Tuesday Travels - Kansas to Tahoe

Got to see many friends and family on my trip back to Kansas this year. I hadn't seen these girls in ages. Seriously, I hadn't seen Liz in 10 years!

me, Tamara, and Liz

my goddaughter Brittney is now 13!

She is even taller than her mom now.

We enjoyed some pool time to cool off from the 100+ temperatures. (It got up to 111 one day.)



And they introduced me to Margarita iceys. So good on a hot day




Oh, yeah. We also enjoyed an adult night out. We indulged in swirls at On the Border. Those girls put me to shame. haha. Then we went to a late movie and saw "Bridesmaids". Yay for girls night!


I went to a cousin's wedding in Wichita and saw my closest living relative (I'm talking proximity here). She lives near Yosemite National Park, but we meet up in the midwest. Go figure. It was great to see her and we managed to stay out of trouble. ;)

Janna and I

I then spent a week in Kansas City. The highlights were having dinner with my aunt and cousin, learning a few things about my car (tip: if your check engine light comes on, go to an auto parts store and borrow the code reader to find out why. it's free! then do a little research online.), and a trip to Hobby Lobby for a few necessities and some inspiration. If only they'd build one near Tahoe.

From Kansas City, I drove to Sabetha, KS for a family reunion. I had been really missing my grandparents for the last few months and was so happy to get to visit with them.

There was food galore as always. I even snagged a couple recipes to try!


The reunion was actually held at my grandparents assisted living facility. Dude! They have shuffle board.




And a paddle boat.



Everyone who came this year.


My more immediate family.

Saturday night around 9pm, Nick and I hit the road. We decided to head north to Lincoln, Nebraska and catch i80. There was an awesome lightning storm that kept him entertained while I drove the first leg of the trip. We both got sleepy about the same time, but he tried to drive. He drove an hour then pulled over for an hour. Then repeated the sequence again. After the second time, I was ready to drive again.




Around 8:30am we made it to Cheyenne, Wyoming and stopped at a diner for breakfast.



We stopped at this little tourist trap for a 50 cent ice cream cone.



We saw so many trains on this trip. This was my favorite, taken in Utah.



We arrived in Reno around 1am yesterday morning. Slept in the car for a couple hours and then drove the last 1hour and an half to South Lake Tahoe. So happy to be back.