Royals fun and facts about Lenexa

This spring has been a chilly one and we finally had a little good weather last weekend and what a better way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon than at the Royals!

Jessica's got a new twin- Me!

 After the game, we headed over to the Plaza to the newly remodeled Grandfallon's. I had sangria- look how pretty it is!

This may be our new favorite bar. Great atmosphere, good food, perfect location. After some nachos and a drink, we headed over to the Legends to meet some friends to watch Pirates 4. Movie was ok- definitely better than 2 & 3. I was so tired, though, I tried to sleep through it!

I found another huge fountain there. This was is fun because it's designed for kids to run around and through it. Perfect for cooling off when shopping at this outdoor mall.

No. 66 Fountain at the Legends in KCK

 Of course, what we didn't realize that night was that there was severe weather coming through. The next day would be the Joplin tornado. Two days later, KC would have some tornado warnings, but nothing materialized here, thank God.

As many of you know, I am currently working in Lenexa, Kansas. On my way home, I drive by this fountain which is at the Lenexa Municipal building complex.

No. 67 87th St in Lenexa

I then noticed this statue beside the building and had to check it out! I'm glad I did because this statue is of a Native American named, Na Nex Se. She lived in this area and was married to a man named Black Hoof. When Black Hoof died, Na Nex Se carried on the work of their farm and the white residents of the area took notice of her work ethic and character. They were so impressed at the good example she set, that they modified her name and named the city Lenexa in 1869.

Lenexa's name comes from this woman, Na Nex Se

Til next time...Laura

Ghosts and Gangsters!

Last night I went with Laura B, Dan and Austin to a tour all about KC's ghost stories and gangsters history. I had been wanting to do this for so long because I love history, especially KC history. We got on the bus at the Edge of Hell (the nation's oldest haunted house) and spent the next 3 hours on the tour. My review for the tour is mixed. I had really high expectations for this because I knew a little of KC's rich history in the mafia and overall, I was disappointed in the presentation of the tour.

My main issue with the tour was the fact that the tour guide didn't tell us the stories, they used an audio file. So, it was difficult to pay attention. If the actual tour guide would have told the stories, it would engage the audience that much more and make it more interactive. The tour was also way too long. It lasted over 3 hours. The audio gave out too much information. It would be a lot more effective to concentrate on fewer stories, but instead you were kinda bombarded with details and couldn't keep up with it all.

So, after saying all that, what I did like was becoming aware of some more stories and people and what I'm going to do is research a little more into the stories and maybe concentrate on one or two stories at a time for you.

If you aren't aware, Kansas City has a very interesting past in mob family crime. It's a shame that these stories get overlooked by other cities, such as New York or Boston. But what happened here is just fascinating to me. To think about what people did on these very streets and in these same neighborhoods. Ever seen the movie "Casino?" That is based on Kansas City mob families trying to control the casinos in Las Vegas.

So, in the upcoming weeks, my mission is to bring you the most interesting stories from KC's past!

In other news, Thursday night was fun because I went to a new place to hear my friend, Thomas, perform. We went to the The Brick, in the crossroads. They had a great atmosphere and great food!

 

Bree outside the Brick on McGee street.

Outside The Brick

Drink Special- sweet tea vodka, orange syrup and lemonade. It was good!

To conclude, I'll give you some facts about our tour's starting point, the Edge of Hell Haunted House. It's the nation's first haunted house, a five-story old building, in the West Bottoms. The area that this is located, to begin with is scary. At the end of the haunted house, the only exit is a five-story spiral slide. It is also the home to the largest anaconda in captivity- a real-live snake that is 22 feet long! The Edge of Hell was recently rated the #1 haunted house in the world, according to americahaunts.com.

Alright, that'll do it for now. More to come soon!

Til next time...Laura

Happenings

Just a few happenings to report. Friday night, I went to the Brookside Art Fair with Jessica and Jill. The place was crowded but we had a good time looking at all the art we can't afford. We had dinner at Jalapenos' which is always good!

Jill and Jess checking out some photography.

 On Saturday, I had to attend an orientation class at Kansas City, Kansas Community College. I found a fountain there!

No. 65

 Today, after church we ate at Sharp's Grill, at 63rd and Brookside. It was a good, home-cookin' kind of place. I had chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. It was wonderful.

Bree had pancakes with bacon in them! Pretty good idea!

The other fun thing this week was Wednesday night at small group, we had a baseball-themed potluck. Everyone had to bring something you would eat at the ballpark! We had hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, snow cones, cracker jack and two items that didn't count: fruit and muffins. I guess someone thought we needed something healthier! 

Other than that, I've been keeping up with the Preds games which are stressful and exciting, all at the same time! I am hopeful they will make it to Round 3 and have a weekend game for me to go to! I miss it.

I also saw "Water for Elephants" today and it was sooo good.  I want to read the book now.

Til next time...Laura