Morel, the delicacy of the Midwest….9. Go Mushroom Hunting

I learned of mushroom hunting when we moved to Saint Joseph seven years ago.  I was blown away at the time of the idea of people walking through the woods searching for mushrooms.  I would joke that if I ever went hunting for mushrooms I would wear camouflage so the mushroom does not see me!  Because morel mushroom hunting is such a thing to do in Northwest Missouri, I had to add it to my bucket list…9. Go Mushroom Hunting

1.  Start a blog


2. Go to the Presidential Inauguration / visit DC


3. Run a destination 1/2 Marathon


4. Compete in Mrs. Missouri pageant

5. Eating a raw oyster
6. Ride a mechanical bull


7. Cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner by myself

8. Shoot a gun/target shooting


9.  Go Mushroom hunting

10.  Learn to sew / make something I can wear

11. Visit a state I have never been to


12. Drive 100 mph on the German Autobahn (NEW)

13. Learn to play craps


14. Eat at Oklahoma Joe's BBQ


15. Complete one Pinterest craft project


16. Take a walking tour of a Civil War Battlefield


17. Learn to make a pie from scratch


18. Make Grandma's kolache cookies correctly

19. Take a shot of Jack Daniels


20. Drink a beer the size of my head at Hofbrauhaus Munich (NEW)

21. Do at least one pull-up


22. Visit Graceland


23. Take a train ride/ weekend trip to Herman, Mo.


24. Make homemade pasta


25. Run a 8 min/mile 5K


26. Take ballet class from the KC Ballet


27.  Reach my Weight Watchers goal weight 

28.  Visit the castle that inspired Walt Disney (NEW)


29.
  Eat authentic Chicago deep dish pizza 

30.  See the Eiffel Tour sparkle (NEW)

My office mate, Jeff, talks a big game but really just talks a lot!  The last few years he mentioned that he & his buddy, John (my former boss) go mushroom hunting in South St. Joe.   It was perfect since I needed to find someone to take me hunting.  I begged them both to let me tag along to experience “true St. Joe mushroom hunting”. 

Morel season is very unpredictable.  Missouri weather is the main cause for not really knowing when the best to hunt will be.  Everyone around here has an explanation for the perfect time to find mushrooms.  I heard from multiple people that you need one last frost and then an extreme increase in temperature for the shrooms’ to sprout.  This year is snowed in May and then warmed up the next few days.  It seemed like perfect weather to go picking! 

The three of us took off early from work and headed for the woods!  I made sure to wear long sleeves and long pants so I didn’t run into any poison ivy.   We drove out to John’s dad’s house south of town.  If I were to imagine a place to hunt mushrooms, this would be it.  The property had lots of trees and brush and hills.  We split up and walked up and down the property.  The area was very beautiful and quite.  I enjoyed walking through the woods and listening to nature.  As a former girl scout, I do enjoy being outdoors.  The one-thing that freaks me out is snakes.  I was reassured that it was too early for snakes, though I am sure they were lying.

Finally after about 30 minutes or more of searching John found mushrooms.  We all moved by him because as they say, “when you see one you will see a ton”.  I would like to report that “they” are wrong.  John found a few and I found ONE!  Just one little guy all by himself.  I had said that all I wanted was to find one just for the experience.  I fulfilled that wish!  

We kept searching but couldn’t find anymore.  I was ok was not finding any more since it was really warm out and I was wearing long sleeves.  I was also tired from walking through the hilly woods.  I also drank 3 beers, which went straight to my head now that I am a lightweight.  I would not recommend drinking and hunting of any type.  I now understand why some many people hurt themselves hunting.  Beer makes you unsteady and hunting grounds are rarely flat.  The walk through the woods did provide interesting conversation how crazy ways we could get hurt, especially if drunk. 

John was nice and offered me some of the mushrooms he found.  In the end I went home with about 10 mushrooms.  I had a lot of fun and am happy I got to experience the hunt with the guys.  I had to admit it but they are fun and entertaining to hang with.  I am not sure if they would ever take me again but I am would be willing to venture out again next year.

I was really excited to finish my blog by telling everyone how delicious my mushrooms were.  Unfortunately my mushrooms went bad.  The person responsible will remain nameless….so I definitely need to go back out next year to find more so I can actually eat what I hunt. 

