We Live in Missouri

We always joke that when you're in Missouri, if you don't like the weather, just wait a day, because it will change.  Despite the joke, there are some things you can usually count on, like spring thunderstorms accompanied by tornado warnings.  Crazy heat and humidity in July and August are another one of those standards that those of us living in this part of the country have just gotten used to.   This summer, however, has thrown us all for a loop.  The tornado sirens are going off in July, and it was a high of 71 degrees last Thursday.  Yes, you heard that right.  Yes, it is July, and yes, I am talking about the high temperature in St. Louis, Missouri. 

So, with all of the ups and downs, it is tough to get ready in the morning and even harder to pack when going out of town.  The last few trips to the lake, I have packed enough stuff for a week, even though we're only going for a few days.  I just have to pack for all possible weather scenarios. 

Yesterday was a perfect example of the crazy weather we've been experiencing.  We went to Greenville Friday night, so I woke up at my parents house on Saturday morning.  I got dressed so I could take the dogs to the vet there in Greenville.  I put on jeans and a t-shirt, and was actually a little cool.  When I got back, it was still early, so my brother and I went skiing.  The water was high and freezing cold from all of the rain, but I forgot about it once I was up.  When I got back to the house though, I had to take a hot shower to warm up. 

After we all got ready, we drove up to Litchfield for the Allison family reunion (Billy's grandma's family).  When we first got there, it was warm, but by the time we ate lunch, it was hot.  The wet, sticky-hot that this part of the country is used to seeing this time of year.  How did it go from cool and breezy to sweltering heat in less than 4 hours?  Welcome to Missouri (or, in that case, Illinois). 

After we got home, we went to a friends' house for dinner and then went and watched some more fireworks.  By that time, the heat had really set in.  The kids didn't seem to mind, even though Barrett's cheeks looked so red. 

I think the heat is here to stay now.  After the past few weeks of non-stop rain and flooding everywhere, I am actually a little bit thankful...sort of.  The constant rain has been frustrating, but the temperatures have been great.  Having a whole day of no-wake on Lake of the Ozarks last weekend was strange, but really nice.  We took the paddle boards out and had a dance party on my parent's boat while going idle speed.  The weather was so nice we didn't even care that we weren't going faster.  I didn't have much of a desire to get into the water though.  Thankfully, the Dipples were down, so the kids had someone to swim with other than mom and dad. 

In the end, here in Missouri there is quite a bit of truth to the joke about the weather changing from one day to the next.  But, no matter what the weather is, I know we'll make the best of it and have a great time anyway.