omaha, somewhere in middle america.

so i went to kansas city first on my vacation. who would ever have thought that anything beautiful would come from there? i guess that's what they said about nazareth, though. i spent five days in and around the international house of prayer (the other 24/7 IHOP). it was amazing. it's so strange to be in the middle of 1,000 other people who are intense in their passion for Jesus, or, at least, want to be. it feels like home. ihop does... not necessarily kansas city. also, i love kelly. and, because i know you want to know... i will tell you that i found my peanut butter. in kansas city.

then i went to omaha and helped my dad and stepmom pack up stuff in their house. very sad. omaha has been home base for a long time, and now i will have no family there. it stinks. BUT, i got to see my sarah goo. we had our vanilla granitas at crane AND played the best game of killer bunnies yet. **sigh** i miss you already.

i was in des moines for a couple days to see my mom and grandparents. i wish we had had some more time together. it's hard to do anything but catch up in a day and a half. my grandparents are so precious. here i am, 23 years old, and i always end up leaving their house with more clothes and money than when i walked in. it's amazing how generously they give. i remember when my grandpa used to work closely with a sudanese family in des moines. he took such good care of them. they've always taken care of me. that must be where my mom gets it from. she is such a generous giver, too. when i was at home, she gave me some really nice shampoo and conditioner. which sounds funny, except that as i was driving home for vacation, i was making a list in my head of some toiletry things that i needed and was planning on buying in iowa (always much cheaper than in chicago), and one of the things on my list was shampoo/conditioner. i half-prayed about it... not for any reason in particular... i guess i have just been trying to turn my self-conversations into dialogue with Him, even when it's about shampoo. :) and, then, there you go-- shampoo! and it's a lot better than what i would have bought. He's so funny! thanks Mom!

i got to spend quite a bit of time with my brother during the vacation, too. how i love my brother. i miss him. if you knew how fabulous my brother really is, you would... well... love him. i do.