Murrs Across America

We packed to the wee hours of the morning, and got up at 6am to prepare for a KY3 news interview and big day in the park. We were late for the interview, but Abby Wullner must have figured on that, because it turned out we showed up just in time for a short and sweet segment. The excitement of seeing how television is made was completely lost on the kids, who were enthralled by the huge bank of TVs playing pink and plastic Saturday morning commercials. The segment was short and Brady got a kick out of seeing Mommy on TV.

Amanda, Ryan, and Jeff and his amazing Springfield Greene County Parks Board team were completely rocking Jordan Valley Park by the time we arrived to set up for the event. Bruce, Loring, and other volunteers swarmed in to help. Tom Hutchison, host of Jazz Excursions on KSMU, introduced Teach to Inspire Yoga leader, Rod Buckner, who led the assembly in light stretching. The poker run ride was cancelled due to poor turn out, but about 25 people participated in the family ride. I’m pretty sure Clara would have won the event, had it been a race.  Once back at the park, participants enjoyed coffee brewed lovingly by Jason at The Hub, Panera bagels, and fruit from Mama Jeans. Parents as Teachers, the Springfield Greene County Park Board, Cox Health, the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, and the Childhood Obesity Action Group held demonstrations and activities for kids, the fire truck arrived, then the music started. Members of Speakeasy, Member of Big Smith, (Jody Bilyeu), and The lowdown Fancy rocked out with cellos, mandolins, and guitars of FIRE, while more and more people trickled into the park to enjoy free Andy’s Custard, Chipotle burritos, and the brilliant music. Joe West and Jason performed various impressive bike tricks on a ramp, and at one point Brady took off his pants and streaked most of the way up the fountain “stream” that flows down to the park’s stage. To his credit, the pants were wet…

My parents, and even my grandmother and Bob, came up from Anderson for the event, and my friend Melinda Sampson drove all the way from Webster County. Tom raffled off sponsor donations and finally the Trek 7000 bicycle from A &B Cycle, which went to our good friend Rae of Rae and Jeffery, with whom I enjoyed a fantastic barefoot tango as Speakeasy played something bluesy.

Thanks to all who participated, donated, volunteered, and sponsored to help make this even a success.

Enjoy your local park today!

Kate, at 11:30p.m., folded laundry on the living room floor and seven friends watched, which is both a sad and a beautiful way to share a Friday night. Said friends showed up at hurricane swept Murr Island with Thai food to enjoy a final evening together folding laundry, washing dishes, packing, and preparing various items for the trip. Despite the Irony and scotch consumed, I think the prom dress did not make it into the pannier bags.

Thank you, friends. I will miss you.

I can’t think of a word to describe how busy this week has felt, and to be honest, I’m having trouble coming up with any words right now for the wash of emotions and activities we’ve experienced this week. Things are intermittently overwhelming and amazing, and I look forward to the event tomorrow and the trip beyond. Here’s a master schedule for the event in Jordan Valley Park tomorrow for those interested:

• 8:00                 Bagel pickup at Panera on National–Ryan
• 9:00                 Registration Begins
• 9:00                 Fruit, Bagel, and water table set up
• 9:30-9:45       Arrival of Booth personnel, volunteers, and
• Thom Hutchison, MC

• 10:00               Welcome, Announcements, Thank Sponsors, introduce yoga instructor, Rob Buckner
• 10:05               Volunteers to parks for poker run
• 10:05               Warm-up and Stretching- -Rod Buckner, Teach to Inspire (832-0011)
• 10:15                Bike rides begin
• 10:30-10:45  Family bike riders to visit booths
• 11:00               Fire truck arrives
• 11:00               Joe West BMX bike demonstration on Ice park patio
• 11:00               Chipotle burritos arrive
• 11:00               Pick up Andy’s Custard (Sunshine store)–Ryan
• 11:30               Announcing:  lunch, Speakeasy band members, raffle, Dynamic earth family camping                                                          demonstration
• 12:20               Dynamic Earth family camping demonstration
• 12:30               Announcing Big Smith band members, raffle, FREE ANDY’S CONCRETES!
• 1:00                 Fire Truck leaves
• 1:30                 Announcing The lowdown Fancy band, NEW BIKE raffle, more free custard
• 2:30                 End event

