On Friday, we decided on a whim to drop by St. John Vianney for a fish fry. It’s been my favorite fish fry venue for over a decade and it was the last time we’d be able to drop by on a Friday, so I thought it was worth a visit — particularly since we missed out on the last two years. Vivian stood in line for us as the kids got in some quality playground time next door. It was about an hour-long wait, so it was good for them to blow of some steam on the swings before heading inside for dinner.

We got to see our friend Frank as we got our fried fish, French fries, mac & cheese, pancakes, and all our other favorites. Of course the real fun was in all the other activities going on during dinner. I also got to sing along to “Sweet Caroline” with the Guitar Guy, and Hannah got to give the Meat Wheel a spin. Some people out front were having a fundraiser to visit the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, so we got a couple balloon swords form them before heading out.

On Saturday, my brothers and I spent some time at my parents’ house going through another one of my dad’s bookshelves, looking at old books on marketing, graphics, and photography. We also got to watch a few more embarrassing home movies from our time in Warrensburg some 30 years ago.

It was also World Autism Day, so we got to spend the afternoon getting a “sneak peek” at some of the Common Senses Festival installations housed at KANEKO down in the Old Market. They had some interesting interactive exhibits, such as a sculpture with a mesh fabric and fish on a projector that react to your touch, and glowing chairs that react to your heart rate. There were a sensory exhibit and a lovely quiet space with calming videos on a loop on a circular projection screen — something I could use in our house.

We walked a block up the street for some ice cream at Ted & Wally’s when we were done, which was a very nice way to wrap up our visit.

Then on Sunday, I took Hannah down to Plattsmouth for a little horseback riding with the Cherish Riding Association. She’d been going to this place off and on for several months now, but it was the first time I got to see the experience first hand. She got to help brush a few of the horses before having a ride on Cody and Blue for a little bit. It was cloudy, windy, and raining throughout the afternoon, however, so we didn’t stay very long.

Then that evening, I got some pizzas from Aldi and we watched Ron’s Gone Wrong for family movie night. It was a surprisingly fun movie and took some serious jabs at the Apple/Google big tech conglomeration, with the most aggressive portrayal of Steve Jobs I’ve seen since The Pirates of Silicon Valley. The kids had also gotten some Ron’s Gone Wrong toys in their happy meals, so it seemed like a fairly natural choice.