Be Here Now

I am currently re-reading one of my favorite books, Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass.

#Love #Awareness #Beauty #Truth

For reviews of the book or to purchase a copy, please use the link below.

~ Love & Light ~

We Got Hitched!

You read the title of this post correctly...Mark and I tied the knot yesterday! I am officially a married woman. We did it at the courthouse in Springfield, and although not everyone understands that decision, we both feel it was the right choice for us. It was private, stress free, and over before we knew it (the judge who officiated was a bit of a comedian as well, and made the experience really fun)! I am the happiest girl in the world right now. I feel so blessed to have married my best friend, who happens to also be my soulmate.

Mr. and Mrs. Retana

~ Love & Light ~

High Speed Police Chase Comes Through Oz

Okay, so this past Friday night Mark's brother, Phil, and his best friend, Michael (aka Yenzel) came over for a visit. We watched a little Walking Dead, had a few drinks, and listened to rap/hip-hop stations on Pandora (dancing and chest bumping may or may not have been involved). Around 12:30 am Phil decided he should probably head home. We said our goodbyes and Mark, Yenzel, and I resumed our dance fest. Okay, so really the guys resumed to dance and I sat on the couch and opened up Tumblr. Phil hadn't been out of the door for more than 30 seconds and I see flashing police lights through the front door window. We live on a dead end street so it didn't make sense for cops to come this way unless something had happened to a neighbor, like a break in. The thing is I saw A LOT of police car lights, not just one car. The fear hit me that Phil could have pulled out of the driveway into whatever it was that was going on and this is what happened...

Phil took the video from his car, if you couldn't tell from watching. We are really thankful he wasn't hurt. He was pulling up to the street from our driveway when the people being chased (they were in a Durango) flew by followed by the cops. The Durango then turned around in our neighbor's yard (he must have realized that he had gone down a dead end street) and that is when Phil grabbed his phone and started recording. According to local news, the chase started in Nixa, came through Oz, and ended in Springfield. One source says the chase lasted 60 minutes, reaching speeds of 110 mph, until the police used spike strips to stop the vehicle. The people driving the Durango had Mississippi plates and warrants for their arrest. At one point the passenger door opened and they tossed a puppy out of the car! A PUPPY!? You can get the full story here.

There you have it! It certainly wasn't the norm for our neck of the woods but it was another exciting night at Chigger Chalet!

~ Love & Light ~

Tantra: The Secret Power Of Sex

I am currently re-reading Tantra: The Secret Power of Sex by Arvind & Shanta Kale.

#Tantra #Sex #Relationships #Love 

To read customer reviews or to purchase a copy of the book please use the link below.

~ Love & Light ~

Iguana Roja Restaurante: Latin American Cuisine In Oz

Thursday nights are fast becoming our Iguana Roja night. As I've mentioned in a previous post, Mark and I have been enjoying the Ozark Downtown Farmers Market on Thursdays at the square. We like to browse around, listen to the live music, and look at all the yummy offerings at the vendors booths. Inevitably hunger sets in while looking at and smelling all of the delicious food. Now, of course, there are some fine food choices at the market but sometimes it's nice to duck out of the heat, have a seat, and let someone serve you. If you haven't been to downtown Oz lately I will tell you that restaurants are few and far between. But quality over quantity, right?

Directly across the street from the farmers market is Iguana Roja, peeking out from a corner spot. Hot and hungry, we decided to go for it. We expected the usual smothered-in-cheese midwest style Mexican fare typical of the region, and I'm cool with that. Growing up in Springfield I've come to love "Mexican" food from places like Mexican Villa. Still, I appreciate a more authentic Latin American dish now that I'm no longer twelve.

A comfy, eclectic interior.

After being greeted and then seated at a booth table our waitress brought out the complimentary chips and salsa. This was our first clue that Iguana Roja was going to be different from the rest. The salsa is really quite tasty but it was the freshly made chips generously sprinkled with a delicious spice mix that made us take note. 

