Invest in Yourself...And Gain Interest

That was the phrase on a bracelet that I saw in Branson this weekend. What a fun weekend we had. Very relaxing with a bunch of fun thrown in. But visiting Branson is a trip. Right next to the bracelet mentioned in the title was another one that said Give Unto Others and Much Shall be Given To You. The dichotomy between those two phrases cracked me up.

Seriously, where else in the world would you be able to go to a movie theater and also shop for straw woven purses, tacky head scarves and other worthless and meaningless trinkets that likely litter a majority of the landfills in our state? Oh, and while there you can also hear a little history told by a creepy looking statue of an old man who speaks with a weird southern accent. And before you leave the theater, don't forget to check your weight on a large scale which likely displays the number in letters bright enough for all to see - ummmm...I'll pass thanks. And then, of course, you can sit on The Love Throne and measure your ability for affection. Good times.

We also attended a show which was very fun. But you know you're slightly out of place when the MC starts asking if anyone's celebrating a special occasion and the guy sitting at your table says he's there to celebrate his 80th birthday. He was followed by two people celebrating their 50th birthdays, one celebrating 55, and two couples celebrating 50 years of marriage. Barbara looked over at Becke and I with her eyebrows raised, wondering if we wanted her to announce our birthdays. We both hastily, and perhaps a little too loudly, said that's okay. We're good. The show did turn out to be good, though. I was a little worried at first because the MC was a ball of cheese who was apparently vying (sp?) for a Ryan Seacrest actalike trophy. We kept waiting for him to say, "This...is Ammmmericann Idol."

The best part of the weekend was, naturally, the shopping. So many stores! And while I could have spent pretty much every penny we have, I was good and restrained myself, but thank God for birthday money! Shopping's a lot more fun when you can actually leave with a bag in hand, rather than wallowing through each store lusting over items you'll never get to own. Me likes to shop and really likes to buy!

To top off the great weekend, I came home and Lee had done several loads of laundry, changed the sheets on all the beds, done the dishes and ordered pizza for dinner. What a guy! Did it matter that the kids were playing outside in nothing but their underwear? No. It did not. At least they weren't naked. We have more class than that. Just slightly more apparently. Seeing what a great job he did made me realize that I can, and probably should, go out of town more often. What a great bonding time for him and the kids. I'm just sayin'.

Anyway, it was a really fun weekend, although a little too short. It was nice to get away and have some girl time and do fun girly things and not feel rushed or guilty. Thanks Barbara and Becke for such a fun time!