MISSOURI TRIP RECAP: PART TWO

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

As promised, I'm dishing up another dose of delightful details from our recent trip to Missouri. Enjoy!

• Visits to Flyboy's hometown of Sedalia are cathartic because it's where we met and became great friends in high school. Going back with Max is even more special (and kind of surreal) now because we get the opportunity to make memories with family and introduce our half-pint to old friends. It's especially fun for me to sit back and watch as FB shares the place he was raised with our son. I know he holds his hometown close to his heart and the opportunity to visit people and places that made him who he is today with Max is an incredibly special thing to witness.
• We divvied up our time evenly with family, which inevitably left the three of us overfed and spoiled. Who doesn't love that?! While Max had the undivided attention of his grandparents, we made it a point to slip into town to run a few errands on our own. After chatting with friends who are also parents, we all decided that when you have a kid your folks really don't want to be around you anyway. They just want time alone with the grandkid. Ha Ha!
• When we weren't on a boat exploring the Lake of the Ozarks, you could find us making frequent trips to the local park (because of course...), frolicking in the backyard playing with bubbles or balls, spending time at Crown Center's aquarium, and discovering a hidden gem in the West Bottoms of Kansas City. In fact, if you're ever in the area you MUST check out Easy Tiger. I've purchased a handful of items from their online shop in the past, so you can only imagine what a dorky smile I had painted on my face when we got to visit the actual brick and mortar. It was a total fangirl moment, and I'm so grateful we had the chance to see it in person. It definitely lived up to the hype!
• There were a lot of really great highlights to our trip, but I think my favorite moment was seeing Flyboy and Max pick out a bike at FB's hometown bicycle shop. As soon as we knew we were expecting a child, FB had one simple request and it was that he would buy our child their first bike and that it would be purchased at Pro-Velo. Done and done! Over the past year I could see FB was more eager than ever to make his wish a reality so we knew it HAD to happen THIS summer. Max just seemed ready. It was finally time! While I knew this moment would be special, I wasn't prepared to turn to mush like I did when I watched Max put on his helmet, sit on his bike, and gaze at Flyboy as he pushed him around in the backyard. The grin on my baby's face was unlike anything I'd seen before. I tried explaining it to my dad recently in an email, but I was at a complete loss for words. If I close my eyes I can still see the sweetness in his smile at that moment. I guess it was the kind of genuine expression that showed the purest form of pride and joy.
• On our way back to Texas we made a pit stop in St. Louis to catch up with friends we made while stationed in Hawaii. Since we parted in 2013, there have been several moves, career changes, and children. I had a feeling it was going to be delightful to catch up, but I don't think Flyboy and I were prepared for how much the time together would make us miss the company of really good friends. Aside from the addition of our two little boys (which was precious to see play together), it felt like we picked up where we left off. Hanging out with them was just so easy. You could have fun and be honest. I think we forgot what that was like. Ha Ha! And as if the good company and conversation wasn't enough, they outdid themselves as host and hostess by feeding us nonstop, taking us to the Botanical Gardens, and venturing out into their cute neighborhood for an evening stroll. It was a fabulous way to end our fun journey to MO.

Enough from me already. How the heck are YOU? Go on and fill me in. I've missed you and this colorful corner of the Internet.

P.S. MAX'S COLD HAS INVADED THE FINE HOUSEHOLD, SO I THOUGHT I'D SPARE YOU A DAYQUIL-FUELED THURSDAY'S THOUGHTS. 

HAVE NO FEAR, M' DEARS! I'LL BE BACK ON FRIDAY WITH A MUCH-ANTICIPATED RETURN OF THE LOVE LIST. STAY TUNED.