we will be back! Want to give them a try? They have several different routes to get to them but here's how we went....

Charley's Buffet

23785 Highway B

Lincoln, MO 65338

660-668-3806

Open Friday and Saturday 4:30-8:30 PM

Take I-70 to exit 103 (Hwy B) and turn Left and head to Tipton then straight South to Versailles...

From Versailles-Take Hwy 52 west through Stover, approximately 4 more miles to Hwy W. Make a left on W and go approximately  9 miles to Hwy B. Make a left.

On the way through Stover (I think) we saw this big green thumb but didn't have time to stop before dinner so we stopped on our way back through! Apparently Brandon didn't think that we needed to stop and get pictures but we told him otherwise.... he turned the truck around! :)

We got one last picture as the owner was pulling in the drive in his van.... 

He could clearly see that we weren't doing anything wrong and just using his big green thumb as a photo prop.... I don't know that he really wanted us there so we cut our adventure a little short! 

See I told you it's never a dull moment!

My 8th 5k - In to Action Trail Run

June 22, 2013 ~ Today I would complete my 8th 5k! This trail run (a first for me) would be benefiting In2Action and was held at Rockbridge State Park in Columbia, MO.  http://www.in2actiontrailrun.org/

What is In2Action you might ask..... In an effort to improve public safety and reduce crime and victimization in the Columbia area, In2Action provides transitional support services to people returning to our community from prison. We know when not provided adequate supports and resources, those released from prison are more likely to re-offend. In2Action strives to reduce the likelihood one would re-offend through the provision of safe and drug free housing, employment support, provision of basic needs, and spiritual mentorship to name a few. (taken from their website)

Basically in a nutshell this program is to help those re-entering our community after serving their sentence in the prison system would help make sure the men and women had the resources they needed so that they wouldn't want to re-offend and end up back in the prison system. (If you remember my brother-in-law, Mike was released from prison back in September 2012 and it would be easy to go back to the way things were before but trying to keep him focused and around people that want to be successful has helped him re-enter our community without problems. Of course family support is huge as well)

This would be my very first "trail run" and I really didn't know what to expect. What I learned just before the event started is that we would be running through a trail in the woods that was created and come back out to cross the finish line. We got started at 9:00 AM and I did really good considering it was hot and muggy! At 2 miles in I was at 25:39 (from my "Map My Run" app on my phone that updates you at every mile with speed and time) but the last mile was a killer! You see at the beginning it was downhill.... at the end it was back uphill and as we know... the hills kill me! I felt great (no leg cramps, side cramps, etc.) and I kept drinking water (good thing I brought water with me as there wasn't any until you finished) but I was overheating and beet red. I was sweaty but you can't even sweat correctly with the muggy, hot temps. Just as I crested the little hill and could see everyone cheering you on to keep going I pushed hard.... I wasn't sure I had it in me but somehow I dug deeper. This certainly wasn't my best time but it wasn't my worse time either. 

Final time came in at 41:30 and I did it! 

Rock Bridge State Park....

Out of about 80 people that attended....

You kicked my a**! 

Thank you!

Columbia Chamber of Commerce 108th Annual Awards Banquet

June 18, 2013 ~ Tonight was the Columbia Chamber of Commerce 108th Annual Awards Banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center in Columbia, MO. The chamber year runs from July 1st to June 30th and this awards banquet is to pay tribute to our chair, Randy Coil as well as present four awards to our membership.

Randy Coil is the owner of Coil Construction here in Columbia, MO and it seemed fitting to carry out a "construction" theme for the evening. It looked great.... kuddos to everyone that helped!

Before the event Randy asked many of us that have served as co-chairs and on task forces to join him for a pre-celebration. During this time he gave us each a gift... a hammer that was inscribed with "Thanks for helping to build a better chamber community" as his token of appreciation.

Aric Bremer was our MC for the evening!

I got to attend this event with my two hot dates! 

Of course I would be taking photos to document this super fun evening! 

These were some of the cute couples of the evening.....

Wilson and Jan Beckett....

Chuck and Nancy Witt....

Jay and Michelle Lindner.....

and Randy and Sandy Morrow to name a few! 

Then.... we have some fun ones! 

The ladies were having fun....

a wild and crazy bunch....

 and a slight mishap with a name tag!

Then we had the cute lovers....

 Bob and Brenda Wagner....

Tony Richards and Ann Marie Quertermous....

Dave and Nancy Griggs.....

"Michele... I love this woman!"

*smooch*

(notice her eyes.... "Your documenting this right?")

Kee and Diana Groshong!

Now it was time to recognize our award winners.....

Anne Williams (JobFinders) was last year's recipient of the Debin Benish Outstanding Business Woman Award. (I received this award in 2011 and was an honor to announce Anne as the recipient in 2012 at the Chamber's Annual Awards Banquet.... Midway ladies rock!)

Congratulations Mary Ropp (Bank of Missouri)
2013 Debin Benish Outstanding Business Woman of the Year!

Tom Trabue, 2012-2013 Chamber Ambassador Chair talking about our award recipient....

Congratulations Chief Chuck Witt (Columbia Fire Department)
2013 George & Nadine Trial Ambassador of the Year!

In true Chamber Ambassador style... we love cutting ribbons!
(seemed like the perfect celebration to cut a ribbon)

Sidney Neate-Scott, President of EPIC talking about the award....
(we had to watch a video as the recipient was on vacation)

Congratulations to Kylene Richardson...
2013 Emerging Professional of the Year!

 Randy Coil (Coil Construction) 2012-2013 Chair of the Chamber
 talking about the award...

Congratulations Mayor Robert McDavid
2013 Outstanding Citizen of the Year!

With Randy's term quickly coming to an end, Chair-Elect Bob Wagner
wanted to take a few moments to thank him for a job well done.

It was time to pass the baton!

But don't worry... Randy also had a gift for Bob!

It was a great evening full of laughter with some great people. It's an honor to be among some of the most awesome people and to have such a strong Chamber that people and businesses want to get involved in. I can't help but smile as the people that received awards this evening truly deserved them and it never gets old seeing the look on their faces when they realize they are the recipient! I had the pleasure of capturing an amazing evening and I can't wait until next year's Annual Awards Banquet!

I do have to say that these people are what makes our Chamber so special!
The dedication and passion for our community shows everyday and
we are lucky to have a Chamber staff like these guys! Thank you!

The past Debin Benish Outstanding Business Woman of the Year
recipients along with Dave Benish and Steve Powell with Delta Systems!