Kansas sucks...

Kansas sucks.  I have heard this more times than I can count.  As military service members and spouses, we often follow where the Army sends us.  This may end up with a less-than-stellar location.  One thing I have learned though is that locations are all about what you make of it. 

Sure, Kansas sucks, if you don't like being outside, if you don't like history, if you don't like nature, if you don't appreciate the appeal of a small town.  No different than Hawaii sucks if you don't like being outside, if you don't like surfing, if you don't like sunshine, if you don't like the beach.  It's all a matter of taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture. 

When we were in Germany and even since then, I've had so many people that talked about how lucky we were to be stationed there.  I loved our time there, BUT there are cons in being stationed in places like that as well.  We had the opportunity to see places that we probably would have never been able to otherwise.  We were able to actually live in another culture, not just visit it.  However, roughly 95% of my medical appointments required specialists - the nearest of which were two and a half hours ago, on the Autobahn, so that would equate to closer to a four hour drive here in the States.  Wearing anything with the American Flag on it were frowned upon because you made yourself a target to those that weren't a fan of American's.  There are many other things I could list, but I will stop there. 

I'm not trying to focus on the negative, that's not my point here.  My point is that every location and I mean EVERY location, has good and bad depending on your personal interest and experiences.  The key to enjoying your time is to do some research, find things off the beaten path.  Everyone knows where the mall is or the zoo, but what about the other places to see.  I make a point to follow as many of the small towns in the area on places like Facebook or Twitter.  They are always posting pictures of places within their area that most people don't know about or they post about events going on. 

You have to make a conscious effort to make the most of the situation.  I know with my boys that their take on places and situations is found much in the way my husband and I respond.  If we find a better way to view things, our children will too. 

On that note, for those that are in Kansas, these are a couple lists of both events and places to see within roughly an hour from the Fort Riley area and the Wichita area :

Events: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L3S-3rNzNRPXVc7rd2WqIS0qI1sz0wn87FieFzvCoSE/edit?usp=sharing
Places to see:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Ai8bjU34UuYhN2aAILFnldgvo1it6XrvgQTqUCHLwk/edit?usp=sharing

Please note - these docs are a work in progress - if you know of something going on that isn't listed here or something to see, please comment below or email me at mindy.k.king10@gmail.com