We're settled back in the apartment and our routine. It's good to be home, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time house sitting and turtle sitting while the kids took their cruise. The turtle was a good source of entertainment - I guess I wasn't expecting much, but she always seemed glad to see me when I went in to feed her. She seemed like she was missing her usual buddy. I'd walk in the door, and she'd swim to the side of the aquarium, poke her head up out of the water, and watch intently as I got her food ready. I was a little surprised to realize she had a personality.
We spent our days exploring the KC Metro area. I have a much clearer picture now of where things are and how to get around. We took a walk around the local neighborhood every morning, then headed out on our adventures. We appreciated how easy everything was to access - we were just blocks from shopping, from multiple grocery stores, from restaurants. At home, we're in a small town with a few eating options, only one grocery store, and limited general shopping.
My favorite discovery of the week was the Nelson-Atkins Museum. The drive there was scenic and easily navigated. We could see the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, Brush Creek, and other recognizable spots from the lawn of the Museum. We spent a bit of time going through some of the exhibits - others were left for another time. We enjoyed a picnic lunch outside......the outdoor sculpture will be explored on another trip.
One of the aspects of our time there was discovering parts of my kids' lives that I'm normally not a part of. Not only did we stay at older daughter's home, but we explored Burr Oak Woods - a local conservation area with a great nature center and walking trails that she and her kids use. We explored some of the area around son's home, finding and driving around some beautiful lakes that are just a few blocks from his spot. And younger daughter invited us to have lunch with her downtown, then took us to her office area.
After seeing her office, I really don't know how she gets any work done - it would be tough for me! She's on the 30th floor and has a cubicle on the southwest corner of that floor.....and the cubicle has windows looking both to the north and to the west. On a clear day she can see Kansas City International Airport in one direction and the Kansas Speedway in the other. She overlooks the Missouri River and the Downtown Airport and can follow the line of the River to the west to the building where her brother-in-law works. Pretty awesome. One KCI landing pattern goes by her window, and there are frequently helicopters flying by. I definitely would have trouble pulling myself back inside to work!!
We discovered how close some things are to one another, and how easy (relatively speaking) the Metro area is to navigate. By the end of the week we also realized that we'd had enough of converging highways and traffic! We opted to stay at the house all day on Saturday. It was a good day to straighten up, do our laundry, and get organized for packing on Sunday.
The grand finale on Sunday was attending the 9-year-old granddaughter's dance recital in Liberty. She's very active in her dance studio and was onstage six or seven times (at least) during the recital. She had her first solo this year, which was very impressive. Being a grandma, it bothered me when I noticed during her ballet number that her slippers were not tied. I'm not sure how that happened, but I was glad when the number was over and she was still on her feet!
I went up to the dressing room during intermission so she would know we were there. Once she was dressed for her first second-half number, she went back to the auditorium with me so she could see Grandpa. She just turned 9 last week, and we can see a big change in her during the past year. She's a lot more outgoing and conversant. And she's growing up way too fast!
We were glad to be home by 5 on Sunday night and got the car unloaded. By the time I unpacked the kitchen items, then the bathroom items, I was feeling pooped. I pulled my clothes out so I could put the suitcases and laundry bags where they belonged, but the clothes stayed where they were until Monday morning. Hubby started our time back home with an 8:30 dental appointment yesterday morning. As soon as he was home, I made the necessary trip to the grocery store. And with everything I picked up yesterday, I could almost make another trip today. It'll take a bit for the kitchen to recover from our time away.
It's nice to be back home, but I'd take a re-run of this past week again in a heartbeat. We only scratched the surface of "Discovering KC".
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