About two weeks ago Evan was getting dressed. All of a sudden he stops, lifts his penis, and exclaims, "Mom, I am growing two new ones!" I of course was trying my hardest not to laugh out loud, and explained that no, he was not, those are his testicles. Later that afternoon, we were discussing whether he would prefer a play structure or a tree house. He declared, "Neither, I would like a penis house." Oh my, it is starting already? He is only five! A little later he got a cup out of the cupboard, and I asked him what he was doing, to which he replied, getting some water. I explained he already had a cup of water on the counter. Then he said, "No, I am going to pour this water over my penis and watch it grow." Again, trying not to laugh in his face, I asked him to put it back, he could water it later in the shower. Now, you may be asking, why is she starting her Kansas post with penis stories?Well, these funny stories came in handy. They helped bring a smile to the faces of many that needed a little laugh.
On April 28th, Kirk's mom passed away. She had been battling ALS for a year. So, our little jayhawk was going to make his first trip to Kansas. We booked our flight, wrote sub plans, packed, and traveled. Apparently there is no quick way to get to Garden City, Kansas. We started our journey by driving to Oakland at 2:30 in the morning on Wednesday. Then we switched planes in Vegas, landed in a snowstorm in Denver, and finally drove a little over five hours to Garden City. We were not equipped for the cold, so we bundled Evan up with his blanket for the bus ride from baggage claim to the car rental.
When we arrived, we went straight to Lavon's house where we were surrounded by people that loved and missed her. We visited for a few hours and then headed over to George and Laurie's house. The next morning I witnessed first hand the kind of community that Kirk grew up in and that Lavon was surrounded by. It did not feel appropriate to whip out my camera, but I hope that I will never forget the kindness and love I witnessed.
The church was full for her service, and Kirk spoke eloquently. I wish I had spent more time with Lavon, and that this wasn't my first trip to Kansas.
After the service we rode in the procession to the cemetery. I was in awe. Not only did we have policemen saluting at every intersection, but every person we passed on the freeway, pulled over. Big rigs included! When we reached the county line, there was a squad car for the next county waiting, and the transition was seamless.
This was followed by a lunch at the church. There were all kinds of yummy things to try. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the salad covered in mayonnaise, because I took the risk and discovered that it wasn't mayonnaise after all, it was Miracle Whip! Evan tried something new too. It was green jello with pears, topped with Cool Whip and shredded cheddar cheese. He decided it wasn't as good together as they were separate. I could go on all day about the deliciousness of the food, but it is making me hungry, and since I do not have access to the fabulous cheesy potatoes, I must stop now.
Kirk then showed us around the town where he grew up.
The church was full for her service, and Kirk spoke eloquently. I wish I had spent more time with Lavon, and that this wasn't my first trip to Kansas.
After the service we rode in the procession to the cemetery. I was in awe. Not only did we have policemen saluting at every intersection, but every person we passed on the freeway, pulled over. Big rigs included! When we reached the county line, there was a squad car for the next county waiting, and the transition was seamless.
This was followed by a lunch at the church. There were all kinds of yummy things to try. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed the salad covered in mayonnaise, because I took the risk and discovered that it wasn't mayonnaise after all, it was Miracle Whip! Evan tried something new too. It was green jello with pears, topped with Cool Whip and shredded cheddar cheese. He decided it wasn't as good together as they were separate. I could go on all day about the deliciousness of the food, but it is making me hungry, and since I do not have access to the fabulous cheesy potatoes, I must stop now.
Kirk then showed us around the town where he grew up.
I have never seen lampposts like these before.
That evening we spent the afternoon at Lavon's, and then we returned to George and Laurie's. We watched a movie in the downstairs movie theater. It was the first time Evan, papa, and titi had seen Shrek.
I think this was Evan's favorite part of the trip. We are pretty sure this is the future plan for our downstairs.
Yep, he loves it!
The next day we went to the zoo. We enjoyed it so much because:
1. You can drive through the zoo
2. So many of the animals were up and alert
3. They have so many animals that the Sac Zoo doesn't have
This was definitely the highlight of the zoo visit.
Thank you Amanda for the warning!
I am so glad we made this trip. Seeing Evan with Kirk and his family makes me smile.
This is what Evan was waiting for. By far his favorite!
Titi's Three's Company pose
Listen to this growl, yikes!
We had to stop off at the Dairy Queen for lunch. Yep, lunch. Just ice cream. Evan is going to forever love Kansas because he got to eat pretty much everything he wanted. The phrase, "We aren't in Kansas anymore," has a whole new meaning.
We spent our last night in Kansas at Uncle Eric's. Hold onto your hats, because you won't believe what happened next. Evan rode on the quad! So did I. So did titi, and so did grandma! We are hooked and are pretty sure we need one.
Full speed ahead! There was a lot of room to go fast, so of course we did!
Aren't the horses beautiful? We weren't able to take them for a ride yet, but maybe next time we visit.
Evan enjoyed the quad so much, he decided to re-enact it on the lawn.
A little battle session with papa.
One way I knew I was in Kansas, was the fact that I had to resort to listening to Kidz Bop on the Leap Pad because at one point there was not even a country station coming in. Evan missed out on this since he was watching movies, so he needed to get his dance time in.
Eric made us the best dinner! It was delicious! I thought I couldn't possibly feel any fuller than I had the day before after all the Kansas traditionals, but I ate so many tacos I thought I might burst!
A beautiful Kansas sunset.
You know it is getting late when the boy starts doing stunts.
Time to get everyone outside for a picture. There are of course a few people missing from the picture, but we took what we could get.
The next morning we started our long journey back. This is the view for most of the ride.
This must be how the national gas price average is so low!
Had to get a picture:)
Our one touristy stop, Buffalo Bill!
It was just a tad windy!
Whoops! These were" accidentally" left in the rental car after this incident.
Almost there...
...oh wait, now we have two plane rides and a drive back to Sac.
He started out jazzed and ready to fly.
Then we got to Las Vegas where our flight was delayed, multiple times. The upside to this is that we were on the ground to hear the news that my niece entered the world at 8:05 pm!
Welcome to the world Georgia Wren Lee!
This was the best way to end this trip. Getting home at 3am, not so much! However, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I know it won't take me 18 years to return to Kansas. I wish we all lived closer, but for now, we will have to make it work.
