Silverlakes College Showcase

Allison's team played in a 3-day college showcase at Silverlakes.  It was hot, but the team pulled off 2 big wins and a tie for a strong showing.  It was nice seeing the team gel as a group and continue to improve getting ready for league!

The Little Mermaid

It was a girl's night out with the Host's!  We drove down to Vista for dinner at The Yellow Deli

 and The Little Mermaid at the Moonlight Ampitheater.

What a great venue!  Perfect evening weather and very family friendly. 

 We had lawn seats, but they provided nice chairs for us to use.

 No pictures allowed during the show, but it was spectacular...gorgeous costumes, all of my favorite Little Mermaid songs, the cutest turtles and the most amazing Ursula!

We spotted Dana at intermission and learned her family has been coming here for years.  I think we will have to start doing the same!

Comic Con/Ryan's Retirement

Matt and I spent the afternoon/evening in the Gaslamp...first to check out the craziness of Comic Con and then to help celebrate Ryan's retirement for the HTTF unit.  This was my first time visiting Comic Con and it was crazier than I anticipated!

 I almost felt out of place not being in character!

 While many were inside the different exhibits at the convention center, many walked the streets along Harbor Blvd and onto 5th Ave.

 It was a security nightmare, but amazing people watching!

We got a front row seat for it while enjoying dinner at Barley and Mash. There was a 2 hour limit on our table, but we maximized every minute.

Then it was on to the rooftop bar at Rustic Root for Ryan's party.

 We had a nice setup along the balcony so we could continue to watch the festivities down below.  Even the Joker made an appearance!

 It was a fun night with Jeanie, Monet, Ryan, Adam and several of Ryan's friends and family who helped in celebrate.

We made one last stop at Moonshine Flats for some country music and BBQ.  Cheers to you Ryan and Happy Retirement!

Davis Legacy Showcase

 Allison was invited to play with an older team in the Davis Legacy Showcase up in Davis/Sacramento this weekend. Unfortunately, we were in Kansas, but this was a big honor so we wanted to make it happen for her.  Her team manager was able to drive her up and then she stayed the weekend with Olivia's family.

 I got a few picture updates through Snapchat 

and some team photos during some down time at the Capitol building.

Allison also got a special visit from Papa on Saturday and Monday. A big thank you to him for making the drive up!  Sadly, she didn't get much playing time and we aren't sure why, but the experience was a good one. The team lost their first game, but rallied back to win the other 2 bracket games. They advanced to the semi-finals, which they won 5-0 and then to the championship.

It was a tough loss in the 11th round of penalty kicks and a LONG drive home, but they left with some fun memories and strong soccer. I was proud of Allison for putting herself out there and staying positive under the circumstances!

4 Weeks 'til Move In

Taylor and I walked down to Mass Street again this morning for breakfast at Ladybird Diner and a little shopping.

We had the traditional bacon and eggs breakfast, but had to share this brioche vanilla/coconut donut...Yum!

 After shopping we drove through some residential areas in Lawrence and then made one last stop at the Oread (hotel on campus)

 to get some nice views of campus from the 9th floor lookout

 and to share The Jayhawker (mac and cheese topped with buffalo chicken) for lunch.  Thank goodness we shared it!  It is so filling, but delicious.

 Although stuffed, we couldn't leave without taking home some Hot Box cookies.  

We are so in love with this school and this town and Taylor is counting down the 4 weeks until we are back again for move-in!

Orientation Day

 Up bright and early for Orientation registration at the Kansas Union.

 We each got our bag of goodies and name tags.  We attended the welcome session and the Chemical Engineering session together before splitting up.  Taylor spent some time with advising and bonding activities while I listened to safety and financial aid presentations.

 We met back up for lunch and met some really nice moms and students.  Taylor got her class schedule and 

Student ID!  More sessions in the afternoon to finish out the day.

 A few pictures from the large windows of Kansas Union.  A view of the football stadium and practice fields to the right.

 The Campanile in the center of campus!

We drove up to Daisy Hill to see if we could tour the dining hall and dorms.  They were open!

We were even able to see her exact room. 

Unfortunately, it has a view of the parking lot, but it does have a good amount of space, large closets and a nice sink area with room for a microwave and mini fridge!

After finishing everything on campus, we ate dinner at Fuzzy Taco's and then rushed back to the room ahead of the approaching storm.  The sky got so dark so fast and we listened the thunder, lightening and rain from our room.

It also gave us some time to get hungry again for a late night stop at Silas and Maddie's!

Off to Kansas

Home for 3 days and then another early morning flight for me and Taylor.  This time to Kansas!

 Off the plane in KC and straight to Betty Rae's Ice Cream in Waldo District.  It was supposedly voted best ice cream in Kansas.  It was delicious but I think I still prefer Silas and Maddie's!

We drove through Leawood and Overland Park before heading to our hotel on the waterfront.  

We had the evening to walk around Mass Street 

and a nice dinner at Free State Brewing Co.

Last Day in South Carolina

 Gigi helped us clean up the rental house and we said our goodbyes to her before making our way back to Charleston for this afternoon's flight home.  I think we passed 6 or 7 Waffle Houses throughout the week and felt we had to try it before heading home.  Pretty tasty breakfast and super cheap!!

 We had a little time to kill before our flight so we took a quick driving tour of The Citadel.

 Such a beautiful campus!

Allison appeased me by posing with the Charleston Airport Instagram sign and we were off for a full day of flying.  It was a wonderful week and another huge thank you to Gigi for making it happen!!