We didn't find Oz, but there were elephants in Kansas ...

I'm in Missouri (Branson), in a gorgeous condo in a gorgeous vacation community. The weather's great, the scenery's great ... Branson's a little like Disney World meets the Black Hills (and all the tourist-trap stuff that encompasses), but it should be fun. Matt and Molly arrive tomorrow, so that'll be nice ...

We stayed the night in Goodland, Kan. (again), and I was giddy like a little girl to find that the circus camped out behind our hotel -- and the elephants were fenced in right behind our car!! The guy wouldn't let me any closer than about ten feet (the elephants were friendly enough, he assured us, but his insurance company wasn't ...), but I did get pictures of them. Hooray for elephants!! Later, as we sat waiting (and waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ... and listening to our waitress whine at us about how short-handed they were and how totally, like, tired she was), I wondered whethere they also had lions. Or tigers. Or bears. Oh, my. Which made my dad laugh and point at the wall behind me - where there was a poster of the Wizard of Oz looking over my shoulder. Good timing!

We're heading to a show tonight. No idea what we're doing the rest of the week. I'll try to keep you all posted.

I apologize that this isn't a very witty account. I'm tired and still need to get my makeup on.

Bonus about the condo vs. a hotel: We all have our own rooms and our own bathrooms; it was cheaper than getting two hotel rooms (and roomier!), and they left a pizza in the freezer for us ... just in case. Thoughtful. And my room is a loft that has a balcony overlooking the rest of the condo. I feel like a queen. I'm working on my Miss America wave ...

Cheers.