ROAD TRIP!! (Again!)

 I haven't done a lot of research (ok, any research) into how frequently families with small children will pack up the van and drive across country. Let alone twice in 6 weeks.  However, we did just that.  When grandparents ask if they can send their Jayhawk loving grandson to Bill Self's Basketball Camp...the only answer is: YES!!!  We will make it work.  And in our case, making it work meant driving back to Kansas the first week of June.

 On our return trip in April, we made it all the way from Edmond to Niceville in one day.  I did some calculations and realized the drive to Lees Summit, was about the same time in car.  Let's do it!  We got up early on the 1st, loaded up the gang, and made our way northwest.  The kids did amazing!

 About 12 hours into the drive (which was about a 17 hour day with stops), we pulled off the highway to take a break.

 We discovered a little oasis called Mammoth Springs.  We fed the kids, the kids fed the ducks, and then we took a stroll around the perimeter of the springs. 

 Moods had been pretty good considering all the time in the car (note, John just remained in his pajamas from the night before).  But, having a beautiful place to stretch our legs was a great jolt to the adrenaline to push through.  Especially knowing we only had 5 more hours to go!!

 We also got to see a train go through the depot.  We had just told the kids we thought the depot was just a display, and then here comes a very long freight train.  I tried to capture their jumping up and down...not so great.

 And, it was still going when we reached the other side.

 We talked about Mammoth Springs the whole time we were visiting family.  Dom has added it to the must stop places for future road trips.  However, I will advise that spending an hour there towards the end of the trip is better than towards the beginning, which we did on the way home.  Getting back in the car and seeing your new arrival is 1 in the morning is a bit demoralizing.

 However, on the way up, we knew we were done with stops and just pushed through the last 5 hours.  Eric and I were welcomed by Katie and Robert and ended up staying up for another hour or 2 hanging out on their deck.  It was a long day, but it was great to not spend a night in a hotel and know we had no driving the next day.  This quite well is our new way of road tripping!

 We planned a few events for the days leading into the camp.  A baseball game between the priests of the neighboring archdioceses of St. Joe and Kansas City, Kansas (they played pretty fast and loose with the rules) and a Sporting KC game to be exact, but on Sunday, my dad, Eric, and I headed up to Allen Fieldhouse to sign Dom in for camp.  He got to get a bunch of autographs...none of which we can read.  But, still!  Super exciting!

 We left him to his own devices at Naismith Hall (socialization immersion therapy) and went back for the welcome assembly.  He saw us on the other side and waved happily.  During camp, they had a general assembly every afternoon.  This was Dom's least favorite aspect because they had to line up, make sure everyone was there, walk over in line, then sit and listen to talks or watch videos for a couple of hours.  Sounds a bit like public school...But, he did get to watch a scrimmage between current and former players, so he loved that.

 Mornings were spent with a practice session and evenings had games.  Dom's team finished the regular season at the top of his region...but, lost both games in the tournament.  He was pretty upset, but it was neat to see the coaches give him hugs.  And he wants to go back next year to do better. He's hungry!

 We made it to a few evenings of games.  As did other basketball players.  Devonte Graham is a house favorite and set to lead our Jayhawks next year.  Dom got a couple of high fives from him during the week and he was quick to tell us all about them.

 Overall, Dom had a wonderful time at camp.  He loved playing ball, but I think the free ice cream machine at meals and ping pong during breaks were pretty high on his list of favorite things as well.

 A bonus of his going this particular week was that there was a charity game being played on the last night of camp.  The entire team from 2008 was scheduled to be there and Lawrence had not forgotten them.  The gym at the high school was filled to the brim and it was a neat way to end our week in Lawrence.

 While Dom was at camp, the rest of us found other ways to amuse ourselves.  I love my childhood home and the backyard brings back so many memories from the summers I spent out there doing chores. 

 Eric and I celebrated our 12th anniversary with a soccer game and Chipotle courtesy of Dr. Robert Reddig.  We also had a quiet evening spent going to the airport, learning Eric's flight was delayed so much he would miss his connection, driving back to Lawrence by way of TJ Maxx to pick him out some work clothes, driving through Taco John's, and then eating our tacos on a park bench in downtown Lawrence.  Basically, it was my perfect date. 

Will, Molly, and John spent some quality time with Nana and L'Opa.  Will followed a long Keel tradition of picking green things out of the driveway.  We know there are chemicals that can take care of this, but there is something therapeutic about just working at it for a quarter of hour and seeing how much you can remove.  Plus, as my friend, Ann, learned, this is how we socialize in the summer.  If we are just talking, might as well pick some green things. 

While that was pretty fun, the Will (and the others) played many rounds of Mausfalle.  A German board game from my youth.  A bonus to our stay was that the road in front of the house was re-paved while we were there.  This entertained John for quite a while.

We also made a few drives back to Lee's Summit.  Initially, I thought Katie and I could take our kids to Worlds of Fun...luckily, we did not do this and spent a relaxing day just letting the kids create their own Worlds of Fun.  Which included heading to the lake and letting them kayak while we relaxed on a giant raft.  It was a amazing and we had such a great time I knew I wanted Eric and Dom to experience it as well.  Which they did on our last afternoon in the area.  I have now dubbed the Reddig's house the Lake House. Because it is. 

We rounded out our trip with trips to the park,the Rally House where Dom got another basketball t-shirt courtesy of Nana, Free State Brewery, Yellow Sub, and, of course, Arbys.  We headed back to Florida early Saturday morning and got in even earlier Sunday morning.  It was a great trip...and I've just been checking places to view the total eclipse of the sun on August 21st...it is tempting!