Tag Archives: Kansas

Top 5 Moments of My Trip to Kansas

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5. Walking in the blustery cold with my brother. In a stroke of genius, I decided the easiest way to fight laziness while at my parents’ house was to work on goal #29, to walk 10,000 steps/day for a week. I started on Saturday before my trip, conveniently requiring 10,000 steps out of each day. When Tuesday reached a high of 22 degrees (with 26 MPH wind, making the windchill in the low single digits), my brother braved the cold with me, which was an awesome distraction. We were both glad to have a mug of my mom’s wassail when we got back.

4. Receiving a “pet” as a present. My sister-in-law is a big pet lover and I’m definitely not. She has tried to convince me to get a pretty, but I’ve just not been interested. A cat? I’m allergic. A dog? Too smelly. Any of a number of small rodents? Both smelly and too much work. Finally, we had settled on the idea that a Venus fly trap was as close as I would come. That said, I laughed out loud when I discovered that they got me Venus fly trap seeds and small pots to plant them in. I’ll have to post pictures once I get them to grow.

3. My plane got struck by lightning. Fifteen minutes after we had taken off from Atlanta, I awoke from my catnap to a flash of yellow light and a bang. If the plane hadn’t seemed entirely unphased, I would have thought the engine blew. Our flight attendant let us know that it was lightning, and that in 7 years of flying, it was only the second time he had experienced it.

2. Almost giving blood. I haven’t given blood in 11 years, in part because of my foreign travel, but mostly because I almost passed out the 3 times I did give (not during, but after). When my brother and sister-in-law asked me if I wanted to try again, I said sure. I was all ready to do it until after two prick’s they determined my iron was too low. That was a first for me. Will have to try again another time.

1. My niece crying for *me* to pick her up. Most of our two days together, if I dared to pick up Bean, she would cry for mom. But at one point I was in the right place at the right time. The dogs were barking and she wanted to check out why, but from the comfort of someone’s arms… And I was the most convenient someone. It was good to hold her for a few minutes while she wasn’t fighting to get away.

A Year Later: Reflections on a Crazy Week

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A year ago today, a tornado hit Raleigh. This tornado was not especially strong but it was decently wide and quite long-lived, traveling over 60 miles before it lifted. It left quite an ugly scar on Raleigh and killed 4 people. This tornado and the others that weekend were soon eclipsed by a much worse tornado outbreak only a couple of weeks later.

This tornado passed less than a mile from where I was then living, taking out the major power lines to our area. The associated storm ripped a part most of the trees in my neighborhood and scattered debris everywhere. That evening as I was trying to make my way home for the first time in a week (before I knew that was futile), I drove through some of the worst hit areas. I later walked through my friend’s neighborhood where one street was obliterated while the streets around it were left intact. A couple weeks after the storm, I had the opportunity through my job to visit the mobile home park where several children died, in order to provide some housing counseling to families who lost their homes.

Growing up in Tornado Alley, I’ve always found tornadoes fascinating. One of my favorite memories is of my dad showing my brother and I the beginnings of a funnel cloud (while my mom was yelling at us to get back into the house). I even was a meteorology major for about 3 semesters.

Still, being so close personally to a tornado shook me, in a way no other storm ever has. I now have seen firsthand, if only in small ways, the devastation and lost. Having a greater appreciation of the power of the world God has created has helped me to see just how much larger God is…and how devastating our sin is.

While I would not want to go back to that week and half of being away from home and having pneumonia, I’m glad that I went through it. I have grown closer to my Rock because of it.

Merry Christmas!

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I hope that you’re having a great Christmas season, one in which you’re focusing on the true reason for this hope- and gift-filled time.

This year, I’ve chosen to fly to Kansas on Christmas morning. This Christmas will be a little different for my family as we’re all on baby watch! For those who have been asking, still no word yet on when my niece, Bean, will make her appearance, but I think it’ll be any day. She’s “due” on Monday, but you know how that goes.

Since I’ll be spending some extended time in Kansas, I won’t be regularly posting here until the new year. I’ll be sure to post once Bean has arrived, as well as let you know when my “baby” arrives and is available…should be Monday. These are exciting days!

Heading Out

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It’s that time of year that Ronnica flies back to Kansas.  I suppose it’s appropriate to fly to the town of my origin at this time of year since that’s what Joseph and Mary did.  Well, they went to their family’s origin and they were traveling considerably slower. And, of course, this is not a census, since that was already handled earlier this year.  But yeah, basically the same.

This is my 6th Christmas flying to Kansas, and 2 of the previous 5 times I’ve gotten stuck, in Atlanta and then in Chicago.  Last year’s trip was uneventful, and that’s what I’m expecting this time.  I have pretty good odds, too, as there’s not an ounce of precipitation in the forecasts for Raleigh, Atlanta (my layover), or Wichita.

I’ll “see” you guys on the other side, after I get back to North Carolina on Monday!

FQF: Lifelines

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1.  If you were on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, whose names would you submit as your three lifelines, and what subjects would each person be your go-to person for?

Let’s see…I’d definitely put my dad on the list for all things mathematical/scientific.  I’d also choose my college roommate, Dana, as she’s familiar with a ton of movies (and a ton of other things…she’s well-read as well) that I’m not.  I’d also want to pick someone who’s good with pop culture, but I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head that would be a good fit.

2.  What food grosses you out just by its texture?

Grits.  Definitely don’t get them.

3.  How long would it take you, via the quickest means available, to get to the place of your birth from where you are right now?

If someone chartered me a flight and had it waiting for me at the airport right now, I think I could be there in 3 hours.  I think it’d take just over 2 hours to fly direct to Wichita (not that I’ll ever know that!).  Driving it takes 20 hours.

4.  From what store is it impossible for you to emerge empty-handed?

Target, for sure.  There is always something that I “need.”

5. What do you usually use to mark your place in a book?

A piece of paper from a notepad.  It doubles as a place for me to record quotes.

Not Here, But There

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Yesterday I left work early and hopped on a plane.  Of course it was planned (who do you think I am?  I plan EVERYTHING), but it’s still nice to get away.

So where I am?

Nowhere exciting (at least not to you all).  I’m in the land of the sunflower, wheat, tornadoes, good highways (at least that’s what everyone who drives through it says), and Ronnica.

What, you didn’t know that Kansas was famous for producing me?

I’m visiting family for a long weekend.  I even get to go visit the bro and SIL at their new home.

I’m looking forward to a feet-up, fun, family-filled weekend!

March Madness Begins

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Today the NCAA basketball tournament begins!  I think it’s kinda like the holidays for sports…even those who don’t observe their fanhood during the rest of the year still decorate (themselves) with their team’s gear and show up to watch the game (if only on TV).

As always, I’m rooting for the Kansas Jayhawks (remember, I’m from there) and some for the Oklahoma Sooners (as they’re my alma mater).  I also root a little for North Carolina, but if they completely fall apart in their game today, I’ll laugh.  Though I picked them to win the tournament, so I might not laugh that hard.  But I’m in good company…Obama picked them to win, too.

I definitely picked fewer upsets than I have in years past, mainly because I didn’t have the time to research the teams like I have previously.  My Final 4 consists of KU, Pitt, UNC, and UConn.  If you did a bracket, who did you pick?