The Buck Stops with Patrick Mahomes.

When Wheat and I plan a trip somewhere, this is normally how it goes:

Me: I wanna go somewhere.
Wheat: You always want to go somewhere. Where do you want to go?
Me: I don't care. Somewhere new. Get on Southwest and see what's cheap.

**end scene**

This is literally how we decided on Kansas City. Once we started our research, we realized we would be in town during a Chiefs home game and we were sold. Superhero quarterback Patrick Mahomes was my fantasy quarterback and I was amped to see him do his thing at Arrowhead Stadium. Supposedly, Arrowhead is one of the loudest NFL stadiums and I can definitely confirm it seemed that way to me.

In the end, the Chiefs defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 26-14, in a game that was much closer than we anticipated it would be. It's always fun to check out new stadiums and it felt good to mark another one off the list.

When the game was over, we decided to head back to the art museum and take a deeper dive into the galleries. I mean, this place has Monet's Water Lilies and Caravaggio's Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness, not to mention a nice collection of Warhol art. We also took the opportunity to play outside in the freshly fallen yellow leaves.

After a brief break in the hotel room, we made our way to dinner at a...YOU GUESSED IT...barbecue place. This time, we went with the one all our Uber drivers were suggesting, Jack Stack. It still didn't quite live up to Joe's for us, but can you go wrong with this?

The next morning, we had a little time to kill before our flight home, so we decided to check out our third presidential library together, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in nearby Independence, Missouri. As usual, these history nerds had a blast learning about his presidency and life, from his service in WWI to his decision to drop the atomic bomb. Like the other libraries, this one also had a recreation of his Oval Office, as well as notable personal items on display (including his 1941 Chrysler Royal Club Coupe). Highlights for me included the famous "The Buck Stops Here" sign that resided on his desk and an original copy of the mistaken "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline from the Chicago Daily Tribune. He and his wife (Bess) are both buried on the grounds and there is an eternal flame on display, as well.

...and just like that, our dreamy whirlwind trip was over...and I started inquiring about the next one. Soon to come: Charleston, South Carolina!

It's a...Trip to Kansas City!

Well, we got some big news this weekend...

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A post shared by Brittany Hotchkiss (@blettany) on Feb 23, 2019 at 3:59pm PST

More to come on that later, but in the meantime...

There's nothing you love more than a vacation recap that's three months late, right? Well, you're in luck...because three months ago, Wheat and I ventured to Kansas City for some history, football, and barbecue. We actually found out we were expecting the day that we boarded our flight, so we spent the next three days enjoying each other's company and letting the exciting news sink in. Side note: It still really hasn't.

We started our first real day in the city the best way I know how: EATING. And we chose an absolute gem for our first barbecue of the trip. The original Joe's Bar-B-Que is actually situated in a gas station and the line stretching out the door and around the building is your first clue that you've made the right choice. Anthony Bourdain named this place one of the 13 places you need to eat before you die and with good reason. I went with the pulled pork sandwich and Kansas caviar while Wheat opted for the Z-Man (brisket, cheese, and onion rings) and the most delicious french fries I've ever had. Folks, that's high praise.

Once we'd had our fill, we made our way to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City to walk through the money museum, check out the coin collection, and get our souvenir bag of shredded cash.

From there, it was a quick walk over to the National World War I Museum. We happened to be in town for the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the day that marks the end of World War I, so admission was half-price and there were several special events scheduled to mark the occasion. The museum was incredible and I'd say it's a must for anyone visiting the city. We spent several hours wandering through the exhibits, learning about the political climate and events that led to the war and feeling pretty mortified by the horrors of the conflict. Museum highlights for me included the trenches they've recreated to put you in the shoes of the soldiers and the haunting field of poppies that reference John McCrae's famous war poem "In Flanders Fields."

When the museum closed, we walked to Union Station to check out the gorgeous interior and Christmas decorations before getting ice cream at Crown Center nearby. As we left to call an Uber, we noticed that poppies had been projected onto the facade of the World War I museum in honor of Armistice Day, a sobering tribute to those lost in the Great War.

The rest of our night was spent at a romantic dinner at The Melting Pot (can you believe I'd never been there before?!) and soaking in the whirlpool in our hotel room.

I'll try to condense the next couple days into one post because Charleston posts are also on the horizon. See what you get when you take blogging breaks?

Museum by Moonlight.

If you read this blog with any regularity, you already know that I'm a giant child (and not just because I still eat cereal for dinner). I've been wanting to attend Museum by Moonlight, an adults-only fundraiser at the world-renowned Indianapolis Children's Museum, ever since I moved here. This year, I finally bit the bullet and bought the (expensive) tickets before they sold out and I can honestly say I'll try to go every year from now on.

The Children's Museum is rated one of the best in the country and it doesn't take long to figure out why. From 8:00 PM to midnight, we had free reign of all five floors...and that wasn't nearly enough time to explore. Throughout the night, we saw outer space from an international space station, flew to China, discovered Egyptian tombs, studied pop culture through the decades, and looked at dinosaur bones. My favorite regular exhibit was the Power of Children, which discussed the difficult subjects of the Holocaust, racism/segregation, and AIDS by telling the stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White, children who experienced them firsthand.

We rode a carousel, zoomed down the new Willy Wonka-inspired chocolate slide, and tried our hand at various circus acts, like tightrope walking and juggling. There was a silent disco in the dinosaur exhibit, so we spent quite a while grooving among the bones. There were DJs set up on every floor and lots of restaurants from the area were handing out free samples of delicious food, including Piada, Maggiano's, P.F. Chang's, and Jack's Donuts. Oh, Sub Zero was also there making multiple flavors of ice cream with blasts of nitrogen.

Characters from Ghostbusters and Star Wars were roaming around for pictures and I couldn't get over the amazing R2-D2 that was interacting with guests. An incredible breakdancing crew did several performances throughout the night and all of the local sports teams had booths with games and giveaways (I got a free Colts scarf!). Although we didn't have time to partake, Sun King Brewery was also there giving lessons on the brewing process. Speaking of drinks, there were bars set up on each floor. Our tickets came with two free drinks and soda and water were free all night. Heaven.

We closed the night with a Children's Museum tradition, a parade down all five floors led by the dinosaur mascot, Rex. Best of all, proceeds from the event went to the Children's Museum Fund, which helps children from lower-income families experience the museum. Any excuse to play with my partner-in-crime and perpetual man-child, right?

Until next year...