The menu is full of classic dishes made with high quality ingredients. The chefs try to use local ingredients and because of this the menu changes from season to season depending on the availability of certain produce. We ordered fish, shrimp, chicken, and chorizo tacos (basically one of each meat), and a shrimp quesadilla. The quesadilla came with a bit of guacamole too. (I should mention that although we haven't done it yet, every table has order sheets on them so that you may choose the ingredients in your guacamole to your tastes). Everything was DELICIOUS! Seriously. An unexpected surprise. 

Spicy! 

After dinner we decided to look at the drink menu. We found that the drinks were as unique as the food dishes.

Unique Spirits

After much debate, Mark decided on the What the Colada and I went with the Peach Shandy. Although I am usually the "food picker" between the two of us, it was clear that What the Colada (it has pureed avocado in it!)  is THE drink to try at Iguana Roja. My shandy was delicious and refreshing but I was jealous of Mark's drink and decided I would get one on our next visit. 

What the Colada and Peach Shandy

My pictures are pretty lame, I know, but we were having such a good time that I lost sight of documenting the experience. Be Here Now, ya know? Anyway, you'll be going soon, I'm sure.

Iguana Roja Restaurante

107 West Church St.
Ozark, Missouri 65721(Located on square)

Hours:

Tue - Th: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fri - Sat: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Phone# 417-485-8585

~ Love & Light ~

For The Love Of Chocolate

Yesterday, Mark and I needed to make a trip into Springfield and decided to grab a treat at the Russell Stover Candies Factory Outlet here in Oz. We had driven by dozens of times before and noticed coffee advertised, so we wanted to grab a cup for our drive into town. 

Russell Stover Outlet in Oz

We browsed around for a few minutes to see the different chocolates and candies available. You can find good deals on 'oops chocolates' that are slightly mis-shapen and a great way to save money on treats for at home. 

A great place to get boxed chocolates for gifts

In addition to chocolate you'll find stuffed animals, taffy, sugar free candies and more.

Quite possibly the most ridiculous photo I've taken of Mark to date.

Although the chocolate was tempting we came for the coffee so we headed to the front counter. 

Case of chocolates 

 Near the register are the mix and match chocolates in a display case, and another case full of ice cream. I meant to get a photo of the ice cream case but was approached by a nice woman behind the counter who informed me that she couldn't allow people to take pictures without permission from corporate. I thought this was really strange but put my phone away and asked about the coffee selection. Turns out that all they had was Starbucks original blend coffee and could offer sugar and creamer to put in it. This was disappointing as we had regular coffee back at Chigger Chalet so with a shrug I was about to suggest we go when the woman said she could make us a coffee frappe. We decided to give it a shot. She blended the Starbucks coffee with vanilla ice cream and topped it with whipped cream. I must say they were very tasty! 

Tasty coffee drinks.

I don't think we will make a habit of getting coffee treats there (it was almost ten dollars for the two drinks) but I will most certainly go back to shop for gifts and bargain chocolate to keep at home. The Russell Stover Store is located at 1951 West Marler Lane Ozark, MO. 65721 in front of Wal-Mart. They can be reached at 417-581-1888.

~ Love & Light ~

Smallin Civil War Cave

Just hearing the words "Civil War" puts my brain into snooze mode. I have never been one to take interest in the history of war (domestic or foreign) but caves, on the other hand, are super interesting in my book. As luck would have it the Smallin Civil War Cave is just a few miles from our home in Oz.

Looking out of the cave entrance.

Smallin Cave was home to Osage Indians and was also used for war purposes. It has a really fascinating history  that I'll leave to the tour guides to explain. 

The man on the left is tour guide and owner of the property, Kevin Bright

Tours are given seven days a week and it is a nice way to get out in nature while avoiding the heat and humidity too! 

At the end of the tour you can have your picture taken if you'd like ( I can't recall what the photo cost but it wasn't much).

