amarillo by morning...

Last night marked the end of a ten-day road trip with the fam.  There are stories and photos to share.  We covered some ground and were able to spend a lot of time with family and friends.  A different twist on our usual, and I'm thankful for it.  My (lofty) intention is to post a photo a day from the trip...

Day One: Met with friends in KC.  Carpooled to Wichita (thank goodness they gave me a lift).  Laughed a lot.  Met up with bro & sis-in-law. Rode to Dexter, KS.  Visited small candy factory, supposedly home of the first Baby Ruth bar.  Parents joined us.  All met up with cousins for a tour of their town.  From their front yard they could see Mr. Cow, pictured below.  Looks like a good life to me.

The town was small, but the community very much alive and active.  My second cousin was growing fruit from a pot on the window sill.  So stinking cute.

one for the money...

Four-ish reasons my week is off to a good start:

1) my inbox is down to three emails (3!)
2) was pulled over yesterday and given a warning (thank you!)
3) made an album for a senior for his graduation - it was a labor of love, and I was crazy nervous about the final product... because I get crazy nervous about these things.  Thankfully it's beautiful... the printing company is incredible... now I want to make more
4) this weather makes me sing for joy, frolic on the sidewalks, and smile permanently - this would be my everyday kind of weather paradise
5) although not this week, the beautiful chaos pictured below was happening on our driveway not long ago; all the different activities taking place on the street cracks me up - Happy Birthday (month) Renee!

under my umbrella...

Happy reminder... April showers bring May flowers.  And fresh basil.

And I had nothing to do with growing either of these things.

But I get to enjoy them anyway.

Perhaps I have a slight annoyance with all the complaints about rain, like all the rainfall we experienced last week.  Sure, I'd like to see the sun each day.  And I like it to be warm.  But I also know all that rain is what makes everything so green around here.  Trust me.  The open plains taught me a few things in my first 18 years: Western Kansas = brown + dry + dry, dry dry.  Eastern Kansas = green + rainy.  Not a coincidence.

Fresh basil!

wiser...

This weekend brought me to Manhattan to celebrate a family friend's wedding. A part of me enjoys going back so much... I smile at all the places we frequented and the hilarious memories that took place those four years. And a part of me doesn't enjoy it so much. Not all memories are as fun to remember.

Visiting this time reminded me of other things. Like the fact I'm getting old(er). I know this for certain, for a few reasons:

5) I couldn't remember my way around campus when attempting to show Mom the new Leadership Studies Hall. I ended up directing Dad around a dead-end cul-de-sac in the back alleyways. My bad.

4) We after-partied in Aggieville at Kite's. I kept looking for familiar faces like the old days. There were none. And what exactly were those girls wearing?

3) Hmmm... the music must not have been as loud when I was in college. I mean, Dad and I couldn't even hold a conversation over the yelling, shrieking mania.

2) I drank a BudLight. And I will if I have to. But, uh, I prefer to never have to.

1) My brother was first in the door. He got carded. I reached for my wallet, joked with the bouncer that I was old, he looked at me and agreed, and waved me through. Fail. Fail. And fail.

Waking up this morning humbled and without a pounding headache, twisted ankle, or nausea, I remembered it's okay to grow up. And have real conversations on the weekends. And drink a stout from a bottle.

Although next time I'll have my ID ready, so Mr. Bouncer has no choice but to check my date of birth.