A Big Day in Dairy Queen Land

Today was a big day in Dairy Queen land, both in the United States and in Canada. It was Children's Miracle Treat Day (CMN MTD).

This was the day where participating locations donated all proceeds from EACH "Blizzard" sold. The Dairy Queen which I am working at did participate. For those of you who are local to us, I'm not sure if our local DQ in our little town participated or not. I didn't notice anything (signs, etc.) tonight when I walked by.

Anyways, moving on....meet Elizabeth....





Elizabeth and her mom visited us at the DQ today for a couple of hours. Elizabeth is 9 years old and is about to start the 3rd grade next week. She's very talkative, and she let me know that she's in Girl Scouts. Elizabeth has Cerebral Palsy. Both Elizabeth and her family have received assistance from CMN -- either with needed equipment or medication (I'm not sure of the specifics).

That's what CMN does....they help sick kids and their families. The real beauty of CMN is that all of the donations they receive is 100% for kids and their families. All of the administrative costs are covered by the hospitals they represent. So, when I say that 100% of the proceeds from "Blizzards" go to kids and their families...that's exactly what it is.

We, at the DQ, tried to make today BIG! We had balloons for all of the kids -- as customers.



We had the "Buy a 'Blizzard' for CMN" on the readerboard.



Since last week, I had been visiting other businesses and offices in the area. I promoted the day. I encouraged offices to place "Blizzard" orders ahead of time. Then, we'd have the "Blizzards" ready for somebody to pick up. Several of our wonderful employees even went in early this morning and made MANY "Blizzards."





Our biggest order was for a bank -- they ordered 90 "Blizzards" at one time. That's a lot to make and keep cold.

Here's a photo of one employee, Michael, boxing up a large "Blizzard" order for a local business.



For those customers who possibly didn't want to eat a "Blizzard" or for those who wanted to buy an extra "Blizzard" to support CMN but didn't want to eat two "Blizzards" in one day, we had coupons you could buy. That way, the proceeds still go to CMN from today, but the "Blizzard" could be redeemed later.



I even ended up as a delivery driver today. Nope, we're not taking on the delivery business. But, the employees in this business couldn't get away. So, I secretly offered to deliver. I definitely didn't ADVERTISE that one. Here's a photo of a box of 21 "Blizzards" in the front seat of my car. Fortunately, I like the air-conditioner to keep the car cold. That prevented them from melting.



Our local CMN representative was around throughout the day. He left some very nice pamphlets on our tables in the dining area. In these pamphlets are wonderful stories of kids who have been assisted by CMN. Unfortunately, I forgot to pick one up for myself (but I did read through it). Fortunately, Elizabeth (remember the little girl at the beginning of this blog post) did "autograph" one. Can you see her name on the front of this pamphlet? It was pretty cute :)



We were fairly busy most of the day. Here's a photo of a group of customers -- all waiting on their "Blizzards."



And, here's a cute couple enjoying their "Blizzards." (I didn't tell them I was going to put their photo on my blog. They just assumed it was all "promotional.")



And, just for fun -- here's a photo of two cute kids, enjoying their ice cream cones. Their mother had a "Blizzard" and was sharing with them. Their mother just didn't think they'd be able to eat "Blizzards."



When I left work at around 3:45 this afternoon, we had sold right around 600 "Blizzards." Unfortunately, that's a little down from what they did last year. It seemed as if the businesses weren't ordering as much. Perhaps it's because businesses are feeling a little bit more of a "crunch" this year with money. Perhaps, unfortunately, it's because they're not employing as many people this year. Wichita has had its share of layoffs this year.

However, people are still very generous -- of which I'm very grateful. Just when it seems as if people are caring less and less, we have days like today where people show they do care. It's so NEAT to see!

Our Date Afternoon....

WARNING! There may be quite a few photos ahead. I guess since I haven't stuck to my word much and kept up better on blogging (like I said I'd do in an earlier post), you'll get to see photos!

This past Saturday, Marc and I had a date afternoon. Luke spent the afternoon playing with his friend Ava (and napping), and so, we went out for the afternoon.

We had been wanting to go to the "Kansas Salt Museum" in Hutchinson, KS (a mere 30 minutes away) for quite some time. Children under 4 years of age aren't allowed in there, and so, this was the perfect time -- not that we really wanted to take Luke to this place anyways.

**And, I know, I know what some of you might be thinking. "Only Marc and Sarah would go on a 'date' to the Salt Museum." Oh -- we know some of you would do or even have done the same thing. And actually, isn't it time to ourselves together what's important here?

