OK, so way too much time has passed. Our house is on the market and we have an accepted offer sitting on some bankers desk on a short sale with half the rest of the western hemisphere. If I hadn't had a nervous breakdown, I would have had the fore thought to take pictures of the mess that preceeded the glory of a scaled down, purged, cleaned house. So, because I chose a breakdown instead, all I have to write about is our friends in Kansas City, and there is plenty I can write about. It is just choosing which story I will share that is the problem.
Alyson and I drove to the old train station in Kansas City together with the three girls and Ben. Adam and Eric followed. Well, actually, truth be told, we followed Eric because Alyson thought the station was in a direction that would have us leaving the state of Kansas. OK, so we women are a bit directionally challenged. If that were our only problem we would be fine, but as it turned out, it wasn't. We pulled up at the station. Lilly and Derek stayed behind because Lilly had not been feeling well the night before and they just wanted to give her some down time and make sure she was feeling better and they were going to drive seperately and meet us a bit later. We all pulled into the parking lot of the "old" train station (I wish I could remember the name of it) and Alyson informed us that it used to be a train station but that trains no longer use it...only to have Eric inform her (the native) that trains DO use it and oh, btw, there goes one! We got out with kids in tow and began walking toward the cat walk across the tracks that DO get used. Alyson was telling me about a dream she had when lo and behold! A little 4 year old came running across the parking lot yelling that we forgot him. Who you ask? Ben. Yup. That's right. We left Ben in the car and had NO idea that we did so. Eric, in his infinite wisdom, and by this point, having one laugh after another at Alyson's expense, chimed in..."Al, Derek had a dream that he had a son when he got home today. He also had a dream that you have two sets of keys in your purse and that he cannot come meet us today because of it". Alyson just burst out in laughter KNOWING she had done it AGAIN (as it turns out - this wasn't her first offense of taking all the keys and leaving Derek in the lurch). OK, so Alyson doesn't know how to get to Kansas City, and she cannot count kids efficiently, and has a thing for car keys. But the best was yet to come.
When we went to sign in and get tickets for an exhibit, they asked us if we were from Kansas City, Missouri and Alyson answered yes. Just to be corrected by Cara, an eleven year old, that "Mom, we live in Kansas, not Missouri". The day got better and better, but because I am about to pee my pants (again) laughing as I write, I will save the rest for another time...
Like when Alyson gave a hamster CPR...or when Derek fell on (and killed) the cat....or when Alyson and I left Kansas and drove an hour into Missouri before she realized that "there was no place like home" and Missouri wasn't it...
Al, you are such a good sport. Thank you for allowing me to share these stories (and embellish when necessary). I can do it with a good heart knowing that I have already told the readers about my bads like missing the first day of school, driving through my garage door and more.
Until next time....
Alyson and I drove to the old train station in Kansas City together with the three girls and Ben. Adam and Eric followed. Well, actually, truth be told, we followed Eric because Alyson thought the station was in a direction that would have us leaving the state of Kansas. OK, so we women are a bit directionally challenged. If that were our only problem we would be fine, but as it turned out, it wasn't. We pulled up at the station. Lilly and Derek stayed behind because Lilly had not been feeling well the night before and they just wanted to give her some down time and make sure she was feeling better and they were going to drive seperately and meet us a bit later. We all pulled into the parking lot of the "old" train station (I wish I could remember the name of it) and Alyson informed us that it used to be a train station but that trains no longer use it...only to have Eric inform her (the native) that trains DO use it and oh, btw, there goes one! We got out with kids in tow and began walking toward the cat walk across the tracks that DO get used. Alyson was telling me about a dream she had when lo and behold! A little 4 year old came running across the parking lot yelling that we forgot him. Who you ask? Ben. Yup. That's right. We left Ben in the car and had NO idea that we did so. Eric, in his infinite wisdom, and by this point, having one laugh after another at Alyson's expense, chimed in..."Al, Derek had a dream that he had a son when he got home today. He also had a dream that you have two sets of keys in your purse and that he cannot come meet us today because of it". Alyson just burst out in laughter KNOWING she had done it AGAIN (as it turns out - this wasn't her first offense of taking all the keys and leaving Derek in the lurch). OK, so Alyson doesn't know how to get to Kansas City, and she cannot count kids efficiently, and has a thing for car keys. But the best was yet to come.
When we went to sign in and get tickets for an exhibit, they asked us if we were from Kansas City, Missouri and Alyson answered yes. Just to be corrected by Cara, an eleven year old, that "Mom, we live in Kansas, not Missouri". The day got better and better, but because I am about to pee my pants (again) laughing as I write, I will save the rest for another time...
Like when Alyson gave a hamster CPR...or when Derek fell on (and killed) the cat....or when Alyson and I left Kansas and drove an hour into Missouri before she realized that "there was no place like home" and Missouri wasn't it...
Al, you are such a good sport. Thank you for allowing me to share these stories (and embellish when necessary). I can do it with a good heart knowing that I have already told the readers about my bads like missing the first day of school, driving through my garage door and more.
Until next time....
