Home Again - Kansas edition

After a week in Los Angeles, Dani and I were heading to Kansas. That, of course, is my second home. Dani and I had moved our flight so that we didn't miss Craig entirely. With our original schedule, we would have flown out Thursday morning when Craig arrived Thursday afternoon. Instead, we had a couple of days together before we went to Kansas.

My mom and my sister, Ann, picked us up at the airport. We had lunch together in Kansas City, then we dropped Ann and Dani off at their house. Mom and I made our way to her house, where Dave and family were waiting for us. I stayed one night at my mom's house before braving the construction dust and moving into my own house. After so many nights away from home, I just wanted my bed.

Craig and I, perhaps ridiculously, have the same bed in Los Angeles and Kansas. We recently found a perfect pillow* and Craig had sent one of those to the house in Kansas as well. We've fallen in love with the bamboo sheets my sister-in-law recommended, so Craig sent a set of those to the farmhouse while I was there. Now I only need to find the perfect comforter** solution and my bedroom will be finished.

Of course, the best part of visiting the farmhouse is that it is always Christmas there. In addition to the items Craig sent, I found a number of things we had ordered for the house after our last trip. (We have a habit of doing this - ordering the things we've missed just as we leave.) Given the length of time between trips, we often forget what we've ordered, so opening the boxes is something of a Christmas surprise every time.

The first surprise - a box cutting knife (shown here with the knife I had used to open all the boxes):

Next up, a small strainer (purpose still unclear).

Finally, a gift from friends:

I was thrilled to see the progress on my den turned playroom, though it isn't as close to finished as I would like. But mom and I went to Toys R Us, shopping for a birthday party, so I picked up a couple things on sale for my new playroom. It will have a lego theme, so I got this storage bin (you can also see the markers I picked up on sale, because, well...sale...markers...).

My trip was a little short, but it always feels that way. I was able to catch up with several friends, but I missed some others. There's never quite enough time for everything and everyone that I want to see. But we are going back for a longer stay in August, which I am very much looking forward to.

*The perfect pillow for Craig and I is, in fact, a single Casper pillow taken apart. Craig likes to sleep with only the inner pillow, while I prefer only the outer pillow.

**In Los Angeles, we switch between a summer-weight down comforter (for winter) and a light quilt (for summer). Given the difference in weather between Kansas and Los Angeles, I doubt the same solution will work both places.