First, though, we had to eat. Quite a few people have told us about "Bogey's" -- the little burger joint, or greasy spoon, in Hutchinson. So, we went there to eat.





"Bogey's" is known for this....



Yep, 101 shake flavors. You name it, they probably have it as a shake. I should've taken a photo of the listing of flavors inside, but I didn't. They have a fairly large menu. I think I was spending all of my time figuring out what I wanted.

I ultimately ended up with a cheeseburger, a small order of curly fries, and a Hot Fudge/Peanut Butter shake.

This next part of our date will not surprise those of you who know Marc.

They had something on the menu called the "Mile High" Burger. Here's exactly how the conversation went when Marc was ordering his meal.

Marc: What is the "Mile High" Burger?

Cashier (teenage girl): It has four patties.

Marc: SCORE! That's exactly what I'll have -- along with a large order of curly fries and a large Pepsi!

Does that sound like Marc or what? Yes, he had a quadruple burger (along with fries and a Pepsi).

Here's the comparison between my little single cheeseburger and Marc's quadruple cheeseburger.



Here's Marc eating the big burger.





And, here's what the burger looks like 1/2 eaten -- or as Marc calls it, "Greasy Goodness."



So, if you ask Marc about our date, he'll probably go on and on about "Bogey's." I've heard him already tell several guys about it. Guys and food -- I'll never fully understand.

But, overall, we would both really recommend "Bogey's." All of that food was only $14 -- not too bad, considering.

Also, somebody, just yesterday, told me that there's a "Bogey's" in Topeka, KS. I haven't done my research to find out if it's true, but that's what I heard.

After eating, we headed over to the Salt Museum....which we found out was the only museum of its kind in the western hemisphere. For those of you reading not from around here, Hutchinson, KS, sits on A LOT of salt. Morton Salt and Diamond Crystal Salt comes from there.

In this particular salt mine (where the museum is), the salt is used for icing roads in the winter. The City of Chicago and the State of Iowa are its biggest customers. INTERESTING!





Fortunately, I had reserved our tickets the day before. They had a "Sold Out" day that day.

When our "1:40" tour time was called, we headed in for the "Instructional DVD." We then got our hardhats -- yep, they're required down there.





You might notice straps around us. Besides hardhats, we also had to have "Breathers" on us. They're devices that convert Carbon Monoxide to Carbon Dioxide -- should there be a fire down in the salt mine. They said they haven't had to use them for over 50 years, fortunately.

Then, we all crowded into an elevator to take us down 650 feet into the earth. Here's where I would give a warning -- if you're clausterphobic, this elevator ride (which only lasts about 1 1/2 minutes) could be a bit of a problem. Quite a few people are squeezed into the elevator, and the ride down is PITCH BLACK! Things like this don't bother either Marc or myself, so no issue here. Yes, both of our ears did pop going down the elevator.



After exiting the elevator, everybody climbs onto a tram for the guided tour.



The tram tour lasts approximately one hour. The guide drives you through quite a few of the mined area. **In this particular mine, 67 miles have been mined out. So, it's quite extensive. It's also quite dark where there aren't any lights. You most DEFINITELY wouldn't want to be by yourself and lost.

At one point during the tour, you can get off of the tram for a few minutes and "mine salt." In other words, you can pick out your own salt crystal, and for a small donation, you can take it home. Marc and I just watched, at this point. We figured we didn't need a piece of salt to sit around here at home and merely collect dust.





At the end of the tram tour, there is a small museum, which shows some of the tools used to mine salt as well as some DVDs that talk about how salt is mined. I really didn't get any photos here.

Then, there was a part of the museum about the "Underground Vaults and Storage." Yes, many important things are stored in these salt mines. They won't burn down there. Tornadoes can't get them down there. Kansas has a very low risk of a major earthquake. So, quite a few old Hollywood movies (in their original form) are stored down there. Old movie artifacts are stored down there. Many important federal government documents are stored down there. Our local hospital here in the town we live in has medical records down there. I could go on and on and on....

For some reason, I found that to be very interesting. Here's a photo of Marc and me at that spot.



Finally, there's a gift shop. We didn't buy anything, but we did look around. I found this t-shirt.



It reminded me of some very important scripture -- Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount."

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thron out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13

Jesus calls us "Salt of the earth." Salt preserves and adds flavor.

Had that t-shirt had that verse on it, I would've definitely bought it.

Overall, the Salt Museum is something we'd both recommend at least once. It does cost $14.35/person. Marc and I both felt that was a little much for what you get. But, we're also both sure they have to charge that to maintain the museum.

We do think it's neat because so many, not from Kansas, think Kansas has NOTHING to offer. Those of us who live here know different :) Kansas does have some beauty, and Kansas does have this salt museum -- which again, is the only thing of its kind in the western hemisphere :)

A First for Luke....

