We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Since I happen to have a free minute while Michaela finishes her morning nap, I thought I would finally share a little about our trip to visit my Grandpa and Uncle Dan in Kansas. We (our little family and my mom) went for just a couple of days at the beginning of May, and found the weather there to be a good 20 degrees warmer and sunnier, and just generally nicer, than home. It was a good weekend to be in Kansas. I mentioned earlier that Michaela did pretty well on the flights. She loved having her Daddy at her beck and call to play with her, though even she, little as she is, wished she had more leg room. She just might be a world-traveler-in-training.

Left- Michaela still peppy (and trying to take her sock off) as we wait at Portland Airport). Below- Adam and I also still peppy - and caffeinating for the day ahead.

We landed in the Tulsa airport on a Saturday night and just drove to Bartlesville, OK, where our hotel was, got some dinner and went right to our hotel. Adam and I tested out the pool and hot tub, but Michaela wanted nothing to do with the pool when Nana tried to get her to dip her toes in. I blame that more on the day of travel than on predicting a dislike of swimming - especially when considering the amount of splashing that occurs during Michaela's baths these days. Though none of us got any amount of good sleep that night because Michaela was awake, crying, and inconsolable between 1:45 am and 4:30 am, we awoke nonetheless the next morning and crossed the border into Kansas to meet Grandpa at his home and head from there over to church. Uncle Dan is a pastor to three small congregations in the area, and preaches at each of them consecutively on a Sunday morning. We hit the middle service, and really enjoyed hearing Grandpa play the piano for congregational singing and listening to Uncle Dan preach. Michaela enjoyed the service because there were chairs rather than pews, and she got put down to scoot around on the floor. Also, the hymnals had little colored strings in them (to be used for marking pages of different hymns) but Michaela thought they were just for her entertainment.

That afternoon we enjoyed lunch/brunch at a local diner and an afternoon of conversation and catching up. Grandpa made dinner for us that night - we felt like honored guests! On Monday we went on a driving tour of Caney (doesn't take long!) and then went out to see the Little House on the Prairie. Considering that several years of my childhood were given to dressing like Laura Ingalls and playing pioneer, the cabin is always a big hit. But the big event of the day was yet to come. Did you know there is a brand new Super Wal-Mart in that corner of Kansas?! Yes, it's true! So we went there to get some photos developed and just soak in the ambiance. But really, the big event was eating at Braum's, a wonderful burgers and fries kind of restaurant with AMAZING ice cream delights. Adam and I have long joked that our relationship is built on ice cream, so this was a special moment for us to share with family.

We learned more about the Carr family tree from Uncle Dan, the family's resident historian, and ate one more meal together before saying our goodbyes. It was a short visit, but great for Grandpa to get to meet his grandson-in-law and his new great-granddaughter.