A Weekend in Kansas with my Sister!

Two weeks ago, I flew out to Kansas City to visit my very special beautiful smart and lovable sister! http://jenningsbaby.blogspot.com/2009/08/leavin-on-jet-plane.html She and I had a great time and surely didn't get on eachother's nerves at all. Especially me. I especially didn't drive her crazy with all of my opinions on exactly how her new house should be arranged, organized, and decorated. And surely, she didn't mind at all that I made her go out to eat for almost every meal instead of eating the delicious food she had made at home. And she loved the fact that I kept putting that darned kleenex box where she didn't want it and every time she moved it, I made sure to move it to someplace that I thought was better. Yeah. She was glad that I was there to hound and harrass her about the one box sitting in the entryway that I wanted her to do something with. And she didn't mind at all that I went on and on and on about my baby boy and how much I love him and how much I missed him and how smart and a adorable and lovable and cute and smart and intelligent and funny and smart he is. She didn't mind that at all. That's just how sisters are! You can pinch them and pull their hair and scratch them with your sharpest, longest fingernails and then tell Mom they started it and they still love you.

We had a fun time. We unpacked boxes and boxes of stuff in her new home. We spent approximately 96 hours deciding which item to put on which shelf of this one very perfect black shelf she has. And as soon as I left I am sure that she moved it all back to the way she wanted it in the first place. Surely, she completely redecorated as soon as I was on my plane headed home! But, when I left there, this is what her living room looked like. So charming, so clean and fresh, so her!

...and because she is a triathlete and because she hates running (http://kristinandtim.blog.com/2009/09/02/hurts-so-good/) and because I wanted to see her neighborhood and explore the tree-covered winding streets of fairytale land, we went for a bike ride. I promise you, Hansel and Gretel could have stepped out of any one of the adorable homes we pedaled past! I think I may have spotted little red riding hood skipping through the trees as well! The yards were beautifully landscaped and perfectly shaded, and the stone and tudor-style homes with cute little stone archways over the doors and windows, storybook shutters, and stone pathways were nestled perfectly into the trees on each lot. I expect that if I would have knocked on one of the doors, three little fairy godmothers would have answered and offered me a plate of gingerbread cookies and asked if they could grant a wish for me!
After a bit of exploring, going on a nature walk (a.k.a. twisty stick hunt), listening to the deafening sound of a thousand Cicadas in a lush river valley, and some creative crafting at her house, we ventured out beyond the edges of her neighborhood for a little shopping. We discovered some great finds at the local Goodwill store, but also made our way downtown to Country Club Plaza (http://www.countryclubplaza.com/) for a night out. We found just what I was looking for without too much searching and enjoyed the beautiful spanish architecture of the buildings in the plaza. The plaza is known for it's fine dining, shopping, and art of course, but some of the greatest features are the beautiful water fountains.

The Country Club Plaza was a beautiful sight in the early evening dusk. The houses surrounding the downtown area were unimaginable. They were enormous, gated homes that looked more like resort-town hotels. They were beautiful and each one was different and unique, but of all the houses in Kansas, the only one I want to go back and visit is my sister's! Can't wait for next time!