I love you, Kansas City

I think there's a lot to be said about loving where you live. Sure, you can live somewhere and be content... your family is there, you have a job there, maybe... but to truly love it... that's the stuff! I was born and raised in Kansas City. I've spent my entire life going on elementary-school field trips to see The Nutcracker at the music hall, attending sporting events at Arrowhead and Kauffman, visiting the Nelson, walking around the Plaza, eating BBQ, and bragging to everyone that I share a hometown with a president (thanks, Harry). Growing up here, I always said that I couldn't wait to get out - to go somewhere else for college, to go somewhere great and accomplish great things. I always said I would move to Chicago or New York; I would leave here.

And now I'm an adult.

I have a husband, a career, a home, a pet... Things are different. I am not young and praying to get out anymore. I'm happy to be right where I am, and I'm not exactly sure when that happened for me. Perhaps it was after I moved away to attend school in another city. Columbia was my dream college town, but I loved it far too much to stay permanently. Perhaps it was after I moved to small-town America, Chillicothe, and taught for a year. I found myself loving the people I was surrounded by, but feeling stuck and detached from the world around me. Perhaps it was when I fell in love with the greatest human that exists. When you love someone deeply, experiencing things with them makes those things even better. I couldn't say for sure when, but somehow, I've fallen in love with Kansas City.

 

  

Changing the brand here at the blog was a big step for me. We had been Polka-Dot Chronicles (PDC) for three years, and that's a long time to hold an identity before changing everything. I've never liked being stagnant. I've never liked not being inspired. By changing the brand, I feel like this blog can be more about what I love - Kansas City, food, sports, life - rather than my every day happenings and health issues. I'm in the process of mapping out a blogging schedule for the rest of the year so I can consistently deliver you guys QUALITY CONTENT. Here are a few of the upcoming posts that you can be watching for:

• RECIPE: Lemon Brussel Sprouts
• RECIPE: Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• SPORTS: Kansas City Royals in the World Series
• SPORTS: A "Home" Chiefs game in London
• BOOK REVIEW: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
• EDUCATION: Becoming a Standards-Based Classroom
• PERSONAL: New Roommates

Thanks for investing in me and my vision for this blog. I think the future is bright for us all!

- Kimberly