We woke up at 8 am to check on Gill’s flight status. He called Cory to tell him he missed the 5 am flight and would be taking a flight to Philadelphia and then KC that would get him in around 6 pm. We were planning on going to Schlitterbahn water park that day but readjusted to fit the Prince’s itinerary. Now that Gill was out of our hair until the evening we went back to bed until 10:45 am because we were wiped. After we got up we all showered, gathered our belongings, met Cory’s mom real quick, and left his house

After leaving Cory’s we went to Cory’s high school, Shawnee Mission South. As the truly expert tour guide he is, he regaled us in tales of his youth and days at SMS HS. We even got out and checked out the habitat that housed the giant tortoises – super cool. We explored a bit more and left for Lawrence, Kansas to check out Cory’s other alma mater, Kansas University. Smooth sailing on the highway again. We drve the entire length of Massachusetts Avenue, the main street in college town, USA. Cory had a memory at almost every restaurant and bar. I could tell he absolutely loved his time in college, and in Cory form had a load of historical facts about the town and college.

For lunch we went to Terrabonne, the restaurant that Cory worked at toward the end of his stint at KU. I had a fried shrimp po boy, split fries and hush puppies with Alex and Cory, a wasabi and regular deviled egg, and an incredible chocolate and Nutella milkshake. The place was relatively small but served delicious food, hence the line out the door. After stuffing our faces we drove to the University.

Lucky for us, there was a KU football game going on that day. We drove by SO many tailgate parties. KU looked like a super fun school to go to, especially for athletic events. We drove slowly by Memorial Field to check out some of the game, ultimately parking at the KU Student Union. Cory went in the exit lane to the parking lot to avoid parking fees. We mentioned this to Cory, to which he responded, “fuck it.” Classic Cory. The student union was beautiful and really engaging. We checked out the window to the bowling alley, tons of KU memorabilia, and most important I added a “Kansas University Nursing” t-shirt to my extensive collection (now 20 shirts total).

Allen Field House, the cornerstone of the KU athletic experience, was next. We had trouble finding the entrance to the arena, which makes sense after learning it was under construction. We were only able to access the memorabilia store, which gave us a small glimpse into the Field House. We took some pics and left KU.

On the way back to Cory’s we drove by the Kansas Speedway and Schlitterbahn. Kansas Speedway was MASSIVE. We arrived at the apartment around 4. NAP TIME. I felt so refreshed after my almost hour and a half nap. After chilling hardcore for almost three hours and monitoring Gill’s further delayed flight from Philly, we left to get Gill at the airport for his 7:30 pm arrival. We also got change into our fancy clothes in preparation for our dinner at the upscale restaurant Cory and Gill picked out – Bluestem.

We picked up Daniel Allen Wasteful Selfish Shellfish Gill around 7:40 pm, dressed to the 9’s and in relatively high spirits considering the hell he went through to get to KC. We went back to the apartment to pick up Megan and went to the restaurant. Bluestem. Was. AMAZING. Its menu is a tastings menu, so we were able to enjoy a lot of different flavors in smaller portions. Before getting seated at 9 pm for our 8:30 reservation, we sat down in the waiting area and ordered some drinks for the bar. I got a Shirley Temple, of course. Coincidentally, we sat ourselves next to the owner’s parents. Cory, the social butterfly he is, made good friends with them, and got us excited for the meal.

I won’t be able to recount every component and / or flavor of every dish we had, but I’ll try my best. We started with some delicious home made bread and butter and corn fritters with goat cheese, chilled watermelon soup, and an English muffin with chicken patee. First course was foie gras on toasted homemade bread. Second – tortellini and pulled rabbit. Third – scallop bisque with vegetables and the best corn I’ve ever had. Fourth – Ribeye, potato, onion, and carrots. Dessert – key lime custard with ice cream and caramel graham cracker crumble. I wasn’t overly stuffed, but I was beyond indulged with the extraordinary flavors I sampled. Side note and potential highlight – the young man in the party next to us got super drunk and slurred some dumb shit out loud. Alex and Gill took snaps and pics of him he was that funny. Pretty sure he said, “hey I’m not as obnoxious as everyone else,” which was ironic because he was easily the most obnoxious person in the restaurant. Great times.

When dinner was over, around 11:15 pm, we drove to tapcade to play an hour of free arcade games because the hostess didn’t care at that point. Also, good times. To finish the night, Cory took us to Town Topic, a tiny diner-style joint established in 1937 and still serve incredible burgers, shakes and more. To compliment the fancy food we had earlier that evening, and still in our best dress, we ordered the worst possible food for you at that hour. So around 1:30 am I enjoyed a double cheeseburger with everything but pickles and a chocolate shake on a brick ledge adjacent to the restaurant.

We got back to Cory’s around 2 am. We hung out a bit longer but were all asleep around 2:45 am. Tomorrow we’re going to the Royals game, and meeting up with Leigh Ann Majkowski for BBQ after the game as a total surprise to Gill. So happy the whole group finally got a day in KC together.