Girls Weekend in Kansas City

After spending a week with my family it was time to surprise Jackie with a girls weekend to Kansas City. We were in KC from July 6-8th! Angie, Peggy, and I had been planning this trip for Jackie for a long time and it was fun being able to finally tell her. So Angie came in from Colorado and then the three of us went to Jackie's house to surprise her. She had no idea and had originally thought that her fiance had planned a weekend for her. (we filled in her fiance on the plan so that way she couldn't plan anything for that weekend).
She quickly figured out where we were going and we decided to fill her in on the rest of the details on the road. We had a great time road tripping while listening to music from our high school days (like savage garden). Once we were there we went to our hotel and went to bed early since Saturday was going to be a big day. On Saturday we went to Oceans of Fun which was perfect since it was 102 that day. We spent the day playing on tubes on the lazy river, going to the wave pool, going to the adult pool, and Jackie and i made sure to go on the big monsoon ride. It was a relaxing day and we had a wonderful time staying cool in the water.
From there we went back to the hotel so that way we could get ready for the night's agenda which was to have fun at the Power and Light District in Kansas City. I had never been there before and it turned out to be a pretty sweet place. It is an outdoor area which has a stage and public area in the middle and then it has bars all the way around on the sides. We went to the bar Howl at the Moon since Peggy had organized for us to go there ahead of time. It was a piano bar and we spent the night listening to great music. We put in the request jar that Jackie was a bachlorette and they had her go on stage to embarras her by playing a game in front of everyone. There was a lot of bachlorettes there and it was fun watching them all dance together later in the night. On Sunday we had breakfast and headed back.
My friend Jackie is getting married in September and we wanted a time away from life and distractions so we could just be the four of us. While I was in Saipan I missed these girls a lot and am so glad to be able to spend time with them again. It was a wonderful weekend of being with friends and I am looking forward to being a part of Jackie's big day. Enjoy the pics!

Jackie's surprise face when we all showed up!

Jackie, Peggy, Angie, and I at Oceans of Fun.

We thought it was funny that it said single on our tube wristbands.

Jackie, Angie, Peggy, and I hanging out in the sun.

Oceans of Fun is one of my favorite water parks.

The view of the Power and Light District.

Jackie and I at Oceans of Fun.

Jackie getting nervous for when she will be called on stage.

Angie and I at the piano bar.

They had dueling pianos which was neat to see.

Peggy and I at the Power and Light District.

The piano bar we went to.

All of us having fun at the piano bar.

Jackie (bride to be) dancing on stage.

-Kara-

Celebrating 4th of July!

Hi Everyone,
After the vacation in the Twin Cities, I rode down to Omaha with my parents. It was wonderful timing since I had an upcoming girls weekend and I was able to ride with my parents. This meant that I was able to spend the week with my family! It also meant spending a week without Grant which is something we had not done in the last 2 years since we were always together in Saipan. We talked a lot on the phone and kept busy with family activities.
For the 4th of July we started the celebrating by going to my Uncle John's house on the lake on the 3rd. It is a family tradition that we have been doing for years. It was nice being able to actually be there this year since I don't live in Omaha. I spent the night talking, hanging/swimming with my cousins (They taught me about who is hot in One Direction), and the highlight of the night was watching the fireworks over the lake while being in my uncle's boat. This year we were so close to the fireworks that the shrapnel was landing on us. The fireworks were amazing and it was a great great time of with family!
On the 4th my sis, mom, and I went to the movie People Like Us. It is a different kind of movie where there is no romantic story but it is an emotional family story about a brother and sister relationship. It was a very emotionally heavy movie but I really enjoyed it. Then we grilled out and had the typical American meal with hot dogs and hamburgers. At night we went to Boys Town to watch their firework display and then we came back to shoot off our own fireworks. I love shooting off fireworks and had so much fun shooting them off with my sister and her fiance Derrick. It was a wonderful time and I was glad to be able to spend the holiday with my family.
Enjoy the pics!
-Kara-

My little cousins, my sis, and I.

Fireworks over the lake.

So pretty!

Wow!

Amy and Derrick on the boat.

My cousin Emma and I with our gangsta faces.

My mom and dad on the boat.

My sis and I with our parachutes.

Family!

Derrick and the sisters.

My sis, mo, and I getting ready for the fireworks at Boys Town.

My sis and I laying down while waiting for the fireworks.

My collection of fireworks.

Me lighting a firework.

Amy and Derrick lighting the lantern.

Sparkler Time.

Vacation with the Family

Hi Everyone,
I can't believe that it is July already! This summer is just flying by! I have been traveling a lot in the past few weeks and I wanted to share with everyone my adventures along the way. On June 30-July 2 Grant and I spent a weekend vacationing in the Twin Cities with my family.
We started out Saturday by going to Stillwater, MN to go to the local brewery- Lift Bridge Brewery. I picked a brewery tour as part of the weekend, because growing up my family and I went to the Coors and Budweiser breweries. It was a small company but they give great tours and the best part is it is free to have a tour. I will definitely take friends there when they visit. On Saturday night we went to the Twins game vs. the Royals. The Twins is my favorite baseball team and it was fun going to a game with my family. The Twins ended up winning which is a big deal since they are having a rough season.
On Sunday we spent the day at the Mall of America. We spent the afternoon looking around, eating, and I got my dad to go on the log ride with me:) (It is a tradition) On Monday we spent the afternoon at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and went to my family member's house for dinner.
While we were there we stayed with my dad's great uncle Ray. It was nice being able to stay with him and to catch up on what is new in his life. His cat is usually not friendly to people, but I had a lot of fun petting and brushing his fur. I am not usually a cat person either so it was good for both of us:)
It was a fun time of being with my family and showing them the city that I will be moving to shortly.
Enjoy the pictures!
-Kara-

My dad and Grant getting excited about the brewery tour.

Grant and I in front of the old kegs.

My dad and mom in front of an old vat.

The inside of the brewery factory.

The night was a throw-back night and they dressed in the old Minneapolis Millers uniforms.

The field.

Me with the field in the background.

Grant and I inside the stadium.

My parents, Grant, and I.

My dad and mom.

The big jumbotron in the outfield.

My mom and I watching the game.

The wall of legos.

My dad and I in front of the log ride.

The large lego robot on display.

My dad and Ray.

The cherry on a spoon in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

My parents and I.

My dad and mom.

My parents with the view of Minneapolis in the background.

Me enjoying the city!