Kansas: Bigger (and better) Than You Think

Besides the obviousness of seeing amazing friends and family (including Sugar and Edie) here are 10 things I love about going home.

10) Running into people I know everywhere I go

I’m still not sure if this is a huge positive…

9) Row Row Row Your Boat, Gently down… the Road?

There are many quirks that set my home apart from everyone else’s, one of those occurs when the creek can’t drink enough rain and decides to burp it out all over the road. Rowing across the road can be quite the hassle, but it’s a story every time and Ryan sure likes to paddle so no one complains anymore.

8) Pizza Hut

I know, there are a million pizza places in Chicago, but the Pizza Hut has a distinct flavor that is nostalgic to me. And nothing can beat their cheesy breadsticks. And the buffet has a distinct place in my heart as well.

7) Thrift stores/prices

I love the Arc. I love the flea market. I really am too cheap to shop anywhere else. Yesterday I went into an antique store close to my apartment and I saw a necklace I bought at the Flea Market for $1 on sale there for $55. There are really no better places to go if you’re looking to buy stuff. The biggest problem is that it’s hit or miss. The Arc obviously rotates their merchandise, but I’m not so sure about the Flea. I think I’ve been going through the same boxes of jewelry for about six years now.

6) Open Spaces/Walking Places

There are certain things that are going to be missed going from the country to the city. The most obvious is the change in scenery. It’s a relief to come back and view a more beautiful, more simplistic canvass. It’s also nice to be able to walk around with no specific destination, to stare at the cows or tackle a hike up the hill and gaze for miles at the changing colors and rolling plains.

5) Sonic

Okay. I know. I worked at a sonic off and on for like six years, but that doesn’t keep me from enjoying my favorite (non-alcoholic) drink: cherry limeade along side some greasy-as-ever-tater tots with cheese. Yum. I’m salivating.

4) Driving my car

My poor blue neon misses me so much. Creatures like mice and snakes have been visiting it trying to keep it company, but it just gets so sad that even they can’t cheer it up. It rumbles and grumbles now, (probably from too many visitors up in its hood) but, it always plasters a big smile upon my return, wagging its tail, excited to see me. And I reciprocate the excitement, as I prepare to hit the pavement after months of non-driving--it is always an adventure.

3) Boulevard

BEST BEER EVER. Okay. Maybe not EVER. Since I haven’t drank every beer ever made. But the Wheat fills my days with sunshine and the Pale fills my evenings with drunken bliss. I have to admit though, I’ve switched my #1. The Wheat used to be my favorite, but my palate has changed and now the Pale has hit the top of my list. I just can’t get enough hops. The hoppier the better.

2) Dance Parties

They just cannot be beat. Anywhere. Seriously. The best dancers. Of all time. More talented than any reality-tv show can imagine, and they happen to exist in the wide open spaces of Kansas. Probably because we’ve had more room to move and groove than any other souls. All I can say is that it is a magical experience every time. It can’t be missed, it can’t be duplicated, it is what it is.

1) Stars

The real bling bling is up above your head. Light-years out of your reach. Worth more than any ring, diamond, jewel on earth. On the darkest nights they glimmer through the sky like a bedazzler gone berserk. They help me re-center. They help me realize my true size on this planet. I am humbled and awed every time. I never need to make a wish because I’m always exactly where I want to be. Amongst the true bling bling.