Chilling with The Cerfs in Kansas City

Kansas City, Mo/ Kansas City, KS

At just after 11 we rolled into Kansas City and crossed Bond Bridge (below).  Chris met us downstairs holding Colin - 15 months old with a head full of springy curls.  Chris said we looked remarkably awake for having driven all night but it sure was exciting to see them and to see Colin who looked like the older brother of the boy whose 6 month old picture we had seen not too long before. Colin was shy at first but I knew we would be friends before too long although he did take to Clay first. Farrah put together a huge breakfast for us and we relaxed and chatted.

Chris told us about Bacon Fest and for a while we debated going but decided that we were unlikely to get our money's worth for $40 of unlimited bacon products. (A pic of the Bacon FEst sign after the Fest closed is below.) Later that afternoon we headed out to see the city and stopped at a lounge. Everywhere we went Colin enchanted everyone. While the biz school trio sat and caught up, I took the antsy Colin out for a walk. He was very curious and showed me his vocabulary. He was mesmerized with cars but stopped to smell the flowers I pointed out too. And we played a game of stomping crunchy leaves. 

A shopkeeper with a teacup dog came out to say hello and Colin said 'dog' but didn't want that particular one to touch him. We passed a couple getting ready to take a bike ride. They had pink mohawk tufts on their helmets and Colin stared. The man started ringing his bike bell and encouraged Colin to do it too. Colin shied away from the loud noise. The man said that Mozart had not liked the noise brass instruments made either and most of his music was piano and strings. I said I hadn't known that. The man said that apparently someone had tried to cure Mozart of his distaste for brass by tying him to a chair and blowing a trumpet in his face. We agreed that that had probably not helped matters. Colin and I returned to the lounge and refreshed our pineapple juice drinks and ate appetizers.  

My mom called on the ride home. She wanted to know who was the baby in the background. It was Colin. And where I was. I didn't know other than in Kansas City in The Cerf's car. I told her I would call later and she said I needed to call my aunt in Louisiana as she'd been calling her sister - my grandmother asking when exactly we would arrive there. Got it, I said, will do.

When we got back I fell asleep on the couch while the boys were out and woke up to Farrah putting a throw over me. For dinner we had Oklahoma Joe's barbecue take-out (tasty!) and enjoyed great conversation. It was pretty much a wrap after that. (Thanks ribs!)  

Clay and I slept in late but that was too be expected as it was our first night of more than four hours of sleep in two nights. When we got up Chris, Farrah and Colin had already eaten. I made breakfast for us. It rained for a few hours and we hung out inside. I watched Farrah playing with Colin and she showed me an interactive book Hallmark makes where a stuffed animal is featured in the book and responds with his own line after a certain line in the book is read. Too cute! And Colin loved it. It was helpful to hear Chris and Farrah talk about how they plan their household schedule to both work demanding jobs and take care of and spend time with their son, and things that we should think about as we go down that same road. 

Once the rain stopped we headed out to Google Fiber. Chris and Farrah kept saying it but I had no idea what it was. Apparently Google is wiring all of Kansas City for superior cable and internet at competitive prices. Once they get enough density in a neighborhood they can wire everyone and they wire the schools, police and fire departments for free! Game changer! We checked out their interactive store and became convinced that their entry into the market is just the disruptive factor needed to shake up the cable industry. 

We went past all the shops on Wyandotte Street and shopped in the Halls department stores in the Plaza. Who knew the Halls of Hallmark are based in Kansas City and own a Halls department store and other properties all over the city? I certainly didn't. Farrah started looking at little girl clothes for Baby Girl Virgil and we had Colin try on a train engineer's hat. He was game and gave the cutest smile to the camera.

We decided on Mediterranean for dinner and while everyone else went in and ordered takeout I took a quick nap in the car which continued once we got back. I did get up for dinner though.

Tomorrow morning we all head out.  Farrah and Chris head to work and Clay and I head to Little Rock, Arkansas and then Homer, Louisiana.

-jev