simply emhaiden: kansas

Last weekend we visited my dad's hometown for a family reunion. We got to see family that we haven't seen in awhile and I loved being able to show Mitch around a place that was part of my childhood. I have warm fuzzies about the town of Kansas. It is one of those places that is teeny tiny and full of old buildings that I imagine have wonderful stories tucked within their walls. It has alleys with the most beautiful brick (all hail, exposed brick!) and neat paintings. One of my favorite things about the town is that it was my dad's childhood home, my cousins home, and still is my great-grandma's home. My great-grandma is 94 and let me tell you, she is spry and incredible. I wish a picture could do justice to her outlook on life and her optimism. Her favorite shows are the Bachelorette and The Big Bang Theory which she watches faithfully. (how great is she?) I have lots of memories of spending time at her house. We watched the Fourth of July parades there each year and she made the best cinnamon applesauce. Her house is surrounded by an iron fence that I was fairly certain surrounded my favorite American Girl Doll Samantha's Victorian Home. Naturally, I spent a lot of time playing around that fence and pretending I was a Victorian Girl like Samantha. The town is always friendly, always waving with a 'hello' or a 'howdy'. The kind of town that makes you think that lots of kids in your big backyard and sweet corn in the summer is all that really matters. It was a good day. A really good day.