FOR ALL THE LOVE'S OF JANA: My Missouri Top Ten

~Random Order~

1. One of my favorite theme parks...better than Disneyland (at least for me) is the one in Branson, Missouri known

as Silver Dollar City.

Maybe it is partly because of nostalgia since I've been going to this park as a young girl...

but I love everything about this park.

Especially the new roller coaster.

OUTLAW RUN!

This roller coaster is the craziest, fastest and heart stopping ride I have ever been on!

I also loved that our two girls braved every single ride with us!

2. I love being surrounded by GREEN.

I always thought my favorite color was YELLOW because I love, love, love the sun. It is a good thing I do since we live in Arizona.

However, I miss the deep, beautiful green of

MISSOURI.

3. I love that my kids get to be FARM kids and that in doing so they work alongside their Grandad.

It helps them understand who their grandad is...

and why he still FARMS...

47 years later.

4. I always tell my parents when I visit how NICE of a location they picked when building their house 40 years ago.

I love, love, love their location.

When I was a kid I thought we lived too far out of town...

especially since I thought all my friends lived far away.

Now I see my Dad's vision when he picked the spot they were going to build!

5. Just down the road from my parents house is a river that flows through the back of my parents property.

Whenever we go to visit...

we must take walks to the RIVER.

I love these beautiful walks to the river with my family.

When I was little...

the bridge that crossed over was the old-fashioned wooden bridges.

I miss that wooden bridge...

but for residents who live there I'm sure they appreciate the more stable concrete bridge that was built.

6. I love my sister-in-law Kassie.

Ever since she married my brother over 25 year ago...

she has made me laugh.

She always makes sure she is available along with her cute girlies to see us and spend as much time with us as possible when we visit.

Not only do I love Kassie...

but my kids think she is AWESOME too!

7. I have lots of GREAT sister-in-laws.

Jaime is one of them. Despite the fact that my brother and her are no longer together...

she has allowed us to maintain a relationship

not just with her amazing kids...

but her new family as well.

She is amazing.

8. Not only do I have GREAT sister-in-laws

but I have GREAT brothers too!

Only 3 of the 6 were with us in Missouri but I love them all.

Todd came to visit with his daughter Nora from Columbia.

David came to visit with his 2 kids from Tulsa.

Gary lives there but was our "personal" tour guide the day we went to Silver Dollar City.

If he was for hire...I would recommend him on the spot.

We told him what we wanted to do...

and he took us through all the crowds and craziness and got us exactly where we wanted to be...

and with a smile on his face while doing it!

9. My mom loves to walk the Frisco Highline Trail every morning for exercise. I joined her on these walks three of the mornings I was there. I loved the opportunity to be able to visit with my mom one-on-one. She is an amazing woman and teaches me so much.

We were joined by a much BIGGER group on our third day.

Not much walking in the form of exercise...

but a great time to spend with family.