Sunday, January 18, 2015

Weekending - January 16, 2015

This weekend was epic!  After working late on Friday, I rose bright and early Saturday morning to travel across the state of Missouri to Kansas City to celebrate Haley's 21st birthday.  Even though I was in Kansas City for less that 24 hours, I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else on Saturday but enjoy the company of my good friends on that side of the state and honor Haley's special birthday.

While traveling on highway 70, I noticed several new message boards the state is displaying with safety messages.  Hats off to them for trying to get these important messages communicated.  A few of the cuter ones read:

Buckle up - Windshields hurt

Brighten up a gray day.  Turn on your headlights.

Turn signals.  The original instant message.

Haley chose Zio's as the destination for her birthday dinner.  I had never been to a Zio's before and found it quite tasty.

                                       

We had a party of 20 and with an advanced reservation, they had no problem accommodating us.  This kid-friendly restaurant was the perfect place for dinner!


It was so fun to see Haley open her present from her mom, Linda.  Haley is a huge Billy Joel fan and it was on her bucket list to see him in concert.  Well, she will soon be crossing that off her list because she is the proud recipient of Billy Joel concert tickets!!  




After dinner, the girls headed out for some singing and dancing at Howl at the Moon in the Power and Light District.  Fun times!                                  

Haley was a real sport about being called up on stage.  She's just so darn cute!!  Side note -- if you are planning a trip to Howl at the Moon with a group, it's a great idea to reserve a table.  We had excellent seats close the the stage and dance floor.  



This was definitely a fun evening that we'll be talking about for quite some time.  You know, it may seem crazy for me to drive to KC this weekend just for a few hours, but the memory of this event will be with me for a long, long time.  At the end of the day when I look back and reflect on my life, I'll be so happy I decided to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.  I know there was a lot of things I could have been doing if I stayed home (like getting those Christmas trees taken down), but really what's going to make your life fuller?  Yes, for me the best place to be was in Kansas City sharing this moment with my friends.  Life is full of choices -- we should really think about what is going to add value to our life and try to make those things happen.  Deciding to sit on the sideline just isn't something I want to do with my time on this earth.  Happy, happy birthday Haley!


P.S.  When I got home on Sunday, the Christmas trees FINALLY came down.  :)

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19 comments:

  1. MegJanuary 19, 2015 at 5:26 AM

    I love the snarky billboards!! There's a few around here too!

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  2. FionaJanuary 19, 2015 at 6:12 AM

    Penny you have THE BEST weekends! They always seem to be filled with fun, family and friends, how lucky you are :)

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  3. RenaJanuary 19, 2015 at 9:58 AM

    Now that sounds like an awesome weekend! I am a huge Billy Joel fan as well so I can attest to what those tickets would mean! Plus a great night out looks like it was well worth the drive! Plus you got to see some funny new signs and get out of taking the Christmas tree down for another day...I would definitely call that a WIN!

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  4. BrianneJanuary 19, 2015 at 10:34 AM

    What a fun weekend! I love both Zios & Howl at the Moon. Props on taking down that tree!

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  5. CourtneyLynneJanuary 19, 2015 at 11:06 AM

    Happy birthday Hayley!!!! And howl at the moon is one of my favorite places!!! When I lived in Orlando we use to Go to the one there all the time!!

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  6. BoonieJanuary 19, 2015 at 2:24 PM

    Wonderful celebration! It's nice to see how people share their joys with others. I love going out at night, and it's a bonus when people are comfortable enough to play along when they're called out on stage.

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  7. AnosaJanuary 19, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    oh wow happy birthday haley sounds like great fun. How I miss being 21. Thanks for sharing

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  8. Why Girls Are WeirdJanuary 19, 2015 at 4:04 PM

    Seriously I wish I had had a weekend like this. It looks like you had so much fun and such a great time!

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  9. mail4roseyJanuary 19, 2015 at 4:50 PM

    That's fun that she got to go on the stage. :) Happy Birthday to her!! I have a son who is 21, that's a fun age. :)

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  10. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 7:45 PM

    Lucky you getting to spend your bday with all those friends and family! 'Howl at the Moon' sounds like such a cool place...I would love to have a night out there with my girlfriends!

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  11. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 8:08 PM

    Billy Joel tickets??? Lucky girl. I really want to see him in concert on day. Nice of you to drive such a long way.

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  12. Cassie TuckerJanuary 19, 2015 at 8:28 PM

    It looks like Hayley had a really great birthday. I'm so jealous of Billy Joel tickets! I'd take those any day ;)

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  13. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 9:10 PM

    Wow you definitely had an amazing weekend! Man!! BIlly Joel! The Billy Joel!! You had an amazing time! Thanks for sharing it with us! :)

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  14. Esther JuLeeJanuary 20, 2015 at 12:22 AM

    That's awesome that you gave her billy joel tickets! :) i had no idea he's still touring.

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  15. Jenny @cookeatgoJanuary 20, 2015 at 1:13 AM

    Looks like a fun weekend! I love the turn signal saying that is cute and great safety advertising!

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  16. UnknownJanuary 20, 2015 at 6:46 AM

    Looks like everyone had so much fun! What a satisfying weekend that was!

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  17. BellaJanuary 21, 2015 at 9:14 PM

    Love this post! I agree that we should add value to our lives by spending time with friends and family and not sit inside our comfort zones aka at home :)

    Thanks for linkin' up!

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  18. UnknownJanuary 22, 2015 at 1:54 AM

    This is such an uplifting post and I can't even peg why- maybe it's your upbeat writing style, how you embrace life or the fact that everything screams a good time...but I feel like I know a bit more about you as a person after this....and I like you! :P
    Will drop by again sometime, definitely.

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  19. AlekFebruary 4, 2015 at 6:30 AM

    Happy birthday and i wish you everything best! Thanks for sharing it with us! :)

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