And Kansas was great. Lots of quality time with friends and family, and not too much driving back and forth across the state. The weather was unseasonably warm, some days. And appropriately crappy others. It was a great year for people coming home. I saw several friends who I hadn't seen in years. And enjoyed every moment with these lovely ladies:
Shortly after this photo was taken, we headed to a local bar, which was about the size and shape of a train wagon (ok, slightly wider). We ordered drinks, crowded around a little table, and proceed to witness SEVEN fights. In 10 minutes. Little did I know this disturbing trend would be a recurring theme in the Wheat State.Christmas evening was spent at the bowling alley. I hadn't been to the ol' Gage Bowl in years (possibly since 8th grade when we went to Rock and Bowl to steal bowling shoes... Laura and Bree, remember that?), but it was a blast. Luckily none of us were very good (or competitive). We also ran into several high school friends, so when the bowling alley kicked us out, we headed across the street to one of the only open bars in town. Much silliness ensued, and we decided to walk home so that we didn't have to worry about who would abstain and drive the others home. Now, Jason, Laura and I all live/have lived overseas where people, you know, walk. But we attracted quite a lot of attention walking through central Topeka at 3 am.
My birthday included lunch with the family, and gathering a group of my closest friends and trying to make them sing with me. No one wanted to sing, so we were content to heckle (quietly) and enjoy each others company. I was especially happy that my brother made it out to celebrate with us.
After karaoke lost its charm, Baby Boy Payton convinced us to head out to a bar on the edge of town. A group of us trekked out there to find a giant crowded sports bar, where everyone knew Ian's name. Shortly after we arrived, there was a big commotion in the parking lot. A fight had started, and someone called the police. Topeka's finest felt that they needed to pull out the big guns to restore order- they used a taser on one of the guys involved in the altercation. Awesome. Now it felt like we were in an episode of cops. Closer to closing time, as we were trying to head out, a huge crowd was once again gathering in the parking lot. This time I got to see some of the action- a guy was on all fours, acting like an animal, pawing at a car. Apparently he and the owner of the car (an upstanding gentleman I am sure) were fighting over a fair maiden. When the dude decided that he was a bear. Once again, Topeka's finest were summoned, once again they felt the need to tase. Bear guy got it twice. To be fair, he was violent and aggressive, and trying to fight the cops.As we left the bar, it started pouring. Raining, thunder, lightening... a full-on Kansas thunderstorm at 2 am onDecember 27th. It was awesome. As I slept, the temperature dropped quickly and I awoke to a city covered in ice. It was awesome. I am trying to find some pictures so stay tuned.
As always, I enjoyed the amazing hospitality of the Fackler side of my family. And it was really nice to actually have time with Jason- we have been missing each other the lat few trips home. Even though we don't live that far away from each other, we don't get to meet up often.
Next up... Mexico!
