City & Country Adventure: Olivia & Pop
Captain’s Log – A Day with Olivia
July 11, 2026
Today was one of those simple days that I suspect will become more meaningful with time.
I picked Olivia up at 10:00 this morning, and we set off toward Kansas City with two stops in mind. Our first destination was SCHEELS to look for a few fishing supplies. Being a Saturday, the store was packed with families and kids, but we made our way straight to the fishing department and found several of the items I had been hoping to pick up. After a few laughs navigating the crowds, we headed west to Academy Sports on 135th Street.
Academy was a completely different experience—much quieter and easier to browse. They had an excellent selection of fishing apparel, shoes, and tackle. We each came away with a new pair of shoes. Olivia found a pair of off-white and tan Nike low-top sneakers that suited her perfectly. I picked up three lightweight fishing shirts, a pair of fishing trousers, a set of slip-on fishing shoes, and a handful of additional tackle items.
With our shopping complete, we headed back east for lunch at CAVA. I was a bit rusty on ordering but once we figured out the process, building our own Mediterranean bowls was easy, and we both thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Better yet, it was a healthy choice—a welcome bonus.
After lunch we pointed the truck south toward Louisburg and stopped at the Cider Mill. Olivia chose an ice cream while I picked up a bag of fresh apple cider donuts to take home.
On the drive back, we turned the afternoon into a photo scavenger hunt with a simple theme: farm life. We searched the countryside for livestock, silos, windmills, barns, farmhouses, and anything else that fit the theme. We were surprisingly successful, and the photographs from that little adventure may end up being my favorite souvenirs from the day.
By about 3:30 the day was winding down. We made one last leisurely drive around Gardner Lake before I dropped Olivia off to meet Henry at the city pool for an afternoon of swimming.
As I drove home, I found myself thinking back to our very first special day together. She was just a little girl then. We wandered through Hy-Vee, and she carefully selected an enormous assortment of candy from the bulk bins. Back at the Jayhawk Club, we spread it all across the kitchen counter, admiring the colorful collection before diving in.
That was only the beginning.
There have been countless breakfasts at IHOP, where she always orders the cupcake pancakes—more dessert than breakfast. Two memorable dinners at Basil Leaf Café, where spaghetti and meatballs with breadsticks was always her favorite, followed by ice cream in downtown Lawrence. A quiet morning in De Soto when we picked up McDonald’s breakfast and ate it beside a small lake. And now this day—fishing stores, Mediterranean bowls, apple cider donuts, country roads, and a scavenger hunt through rural Kansas.
These outings have never been about spending money or checking off destinations. They’ve been about spending time together, sharing conversations, and building memories one ordinary day at a time.
I hope that years from now, Olivia remembers these adventures with the same warmth that I do. If even a handful of these days stay with her, then they will have been worth every mile driven.
Only time will tell, but I like to think they will.