We've been talking about doing something with Luke for a few weeks now. Finally tonight was the perfect evening -- to take Luke out for his first ice cream cone.

So, we went here -- which is merely a 1/2 mile or so from our home -- a perfect walk!



I know, I know -- what you're all thinking. "Sarah, you've worked with 'Dairy Queen' for how long, and you take your son to 'Sonic' for his first cone." Well, my response is this -- "For those of you who are local in this town of our's, you know exactly why we chose 'Sonic' over 'DQ.' If you don't understand, come talk to me in person."

Anyways, we got to "Sonic," and we put ourselves on the nice patio since we walked. Marc went straight for the speaker to order....



While we waited on a cone and Marc's sundae, Luke did this....



He crawled all over the patio and got FILTHY DIRTY!

Then, he played a bit with the jogging stroller.



Finally, he just sat down on the patio and waited for a bit until our treats were delivered.



When our treats came, I sat him on my lap and put the bib on him (yep, I had taken along a bib on our walk as well as some wet washcloths).

First, Luke merely touched the cone to the tip of his tongue.



Then, Luke figured out that it was pretty good, so he went for a little bit bigger of a bite.



Lastly, I had to "clean up" the cone a bit for Luke to keep licking.



Overall, Luke did enjoy his cone -- or my cone. It was obviously new to him. Next time, I'm sure he'll be a "pro" -- at least for a one year-old.

Just as we were cleaning Luke up, some friends' parents came to the patio and talked with us for a bit (Yep, Joel Mac and Olivia G. -- we saw your parents).

Then, we completed our evening with a nice family walk around the neighborhood before heading home and putting Luke straight into the bathtub before bed.

**NOTE to Luke's Grandparents on the Koehn side: Since you'll be staying with Luke a few Tuesday evenings starting in September -- perhaps if it's nice out, Luke thought you might like to take him to "Sonic" again for an ice cream cone :) We sort of told him you'd do that. You wouldn't want to let him down, would you?

A Winning Prize Redeemed....

This is my dad (and Luke, of course)....I have quite a few photos of my dad and Luke, and this one's my favorite. I think it's because of Luke sucking his thumb. He was soooo tired when this photo was taken way back on Mother's Day.



Anyways, my dad's name is J. Harvey. The "J" is just "J." It doesn't stand for anything. It's just an initial -- that's his first name. His middle name is Harvey. Most people just call him J. Harvey.

(I don't know how many times in my life I've had to explain that to people, but probably not as many people as he has).

J. Harvey has an amazing "knack" for winning things. His name generally gets drawn in a drawing. Several times, he's been an "Nth" caller on the radio to win something. We don't know about the lottery as he absolutely does NOT purchase any lottery tickets. Go Dad!!!! Thanks for teaching me about why the lottery isn't a good thing -- how the statistics of winning are fairly low as well as how buying lottery tickets are not being a good steward with our money, etc....

Several months ago, he won something on the radio again -- AM 1330 (KNSS) -- early in the morning. He was the "Nth" caller (I'm not sure what number he had to be to win). He ended up winning a $50 gift card to this fairly new restaurant in town....



**For those of you "local" readers -- The "Rowdy Beaver" is on the west side of Wichita, at Kellogg and West St., where the old "Willie C's West" was located.

With his winning, he and my mom invited Marc, Luke, and I out to eat with them. Finally, we were able to come up with a date that worked. This past Saturday evening (August 1) was the date.

My parents beat us there. They had called ahead for a table. This is what they got (this was taken, obviously, after we arrived).



Yep, we got this HUGE circle booth. I hope we didn't hold up any large party. A smaller table would've been just fine, but this is what they gave us. So, we took it.

Luke did fairly well, considering we were there for a little while. The food was good, but neither Marc nor I thought it was anything special.

The menu selection is pretty good. I think almost anybody could find something they like.

Though it technically is "Rowdy Beaver Restaurant and Tavern," it was O.K. to have Luke there because the music was loud. We didn't at all feel like we were disturbing anybody trying to have a quiet dinner next to a 12 month-old.

None of us are beer drinkers, so I can't really comment on that.

Overall, I'd recommend the place if you needed something to try or wanted something different. BUT, if your nights out are limited (like our's) and you're wanting to spend your money carefully and on something really good, I don't know that I'd recommend it first.

They do have a little souvenir and gift shop. My dad ended up buying Luke a cute little bib from the "Rowdy Beaver." Here he is....the next morning. I do think this photo's cute (but hey -- I'm biased).

