Ten Things Learned From a Ten Day Trip.

1) Names of towns mean something…so never stop in a place called Hurricane Mills. It’s mid-Tennesse, but it was the closest I’ve ever been to being in a hurricane!

2) Don’t let a 4-year-old swim after the hotel’s nightly manager’s reception where he consumes way too much pretzels, tortilla chips and lemonade. If he jumps in numerous times and swallows water, it is bound to come up.

3)Angry Birds and Color Wonder markers and paper are a wonderful way to make sure that a 4 and 2 year old will sit through a 2.5 hour 90th birthday party at a restaurant.

4) Life goes way too fast. I’m pretty sure I’ll be 90 the next time I blink.

5) Wichita is spelled funny…. it is isn’t whitchita or witchita… I should know. I never googled it right.

5) If you are ever in the jungle exhibit at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita and a bird follows you along the path, it is not just being friendly. Protect your kids and don’t be afraid to kick it. I did.

6) With true friends, you can stop in for a visit and can pick up where you left off like you just saw them yesterday.

7) Seven days with no real schedule + 2-year-old+ moving dinosaur themed restaurant= horror for Mommy

8 ) In 1856, a steamboat full of items for general stores named the Arabia sunk on the Missouri River. The boat was buried under the ground for 130 years until a group of regular guys went on the ultimate treasure hunt. Fort-five feet below a farmer’s field, they unearthed the ship that held the largest collection of civil war era items. Basically a Walmart!! The museum was super cool! Read more about it at www.1856.com.

9)McDonald’s is a natural laxative.

10) Vacation is nice, but being in your own bed is PRICELESS!