And here are a list of the volunteers and sponsors that we would like to thank for making all this possible:

• Amanda Owen
• Melissa Millsap
• Jeff Cumley
• Laura Leigh Potter
• Jody Bilyeu
• Ryan Owen
• Bruce Abdib-Yazdi
• Loring Bullard
• Adam Millsap

• Cox Health
• Drury
• Andy’s Frozen Custard
• Ames Adventure Outfitters
• Marmot
• Mama Jeans
• The Hub
• Panara
• Chipotle
• Sunshine Bike
• Dynamic Earth
• A+B Cycle
• Database Systems
• Ozark Adventure
• Children’s Orchard
• Ridgerunner Sports
• The Discovery Center
• Big Smith
• Speakeasy
• The lowdown Fancy
• The Move Studio
• Teach to Inspire Yoga

The kids like to hear a story read with inflection. Add your own to today’s applicable monosyllabic mammoth: Spin. This kinesthetic beaut sums up the motion of my mouth, brain, and wheels all in one tidy trounce. I like that.

Today Stuart and I conducted three radio interviews for various local stations including 104.7 the Cave, 92.9 Bass Country, Star 105.1, and Q102.1. My favorite part of the interviews was reading a sign that read: “Be interesting, be entertaining, or be quiet.” Well.

I visited local businesses all morning, promoting the Spring Out Springfield Family Jamboree!, and crafted e-mails all afternoon following up and pursuing leads related to sponsorships. I have a few big things to report, but I’m awaiting final details.

In other news, that darned Somewhere Over the Rainbow song made Stuart cry like a little girl (again) today. (Graciously, I’ll spare you the link to the song). Actually, it was the kind note and a donation from a generous friend that had Stuart emptying his Kleenex box,  but he does maintain that the song (forbidden in our house) was playing at the time he read the note.

The constant generosity of our dear friends, their full kindness, their encouragement, concern, and support is beautiful…dizzying.  We truly appreciate you all.

Jane's Rainbow 4.1.10

Six days.

Whew.

Gulp!

So.  We’ve been busy.  There’s been event planning, packing, finishing up things for work, the design and construction of an amazing treehouse , house detoxification, yard sales, training rides, news interviews, trips to Grammy and Papa’s, and gourmet cooking to do (morel season comes but once a year). Jane has been preparing her journals for the trip, and Brady has been reminding us consistently that he needs a camera to be able to “take pictures at us” on the road.

Despite the busyness, though, today seemed sort-of slow motion and fun. The kids are at Grammy’s, because, as she puts it, “we’re taking them away from her, FOREVER,” and so, Stuart and I did what any kidless parents would do that have an enormous deadline, tons of work to finish, and a truckload of planning to complete: we slept in. It was luscious. We had coffee and I read a fantastic article in Adventure Cyclist by Tim Travis, who has been touring around the world with his wife, Cindie, since 2002. Check out their amazing story here.

We spent the entire day together without children, which is to say, we ran errands.

"Ballast"

We picked up 70lbs of dog food first (ballast for our suddenly-lightweight-Burlys), then pedaled around to gather various items for the trip. Ran into Jane’s Sunday school teacher who told us of her great aunt, Zulu, who crossed America by wagon train when she was Jane’s age. Says Aunt Zulu is one of the most colorful storytellers she knows, and still recalls the time, on her epic trip, that she fell into a water trough and had to be rescued by boys. We also met an art teacher, who may periodically provide art-related bolg articles and suggestions for keeping the kids creatively entertained using found objects and scant resources. I’m excited about that.

Ended the day with a circle of fantastic women to celebrate motherhood and an upcoming birth.

Lilacs. Babies. Sleep. Light. Spring does something to the soul if we let it. And in a week we’re letting it, all right. This time next week I’ll do my first post from the road.