7 QT 43: Summer hikes, new plants, and concerts
The weekend is right around the corner! Saturday and Sunday are full of live music - we have a folk music concert and we're also going to an orchestra concert with a friend! But before we hit the road and get our concert on, here is a quick look back at our adventures from this past week:
1. Summer hikes in the sun
After a full week of Kansas trying to decide what the season was (Spring? WINTER! Fall? SUMMER!), Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day to take a hike. I met Sarah, a friend from Topeka, at the lake and we took a good (long) two and half hour hike. We found a great place to sit by the water. I liked the spot so much that I'm headed back there to hammock and picnic with my sister next week! What's your favorite outside activity to do when the weather is nice?
2. Adding another plant to our plant family
Since we haven't killed our cilantro, basil, or the orchid (although we're going to have to transplant that little guy soon), we decided to add another plant to our growing plant family. The addition is a hanging basket that we bought from the women's group at our parish. It smells so good, and I love how it cascades over the edges. It makes our little front porch look like Spring.
3. Dunkin Donuts hacks
This week's T-Mobile Tuesday was a $2 gift card to Dunkin Donuts. Usually I take my little gift card and get a medium iced coffee and only have to pay Susie (yes, we're on a first name basis) a whopping $0.17. No, I am not ashamed that I know the exact change. Not at all.
This week I brought in my own cup to Dunkin and was able to get exactly the same coffee for $0.70 less! What a deal! I stretched my little gift card over two coffee trips. Thank you, T-Mobile Tuesday - and shout out to Mama Mooradian who taught me this fantastic Dunkin hack. I'll be using that one quite frequently, which we all knew already.
4. We're still in Kansas, Dorthy
Wednesday night brought the tornado weather our way - it's been a pretty calm spring tornado-wise. I came back home from my women's accountability group and headed straight to the basement as the sirens started going off. We remembered to pull our hanging flower basket inside so it didn't get blown away or drowned.
We didn't get anything but some quick spurts of rain, and the hail never showed up. But we were able to go upstairs to bed at a normal time, so it all worked out.
After each area of Kansas City was given the all clear, the meteorologist on the channel we were watching would say, "If you are hearing this in (fill in the city), you have the all clear. If you were down at the lower level and away from windows, I just want to say good job! You did exactly what you were supposed to." Thanks, Dad.
5. Concert tickets for freeeeee
Joseph found a great website for local events - the site also runs contests for free tickets to local music shows around the city. He got an e-mail earlier this week that he'd won tickets to go see Trout Steak Revival - a bluegrass band from Colorado who will be in town on Saturday. I can't wait to get our first taste of live music for the year, and I'm loving the fact that it'll be bluegrass.
Also, can we take a moment to appreciate bluegrass band names? Trout Steak Revival. That's fantastic. If you're in the KC area, check out this website - you can enter for free concert and festival tickets around the KC and Lawrence area.
6. Selling art to artists
This week at the bookstore, I sold a statue of the Archangel Raphael to two artists from Lawrence. After one of the artists showed me his tattoo of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on his shoulder we talked about cold brew. My job is so dang cool, guys. We also chatted about the church they work in (a renovated Episcopal church). Then they checked out, we got the statue boxed up and they headed out to get back on the road. After they left, I did a little bit of Google research about their art.
Turns out I sold a statue to a world renowned artist. Not making this up.
Kris Kuski is a local artist whose work has been featured around the world. His portraits have hung in the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery. I have now started stalking his social media pages to see when Saint Raphael will show up in one of his art pieces. Check out his work here.
7. A letter to the woman who doesn't have it together
If I were to put together a list of women who have changed the way that I practice my Catholic faith, Sarah Swafford would be on the list. I got the chance to share my morning coffee with her this week - okay, my second cup of morning coffee. Fine. But I loved chatting with her about emotions, virtue, and why we don't have to have it all together. You can listen to our episode here.