I definitely recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to go mushroom hunting.  But don't forget the long sleeves and bug spray!  Especially if you live in an area where Morels pop up.   It is a special experience because you cannot hunt Morels everyone and is very unique to Missouri and some surrounding area.  Thank you John and Jeff for letting me tag along.   

Until next time....(which should be sooner than later)

XOXO, 

Abby

TCB – Taking Care of Business….22. Visit Graceland

Elvis Presley is an American Icon.  He ranks right up there with apple pie & baseball on the list of what defines “America”.   I am not a big Elvis fan though I don’t hate his music.  If I were to pick a song of his to be my favorite it would be “Hound Dog” solely because my high school mascot was the Houn Dawg.  I felt it necessary to add a trip to Graceland to my bucket list because it is an American landmark and not too far away from home.  My dad has jokingly described Graceland as high-end  trailor home.  I went into the visit with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised at the how much I enjoyed the experience.   In the words of Mr. Presley….we headed to Memphis to TCB and visit Graceland!

1.  Start a blog


2. Go to the Presidential Inauguration / visit DC


3. Run a destination 1/2 Marathon


4. Compete in Mrs. Missouri pageant

5. Eating a raw oyster


6. Ride a mechanical bull


7. Cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner by myself

8. Shoot a gun/target shooting


9.  Go Mushroom hunting

10.  Learn to sew / make something I can wear

11. Visit a state I have never been to


12. Drive 100 mph on the German Autobahn (NEW)

13. Learn to play craps


14. Eat at Oklahoma Joe's BBQ


15. Complete one Pinterest craft project


16. Take a walking tour of a Civil War Battlefield


17. Learn to make a pie from scratch


18. Make Grandma's kolache cookies correctly

19. Take a shot of Jack Daniels


20. Drink a beer the size of my head at Hofbrauhaus Munich (NEW)

21. Do at least one pull-up


22. Visit Graceland


23. Take a train ride/ weekend trip to Herman, Mo.


24. Make homemade pasta


25. Run a 8 min/mile 5K


26. Take ballet class from the KC Ballet


27.  Reach my Weight Watchers goal weight 

28.  Visit the castle that inspired Walt Disney (NEW)


29.
  Eat authentic Chicago deep dish pizza 

30.  See the Eiffel Tour sparkle (NEW)

(I made a few changes to the bucket list post our European tour.  I knew we would do things I would want to add and they definitely needed to have there own number on the list. Some may think it is cheating but I would have replaced them anyway plus it's my list!)

We departed Nashville on Sunday, April 21 and headed to Memphis.  The usual gang was along for the ride (i.e Mr. & Mrs. Renaud).  We ran into a slight detour when traffic completely stopped on the interstate apparently due to a car accident.  We detoured through rural Tennessee, which turned out to be quite enjoyable. 

Graceland is a tourist trap.  It is very easy to see how Elvis continues to make money post death, once you get into the area of Graceland everything is Elvis.  We had to park and purchase tickets before we could start the tour.  The cheapest ticket was $30!  I am not sure why I was so shocked since people will pay any price for a tourist attraction.  I didn’t anticipate it would cost $60+ to tour a house!  We had to wait a little for our tour to start so we perused the gift shop.  It had everything you could ever ask for with Elvis of it!  Again, I am not sure why I am so shocked as it should be expected. 

We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes for a bus to take us over to the house.   The bus is the only mode of transportation and it moves really really slow.  If you can imagine the average age of the person visiting Graceland, it adds more time….

Included in the $30 ticket price is the audio tour.  Everyone gets a Walkman style headset that has been worm by a million other Elvis fan.  I was a little apprehensive of the cleanliness of the headphones but decided to let it go and live in the moment. 

We arrived at Graceland at the main entrance.  Our group received a short introduction by the doorman and we were set loose into the house.  The inside of the house was definitely smaller than I was expecting.  That could be partly due to the large number of people in the house.  The audio tour guides you through each room and informs you of fun facts about each room.  Each room is more overdone than the last.   It is no secret that Elvis was known for being over the top.  The carpet on the walls and mirrors on the ceiling were a true representation of that! It was neat to learn that he moved his mom & dad into the house and also how close they were to him.  I am sure everyone else who has visited Graceland is with me in that I want to see the upstairs; mainly because it was off-limits and the mystery of it intrigues me!

