The luggage finally arrived after taking a tour through Chicago, Dallas, Des Moines, Kansas City and finally Lee’s Summit. It’s been to more places on this trip (so far) than I have. However, I got to explore a bit of Kansas City by car today, and even cross over into the state of Kansas.

We rolled up to John’s grandma’s house this morning and were greeted at the door by his great aunt in her bright red Chiefs sweatshirt. Once we said our hellos and exchanged hugs she resumed her post in front of the TV watching the football game. John’s grandma is one amazing woman, I knew this before I met her but it’s been reaffirmed. She’s 89 years young and full of stories after which she usually tosses a wink in your direction. “Well did you hear about her? She’s almost dead. Okay, no, well, she’s 102 and she’s still makin’ tortillas!”

She gave me a tour of her dining room starting with the Thanksgiving cactus. This was followed by a description of each person in every photo and pointing out pieces of art that the grandkids will have to fight over when she’s gone. There was a big frame on the back wall with a collage of pictures and trinkets in honor of her husband, John’s grandpa, who passed in 2002. “I speak to him every day,” she said then walked over to a hutch and picked up a framed piece of paper. On it was printed a few paragraphs in courier font, plain black and white, but I could see her eyes twinkling with emotion when she passed it over to me. “From John Bollwitt’s Web Site,” it read across the top.

The ordinary sheet of printer paper that grandma held so dear included an except from a blog post John wrote in May of 2004.

…. “Grandpa’s chair… It’s still there. It was his chair. When we would visit, you could always sit in that chair. When grandpa came into the room, you got out and let him have it. He would sit their and watch the Kansas City Royals. Novellas. The news. He would also take his famed naps. Grandma always hated for him to fall asleep in that chair because then he wouldn’t sleep at night, in turn not letting her sleep through the night. She’d yell at him from the kitchen, “Louie! Wake up!,” followed by a string of words spoken in spanish, english, or both….” (Read the full post on John’s Blog)

I admit, I get emotional thinking about how I’ll never meet this person who was so special to John, however I’m glad that I get to be here now anyway. On a similar note, he won’t ever meet my Opa as well but his memory lives on through stories, photos, and the warm smiles we all get when we think about him. Sure, I’ve only been a part of John’s family for a few years, but meeting these people, being welcomed into their homes and experiencing their spirit makes me feel home. John’s great aunt who was born and raised in Kansas City said, “this is the Heart of America.” I believe it, but I also think I’ll get this same feeling when I’m in Iowa tomorrow at my mother and father-in-law’s house. Home is family – in whatever state, country or capacity.

We leave the “Show Me” state in the morning, more updates to come from Iowa.

I know, I completely skipped over Day One so here’s a quick rundown.

Today I’m going to Kansas. That’s right – not just Kansas City, Missouri but the state of Kansas because apparently it’s just down the street from Grandma’s house. We’re about to head out for a mini-tour of the area so I’ll have more updates to post later including the arrival of our lost luggage, which is supposed to turn up some time this afternoon.

In the meantime my buddy Duane is the sh*t.

Canada Place is good for something other than IMAX movies and taking scenic photos of the North Shore – there are usually some pretty neat seasonal events taking place inside and out. This year they are serving up a plethora of activities for the kiddies while supporting an excellent cause.

Christmas @ Canada Place will involve:

The part I’m looking forward to is the Woodward’s window displays: “A time-honoured tradition, the animated Woodward’s Window Displays are a part of Vancouver’s history. Bring back sweet childhood memories, while creating new ones for you and your family, as you view the charming holiday windows. Each beautifully restored Woodward’s Window portrays a classic holiday scene displayed as they were decades before.” [VancouverPlus]

I’m a HUGE sucker for Christmas window displays reminiscent of Macy’s or the fictional Higbees of A Christmas Story.

What: Christmas at Canada Place
When: December 8, 2007 to January 1, 2008 from 11:00am to 8:00pm AND Christmas Eve/New Years’ Eve from 11:00am to 2:00pm
Where: Canada Place (999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC)
How much: By donation. “Admission to Christmas at Canada Place is by donation with proceeds benefiting local charities including Strathcona Community Centre’s Food Security for Children Program, helping to feed children on the Downtown Eastside.”

They will also have a special Breakfast with Santa, Saturday, December 8 & Sunday, December 16 from 9:00am to 11:30am.

Update 2010 The Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program is back for 2010.

Last year I wrote a few blurbs about the Adopt-a-Family program through the Surrey Christmas Bureau. I’m now noticing a lot of Google search love from people seeking to learn more so here’s the scoop:

The Adopt-A-Family program is a way to match up families in need with caring families, business and other organizations in the Surrey area.

An Adopt-A-Family participant takes on the responsibility of taking care of the sponsored families on Christmas Day. This includes providing Christmas breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the family as well as gifts for all the children. We like our adoptive partners to try and provide a Christmas stocking and a small and medium-sized gift for each child. Often our sponsors are very generous, an activity we encourage as good for one’s soul.

If you would like to become an Adopt-A-Family sponsor, please contact the Adopt-A-Family program at 604-585-9670 or 604-585-9676 or click the email link below and in the subject put ‘Adopt-A-Family’. [Surrey Christmas Bureau]

In Vancouver, a similar program is run by the YWCA through the “Sponsor a Family” program:

Make a difference in the lives of women and children by sponsoring a low-income family this holiday season. By becoming a sponsor you will be matched with a family and provided with their “wish list.” Sponsors then shop for food and gifts and deliver the hamper to the family. [YWCA]

These are just two of many ways to make a difference this holiday season. Check out their websites or the sites of other local causes to see how you can help – either by making a donation online, organizing an office gift, or even volunteering your time.

AND if you don’t want to sponsor people, how about great blue herons? Learn more about the “Adopt-A-Nest” program via the Stanley Park Ecological Society.

Update: The Salvation Army was kind enough to send me some information about their Adopt-a-Family program, which can be found on their site.

That’s right, I won’t be there to liveblog the latest edition of “battle decks” at DemoCampVancouver04. Why not? Well, I’ll be somewhere between Iowa and Missouri, visiting in-laws and driving through some corn fields, that’s why.

John hasn’t been back to see his family in over two years since immigrating to Canada to be my man, so we’re pretty darn excited to be going for Thanksgiving. While we’re away there are two super cool social media events happening in Vancouver that I will be missing out on.

Third Tuesday: We’ve only attended one Third Tuesday event since they started in Vancouver but are looking forward to another next month. This time around however, Tod and Tanya have rustled up some interesting presenters, all on the topic of PR using social media: Phil Evans from 95Crave, Steve Palmer from 76Design, and Jo-Anne Stayner of High Road Communications.

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr [Website]

DemoCampVancouver04: Since I won’t be there to live blog, I’ll be looking around for recap information upon my return so if someone has such a write up, please leave a note in the comments and I’ll hook up some link love.

For DemoCampVancouver03’ers: “USP 2.0”

Photo credit: Roland Tanglao on Flickr [Website]

Luckily we’ll be back in time for MobileCampVancouver [Facebook][Wiki] and Launch Party with a Twiist *phew*. Looking forward to many more social media events in this town, you gotta love it!