Leanne and Mark visit Smallin Cave

And no visit to Smallin would be complete without visiting the gift shop/museum. You can pick up some souvenirs and learn a few things while you're at it. 

Historic Artifacts

 Baldknobber mask

Mark is ready to go! 

The mug and magnet we bought to remember the fun we had.

Smallin Civil War Cave is located in Oz near NN HWY and the Finley River. For directions, hours of operation, tour fees and information, etc. visit smallincave.com or give them a call at 417-551-4545.

~ Love & Light ~ 

Even More Facebook (Aren't YOU Excited)

 I thought it might be a good idea to create a Facebook 'business' page to promote my blog...so I did. I wanted a page solely dedicated to No Place Like Home and the NPLH fans. I'm still thinking about exactly how to use the page and any tips from those of you with your own business pages would be great! In the meantime if you haven't liked my page yet, please do.

CLICK HERE

My groovy new workspace with views of the Finley River.

You can see Mark's space next to mine. Loving our Chigger Chalet home office.

~ Love & Light ~

The Bhagavad Gita For Daily Living

I am currently reading The Bhagavad Gita For Daily Living by Eknath Easwaran. Mark surprised me with the entire three volumes last week so I'm breaking the rules again and reading more new books. As they say, 'Rules are made to be broken' (especially self-imposed rules). This particular translation of the Bhagavad Gita was suggested to me by the best (in my humble opinion) Yoga teacher in Springfield, Beth Spindler.

#Spiritual #Hinduism #Epic Battle

For customer reviews and to purchase your own copies please use the link below. 

~ Love & Light ~

Welcome, July!

July is here and we have had some unseasonably cooler temperatures over the past few days. It seems that folks here in the Ozarks are happy for the early break from the heat. We can thank several storm systems that blew through the area last week along with strong north winds for the break in the humidity, but the storms didn't pass through without leaving a scar. I took the following pictures yesterday when Mark and I went to the Finley River Greenways Trail here in Ozark.

Overcast skies, a creepy old building, and downed trees from the storm gave a spooky feeling to the afternoon.

More fallen trees.

Trees like this one could be seen all over Oz.

A pile blocking the trail. Looks like the bench was broken by a falling branch.

We saw a family of gophers off of the trail and although I got pretty close to what I assume was the father he finally scurried beneath a bush before I could get a picture. I did get a few nature shots while we walked. With the lack of sun and my iphone being the camera I use they aren't the best but I hope they can convey a little bit of the beauty that is summer here in Oz. 

On the ledge of a bridge Mark spotted this wee little grasshopper.

On the same bridge I found this little one right on the ledge, ready to take flight.

I love the white and red displayed in these diverse plants.

Wildflowers all along the river banks.

A calm Finley after the storms.

Mark noticed these and said they looked like grass wound up to resemble flowers.

We both found it interesting how the new leaves grow out from this trees branches.

We also spent some time walking a trail at Springfield Lake late last week. It was another cool, overcast day that didn't make for the greatest photo shoot but I snapped away nonetheless. 

The pink fiber optic looking flowers on this tree are something out of Wonderland.

Many flowers thriving near the lake.

Look closely at the top of the hill and you can see a small deer. She was one of four we saw that day and the only one who would let her picture be taken.

I noticed some cacti that seemed out of place here in Missouri and was impressed to see them alongside the native plants.

It gets hot and humid way down here in Southern Missouri (temps in the triple digits are not unusual) but the return is all of the natural beauty that thrives here. One of the things I enjoy and that brings back fond childhood memories is driving through the Ozark Mountains during the summer. It is like driving through an ocean of green but instead of fish the landscape is dotted with soaring hawks, golden eagles, and turkey vultures. The visuals remind the heart of the wild freedom of youth that summer brought with it. A sense of adventure and an excitement at the possibilities the longer days and warmer nights offer. 

What does summer in the Ozarks (or wherever you live) mean to you? How does it make you feel and how do you like to spend your free time? I'd love to hear from you. 

~ Love & Light ~