Kansas City Spiel

Going to Kansas City for a weekend always feels a little frantic. There is never enough time! I grew up in Kansas City and the week I moved to Milwaukee my freshman year of college my parents moved to Nebraska. That meant when I went home for break I was going to my parents house—but not to my home I had had for 18 years. Kansas City will always hold the most special place in my heart. It’s where a lot of my high school friends still live and almost all of my extended family on my dad’s side. It has all of my favorite places: restaurants, stores, my old house, and my grandparent’s church. 

It was also really special to ryan. and I when we first met. One thing that we really connected over was the love for both of our grandfathers who had passed away before we met each other. And of course, my grandpa Larry was from Kansas City and Ryan’s grandpa Bob went to Kansas City with Ryan a handful of times as a kid. That was something that I loved hearing and knowing. So up until 2017, Ryan and I had never been to Kansas City together. In the past couple of months, we’ve gotten to go twice for a few different Isom family events.  One was the Labor Day family picnic that my grandmother and I planned and that I talked about here. And the other was this past weekend when my cousin Gabe got married! I come from a fairly large family in terms of cousins and we all really get along and have a lot of fun together especially as we continue to get older. Because of this, family weddings have become such a fun and special and important time for all of us. One of the best parts is that we all Seem to keep adding people to the family that fit right in!

This past trip I wanted to add in a day so that we could do some fun Kansas City activities together on top of the wedding weekend. We were able to spend Friday afternoon on the plaza with my parents and grab a drink with one of my best friends from high school. Then we were able to have a birthday dinner with one of my bridesmaids and roommates from college, Liz and her wife! That was such a special treat because Liz and I haven’t been able to celebrate our birthdays together in about seven years. We also ate at Garozzo’s which is hands-down my favorite Kansas City restaurant not including barbecue.

The wedding reception was also at boulevard brewery which I had never been to before and was an absolute blast. The best part about the end of the weekend is just the fact that I know in the next coming year Ryan and I will get to go to Kansas City a lot more because I have another cousin getting married soon! 

I have always loved being from a family of a lot of cousins but it is even more fun and more wonderful now as everyone starts to get married! I miss everything about Kansas City but it is so nice to go back there and be with my family and be with Ryan and for it to still feel like my home.