DONDON

What does 14 hours in a car, 2 games of Clue, 4 incredible meals (one of which being DONDON, Laura's Japanese step-mother's restaurant), 2 plates of incredible Valentines Day cookies and a Japanese Strawberry Birthday cake, 1 Super Bowl, 1 dead animal in the trash can, 7 games of Killer Uno, 3 nights of going to bed way after midnight, 1 snowball fight, lots of running around in the snow, and lots and lots and lots and lots of laughter get you...


...ONE INCREDIBLE WEEKEND!!!


On Mass. Street in Lawrence, Kansas. Next to the trashcan with the dead animal...sick.

DONDON!!!

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY COURTNEY!!! (Cake made by Ikuko and Laura...Japanese style)

The YUMMY cookies Fox made. I think I ate all of these...hense the grueling 3 mile run today.

Clue game #1, where we found out we were missing the "Conservatory" card the hard way...

Eating at BRIO on the Plaza in Kansas City.

I must admit, I had never seen snow roll before! (Picture taken on Laura's practice soccer fields at Blue Valley Northwest High School...while we were trespassing. Shhh...)

FLYING IKUKO DOMINATING AT UNO

You know, just hanging out with the penguins...or something.

These people bring me so much joy and happiness...I wish it could have never ended! Alas, it had to, but I did learn a few things:

1. I love my friends.
2. Fox needs to move back to Texas. And she is also one big muscle.
3. Courtney and Sam are perfect for each other.
4. JC makes me think of Jesus when I look at her.
5. I LOVE SNOW! Texas needs to look like a winter wonderland all winter long.
6. I could eat those heart cookies all the time...and did this weekend.
7. I love my friends...had to say it again.
8. Long car rides are really fun...when people arn't sick.
9. You can only hear "What'cha say" so many times before never wanting to hear it again.
10. Taking work on trips like this is useless...it just doesn't happen.

Egypt 2012...here we come...

Beyond excited

Tomorrow I embark on a journey...an 8 hour journey. I travel to Lawrence, Kansas. It will be with these people:


Myself, JC, Courtney, Laura Fox (only in real life, not only on a mug), and Sam! I am beyond excited...WAY beyond!!! There will be food at Ikuko's restaurant (Laura's step mom), eating at a fancy-pants restaurant in downtown KC, a Super Bowl Party (where we will be eating snacks, not watching the Super Bowl), SNOW!, and laughter...lots, and lots, and lots of laughter. Please enjoy these pictures, as they are the people I will be staring at all weekend. I know, I am so lucky!


Laura Fox...I know, I konw what you are thinking everyone...and no, that is not William Penn. It's Napoleon.

JC, she will look different in the next picturs...her lovely locks of hair will be down.

The Soon-to-be-Binkley's. They will look like this all weekend...so, so happy!!!!

Train Travel

One of the things I love about bigger cities like New York, Washington D.C., Sevilla, Spain, Mainz, Germany is the public transportation systems. I love them. I love staring out the window at the world zooming by outsize. I love knowing that there is so much outside of that car I should be dealing with, but I can't, because I am being taken away to someplace and there is nothing I can do but sit and wait.

Today, I rode Dallas' great public transportation system back to Ft. Worth. I took the DART from by my house to downtown Dallas, then got on the Trinity Railway Express to go the rest of the way to Ft. Worth. Now the DART is just a little metro, but the TRE is a real live train.

My great-grandfather was a train conductor 70 years ago. My grandmother always talks about how she would ride the train with "Mother" to visit my grandfather. I would have loved to have been with her on some of her trips.

My father is a pilot. I have always loved flying, especially flying on his flights overseas...first class.

Traveling is something that has been instilled in me, and I am grateful for that because it brings me much joy and anticipation.

Now, enjoy these pictures from my journey.

My view as I pulled away from Union Station in Dallas.

The view in front of me...please don't make fun of my feet.


Me, peacefully reading, listening to James Mark, and enjoying the world rushing by...and the cute/could-be-annoying-if-I-didn't-have-my-iPod-in kids next to me.