Star Kisses & Planning....

Last night (Friday), our friends, Seth and Sarah, and their kids, Collin and Natalie, came over for the evening. Also, Luke's friend (as well as Collin and Natalie's friend), Ava, was over because her parents were with their Community Life Group.

Collin's 4 years old. Ava's 3 years old. Natalie's 2 years old. Luke's one year old.

How does that all sound? Fortunately, it was very nice outside, and so, we spent most of the evening outside on our deck.

When I left work yesterday, I brought with me these....



Yep, a couple of boxes of Star Kisses from DQ....Go Figure. I brought the newest flavor of Red, White, and Blue (cherry, watermelon, and raspberry).

I mentioned it was nice outside. I was VERY THANKFUL for that. They can be a bit messy with kids. But, this is one of my new favorite photos of kids and DQ -- right on our deck. Here's a photo of Collin, Ava, and Natalie -- very much enjoying their treats. I LOVE their messy mouths.



And, to not leave Luke out -- he did have a Star Kiss as well. The Star Kiss was his first "official" frozen treat that he's had by himself. By "himself," I mean practically a whole one to himself. No, he's not quite ready to hold one himself and eat it. Here's a photo of Luke, eating his Star Kiss with his dad's help.



All four of the kids enjoyed their Star Kisses. All four kids had either red or blue on their mouths. Luke and Natalie win the prizes for having the most Star Kiss on their shirts. I pre-treated Luke's stained shirt and washed it this morning, and it only mostly came out. That's O.K. There's just a small red stain on his shirt. I haven't heard yet whether Natalie's stained shirt became clean?????

Of course, we, the adults, had blue and red as well -- especially Seth, here in this photo with the blue teeth.



Between the four kids, Collin and Ava finished their Star Kisses first. Then, it was off to blowing bubbles in the yard -- as well as asking a couple of times about climbing trees of which we all said, "We don't think that would be a good idea with these trees." It was cute because as Collin and Ava were wondering around, Natalie followed, while slowly, but surely, finishing her Star Kiss.





While the three older kids ran around the yard, Luke merely played on the deck -- trying to eat leaves several times. Here he is, playing with his tennis ball on a string. If you look closely, you can see the nice red stains on his shirt.



After awhile, Luke was tired and a bit cranky. It was his bedtime, so he went to bed. The other three kids continued to play well with only a few tears shed because of one child having more bubbles than another child. Whoa -- DRAMA!

Now, our evening did truly have a purpose....besides playing outside and eating Star Kisses. Marc and I and Seth and Sarah worked together to plan out the upcoming semester with regards to our Community Life Group.

We decided, after working out the logistics, to try something different this coming semester. This was at the suggestion of our friend Debby :)

We're going to actually, a couple times a month, meet separately as men and women. Some of the evenings, just the women will meet, and the guys will be responsible for childcare. Some of the evenings, just the men will meet, and they women will be responsible for childcare. Some of the evenings, we'll all meet, and childcare will be needed. Then, we'll still try to have a Game Night once a month.

We'll see how it works. If it doesn't work well, we won't do it again.

Here's a photo of Sarah and I -- working to plan out the calendar. If you look closely, you can see that we are kind of laughing -- a little secret: We were truly just posing for this blog, BUT we did indeed do a lot of planning for the upcoming semester.



What are we going to study, you might be asking????

Well, after looking at various options and resources, we decided to do the same thing that the Young Married Sunday School class women did this summer....Only two of us were there at that study this summer, and neither of us were able to make it each time.



It's the For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn.

The guys will do the For Men Only by Jeff & Shaunti Feldhahn.

The weeks that we get together -- we'll share what we've learned about each other :)

Also, during each of our meetings, we'll be holding each other accountable for various things we're all working on....We'll also spend time in prayer.

Thanks Seth, Sarah, Collin, Natalie, and Ava for a fun evening.

**NOTE: I figure I must add something totally and completely NON-RELATED to our Community Life Group. I will say this to avoid questions on this blog post. DQ used to have five different flavors of Star Kisses: Lemon-Lime, Grape, Orange, Cherry, and Banana. Several years ago, DQ came out with the Red, White, and Blue Star Kisses. Since that time, sales of four of the five original flavors have DRASTICALLY slowed down to the point that International Dairy Queen made the decision to pull all of the flavors except for Cherry and Red, White, and Blue. Nope -- in my ten years working for International Dairy Queen, I had absolutely NO decision making power with regards to Star Kisses. It was merely a business decision on their part.

So, sorry if your favorite flavor of Star Kiss is no longer carried. My favorite was Lemon-Lime, and so, I'm a bit disappointed too.