Deanna Rose

On Monday morning Sarah and Elsie wanted to get out of the house so they went to one of their favorite places, Deanna Rose! Elsie likes it because of all the animals and fun stuff to do. Mommy likes it for those reasons too, but also because it's free during the week!

As you can see, Elsie has become good friends with the little goats. She used to be kind of scared, but now she really enjoys feeding and petting them. It's great that Elsie and Sarah have someplace close like Deanna Rose to go to when they need a break from the norm.

Also, we are now the proud owners of a 2007 Toyota Highlander! We had been looking to trade in Sarah's Camry for something that was newer and bigger and finally we found what we wanted. We had seen a white one online and took Friday afternoon off to drive out to Lawrence and check it out. It turned out to be a piece of junk, but while we were on our test drive we happened to drive by this one. It was the same year, but was much nicer inside and out. They came down some on the price and gave us a fair trade for Sarah's car so we couldn't pass it up.

The coolest part is that it's a Hybrid! For those who are unfamiliar, that means it is part electric and part gas. It's a blast to drive because anytime you are going under about 30mph or coasting it is silent because it is under full electric power. Like if you are pulling out of a parking space or the garage or sitting at a stop light it is silent. Kind of like driving an electric golf cart.

As you begin to accelerate the gas motor kicks in and does most of the work when you are accelerating or driving above about 3omph. The batteries get recharged when you are coasting or while you are braking. It's a really weird experience to get in, turn the key, and nothing happens. The dash lights and running lights come on and the radio and AC come on, but there is no motor noise. It is silent until you start moving. Very strange, but really neat too! Hopefully it saves us some gas money too. Hybrids are the most efficient while driving in town, which is what 90% of our driving is, so it should help us out quite a bit.

Plenty of room for Elsie's carseat!

Have a great weekend everyone! Go Tigers and Chiefs!

Ryan, Sarah, & Elsie