Reminiscing

Rose and Colin napping in the car

We traveled every.single.day while we were in Kansas.

We were either going to Newton or back to Lawrence and even threw a short trip to Kansas City in there.  Every day was packing up for 4 people, munching on snack foods, interrupted naps and sleeping in different places.  The kids handled the adventure well and on the bright side, Eliot learned how to potty on the side of the road!

Eliot, Rose and Alison in our hotel room

With all our traveling, I thought this was a golden opportunity to reminisce about my past and document it.  With my fancy-schmancy camera in hand, I planned to get some fantastic shots of my favorite places.

However, these plans quickly blew away with the Kansas wind.

I forgot how windy it is there!

watching the cows at Aunt Karen's

 The kids didn't want to explore the farm because there were dogs at Aunt Karen's house and it was muddy.  So we looked at some cows and that was about it.

They weren't even interested in my stories of playing in the chicken coop, riding horses, playing in the pool or climbing hay bales.  If only they knew the fun they were missing out on.

 

I drove through Newton and by grandma and grandpa's old house.  I stopped the car to get a picture, but it just wasn't the same.  It's uncle Sam's house now and he's made it his own (as he should).  The swing set we played on is gone and the creek is overgrown.

I drove around the middle school that grandma would always take us to, only to find the stage where we would ride our bikes on now has a building on it and the big jungle gym has been replaced with just a few swings.

I ended our tour, driving around the cemetery right by their old house.  Grandma would take us for walks through there when were kids.  I never knew if there was someone specific she was visiting or if it was just a place to let us run around.  But this trip was different than the rest.  This time, I was able to see my Grandma Emile's gravestone for the first time.  She passed away the day Alison was born and I wasn't able to go to the funeral.

Back in Lawrence, my plans failed once more.

The duplex Ben and I lived in when were first married had a big boat in the driveway and a canoe in front of the door.  Definitely not picturesque or how I remember it.

The schools have been remodeling, restaurants have closed, streets have even been renamed.

Places that were for so long, home and comforting, now felt strange and unfamiliar.  

Nothing was as it had been years ago.

Places have changed.

People have changed.

I have changed.

Yuck.

It made me long to be a kid again.

playing baseball with grandpa in the backyard

However, it made me look at the 3 amazing kids that God has blessed me with and I'm so thankful that they can start making new memories of their own.  I handed Alison our old digital camera on our trip and I told her to start taking pictures of everything that was important to her now.  I hope to document for her, what will be important to her later.

I pray that she cherishes, what I learned is most important this trip.  

It's not about the places, it's about the people.

What a gift family is.  They love you throughout your whole life; no matter how many changes you go through.

And if she ever doubts me, I'll show her this picture:

I found this in the windowsill at my grandparents house.

It sits in front of my grandpa's desk, a place I know he visits daily.

20-some years later, I live states away and haven't visited for years...and they still have my picture up.

That's family.