Theta Reunion!

Our Kansas travels wrapped up with one more reunion ... this time with Jami's college friends. Twelve members of the Kappa Alpha Theta - Delta Eta Class of '95 gathered together in Kansas City to reminisce and remember the good ol' days! It was amazing how our friendships picked right up where we'd left off in college. Just like back in the day, the laughs are endless ... as are the good times!

The first night of our festivities took us to the new Power & Light District in Downtown KC for a Girls Night Out. We met at the swanky Lucky Strike Bowling Alley (think hip bar meets techno bowl). Dressed in our Theta colors of black and gold -- and sporting our bowling shoes -- we caught up on our lives from the past decade since we graduated. Then we ventured out to explore the Power & Light District and worked our way up to the rooftop Jones Bar. Tucked away in a cabana beside the outdoor pool, we continued our conversations and stories. We toured around a bit more after that and stayed up much too late for a bunch of thirtysomethings.

Roomies from 1B!

Long, long ago, Jami was VP Development

& Jenny was President ... and we were roommates, too!

Judy & Jami ... also roommates!

Brandy, Beth & Jami. These two are always

good for some endless laughs!

Another group photo!

The Jones Bar

On Saturday, we gathered our spouses and families together for tailgating and a Royals baseball game. It was fun to meet the Theta loved ones & young ones (such cute Theta babies in our group!) The newly renovated Kauffman Stadium was oh-so-impressive, especially the Little K section for the kids. In all, this evening was a great way to incorporate the families into our reunion festivities.

Theta moms, future Thetas, and

boys who will some day date Thetas!

Our WHOLE group at the tailgate...

What a great turnout!

(Click on this photo to enlarge it.)

A casual class of '95 photo.

Judy, Melissa, Jami & Brandy

Family foto at the game.

Reid is making his funny face!

Swing, batter! Reid is up!

Major League Luke.

"Daddy, I want to ride that lion. Grrr."

Beth with baby Alden, Melissa & Jami.

The End to a great night!

After talking about planning a reunion for quite some time, it was so fantastic to put all the pieces in place for it to happen. Friends like these have played such a huge part along the way in shaping our lives, and it's such a treat to share in their lives 10 years down the road. This weekend was definitely one with many moments remembered and even more memories made!

Kansas City Collection.

Our days in Kansas City were filled with family adventures and visits with friends. We'll let the photos and captions do the storytelling...

:: PARADISE PARK ::

Paul, Juli, Sawyer & Stratton treated us to a fantastic afternoon out to Paradise Park. This was a fun mix of education & entertainment for the young & young-at-heart. Our entire family had a ball that day! Thanks, KC Leahys!

These cousins look like they got dropped in a bag of Skittles!

Future architects.

The water table was a splashing good time!

Like father, like son ... face paint.

... And then someone got some snazzy spectacles!

:: FRIENDS ::

In addition to having family galore living in Kansas, many of our friends live there, too. It's always fun to reconnect and catch up.

The Leahy & Vogel boys took time out from playing

Star Wars to snap a pic!

Jami with Theta friend Heidi.

What a charming home & neighborhood!

Who lives 2 doors down from Jami's friend Heidi?

Why none other than Scott's high school friend Joe!

It's a small world!

Lunch with Brent & Kori.

They had quite the tales to share after their

18-month excursion around the world!

:: BUZZIN' COUSINS ::

4 cousins on the couch: Stratton, Reid, Sawyer & Luke.

Luke & Sawyer cruise the neighborhood in style.

Rowdy crowd waiting for a seat at Mimi's Cafe.

:: FAMILY FEASTS ::

Some of the best times are shared over a good meal. We certainly had many good conversations with good cuisine while in KC.

We enjoyed Juli's delicious tilapia tacos while dining al fresco!

Stratton LOVED this Oreo cookie treat at Mimi's Cafe!

A little game of Pictionary while waiting

for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.

So good to see the whole family ...

Jami with Marie, Florence & Mary Ann.

