Kansas!

Today (Thursday, March 30) the kids and I started our Spring Break adventure in Kansas (Jeff and Amber weren't able to join us until Saturday)! We left around 8:30 in the evening and didn't get to our hotel until about 1:00 in the morning. All the kids did a great job on the trip over! Jonas was a traveling champ (again) and the others managed themselves well while helping me manage Jonas. I am a pretty lucky Mommy!

Let the crazy begin!

Hmmm...seat belt on & reading the safety manual. I guess we know who's child he is!

Friday (March 31) we started our adventure in Kansas City. We met up with one of Laurin's friends, Sahar, and headed to the Nelson Atkins museum. I LOVE museums! I am always fascinated with the art and artifacts on display. I would love to go back and explore this museum...without kids. I was so worried Jonas would touch something he wasn't supposed to or break something. Luckily, we left the museum with everything still intact. We wandered around the sculpture garden outside before enjoying a traditional Kansas City BBQ. While we were in the sculpture garden, we explored a glass maze. It was a bit of an optical illusion as we traversed the pathways. There were times I fully expected a piece of glass to be there, but it wasn't. Unfortunately, Jonas learned that there was glass in certain areas the hard way. Twice he ran into the glass walls like a bird flying into a window. Poor little guy!

Finally, we had to say good-bye to Sahar and moved on to Lawrence, Kansas. This was Laurin's 3rd area on her mission. It is actually a pretty cute city. We started out at Kansas University where we explored the Booth Family Hall of Athletics. Prior to going, I didn't realize that the game of basketball started here! Basketball was invented by a man who surname is Naismith. He technically invented the game in Massachusetts; however, Mr. Naismith eventually made his way to Kansas where he organized the game and drafted the first official basketball rules. Needless to say, basketball is a religion to KU...and Dallin enjoyed every minute of it!
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The original rules of basketball.

After exploring KU, we headed to the quaint downtown street of Lawrence. We enjoyed window shopping and discovering all the unique novelty stores. The kids LOVED going to the soda shop (because I actually let them buy sodas...not a normal occurrence for our kids) and playing in the toy store.

Because it's a college town, most of the people Laurin knew while she was there had moved so we didn't get to visit anyone, but we did drive around to see some of her old stomping grounds before heading to Topeka for the night. The next morning (Saturday, April 1) we visited the Brown vs. Board of Education historic site and the state capitol. I learned a lot at both places. I didn't realize Brown vs. Board of Education started in Topeka. I was grateful for the opportunity to talk to the kids about the privileges they have simply because of the color of their skin. I think, all too often, we take for granted the opportunities afforded to us simply because we are white. I was thankful for the discussions we were able to have about the fight many people of color have fought and still fight to simply be recognized as equal. I am not ashamed of my racial ethnicity nor do I feel guilty because of the privileges I enjoy; however, I don't ever want myself or my kids to feel entitled or judgmental simply because someone is different than us. I pray that my kids will never be the angry, hateful people we saw in the pictures. I pray that we can offer love and acceptance, as Christ did, to all people, even those deemed inferior by our cultural standards.

The state capitol was even more education. I didn't realize that Kansas was admitted to the Union during the Civil War era. In fact, the people of Kansas had to vote as to whether or not to allow slavery in their constitution. Ultimately, they declined; thus giving more weight to the North than the South. Laurin said that Kansas is known to be the state "where slavery came to die".

Kansas was the 34th state admitted to the Union.

These are actual ballots for and against slavery.

After we explored the capitol, we headed back to Kansas City to pick up Jeff and Amber. I was glad to have everyone together. It has been the first time in over a year! While there were definitely moments during the trip that patience was thin and voice tones were harsh, I was still thankful for my crazy, non-normal family. I am a lucky woman to be blessed with an amazingly patient, loving, dedicated husband and five amazingly talented, obedient, good kids. From Kansas City, we headed to Emporia, where Laurin ended her mission. By the time we made it there, Jonas was done being in the car so Jeff opted to stay at the hotel with him (and take a nap) while the rest of us went to visit some of the people Laurin knew and loved while she served there. The next morning (Sunday, April 2) we headed to the All Veterans Park. Did you know Veterans Day was started in Emporia? It replaced Armistice Day, which was only dedicated to those who served in WWI. A veteran from Emporia petitioned the government to change the holiday to include all Veterans. Ultimately, President Dwight D. Eisenhower (who was from Kansas) signed it into law.

