When Lockie and I told people that we were moving from Michigan to Kansas, the look that appeared on their faces can only be described as pity. They would say “Oh” in that tone that conveys that great Midwestern trait of “if I don’t have anything nice to say, I won’t say anything at all.” And at first, I kind of understood where they were coming from. Michigan is a wonderful state—lakes, beer, natural beauty, sports—and the impression of Kansas is flat and unexciting: a flyover state.
We didn’t decide to move to Kansas because it was our lifelong dream to live there. Timing-wise, I finished my masters program the same time Lockie was applying for grad school, and wherever we landed, we wanted to land there together. So I looked for jobs at the schools Lockie was applying to, and together we decided on Lawrence. I actually had the final round interview for my job the day before Lockie committed to the University of Kansas. It seemed like destiny—all signs pointed to the Sunflower State.
Nevertheless, I didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous to leave behind everything I had ever known, the comforts of home and the closeness of family. Like I said, Michigan is a wonderful state. I didn’t want to leave because I was unhappy. It was more so an innate need to experience life elsewhere. The idea of staying in one place my entire life sounded terrifying, frankly. And if I was ever going to try leaving the nest, it should be now—when I’m young, not tied down, no kids or house to worry about. So Lockie and I left our old lives behind to go start a new one, together.
What they don’t tell you about Kansas is that it’s awesome. It was the perfect place for us to land, and I’ll tell you why.
First of all, Lawrence is a small town. There is one main street, Massachusetts Street, that takes you through historic downtown Lawrence. But it’s so lively, and welcoming. Lawrence was maybe the first place I’ve ever been that felt like a movie set—people saying hello to each other on the street, everyone going to the same diner in town for Sunday breakfast, cool and quirky local events happening all the time. It felt a little bit like I was living in Stars Hollow. I mean, the weekend we moved, the Busker Festival was happening in town—“a circus on the streets” they call it. That’s like something out of a movie.
Lawrence is situated in a unique part of Kansas. When I asked my new coworkers about the danger of tornadoes in the area (a tornado hit Wichita when we came to look at apartments, and we had a tornado watch the weekend we moved), they were quick to assuage my concerns. About 45 minutes from Kansas City, it rests in what is locally known as the Tonganoxie Split. The hills (yes, hills, in Kansas) divert hazardous weather away from Lawrence, Kansas City, and the small town called Tonganoxie. This phenomenon is, of course, just a local myth—national weather services will tell you that it doesn’t hold water. But I found it to be true while we lived there. We had our fair share of summer storms and wacky weather, but no tornadoes. I loved the wacky weather though! We could get some intense blizzards in Michigan, but thunderstorms rolling across the flat plains of Western Kansas are a different beast. I was very thankful for our awesome apartment complex, which never leaked once.
One of my favorite things about Lawrence is all of the unique shops, and all of the shops with cats. Both bookstores, the record store, the stationary store—all had friendly cats that helped greet customers, or just slept on the merchandise. These cats became larger than life almost, because of how beloved they are in the Lawrence community. Dashiell, the bookstore cat at The Raven, has written a book, and Wonder Fair (my favorite store in the whole world) sells t-shirts, calendars, pins, art, and more of their cat Dave. As someone who loves cats, this was understandably very exciting. Sometimes I would go downtown and take a ‘cat tour’ to visit all of the shops with cats—and often I’d end up buying something, too. I probably spent a lot more money on things I didn’t need when we lived in Lawrence, but going downtown was always something fun to do. The shops were great, the people were friendly, and when I was on Mass Street, I felt like I was a part of the community.
The best thing about Lawrence, by far, is the food. The restaurant scene is incredible, which again is not something people think of when they think of Kansas! But they should! I share this because this is a safe space and I trust you all—I gained about 30 pounds during the year we lived in Lawrence. And truthfully I have no regrets. Every single meal was delicious—so many different cuisines, new restaurants opening all the time. Even at our favorite joints, I could get something different from the menu every day and be happy with my meal. We were spoiled rotten.
I dream about our favorite spot, The Ladybird Diner. We would go there for breakfast every other weekend, and if we got there later than 9 o’clock, we just knew that we would be waiting for 30+ minutes. But it was worth it, every time. The staff were so friendly—I don’t know if they recognized us as regulars, but I certainly remembered them. Lockie would always get a chocolate shake, and they would bring the milkshake mixer that they used, so it was like I got a shake too. I don’t even like chocolate ice cream, but their chocolate shake is made with literal magic. Going to Ladybird was a small little tradition, but it was one we made together, and I miss it.
The year that we lived in Lawrence contained a lot of firsts. For example:
- first flat tire
- first cat
- first time getting Covid
- first time making friends as an adult
- first business trip
- first flight with luggage full of Christmas presents
- first birthday party planned for myself
- first speeding ticket
- first after-work happy hour
- first time quitting a job
- first time planning our next step on our own
One of these days I’ll write Fort Collins a love letter too—there’s a lot to like about living here. But I miss Kansas, I think because it was so much better than we thought it would be. I’m grateful for all the friends and family that came to visit us in that year. You got to see what a magical place it was, too. I’m grateful for Archie—he’s our little piece of Lawrence that comes with us.
Thank you, Lawrence. For being what we needed. Kansas might be a flyover state, but every time I fly above your little town, I’ll wish I was down there in it.
– From Abby, with love
abby j 