So this is the weekend, My fiancee and I are going to put in the paver patio. It’s going to be hot as hell but we’ve commited to doing it. A lot of sweat coming soon, I can’t wait to get it done!

I will say that this heat has really slowed down progress in the back yard. I am optimistic that we’ll be able to get everything done we need to this weekend. Everything is pretty much ready to go just a couple more things. We had an estimate on concrete and as much as we would like to just have someone else finish the work, the amount it is going to cost is a bit out of our price range so it’s back to the pavers. Considering the fact we’ve done 90% of the work already it seems the most logical choice to continue on. So we’ll be sweating profusely because the forecast is calling for the low 90’s I think we can be good to go if we spend most of our time working in the morning and in the evening. Stay tuned, pictures coming soon!!!

Come to think of it, that’s not such a bad idea! 

For years, we’ve heard people talking at this time of year about Christmas in July as more of a novelty, like as a party theme, etc.  But how much less stressed would we all be at the holidays if we’d actually started our shopping and other preparations this far in advance, and we could just sit back and enjoy? 

When the holidays finally arrive, I’d much rather have more time to be with my family and friends, than to be spending it in a frenzy of last-minute stuff.  How much more fun would that be?  Hmmm… this has me thinkin’ I should start getting lists from people now!  LOL. 

And while we’re at it, it’s good to remember that charitable organizations need our help throughout the year; people in need aren’t just in need at the holidays. 

Ya know, all this talk about Christmas in July has me excited about getting a head start on the holidays — we should have Christmas in July all year long!  Now, if we could just have it be 80 degrees all year… 

It took me 52 years, but I can now say I’ve been in the presence of a Beatle, though it was a football field away at Sprint Center, Saturday night, July 24th! My wife, Kelly managed to snap a few photos off the Vision-trons on both sides of the stage, as priceless archive photos of early Beatles in Liverpool scrolled before the show.  Arguably, Paul McCartney is the most influential ROCK GOD on the planet….and he lived up to his billing on this “Up And Coming Tour”. He opened with “Venus And Mars”, then slammed into “Jet” which was sonically amazing, power and precision!
Paul proceeded in taking us on his musical journey from the Cavern in Liverpool, through hand selected Beatles classics, his Wings material and his current solo stuff (not necessarily in that order)  He stopped off to dedicate “My Love” to his late wife, Linda which was very emotional, he sang his tribute song to his writing partner, John Lennon and shared a picture gallery of George Harrison, topped off with Paul singing George’s song, “Something”.  The pyrotechnics of “Live And Let Die” rivaled any Kiss concert, and then he “Please Pleased” the Paul-fanatics with his signature compositions, “Yesterday” “Hey Jude” “Let It Be” and “Blackbird”. Words can hardly express what an honor it was to have Sir Paul McCartney in Kansas City, sharing his material that has influenced three generations, and has inspired a thousand bands!!

This has been a busy summer already, with lots of fun stuff going on.  I hope it’s going well for you!

Recently, I’ve been at a reunion, plus a number of gatherings with family and friends — that’s what it’s all about! 

No matter how busy we get with work and other projects (which, of course, are important), what it comes down to is the people in your life.  Do your loved ones know how much you care about them?  That’s one thing I make a priority:  telling the people I love that I love them.  If you don’t say it very often, give it a shot — if  you mean it, it’ll get easier the more you say it, I promise!

You gotta check this out!

I had a week off before the 4th and we took a road trip north and west to Mt. Rushmore and also to Yellowstone. I’d never been to either place my fiancee has but she hadn’t been to Mount Rushmore since she was a little kid. It was nice to get out of town and it was nice to get to some cooler weather. We actually camped a night in Yellowstone, and it got down to 40 degrees we were actually cold.

Now that we’ve been back I feel like I need to be getting back to work on my household projects. Still working on the back patio and side walk and thinking seriously about doing concrete instead of brick pavers. After some calculating I think it might be the cheapest route to go. I wanted to do pavers, but thinking a little further ahead about up keep and maintenance it might be easier to do concrete. I’m also thinking about winter and scraping off the side walks. I haven’t made up my mind but I’m leaning that way. I’ll be getting busy again soon and will have more to report. It’s great to be back from vacation and to be recharged. (WP)

Over the July 4th weekend, I had a great outdoor adventure kayaking with Mr. Mike Sheehy from Washington D.C. We discovered the elusive Middle Creek River that feeds the Lake of the same name in Miami County, Kansas. We paddled more than a mile and a half to find it…in the rain!! Worth every minute and can’t wait to return, I’m sure a big lunker black bass is waiting for me and myHula-Popper!!
About Mike, he’s the former top advisor to the U.S. Speaker Of The House, and is listed as a “Top 25 Persons To Know” in the Beltway. Mike is also family, since he’s my sister Sharon’s significant other for a number of years. You may have heard Sharon right here on the Midday Show providing insight regarding the 9-11 attack on America. Sharon works at the Pentagon for our Sec. Of Defense. They love to travel the world, so it was nice to have them spending time in Stilwell, Kansas!!

I’m so proud to call the KC metro area HOME!  Of course, we already know that this is a great place to live – now the rest of the country knows it, too! 

Money Magazine just came out with their latest “100 Best Places to Live” list, and FOUR towns from the KC area made the list.

The magazine based their rankings on factors their readers said were important to them:  quality of schools, number of jobs, safe streets and real estate that’s affordable.  

Here’s how our area did on the list:  Blue Springs (#49), Lee’s Summit (#27) and Shawnee (#17).  And check it out:  Overland Park made it into the top 10 at (drum roll, please)… #7!

CONGRATS, everyone!