The rest of the day was spent either at the hotel watching General Conference or visiting more people. I was actually grateful for the slower pace of the day and the opportunity to catch up on a little sleep before going again.

Amber painted the boys' nails with glow-in-the-dark nail polish. Silly boys!

My cute sleepy heads!

Monday (April 3) we headed into Wichita to meet and have lunch with Laurin's mission president. He was very thankful for Laurin's service. He continually told us how dedicated she was in serving the people of Kansas. She praised her work ethic and her religious conviction...and we could see it. Each time we visited a family or individual she knew, we could see the love she had for those people. We caught glimpses of the joy she felt because of her dedication and service. Kansas will always be a part of Laurin.

After lunch, we headed to Salina, another one of Laurin's areas. We had an hour or so before we could check into our hotel so we went to the park to let the kids run, especially Jonas! For as much time as we spent in the car, Jonas did a pretty good job! Still, there were moments when he felt like his car seat was a medieval torture device. Poor kid!

We checked into our hotel after letting the kids play then met up with an amazing single mom and her three kids for dinner. Shasta has a prosthetic leg; yet, after dinner, she took us on a little hike to skip rocks in a river and watch a Kansas sunset. I was very impressed with her and her children. Plus, it was a fun evening to get out and explore some of the beauty of Kansas. Laurin always told us Kansas had a big sky, but we couldn't appreciate it until we saw it. There are literally no mountains so you can see from horizon to horizon! It was breathtaking! I was glad that the rain had cleared so we could enjoy the evening.

The tall prairie grass of Kansas.

The next day (Tuesday, April 4), we spent the morning visiting more families and individuals. At one point, Jonas fell asleep in the car so I dropped everyone off at a family's house and drove around to allow Jonas to nap. I found a dirt road and endless fields of corn or grain. I explored the old downtown area and meandered through the quaint, iconic Kansas neighborhoods where all the houses have front porches. It was actually really fun.

One of the many corn fields.

The old, abandoned train station.

Downtown Salina

The old theater

Once I picked up the rest of the family, we started to head to Derby, our final area to visit before leaving Kansas. On our way, we stopped in Lindsborg to see the Coronado Heights "castle". I use the term "castle" loosely because, while thus named, it is not a castle. Still, it was a fun pit stop! It was built in 1936 by the WPA, a governmental organization dedicated to assisting families hardest hit by the Great Depression. The WPA was commissioned to build parks, roads, bridges, etc. to beautify the community. It was kind of cool to be in one of those parks. It was a little piece of history.

Before getting back on the road, we drove through Lindsborg. I LOVED the little Swedish community. It is a small town with a rich history. We didn't really get out or explore too much, but I loved driving through it. Finally, we made our way to Derby. By the time we got there, everyone was pretty tired so we just went straight to the hotel to settle in.

The following day (Wednesday, April 5) we split up a little. I took all the kids, minus Laurin, to a museum then a fun park while Jeff shuttled Laurin around to visit the people she wanted to see in Derby. The kids and I had a blast! I think the boys were especially excited to simply play. We started at the Exploration Place, a science based museum right on the Arkansas river. They were able to explore the different exhibits. Jonas really enjoyed the hands on activities. I enjoyed simply letting him run around without being worried he'd break something.

After exploring the museum, we walked over an adjacent bridge to see the Keeper of the Plains statue. This is where Laurin started and ended her mission. She said they were taken to this spot to get a picture when they arrived and when they left. It was an awesome bridge and statue.

Next, Jeff picked us up and took us to All Star Sports where the kids played laser tag, mini golf, and arcades. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. I'm glad they were having fun. I know Kansas wasn't the most spectacular vacation we've had, but they were all good sports and tried to have fun wherever we were.

We stayed one more night in Derby before heading out of Kansas on Thursday (April 6). Thursday was Laurin's birthday...and the one day we spent mostly in the car. Still, we tried to make the day fun for everyone! The night before, we blew up 21 balloons and put them in the car. When Laurin opened the car door the next morning, balloons started flying out! It was fun way to start her birthday. We gave her the birthday cards/gifts then we were off to Lamar, Colorado - another small town Laurin served in.

