The Vegas of the Bible Belt

Lee and I had a great time on our trip to Branson. We got the idea from some friends to get away every 6 months to just spend time alone and talk about our marriage. Since we've been married 18 months we took the chance to go to the hotspot that is Branson, Mo. We got a good deal on a room at the Radisson so we drove the two hours there. We also had booked tickets to The Dixie Stampede. If you know the planner I am, you're not surprised that I pretty much had the whole trip planned a month in advance. We get about 10 minutes away from the hotel and I realize that someone (who will remain nameless) had forgotten the packet of papers containing, hotel confirmation, maps, show tickets, etc at home. I'm embarrassed to admit that I got kind of angry. I get unreasonably upset when things don't go according to my plan. I'm slowly (and frustratingly) being broken of that. We make it to our hotel and get checked in, and they have a business center so I'm able to print off the ticket confirmation number. By this time I've calmed down and am ready for some fun. We watched a juggling/magic act for the pre-show and then headed in to eat some great Southern food (with our hands of course) and cheer on the South. Lee and I had a lot of fun joking about the cheesiness of it all and the South won! My favorite part was the racing pigs. I wish I had some pictures but photography was "strictly forbidden." The next day Lee and I had some delicious, warm Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast and headed out shopping. We got a few things (Lee needed some new shorts since I threw his last pair away that had 11 billion holes in them). Mostly we just wandered around and hung out.

Lee is super excited about "Noah the Musical"

Our attempt at getting a picture of ourselves in front of the fountain that's timed to music. You can also see my new haircut!

We had lunch and got the chance to talk about our marriage. What we think we've improved on and what all we still needed to work on. It was a good time to be honest about where we were and to encourage each other. We read a little bit of a marriage book every time we travel anywhere. They recommend to get away every 3 months. We don't quite have the budget for that but take advantage of the opportunities we have. God has been changing both of us dramatically in the last year and a half and we really look forward to what else He has in store for us. Thank you to everyone who's helped us along the way so far.
After dinner we headed home and picked up Hero (who had been kept by the amazing Penicks) and got unpacked. We went to see a movie that night and ate at Mexico Viejo to cap off the day. Overall, a wonderful weekend!

In more exciting news I picked up my cap and gown for commencement on May 14. Even though I won't technically be done until August, I'm looking forward to walking in May. The hood isn't exactly my colors, but I guess I shouldn't complain right. Very excited. It's getting close!

Luckily I don't think much of the "gold" will be seen. Excited regardless.