ABM (Arkansas Bentonville Mission) Senior YSA Missionary District Meeting (August 25 and 26).

 ...was held in Kansas City and surrounding areas.  The life of a senior missionary is varied and amazing.  We met up with three other couples from our mission who also serve as YSA/CES missionaries on Friday and Saturday of last week.

Because we live about 5 hours from Kansas City, we headed up on Thursday and spent the night in a hotel near the temple.

Stopped here for lunch--love the armadillo!

Jena found a heart shaped chip, so
she wanted a picture taken and sent to Sister Newbold
who collects heart shaped pictures

Kansas City--we have been here twice before--once Memorial day of 1978 when we came with the Busaths and went to the zoo and Worlds of Fun and then again in 1997 when we took our kids on a trip to some of the Church sites here, Worlds of Fun, and then on to Nauvoo.  Retracing steps brings memories of those times and also reflections on how I was and now I am now--it had a depth to the trip that I hadn't expected.

And someone thought it was a good idea to have metal pioneers along the side of the freeway.  There are also buffalos and I think some Native American ones as well.

I was surprised by Worlds of Fun popping up before I expected so just got this photo of a part of the rollercoaster as we drove by.  This isn't the one but my favorite rollercoaster ever was (is?) at Worlds of Fun from 1978.  We also saw the Beach Boys in concert that trip there which was unexpected but a very fun concert.

Our first sighting of the Kansas City Temple as we were headed to the hotel for the night.

Jena found this to watch on TV so we took a picture to post on our sibling thread.  The kids could definitely remember Tosha LOVING this show when she was little.

We then went swimming---well, Jena did.  I was looking forward to a hot tub or at least a warm pool, but this one was freezing and with an indoor air conditioned room, it was not pleasant.  Jena likes cold water so she thought it was great.

I was glad to fall asleep at a hotel 10 minutes from the temple, rather than come up in the morning like the other missionaries did, leaving at 6 or so am.......not a fan of that!