Weekend (or maybe new year's) Travels

So this weekend...well rather the end of this week has been a whirl. My cousin was in the hospital Christmas Day after some less than wise decisions and had no brain activity. Four days later her parents (perhaps with pressure from the docs, I don't know) took her off life support. Her funeral was yesterday. The saddest part of it for me was when the preacher (who obviously didn't know her all that well) gave the list of surviving family and those who had passed on before. The only people that had passed on were my grandmother and grandfather...the other side of her family everyone was still living. I don't think anyone should have to bury a child. The worst part is that they suspect is was suicide, though she didn't leave a note. Daniel and I both assume the preacher thought she was doomed, though he never said it. His comments were all in all rather in that direction. It was Daniel's first 'not Mormon' funeral that he recalls. Daniel thought it was rude that the minister did everything...the talking and every prayer (like 4 of them including the meal) The luncheon provided after was sandwiches and chips and about 400 types of dessert. The lack of standard Mormon funeral potatoes was obvious. (that was a joke kids)

Anyway here is a list of random things we saw on the way:
1. Billboard advertising "Adult Supercenter" in 25 miles.
2. Billboard right next to "Adult Supercenter" with Biblical scriptural advice, and the note Pornography Destroys Families. Good old Kansas.
3. Tons of folk art style scrapmetal people and signs in Mullenville KS.
4. Greenville, KS the site of that HUGE, F-5 I think, tornado a year or so ago). Lets just say the town looks like a giant construction site.
5. Several 'towns' that consisted of a church and 3 houses.
6. A sign for an unincorporated town that consisted of a cathedral (well that style at least) and possibly a house still. Its historical!
7. The sign advertising a giant well, one of Kansas' 7 wonders. (Cause yes we have them. So fancy).
8. No trees.
9. My old college roommate and her family. Alice has been adopted by her parents. We are required to visit again soon. Lets just say, they are baby hungry. Her and her husband got the "have you been checked out by the doc" talk after being married for 3 months from Both sides. Her mom even cried a little when she held Alice. I was told I brought a ticking time bomb. :-)
10. My nephew's jacket. In our back seat. Once we were 3 hours closer to home. (I left it with my sister who is holding it hostage until my brother comes to visit next weekend.)
11. My sister's kitty. Alice even sort if said Kitty Cat. she also pulled kitty cat's tail, and wiskers and grabbed his belly. When he ran away she cried. Lots.
12. Home, and the joy of greener grass. It might be colder here (it was 68 yesterday in Dodge), but we have green. Even the dead 'brown' here is green compared to the desert brown out there. Thank goodness for trees.

Oh and random observation of the weekend. "It seems like a fake town, trying to be a town." We figure its because there are no trees. No trees = looks like a tv set. Trees = real. So there you go. Dodge is a fake town.