Our trip to Lawrence to watch softball did not disappoint

            Anytime we get a chance to see the OU Sooners softball team play is a good time.
       And the Sooners didn’t disappoint on our recent trip to Lawrence, Kan. Thursday through Saturday, March 28-30, winning all three games in the series, 6-1, 17-0 and 7-3.
        We attended the first two of the three game series as we needed to head home for a Saturday evening family Easter meal with time to visit and catch up.
      We’d been planning this trip for sometime as Debbie had been checking since Christmas to see when single game tickets went on sale.
        They did on Feb. 20 and Debbie bought our tickets within the first hour. It didn’t take too long for all three games to be sold out. 
        This was our fifth trip to see the Sooners play softball in recent years and our first time in Lawrence. The other four were at Iowa State University, a bit closer to home.
        We left Montezuma a bit later than planned and arrived at the ball diamond at the end of the third inning. It was OK as Debbie found the game on-line and we listened to OU announcer Chris Plank call the plays as we headed to the stadium. Chris does shoutouts of fans listening on air during the third inning of each game and Debbie sends our names in for most games via Twitter. So, we got to hear our names on the way to the game.
      Due to a toll road on I-70 just west of Kansas City to Topeka, we decided to take the backway from Kearney, Mo. across to Lawrence. It was a 60-mile stretch through winding two-lane roads, small towns, roundabouts and traffic lights.
       We did enjoy the scenery and saw some beautiful homes with big porches, fenced in pastures and scenic views.
     We hadn’t been at the game too long when a young lady offered us her seats. She directed us to the security person who guided us to a couple seats several rows from home plate. That was a nice gesture on her part.
      We had general admission tickets and could have found a seat, but decided to stand for a bit after arriving at the stadium late. The lady must have thought we had standing room only tickets and was being nice.
       There are some nice people in this world and we appreciated her kindness.
      At the Friday game, two older gentleman who were Kansas fans were seated behind us. They were not too happy with OU smoking Kansas, 17-0 in five innings. 
    They were amazed at how many OU fans were at the game and they expressed displeasure with the Jayhawk pitching staff. The stadium was probably 2/3 OU fans to 1/3 KU fans.
       The two fellows made a number of other negative comments about the game before leaving in the fourth inning. It was fun listening to what they had to say.
     Later after the game, we saw the OU team signing autographs for young softball players and fans and meeting with family who were at the game. It was fun watching the young fans carefully carrying their newly signed softballs on the way to the parking lot while the team loaded the bus to head to the hotel.
      We enjoyed supper Friday night at Burgers by Biggs a few miles from our hotel. They had good food and good prices. If you find yourself in Lawrence, check the place out. And our hotel was a couple blocks from the stadium on Rock Chalk Drive. KU Soccer and tennis also has complexes in the area along with a recreation center.
       Lawrence, which is on the far western edge of Kansas City, is a lively college town with a vibrant and busy downtown.
       I found an antique mall I wanted to visit on Friday located in the heart of downtown, only to discover that parking was a nightmare. I drove three blocks and didn’t see any open spaces. And the parking spots all have meters. It reminds me of my growing up days in Tulsa and also in Columbia, Mo., while in college. Both towns have parking meters. We ended up skipping the antique mall.
      After lunch at Sonic, we drove through the KU campus and saw Allen Fieldhouse where the Jayhawks play basketball. It was a beautiful campus and town.
     Our trip included stops at antique stores in Platte City on I-29 and Lathrop, Mo. just off I-35 north of Kearney on the way home. I bought a few postcards and an old cigar box and Debbie found a few goodies from her growing up days.
      It’s nice to get away, even for a couple days, and time was well spent with each other. I hope you take time this spring, summer or fall to spend time with your family and enjoy the many blessings life has to offer.
        Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.