Ladies who lunch ... Angela, Margie, Jami & Juli

I go. You go. Wamego.

We spent an overnight in Wamego with Jami's sister and family ... and then returned mid-week for some more fun in the Flint Hills! It's always so nice to head out to the countryside and slower paced life of Wamego and Manhattan. The boys love being at Uncle Craig & Aunt Briana's house ... and love to hang out with Dalton. Watching the 3 blondies together is oh-so-entertaining!

I scream. You scream...

Uncle Craig makes good homemade ice cream!

Cousins cuddling on the couch.

Ever heard of the Snuggie?

Reid is modeling one!

Big cousin & little cousin at the Manhattan Splash Park.

"Don't even think about stealing a bite of my cinnamon roll!"

We went to the Friendship House in Wamego

for a freshly baked breakfast.

Playing in the park.

Let me give you a hand, Dalton!

Sound the sirens ... here comes the fire chief!

"Hey, boys ... make a funny face!"

Presta Family Reunion

The itinerary of our Kansas trip included 2 reunions, the first being a family reunion on the branch of the family tree for Scott's mother and her Italian relatives. More than 100 people gathered in Antioch Park in Kansas City for the Presta Family Reunion. Jami designed the reunion logo to the left. We grilled burgers, Italian sausages, etc. and dined on some of the most amazing potluck food ever (with recipes hopefully destined for our family reunion cookbook to be published this fall.) Many of these people we first met at our wedding 10 years ago. It was great to gather together and celebrate our family ties. This is one fun-loving family tree!

These 3 cousins enjoyed playing the day away at Antioch Park.

A few of our family members gathered

in front of our reunion banner.

The Leahy crew at the reunion.

Sawyer & Luke are all smiles about hanging out with Emily!

Scott, Reid & Uncle Eric.

Anniversary with an altitude.

As a couple, we share a love for the outdoors and adventures. So in honor of this common interest and to celebrate our milestone anniversary, we took off on a journey we will remember for years to come ... and will have daily reminders of as we look at a certain famous mountain on our skyline -- Pikes Peak.

Our morning started bright and early at 6:45 a.m. when we arrived at the Challenge Unlimited (tour office) in Old Colorado City. Fitted with our gear, we piled into a 15-passenger van with a bunch of other willing participants (mostly tourists) destined for the summit of Pikes Peak at 14,110 feet. After an hour plus van ride up the twisting and turning mountain roads, we arrived at the top. Now as the saying goes, "what goes up must come down." And so begins our adventure. To commemorate 10 years of wedded bliss, we biked down Pikes Peak!

Here are a few highlights of our trip.

• We biked through 4 climate zones. The temperature ranged from 38 degrees at the summit early in the morning to about 85 degrees at the end of the ride in the foothills.
• The summer season on top of Pikes Peak only lasts for 6 weeks. Some patches of snow were still lingering above treeline.
• We saw the former location of the Pikes Peak Ski Resort. When members of the 10th Mountain Division returned home from their WWII assignments in Europe, they took note during their tour of duty of the big European ski resorts. These veterans brought this concept back to Colorado and started the big ski resorts like Breckenridge, Keystone, etc. As a result, little ski resorts like the one on Pikes Peak couldn't compete and closed.
• On this downhill trip, we braked 95% of the time and pedaled very little except for a few small hills. The easiest 20 mile bike ride ever!

Our ride concluded with lunch at a fabulous creekside restaurant called Wines of Colorado. It was the perfect end to a wonderful bike ride!

Pikes Peak or bust! At the summit.

The view overlooking Colorado Springs.

The track is for the Cog Railway.

Look ... snow in the summer!!

Happy in helmets!

The top of the mountain was very rocky ...

like a cross between the desert & the moon.

Scott is biking in the navy jacket.

As we came down the mountain, the weather warmed

and we had to shed some layers!

Look how far we've come!

The mountain in the distance is Pikes Peak,

our starting point for the day!

A visual of our trip. Pikes Peak is on the left.

The mountain switchbacks on the right were fun to maneuver!