springdellgirl

 Kansas City Trip: Day 10

 The Day After

The day after the wedding we all slept in and had a fairly leisurely morning at the hotel. It was wonderful. We were planning to meet up with my family for brunch down on the Country Club Plaza. The weather was gorgeous. The sun was shining and the humidity was very low. Somehow we lucked out the whole time in KC and had hardly any humidity. Very unlike last summer when I thought I was going to keel over.

We met up with Kirk and Meki at Brio's Tuscan Grille. It was delicious!! It was fun to be able to relax and enjoy one another with all of the wedding preparations over and done. The food was great and company even better. I love my brother. He makes me laugh harder than anyone else on the planet and I miss him like crazy. We went ahead and ordered because the rest of the family was late due to drama the likes of which no one need ever know!! Am I right? :) Let's just say we were very glad to have stayed the past few days in a hotel. When we were finishing up with brunch my mom, Ken, Stacey, Kelley, River and Elle arrived. Unfortunately it was nearly time for Kirk and Meki to head to the airport. Darn it. So after a quick visit with the rest of the family it was time for them to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I always cry like a baby and this time was no different...restaurant onlookers and all. I just really need Kirk and Jordi et al to move up here. I hate that they live so far away.

After Kirk and Meki left, Tyler and the kids and I left to spend a day on the plaza. We had an AWESOME time!! First stop...the Art Museum. I have a deep love of museums especially art museums. It stems from living in Springville, Utah for a few years during elementary school. In the summer, Stacey and I, would ride our bikes to the art museum and wander around for hours. My favorite painting was the one of the mother with two daughters. One daughter had blue eyes and one daughter had brown eyes and the mother had two different colored eyes. So cool. We loved it there!! My love was further solidified when I was 13 and my mom and I traveled to Washington DC and spent days at the Smithsonian. I was in heaven. Spokane has a very small art museum which I usually find sub par so anytime we travel and I have the opportunity to show great works of art to my children I jump on it. I want just want them to soak it up when they get the chance.

I love the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art!! I truly do. I have many fond memories of the place. I was giddy with excitement to go there. By the way...I was the only one. But oh well. I love the green lawn where we would listen to the symphony and have gourmet picnics in the summer. I actually went there on several dates with a particularly cultured boy named Matt who also took me to polo matches. Poor Matt ...I had to put an end to it though when we would constantly run into my parents...heaven forbid. Too many shared interests and run- ins with my parents was the kiss of death.

Anyway...

I LOVE the big badminton shuttlecock sculptures that are scattered on the grounds. They are so cool. We are big badminton fans and had to get up close and touch these amazing things. Word to the wise...don't do that. A voice came out of nowhere saying "Please do not touch the art...please step away from the sculptures". Bummer.

 Just soaking it all in...

Basking in the sunshine on a beautiful day

Inside was awesome. I could have stayed there for days and it truly would take days to see everything. We went to the Worlds Fair exhibit which was cool and then we wandered from room to room looking at the priceless paintings. It surprised our kids how often stories from the Bible were depicted in art and unlike me at that age they have excellent scripture knowledge of even some of the more obscure stories that were depicted in gorgeous paintings. I loved that and it gave them a vivid image to go along with the scriptures they know so well.

My favorite moment was when Ailey and I were walking around together and we stood gazing at a picture of the Crucifixion. It showed Christ in agony, nailed to the cross, bleeding...suffering. Ailey just stared at it wide-eyed. She couldn't take her eyes away. I just watched her, wondering what she was thinking, when she suddenly looked up at me and in a little voice choked with emotion said "He did that for me?"

What a beautiful moment to share with her, as my own eyes filled with tears, and I said "Yes, He did Ailey. That's how much He loves you." We could have packed up and gone home right then. Golden moment. Our children don't often see these brutal crucifixion pictures that are more common in other Christian faiths. Sometimes it is important that they do and that they "get" it...in all it's horror and violence...what the Savior suffered for them...for us.

Then after much too short a time for me and much too long a time for my children it was time to go. Tyler has promised me a nice long...adults only...visit when we come out for Jordin's graduation from Nursing School. I am going to hold him to that!!

Back on the plaza we soaked up the sun, the people, the sights and the gorgeous fountains. This is one of my very favorites. The J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain. My friends and I were always posing for pictures in front of this one in high school.

You will have to kindly ignore that fact that my garments are hanging out. I should have Tyler photo shop them out but I am too lazy. Oh well.

Ignore the garments here too. Clearly the sun has some kind of über-strength in the Midwest since we poor Pacific Northwesterners can't seem to take a picture outside and look normal with our overly sensitive eyes. Good grief. Clearly, we aren't used to that much sunshine!!

Then it was time to shop!!

Reilly's 1st Stop

A multi-level Forever 21. I have to admit it was pretty awesome. Luckily for Reilly she has a very generous daddy who bought her several cute things for school. It was fun to spoil her a bit and watch her running around like a kid in a candy store.


We had a great fun-filled day as we strolled the plaza together. Then it was back to the hotel for a little rest and relaxation...and to pack...so that we could leave the next day. The day ended with a party at the Bubblemart which is a laundromat. Tyler and I met my mom there who was doing about 40 loads of laundry. We were later joined by Jordin, Ramon, Jaylah, and RJ. The party eventually moved to a bench outside the Bubblemart as we laughed and laughed until it got late. Who knew you could have so much fun at the laundromat?