"Show-Me State" Weekend

Two weekends ago Beau and I went to Branson and Springfield for shopping purposes/people watching.   Really the latter just happens while one's there but it's worth noting.

Mamie spent the weekend with Me-Mel and Mamps (the names given to my parents by my nephew.)  I thought it important to take a picture of the note I sent in Mamie's over night bag.  Like your dog doesn't have the "Going to Grandma's" mini-suitcase?

Could that be an arrow there at the bottom of the page encouraging the reader to turn the paper around  for more instructions??? 

Why yes it is!!

I'm sure it's amusing/insulting to my parents that they managed to raise three children to adulthood only to get a front and back page note instructing them on the do's and don'ts of keeping a mutt for less than 48 hours.

While on the subject of Mamie at my parents: she managed to keep them up the whole first night with squeaky toys (she doesn't get to play with those at home since she eats them, can't void them and ends up in the puppy E.R. with a bruised ego and a $250 bill), treed two raccoons, distracted Dad's soccer team at their practice and became the cat's number one enemy. 

Don't worry though, they got a bottle of peach BBQ sauce for their troubles.

Beau and I had a great time.  Our first stop was "Man Mecca", otherwise known as Bass Pro in Springfield.  If you have never been, I really cannot explain how massive the place is.  Normally I would not be too thrilled on spending half a day at an outdoor store but seeing that they have lots of aquatic critters throughout the store, I was happily entertained.

Here's a little trivia for you:  Bass Pro in Springfield is Missouri's number one tourist attraction.  If you ever win a large sum of money because you answer that question properly on a game show, be sure to share the wealth with the one who shared that fact with you.

FYI: This guy is the real deal.

My favorite, the turtle pond.

What's that, boys and girls?  A life fish feeding at Sea World?  Nope, still at Bass Pro.

This is one of the many nature displays.

It's a good thing we were cheesy and took a picture of ourselves in front of Bass Pro because we never took another one the whole time.  It's amazing how less vain you become after almost four years of marriage.

We did, however, capture the downpour that occurred while we were shopping. 

It just so happened that we were at Gap, which is secluded from all the other shops at the outlet mall.  Our umbrella was in the car, which was across the parking lot.  Therefore, we got to sit on a bench, like the old men at the mall, until the rain let off.

That night at dinner I was able to give our waiter a little geography lesson.  He asked us where we were from and after I told him Arkansas he said, "I knew it!  I could tell from your (he was referring to my) accent." 
I was all, "Sir, you do realize we are right next to you on the map, right?" 

Aaaaaaaand that wraps up our little weekend in the "Show-Me State".