The One with Kansas Connections

November (22) 24-27, 2017
Long holiday weekends mean there's plenty of time for memories and mayhem!  This year, Thanksgiving Break proved to be a perfect time for all of that!  We started out with a skeleton of a plan, and it turned into a fun few days filled with family, surprises, and family antics.

We had made plans to go to "Aunt" Brona's house in Montezuma, Kansas.  It was "her year," so that meant all of her kids and grand kids would be there.  She has 5 grand kids ages 9-1, and then add my 4 - it was a lot of kids and a lot of hilarity.  And NOISE!  ;)  We knew it would be a big time with this BIG family, and it was not disappointing!

We left out mid morning on Wednesday out of Stillwater.  First stop was Orlando, to pick up Emma and her gear for the trip.  Next, we made a lunch break in Wichita.  Spangles, of course, per Jake's request.  We made it all the way to Greensburg, Kansas before we had to stop and stretch our legs again.  We went to out favorite little park that we first found on our Road Trip in 2013.  We let off some steam, then it was full speed ahead to Montezuma!

Once we got to Montezuma, it was a night of catching up playing games (Ticket to Ride, Spoons, and the little guys played a cards and marble game), grilling out, and celebrating November birthdays.  Britt, the boys and I stayed in the basement at "Aunt" Brona's house (with 12 of our closest relatives), while the girls went down the street to "Aunt" Kamela's house.  So strange, to me, to be on vacation with them, but I never really saw them... Just another reflection on the teenage years I suppose!

Thursday was Turkey Day!  24 for dinner, and so much fun!  Great food, great company, fun, games, and new experiences.  Emma and my boys went shooting with the big boys.  She got to try her hand at some big guns, too!  The boys each got to shoot the .22, and are glad they did.  After shooting, Emma went out with her cousin Todd to do some pheasant hunting, while the rest of us went to the wind farm for some family pictures. Then, it was back to the house for leftovers, and more GAMES!

Lara's first time at SPOONS!

After another good night of sleep, we got up Friday morning ready to hit the road!  There were the obligatory pictures, lots of hugs goodbye, and promises to not wait 4 years before we do it again!  We left late morning, and after a stop in Dodge City for yummy Mexican food for lunch, we were Oklahoma bound!

All the cousins!  Ages 15 to 22 months

Twins holding TWINS! Lara and Alex then Emma and Isaac

Lara (OG) and Emma

Lara (OG) and Lil Lara

When we were about 1.5 hours out from home, we got 2 phone calls that changed out next few hours.  First, we got a call and were offered 6 free tickets to the OSU vs. Kansas football game that was set to kick off in Stillwater at 11:00am on Saturday.  We were headed back so that Britt could be there to Uber, but going to Senior Day at Boone Pickens Stadium sounded AWESOME!  So, we started figuring out what all we needed to do to make that happen for our family.  Then, Emma got a call that she needed to stop by her house in Orlando to check on the horses and the dog.  Our 4.5 hour trip home would now be a solid 7 hours! LOL!  But, we made lots of memories along the way!

So, Saturday morning we were up early, bundled against the wind and cold, and on campus by 8:45 am to see The Walk and participate in pre-game activities - which included Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Cheese Fries at Eskimo Joe's.  We got to the stadium just in time to see the Senior Day activities, then we watched the cowboys beat the Jayhawks in the last home game of a spectacular season.

It got warmer so we took off our sweaters!

Found an "OLD" friend!

After the game, we took the Tahoe back to Nana and Grandpa's house in Perkins and spent a few hours there just hanging out with them.  Once back at home in Stillwater, it was time to relax.  Britt was out driving for Uber, the boys were on their devices, I was doing laundry, and the girls invited me to watch a movie with them.  Such a sweet time!  We sat in the dark, wrapped up in blankets, ate left-over Thanksgiving treats, and watched a silly movie.  A great way to end the night!

Sunday we all slept in and had a lazy morning.  Mid-day, we took Emma back to Orlando so that she could get some laundry done before she had basketball practice that afternoon.  Emma drove us out to Orlando, and Lara drove back to Stillwater.  They are both getting really good at that route, but need to practice more in town!  We finished our restful Sunday night with church (Lara was our driver), dinner (Lara was our driver), and a family meeting.  Back to the grind on Monday!

It was a Happy Thanksgiving for ALL!