We finished the tour at the family burial site.  The site was very eerie with the Elvis music softly playing in the background but also very peaceful.  Elvis was remarkable person whose life tragically ended.  Graceland, like his life, is excessive and over the top.  It is easy to judge his life but hard to imagine what it was like to have the type of fame he had.  Airplanes, mirrored ceilings, drugs, all at his fingertips.  Who wouldn’t go overboard…?

Here are the pictures from our Graceland experience...

I love this dress, total bummer I left it in Munich Germany :(

Luckily we picked a good day to tour.  There was no line.

My husband is so funny....looking :)

The second attempt did not go any better 

1980's headphone...check!  Ready to tour Graceland

The main entrance.  The house was a lot smaller than I had expected. 

The living room

Me in the living room.  Elvis loved looking at himself, mirrors were everywhere! 

Such beautiful bathroom wallpaper

The kitchen was not as fancy as I expected either.  Though I am such it was up to date for the time. 

More mirrors, this time down the stairs.  It was wicked. 

Josh doing his best monkey status impression 

And again, more mirrors.  This time on the ceiling. 

Crazy pool room.  The ceiling and wall have the same fabric. 

Carpet on the walls?  Only Elvis. 

Elvis' horses and backyard. 

The view from the back.

The beginning of all of the awards

More gold/platinum albums

The pool 

More awards

Elvis....RIP

A lovely photo post tour

Dayday and Joshie

We all walked away from the tour very satisfied.  The tour was definitely worth the $30 ticket though I don’t think we’d ever spend any more.  I also don’t know if there is a need to go back.  Graceland should never change.  I am glad we were able to experience a little of Elvis’ life but one time is enough.  I definitely recommend everyone visit Graceland.  It is a must see American landmark and should be on everyone’ s bucket list! 

We had the rest of the day to enjoy Memphis so we headed downtown to catch a game of the Memphis Redbirds.  Turns out they were playing the Iowa Cubs, what a coincidence!  The temperature was really cold in the shade and super warm in the sun.  We enjoyed the game for a few innings in our seats and spend some time exploring the park.  It was Bark at the Park so we also got to see some puppies! 

Later that night we ventured out to experience Beale Street and Memphis BBQ.  We made a quick stop to meet up with my good friend Lara and her adorable baby Alex.  

We stopped in at PIG for some ribs

Silly Joshie 

It was delicious!  

Last stop was at Rum Boogie Cafe for a drink and some blues

My adorable cat flats from Urban Outfitters

My cat flats killed my heels.  Good thing they were super cute and on sale.

Until next time.....

XOXO, 

Abby

Ridin' & shootin'...6. Ride a mechanical bull & 19. Take a shot of Jack Daniels

I have done a lot of crazy and spontaneous things in my 29 years of life.   A lot of then occurred while under the influence of alcohol.  I reflected on all of my drunk experiences and thought about what I could add to my bucket list.  I realized that I have never taken a straight shot of Jack Daniels.   I am not a hard alcohol or even a whiskey drinker.  I did visit the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee while on Spring  Break back in 2002.    I have had plenty of cocktails that included Jack.  In high school, I would drink Down Home Punch while cruising the glorious back roads of Lawrence County, Missouri.   Justin & I (along with our friends Josh & Hayley) have started an annual trip to Nashville for Record Store Day.  Nashville is, of course, the perfect place to check this bucket list item off…as we say “when in Rome”…19. Take a shot of Jack Daniels. 

To tie in the theme of “when in Rome”, I decided to also test my skills as a bull rider.  Nashville is the epitome of country and the perfect place to ride a mechanical bull.  I Googled mechanical bulls in Nashville and came across a bar called Tequila Cowboy.  The website boasted that it has been featured on the ABC TV show “Nashville” and is the ONLY mechanical bull on Broadway.   It all seemed perfect for a Saturday night adventure…6. Ride a mechanical bull

 1.  Start a blog


2. Go to the Presidential Inauguration / visit DC


3. Run a destination 1/2 Marathon


4. Compete in Mrs. Missouri pageant

5. Eating a raw oyster


6. Ride a mechanical bull


7. Cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner by myself

8. Shoot a gun/target shooting


9.  Go Mushroom hunting

10.  Learn to sew / make something I can wear

11. Visit a state I have never been to


12. Ride in a hot air balloon


13. Learn to play craps


14. Eat at Oklahoma Joe's BBQ


15. Complete one Pinterest craft project


16. Take a walking tour of a Civil War Battlefield


17. Learn to make a pie from scratch


18. Make Grandma's kolache cookies correctly

19. Take a shot of Jack Daniels


20. Take a cake decorating class and then decorate my own cake

21. Do at least one pull-up


22. Visit Graceland


23. Take a train ride/ weekend trip to Herman, Mo.


24. Make homemade pasta


25. Run a 8 min/mile 5K


26. Take ballet class from the KC Ballet


27.  Reach my Weight Watchers goal weight 

28.  Travel to Europe 


29.
  Eat authentic Chicago deep dish pizza 

30.

