THE ROAD TRIP

The morning of our road trip started out with a BANG. Literally.  See picture.  Yep, that's a bag of ice on my head.

We managed to pack everything important into the Escape and the UHaul and we squeezed Dan's truck into the garage.  We said goodbye to my parents and headed out, straight up IH-35.  We stopped in Temple, TX for lunch at a cute little public park called Whistle Stop, right next to a train depot.  After that, we drove through Wholelottanothin, OK and stopped for the night in  Norman, just south of OK City.  One night in a hotel and we were ready to be in a more permanent place.  So we headed back out on 35 and drove through Wholelottanothin, KS.  We arrived at the apartment office at 5:02 PM.  They closed at 5.  But God bless those Kansans!  Or Missourians, or whatever they were, we called ahead and they waited for us.  Gotta love KC.

So check out our digs!  It's less than 1/3 the size of our house in TX, but I do love living simply.  We are certainly not encumbered by.... well, STUFF.  We have very little stuff here, basically what we brought and what the apartment was already stocked with (and it was furnished, even down to the linens) and the groceries we have already bought.  Oh wait, I forgot I brought nearly my entire sewing room.  So we have way more stuff that the average family should just because of my sewing stuff.  But If I didn't sew for three months I might eat the children.

So!  Kansas City is way nice!  The weather has been great, the people have been nice and helpful,  the leaves are starting to change, and there is so much to do and see that I think I will have to plan our remaining days carefully in order to see everything.  Well, everything FREE anyway. 

Since we've been here I've found the all-important Wal-Mart (Michelle, that's a shout-out to you, my friend), the fabric stores, and some local groceries.  We've found a grocery that is in the middle of a Hispanic neighborhood, and they make fresh, handmade tortillas that are every bit as good as Alamo Cafe.  Every afternoon, the girls and I walk three blocks to a wonderful public park (FREE!)  to wait for Dan to get off work, and we all walk home.  Dan walks to work and back, since it's only 5 or 6 blocks from our apartment. But our area Kansas City is unexpectedly hilly and we have done a LOT of walking since we've been here.  We should be good and buff when we go back home.  Especially me, since I'm strolling the girls up and down all those hills.  (Side note:  Abby has recently taken to the excuse that she can't walk because her "legs are broking."  She's not even 2 yet!  We are in for it.)

I signed up for a library account (FREE!) and got the girls some books, music and a DVD.  I am working on the 6th Harry Potter book (catching up on all the others so I can finally read the last one.)  

Did you know?  Kansas City has more outdoor fountains than any other place in the world, second only to Rome?  Whoodathunk?  So we also spend our time checking out as many fountains as possible.  (FREE!)  And today the girls and I went to the Federal Reserve Bank and took a (FREE!) self-guided tour through the Money Museum.  They give a free (FREE!) souvenir bag of shredded money to visitors.  The girls were tickled about that.  I spent the walk home trying to figure out how hard it would be to tape all those shreds together into useable cash, and whether anyone would notice that there were 2 pounds of Scotch tape keeping it together.  (FREE ENTERTAINMENT!)

This is also the world headquarters for Hallmark Cards.  That's a blog for a whole 'nother day.

Tomorrow I think I'll take the girls to the Kansas City Zoo--not free, but they have a reciprocal membership program with the San Antonio Zoo so admission is only $4.  I can do that.

We think about everyone often and hope y'all are well.  We think of you at home when we step outside and do not sweat profusely.  We think about the beautiful changing leaves you are not seeing, but hopefully I can share them with you on this blog.  Adios!