Oh what fun it is to ride...in a car driving to Kansas!

You know, I just wouldn't normally really write that sentence unless I was joking but I'm totally serious. We had a FANTASTIC time on our 3-pronged trip. (I can't believe I found a way to use "prong" in a sentence.) Rob's schedule at work suddenly changed last week and we found ourselves with 4 days off in a row without having to take any official days off. We were recently contacted by some very old and VERY dear friends that we haven't seen for 12 years. They live less than 8 hours away so it's a fun driving distance. So with about 3 days notice, off we went to Kansas. We drove up on Sunday and got to Wichita around 4:30. We stopped and visited with my grandma for about 2-1/2 hours. It was so fun to see her. My uncle, Daryl, came over which was fun. He brought Justin & Travis who continue to grow and get older, darn them!! Meredith stopped by after work. I haven't seen her for quite a long time and she's getting so grown up!
It was really nice to get to see Grandma and see how she's getting on without Grandpa. Of course, she misses him a great deal but finds many things to be happy about in her life. Someone made her a beautiful shadow box with Grandpa's medals, discharge letter, a fantastic jaunty-hat picture of him and his flag from his funeral. It is wonderful. I'll try to remember to post the picture Rob took of it before I post this. It was so fun to see her.
We headed out to Newton to stay with Uncle Daryl & Auntie Inga and sweet little Ian. We got to meet their house for the first time. It's a beauty. It's a craftsman-style home and is so seriously my taste. They've decorated it so nicely and are working on renovating the kitchen. It's so warm and inviting. We had fun watching Ian be his funny little self until bedtime. Then we grown ups had an enjoyable round of late-night conversation. Sometimes I forget how much I love to be around Daryl and Inga. I mean, I know I like them but being around them, I realize how much I really love to be with them. Thanks for the fun visit and delicious breakfast, Daryl & Inga. We look forward to seeing ya'll again soon.
We left Monday morning and drove up to Lawrence to visit our good friends, Travis & Felicite. We drove through a part of Kansas we've never been through. It was surprisingly hilly and beautiful. We really enjoyed the drive, but we usually do. When we got there, Travis & Felicite came out. I hugged Travis first and found myself in tears. I couldn't believe how good it was to see them both and how much I had missed having them in our life. Within about 5 seconds, it felt like we'd never been apart...until we saw their huge children!
I feel like I'm still struggling to rectify the almost-15-year-old boy we saw with my little baby, Spencer (white shirt, gold tie), whom I last saw at age 2. It was fun to see him grown up into a wonderful young man. It was really hard to not have him sit on my lap and kiss him, though. Old habits die hard. :-) It was great to see Ashleigh (white shirt on Dad's lap) & Samantha (pink shirt & skirt), their twin girls who are now 13. I last saw them when they were just a few months old. They are definitely fraternal, not identical, and both are very beautiful and wonderful girls. I look forward to getting to know them better. Then, there is Nicholas (dark suit with red tie) whom I had not met since he was born after we moved away. He'll be 12 in December. He is funny and so friendly. They also have their niece, Gayla (on Auntie Felicite's lap), staying with them and she is a doll.
The whole family totally gets our sense of humor which makes life so fun. We had some very silly conversations and loved it all. They live in a townhouse that is partly opened to the neighboring one where 3 mentally handicapped adults live that they are responsible for. They have help in the evenings and on weekends but are responsible for the bills, the food, etc. It's something they love doing and are so excited to have the opportunity to do it for a living. The 3 guys that live there are very special, especially Ed who has a fantastic sense of humor.
We hung out, talked & talked & talked, watched movies, went swimming, had dinner at a great steak place, had a few rousing rounds of "Once Upon a Time".
It was one of the funnest visits we've ever had. It was really hot in the afternoon & evening due to their landlord being pretty lame about their a/c unit but it was totally awesome to be there. We look forward to much more visiting. Hopefully we can steal the kids for a weekend or whole week at some point. I would love to have them. We, of course, had a fun drive home and can't wait to have a drive back soon.
I've come to realize that we have been deeply and seriously blessed throughout our marriage with special friends. Along with many social friends who have been wonderful, we've had a few that make me believe we definitely knew some of our friends before we came to this earth. I fear I've often not been as good of a friend back to them as they've been to me but I am so thankful that hasn't seemed to lessen our love for each other. Thanks to all those people.