Spring break CONTINUED...and very very LATE...

Better LATE than never...

OUR SPRING BREAK CONTINUED...

Tuesday, March 17th (Branson, MO)
Our only real day in Branson was BUSY! We toured the Titanic Museum Attraction, a monstrous museum dedicated to all things Titanic. A plethora of information on the building & structure, the people on board and their accommodations, replicas, artifacts and a whole bunch more. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside so I only have photos in front of the museum. We learned many things and it was an interesting attraction. I for one, had no idea that there was a twin sister ship, the Olympic (I think). And in all actuality we'd probably never even know about the Titanic if it hadn't sunk! We all received passports for someone who was actually on the Titanic when it sunk and at the end of the tour we found out if our character survived the disaster!

The Titanic Museum Attraction:

After the Titanic Museum we had a quick lunch and then headed over to ride the ducks....no, not the bird, but a DUKW: an amphibious truck designed by GM during World War II. It was a blast. We toured different parts of Branson, Tablerock Dam, saw and learned about military vehicles then rode straight into the lake. Beckton even got to drive! Our driver was a hoot; he has so many witty jokes about everything!

Ride the Duck (and everything we saw):

We had a yummy BBQ and catfish dinner at Danna's BBQ then headed over to the Hamner and Barber variety show! We had 3rd row, center isle seats and loved the show. It was filled with awesome magic, ventriloquists, singing and dancing. It was great and kept the kids interested the entire time. (Again no pictures, so I got one of the sign!) We were plum tired after such a busy day!

Wednesday, March 18th (Branson to Independence/Kansas City, MO)

We spent our last couple hours in Branson devouring a $4 breakfast buffet and indulging in Krispy Kremes (all for the kids of course)! Jocelyn was pretty impressed with the doughnut making equipment! Just outside Branson (on our way to Independence) we hit Springfield, MO where we toured the Fantastic Caverns. An hour long, drive through journey in an underground cave! Very neat and educational! Next stop Kansas city, MO. We stopped at the LDS visitor center in Independence and picked up some additional info about the nearby church sites. We made a quick journey through town in an effort to see some of the original LDS church sites, temple plots, homes and other historical points of interest.

(Visitor Center and kids enjoying the pioneer-play area)

Thursday, March 19th, (MO to Kansas)

Jocelyn, Kathi and I hit TJMaxx for a brief shopping fix while Beckton and Morgan caught up on some much needed ZZZ's. Liberty jail was next on the agenda and what a wonderful spiritual experience that was. We had a personal tour and the sister missionary was exceptional. Jocelyn really participated in the Q & A and we were all touched. After Liberty Jail we headed north and drove off the beaten path to visit a grave site of Hiram Page. We had a rather odd lunch this day...at a family diner...won't recommend it! We next visited Adam-Ondi-Ahman and the cornerstones at Farwest. We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Olathe!

Friday march, 20th (Kansas to Oklahoma to Texas)

Not a whole lot to report on this day...drive drive drive...burn the road 7+ hours and arrive HOME. We made it home in time for dinner and took Nana Kathi to a favorite seafood joint...FRILLY's...she loved the craw-fish platter!

Morgan and I have done much conversing about the opportunities while we're living in Texas and we've decided to venture out and see, tour, experience... all that we can while we're here. So we picked this trip first and soon we'll do Houston (NASA Space Center) and the Gulf (already experienced San Antonio; Alamo, river walk, shopping and Witte Museum..all fun probably do again) and hope to get many other southern states in soon including a trip to Disney World. We'd like to make sure our kids get to see all 50 states before leaving our nest, hopefully learning something of historical value and having fun too.