the UNholiday

My friend Chrisy and her husband, Tony, flew into Kansas City on Thursday evening. On their way to Hays Friday morning they stopped off in Lawrence and picked me up so I could spend time with them while they were in the state. (They live in Dallas, TX now, in case you didn't know). I am always happy to spend time with the her family, mostly because I know I'll be fed more food than I ever need to eat. This weekend was no different. In fact, I think the whole weekend was centered on the meals Pam had planned to make us. It reminded me of mom and how excited she gets for her boys (and their plus ones) to come home, making her menu weeks in advance. It's very endearing.

The ride to Hays was interesting. Our friend, Lana, drove her Honda Civic two-door with Chrisy, Tony and I as her passengers. We stopped in Salina to pick up Chrisy's sister, Michelle, (She says, "HI Brandon") and thus capacity in the honda was at its max. I include a picture of the SNOW we encountered in Salina. It was April 6 and apparently mother nature decided this was a good time for a blizzard. Note the blooming purple tree in the center.

Anyway, we had a great weekend. I was able to see my friend Tara who recently had her first baby, Carter. What a cutie. Though I was a little concerned with the onesy he was wearing: "Roe v. Wade Survivor." Things are very different in Hays...I often forget that. I also went to a wedding shower for my friend, Nicki. She was a member of the very exclusive "BBF" when we were in high school. A group of friends, consisting of Me, Chrisy, Tiona, Nicki, Angie and Tara. The name came from a drunken Tara who exclaimed to us one night that she loved her BBF when she really meant BFF which everyone knows stands for "Best friends forever." The name stuck. And now, seven years later, Nicki is the last of the BBF to get married...besides me.

We also spent several hours dying Easter Eggs, which is obviously a practice I usually don't partake in anymore, but when in Rome...The eggs were actually quite immaculate when Pam decided to get out her glitter and other bedazzling trinkets! Fred, Chrisy's dad, was worried about what all the glitter would do to these eggs he'd be eating the next day. I casually responded, "No worries, Fred. You'll just be shitting glitter." I k i d y o u n o t. It got a great response! Here Chrisy and I are with an easter basket of our prized eggs!

Saturday night was a hit! We attended "New Beer's Eve" at Gella's; a celebration for a new beer they were releasing. I've included a picture of the new beer here. (Ok, that's a lie. This is actually the Lemon Ale which is much better than the new beer. Sorry, Gella's).

Originally, my weekend in Hays was to end on Saturday evening. I had convinced mom and dad to come to Hays as well so we could leave Saturday, as opposed to Sunday afternoon when I could catch a ride with Chrisy, etc. But Chrisy begged me to stay so I let mom and dad off the hook. The main reason I didn't want to stay in Hays was to avoid "Easter Sunday." I knew it was going to be a big deal at Chrisy's house -- they were expecting 20 some family members. But, I put my foot down and did not go to church, instead I just partook in the elaborate brunch buffet prepared by Pam and other family members.