Midwest Tour

Excited to head to Missouri

Robert and I had been waiting with great expectation as a trip to Missouri drew closer.  This trip had been planned for months, and it did not disappoint!  I took the whole day off on Wednesday even though our flight wasn't until 4:30.  Since Robert was off school we were able to spend the day running errands.  Let me tell you, you just need a day like this every one in awhile.  Robert went to the doctor with me.  Then we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy wedding presents for a few friends.  My former suitemate Laura is getting married in Arkansas in June and Robert's cousin Ethan is getting married in Alabama in June as well.  We also ordered a replacement salad plate.  Ours unfortunately fell on the floor and shattered, but thankfully Noritake is awesome and replaces broken items for free.  We hit up Men's Wearhouse next.  Am I the last person to realize it's Wearhouse NOT Warehouse?  Hmm...Anyway, Robert got fitted for his tuxedo for Ethan's wedding.  Then Robert came with me to the chiropractor.  The chiropractor suspects that I might be allergic to wheat.  I am going to try a 30 day wheat-free routine and see how I feel.  Presently, my body is having great difficulty absorbing the nutrients I am taking in.  I'm also having a lot of headaches and an upset stomach.  This coupled with the fact that I have two aunts with who have the same problem has led the doctor to believe that it might be affecting me as well.  While in Missouri and Kansas I attempted to avoid wheat - didn't take a dinner roll at Easter, ordered a salad instead of pizza, etc.  But since it was new to me I didn't want to infringe upon the delightful menus that had been prepared for us.  One positive of our refrigerator and pantry being completely barren is the fact that when I go grocery shopping tonight I can stock up on wheat-free options.

We arrived in Kansas City at 8pm.  My parents were there to pick us up, and we got to Bolivar around 10:30.  We pretty much went straight to bed after giving Robert a tour of all the awesome stuff my parents have done to the house since he was last there in May.

On Thursday morning we woke up early so Robert could get two fillings.  What a way to spend your vacation, huh?  We need he needed a feeling and that it would be cheaper in Bolivar.  Little did we know that he actually needed TWO fillings.  Mom took a personal day from work.  It was so nice to go around town with her!  She went with me to get my hair trimmed.  Lori gave me my first haircut, and she has been my beautician ever since.  I've gotten my hair cut twice in North Carolina, but it just isn't the same.  After that, we met up with Robert at Roweton's Home Center.  We picked out a few wedding presents for friends which is always fun.  We split for lunch.  Dad, Jim, Robert, and two of Dad's coworkers ate lunch together at Jasmine.  This was one of Robert's favorite things to do in college - lunch with the boys.  He said it was delicious and so good to catch up with them.  While they ate together, Mom, Memaw, Pepaw, Aunt Dana, and I went to The Hangar Cafe at the local paper.  It was so tasty!  I got ham and cheese with fries.  It was tasty, they make their own bread, the food was ready quickly, the servers were friendly, and it is decorated perfectly to look appropriate for an airport with a bunch of mean but still put together and cute.

We met back up after lunch and went over to Carey's house.  This is a MUST when in town.  We got to hang with her awesome sons as well.  It's really crazy to see how big they are now.  When I first started meeting with Carey weekly Miles couldn't even walk and Cooper was being potty trained.  Now Cooper is almost finished with kindergarten and Miles will be starting in August.  Nate and Carey are such awesome parents, and I truly do admire them and look up to them.

For dinner, we all ate at Mom and Dad's house - Jim, Mom, Dad, Robert, Memaw and Pepaw, Aunt Pam and Uncle Nelson, Aunt Dana and cousin Kelsey, and me.  It was awesome!  Pam and Nelson are moving to Colorado in about a month, and they were able to make one last trip before the move.  Dana came up from Texas and Kelsey drove in from Springfield as well.  We were able to celebrate Kelsey's 23rd birthday one day late.

Pappy's did a great job!  I really like the idea of decorating the platter as well.

After dinner we headed over to Jim's new house to watch some basketball.  His house is awesome!

Beautiful hardwood floors and a large dining area

So many cabinets and awesome counter space

His new fridge has a light in the freezer.  I'd never seen that before for a fridge that isn't a French door fridge.  It's definitely a feature I'll look for when we buy a fridge one day.

His new furniture is super comfy and very pretty

Guest bathroom has so much storage!

Game central in the third bedroom

He has a great covered deck and huge back yard

Aunt Dana painted his dining table, Pepaw made two leaves for it, and Robert and I donated a chair to the cause.  Now it's less of a breakfast table and more of a dining table.  I had purchased a chair at a garage sale for $2, but decided not to take it with us to NC in May.  It had just been in storage at Mom and Dad's so we donated it to the cause.  It's the one with its back to us.  And the plant in the corner is real and was only $10 at Wal-Mart.

Dying Easter eggs at Jim's house

On Friday we to El Rodeo and The Bean 3:16 with Elise and Harrison.  El Rodeo is our all time favorite restaurant.  We hadn't been to the Bean yet since it opened after we moved.  Neither one disappointed.  Delicious!  After that, Memaw and I went to Happy Hour at Sonic so we could have some one on one time. :)  Robert and I went over to our pastor's house.  Billy and Regina are so great to talk to.  They are some of the best listeners I know.  They always remind me that you don't have to say anything to listen.  You just need to be fully there.  We had dinner at Memaw and Pepaw's house, and of course it was amazing!  We also managed to squeeze in a walk in the park at some point.  We got to go to Elise's mom's new house.  It looks great!  We met up with Kelsey, Tiffani, and Leigha there as well.  It was great to see 4 of my 5 bridesmaids at the same time.  They are the best!

Time to head to KC

It's always nice to get a text from friends showing that they just can't have fun without me :)

Yum!!!

Miles rocking his sports outfit

We headed to Kansas City Saturday after breakfast.  We got to see many family members and friends.  We also got to see Robert's mom's new house and his sister's new house - both are very nice!  Again, we ate so much good food.  We got to meet up with a few friends at the Plaza, and we also got to hang out with Josh.

Josh's adorable puppy Mya

Jim got me good!

We made it back to Raleigh just fine.  Ben picked us up and brought us home - so glad he was able to do that.  We got home at about 10:30.  Robert had a bit of homework to do when we got back.  He took a take home Greek test and got 100%!!!  He is so awesome!  Now it's back to school and work, but my mind is full of wonderful memories.