Nashville is a great city.  This year marked our third trip to the area and second for Record Store Day.  We traveled with our besties Josh & Hayley Renaud.  All four of us happen to be uber Jack White fans  Jackie has a record store/studio called Third Man Records in Nashville.  If you couldn't tell solely from his appearance, Jack is quite odd.  But in a crazy genius kind of way.  Each year he sells a "one of a kind" record only on Record Store Day.  Like last year, the boys decided to camp out overnight to make sure they got these year's special items.  By the time it came to Saturday night all of us were pretty tired.  In addition to the boys outdoor sleeping experience, we also ate ourselves silly and crammed too much activity in during the day.  That night Justin, Hayley & I made it up from our nap.  Joshie stayed back to catch up on his beauty.   The three of us ventured out to Broadway (aka Nashvegas) to see what the night could bring!  We arrived at Tequila Cowboy around 9:00 pm which is early for a Saturday night.  I didn’t mind it because it wasn’t too crowded.  The bar was huge with 2 levels.  The mechanical bull was located on the second floor.  

When I envisioned this bull, I thought it would be the center of the room.  Instead it was very small, off to the side.  The moment I saw the set-up I started to question if I really wanted to do this.  I instantly go nervous and needed a drink.  

Even though I was extremely full for our most recent overeating experience, my beer was going to down well.  We hung out in the corner for a little bit and quickly become the information booth for the bathroom.  Apparently, the three of us looked like we knew where it was and cared to help people find it.  After I ordered my second beer, we moved closer to the bull to watch the idiots ride.  There was a good mix of drunken wedding parties, douchebags and “cowboys”.   We had great seats to watch each of them jump on the bull and fall off just as quick.  I was most troubled by the initial jump to get your ass on the saddle.  I decided that I should take my shot of Jack Daniels before I rode.  I needed just a little more liquid courage before I could climb on. 

As expected, the shot tasted horrible.  It was exactly what I had envisioned and burned all of the way down my throat.   The bartender recommended chasing the shot with Diet Pepsi.  I appreciated that chaser very much. 

It didn’t take long before I started to feel buzzed.  I ordered one more beer and headed back over to the bull.  The crowd was slowly picking up and I needed to capitalize the time I had left before too many people showed up.  I had no idea was it was going to cost so I walked up to the counter with $40.  Turns out you can ride a bull for only $5!  Of course you can always tip the operator, which can sway them to be nice or evil.  I approached with a lot of energy and told the 2 women running the booth that I was a virgin (bull rider) and was about to cross it off my bucket list.  Neither one of them was impressed so I paid (& tipped) and ventured out onto the inflatable red, white and blue rodeo ring.  

As expected, I had difficulty jumping on from the back of the bull.  I wiggled my way up, listened for my instructions and clenched my legs as tight as I could.  There is absolutely nothing lady-like about sitting on a mechanical bull.  I hope no one reading this expected any more (or less) from me.   

The ride started off bumpy but slow.  I couldn’t stop laughing as I rocked back and forth on the bull.  Once I was up there it was just silly.  I think the operator was being too nice to me because it I was able to hold on.  

After almost a minute, I was getting a little bored with it.  She tried to get me to stay on for the record for that day at 1 min. 30 sec., but I feel short at 1:26.   Once I slid to one side there was no way to get back up and I feel off. 

The ride was not that bad.  I’m not sure if it was the silliness of the whole thing that made me so nervous at first.  I was glad to have my support team there to cheer me on.  

There really is no special significance to riding a mechanical bull or drinking Jack Daniels except for that mere fact that I can say I’ve done it.  I can almost guarantee that neither will happen again.  Jack Daniels is gross.  I can think of many other types of liquor to get me drunk with a lot less burning.    The bull ride was interesting and fun.  Though the idea of jumping back on to get thrown off again doesn't sound appealing to me.  Maybe a crazy night in about 20 years after way too much to drink will I consider it again.  

Here is what everyone is waiting for....enjoy!  :)