We had only planned to stop in Dodge City, but when we heard there was the largest hand dug well in the world in Greensburg, Kansas we just had to stop and see it. It was a pretty impressive well, but I was more impressed with the community. Prior to stopping, I didn't realize this was the town that was utterly destroyed (95%) by an E5 tornado in 2007. In the same museum as the well, there were pictures and wreckage from the tornado. I was impressed with the resiliency of the community. Even though 12 people died and 500 people moved away, the remaining citizens vowed to rebuild - not only their homes but their lives. I can't imagine the devastation and despair that existed, but I was humbled by the hope and perseverance I saw.

Next, we stopped in Dodge City to have lunch and walk around. It was not what I expected. I guess I expected a more touristy, old west town. While there were hints of that, the downtown area was mostly filled with hispanic shops and restaurants. Still, we found statues of Wyatt Earp (who served as sheriff there) and Doc Holiday, along with a really cool old coal train engine and a small old western town replica.
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Jonas LOVED the train!

Before we left Dodge City, we decided to head to Walmart to get Laurin a cake for her birthday. Unbeknownst to her, Jeff and I had called ahead to order a cake and asked them to put it in the display case for her to discover. Amber was actually the one who found the cake. Laurin walked right by it. Amber saw it and was a little confused at first. She thought it was really strange that they had a cake with Laurin's name on it and how old she was. Jeff and I just started laughing and let everyone in on our little surprise. We grabbed the cake and a couple candles then went out to the parking lot to indulge before moving on to our next stop.

Laurin let Dallin smash the remaining cake on her face! What a good big sister!

Once in Lamar, we checked into our hotel then went in search of a family Laurin knew but had lost contact with. We were lucky to locate the family and one of the girls, Natalie, spent the rest of the evening hanging out with us. As had been the pattern for most of the trip, we'd all eaten plenty at lunch so we just decided to get shakes for dinner before going to a park to play. After the park, the kids went swimming (a normal evening activity for them) before calling it a night.

Friday (April 7) was the final day of our trip. We were flying out of Denver the next morning so that's where we headed. However, we stopped in Manitou Springs to spend the day before going to the hotel. It was a FUN day! We took the kids to the Cave of the Winds where we did a cave tour and let the kids enjoy a ropes course that suspended them 600 feet above the canyon floor and a zipline that had them soaring across the gorgeous gorge. Dallin, Laurin, Amber and I braved the Terror-dactyl - a 150 foot free fall into a swing suspended hundreds of feet in the air! It was a little nerve raking as the ride tipped us down to dangle over the canyon before being dropped at 100 mph, but it was such an adrenaline rush once the swing caught us and we soared over the canyon. We all love every minute of it!

This gives the best view of the ropes course! Yikes!

Laurin and Amber before they took the plunge on the Terror-dactyl.

Laurin and Dallin on the zipline.

Daniel and Amber's turn!

After finishing at the Cave of the Winds, we drove up Pikes Peak. I didn't realize how much I had missed the mountains until we wound our way up the beautiful pine treed lined roads. Kansas is unique and has its own beauty, but I missed my mountains! Even in the deserts of AZ, you could see mountains in the distance. The views were breathtaking...and COLD! We couldn't reach the summit because of the snow accumulation, but we got pretty close. We jumped out to snap a couple pics before going back down and it was FREEZING! The wind was blowing the snow all around us. Jonas had been asleep for most of the drive. When he woke up, he wanted out of the car, but as soon as he got outside, he was more than happy to get back in.

Finally, we made our way to the quaint town of Manitou Springs where we explored the shops and had dinner and ice cream before heading to Denver. I couldn't believe the trip had finally come to an end. All the months, weeks, days, and hours of planning were over. I was happy to be with my family. I loved exploring the off the wall places we found along the way. Life might be a little crazy with all of us living under the same roof for the next few months, but I wouldn't trade my little family for the world. Each of the kids bring so much life and joy into our home. I don't want anyone to think we're perfect because we're not...but we do love each other. We will always fight for our family...and that is what family is all about.

Before drinking spring water...

After!