Giving Allison the Tour of All Things KU

This morning we had some time to give Allison the tour of KU.  We drove down Jayhawk Blvd, visited the Student Union and looked at the sorority/fraternity houses.  We parked the car to take a look through our favorite spot...Allen Fieldhouse.

 The doors were open so we had a chance to actually walk in and view all of the championship banners.  Taylor can't wait to start going to the games here and I am determined to get tickets to at least one!

 When Matt visited in February, the museum entrance was closed so he got a chance to check it out for the first time too!

 We had lunch at the Oread and went up to the 9th floor for a view of campus.  Matt and Allison went to Leawood to do some shopping and Taylor and I headed back to KC to pick up Andrew at the airport.

We met back up for dinner at Papa Keno's on Mass St. with the Simon's.  They will be of great comfort to me as I know they are always just a phone call away if Taylor needs anything!  She may even get invited to a Sunday dinner at their house once in a while :)

And So It Begins...

I shed some more tears on the plane and in line at Chick-Fil-A in the Dallas airport (Taylor just laughed at me), but we arrived safely in Kansas City ready to help get this girl settled into her new home.  No more tears for now!

The dorm room shopping list was extensive and took about 2 hours to complete

 but I think we beat the majority of students to the Lawrence Target and got all but 3 or 4 things on our list.

Matt arrived at the hotel within an hour or two of our arrival and helped us get everything to fit into our hotel room.  It will be crowded in there until move-in day, but happy that step is out of the way!

Final Goodbyes

I shed a lot of tears over the last few days.  Packing up all of her bedding, clothes and shoes...

 one last visit with Andrew's cat Kira...

 a goodbye dinner with sweet Jenna

and this final Snapchat post got me good.  The only thing getting me through is her excitement to get to Kansas.  She has waited a long time for this and she is antsy to get going.  Heading out in the morning :(

Saying Goodbye

The week of goodbyes has begun and we planned a special beach day with the Lebitski ladies.  They have been dear friends for most of the girls' childhood and we have shared so many memories with them. 

 We spend the whole day sharing stories, laughing through games of Catch Phrase and getting lunch at Board and Brew.

 Love these girls so much and will sure miss having them all together.

 Friends for over 9 years and not a single fight...they don't have to see each other every day to pick up right where they left off!

 Finished the night with a BBQ  at sunset

and a delicious spread of food.  Off to college they go...

20th Anniversary!

It has been 20 years since this amazing night!

I don't think we could have ever predicted where life would take us 20 years later, but blessed with where we are, what we have experienced and what we have to look forward to in the future!

Tonight we celebrated with dinner at 1909

 and a walk around Old Town.  We have a busy week with work, Matt's road trip and leaving for Kansas, so looking forward to a better celebration in October when we spend the week in New Orleans!

I followed the "platinum" 20-year items and got Matt a new engraved Buck knife and this desk plaque which is something he says on almost a daily basis and is a running joke at work too!

Happy 20th Matthew!  Love you!

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!