SEEING KANSAS CITY THROUGH NEW EYES

My niece and her friend came to visit us in Kansas City the other weekend, and we had a blast.  I love when we have visitors so that we can see the city through new eyes and fall in love with it all over again.  It's fun playing a tourist in your own city.  These ladies were up for anything and were so sweet, and I had such a great time going about town with them. 

Our first stop was the 39th Street West area, home of the always fabulous Donna's Dress Shop. 

The next day we had a bit of a scare with Maisy Mae.  I took her to the vet since she was sneezing up a storm and turns out she has the bunny snuffles.  An adorable name for a somewhat serious bunny cold.  She's on antibiotics now, though, and seems to be feeling a lot better. 

So after we got all that cleared up, we decided to head out to hear some live music in Lawrence.  But first, we had to start the night off right with fruity (virgin) drinks served in real pineapples.  (See here for my recipe for a large batch of this delicious drink.  Just leave out the rum for the virgin version.) 

Maisy Mae wanted in the pictures, too.

The last day of their visit, we went down to the City Market to look around at the farmer's market and made a quick stop at Beignet.  I visited New Orleans when I was in 8th grade and have always had a hankering to have those delicious beignets again.  These were ok, but didn't quite melt in my mouth the way the ones in New Orleans did.  Still, it was fun to introduce the girls to them.

Last time the girls visited, we explored the Nelson Atkins Museum, so this time we just enjoyed a fun picnic on the expansive lawn. 

We even saw Not a Planet, the awesome band from the night before, playing bocce ball.  It's a small, wonderful world.

The weekend was fully complete when we all made flower crowns.  Sure, we could have just bought one from H&M, but this was a lot more fun and let us each customize ours to our own specifications.  (I even made a smaller version for my 2 year old niece.)

Hanging out with these beautiful ladies reminded me how each of us has our own likes and dislikes that make us unique, and I really admired how these girls were so supportive of one another even though they have different tastes.  They are a wonderful example of how girls should support one another, while still being proud of who they are.  They're headed off to college this fall.  They have the world at their fingertips.  I know they will stumble at times, but I also know that they have tremendous things ahead of them.  I'm so excited to hear about all of their adventures.  Setting out on your own is scary, but knowing you have a good friend to always turn to makes it a lot easier.

Thanks for the fabulous weekend ladies!!  Come back soon!

Do you feel the same way about having visitors and seeing your city through new eyes?

And if you feel like mingling with other bloggers, jump over to Life of Meg's Monday Mingle blog link up, a great way to learn about fun new blogs!