Last March 6, Evelyn, Jombit and I went to Topeka. There, while absorbing the lighthearted bantering around me, I know I got lucky! Our contacts in Topeka are different. They SEE us :) Their hugs are warmer, their "hellos" and "see yahs" more sincere. Somehow I feel they are a bunch that we could have a relationship with outside of business. I see it happening already. Oh what a blessing!
We had lunch at the bar/restaurant of Vicki. I had chicken strips and Vicki got crazy at how conventional, everyday and ho-hum my choice was! We saw the house that Vicki was planning to buy. It was right at the corner where her restaurant is, near a bus stop and a big school. She plans to rent it out to the teachers coming in August. That will make my job a lot easier.
Marianne arrived after 2pm and we immediately went out to visit schools. When we got back, we met with their HR Manager and their Superintendent. No superintendent ever sat down for a meeting with us!!! I am glad I brought a camera with me.
After the meeting, we arranged to meet with Gloria for dinner. In the meantime, we went with Marianne to the bed and breakfast inn she booked for the night. The inn was sitting on a corner lot and it was colored fuchsia!! There were dry vines on most part of building. It might have looked good in summer but at that time, just as the sun was coming down, it looked spooky. Entrance was at the back and when we got there (it was a little past 5pm), the doors were locked. Beside the locked door was a sign "The Witch is Out". Marianne knocked and tried to see through the windows. In a few minutes, a car arrived and a woman stepped out. Marianne asked "Are you the witch?" And the woman answered, "That's me!" We went inside and I noticed about 15 coats hanging on the hallway leading to the receiving area. I remember the stench ... like the coats were just worn by people who were profusely sweating. While Marianne and the witch :) talked about the front door safety code and meal times, Evelyn and I found ourselves into a room which the "witch" said was the favorite room rented for weddings. The room was stuffed with old ornaments, colored dark blue. Chairs, carpet, curtains, jars .. dark blue. At the corner was a piano that was playing by itself. A creepy picture as light from the sun was slowly fading from the window. Then the "witch" brought us to 4 rooms and Marianne chose which room she liked. It was then when we found out that there were no other guests in the house!! So whose coats were those hanging near the receiving area? I told Marianne that they were owned by guests just like her who never checked out! Honestly!! We had a riot thinking that when the witch told her that dessert will be ready when she gets back from dinner, it was actually Marianne who will be THE dessert! Hahahaha .... Needless to say, Marianne later on decided to sleep in Kansas City.
We were joined by Gloria and her husband for dinner. It was uneventful but the food was lovely!!! We dined at one of the upscale restaurants - Jul's Grille.
Going back from Topeka to Springfield, something happened to Evelyn's car. It lost its power. Something just stopped working. Jombit felt there was something wrong with the car so he quickly exited from the highway and found a hotel. Hampton Inn. We stayed overnight at the hotel. Slept like a baby. In the morning, Evelyn told us what made the car stall - the witch. MWAHAHAHA!!!
We had lunch at the bar/restaurant of Vicki. I had chicken strips and Vicki got crazy at how conventional, everyday and ho-hum my choice was! We saw the house that Vicki was planning to buy. It was right at the corner where her restaurant is, near a bus stop and a big school. She plans to rent it out to the teachers coming in August. That will make my job a lot easier.
Marianne arrived after 2pm and we immediately went out to visit schools. When we got back, we met with their HR Manager and their Superintendent. No superintendent ever sat down for a meeting with us!!! I am glad I brought a camera with me.
After the meeting, we arranged to meet with Gloria for dinner. In the meantime, we went with Marianne to the bed and breakfast inn she booked for the night. The inn was sitting on a corner lot and it was colored fuchsia!! There were dry vines on most part of building. It might have looked good in summer but at that time, just as the sun was coming down, it looked spooky. Entrance was at the back and when we got there (it was a little past 5pm), the doors were locked. Beside the locked door was a sign "The Witch is Out". Marianne knocked and tried to see through the windows. In a few minutes, a car arrived and a woman stepped out. Marianne asked "Are you the witch?" And the woman answered, "That's me!" We went inside and I noticed about 15 coats hanging on the hallway leading to the receiving area. I remember the stench ... like the coats were just worn by people who were profusely sweating. While Marianne and the witch :) talked about the front door safety code and meal times, Evelyn and I found ourselves into a room which the "witch" said was the favorite room rented for weddings. The room was stuffed with old ornaments, colored dark blue. Chairs, carpet, curtains, jars .. dark blue. At the corner was a piano that was playing by itself. A creepy picture as light from the sun was slowly fading from the window. Then the "witch" brought us to 4 rooms and Marianne chose which room she liked. It was then when we found out that there were no other guests in the house!! So whose coats were those hanging near the receiving area? I told Marianne that they were owned by guests just like her who never checked out! Honestly!! We had a riot thinking that when the witch told her that dessert will be ready when she gets back from dinner, it was actually Marianne who will be THE dessert! Hahahaha .... Needless to say, Marianne later on decided to sleep in Kansas City.
We were joined by Gloria and her husband for dinner. It was uneventful but the food was lovely!!! We dined at one of the upscale restaurants - Jul's Grille.
Going back from Topeka to Springfield, something happened to Evelyn's car. It lost its power. Something just stopped working. Jombit felt there was something wrong with the car so he quickly exited from the highway and found a hotel. Hampton Inn. We stayed overnight at the hotel. Slept like a baby. In the morning, Evelyn told us what made the car stall - the witch. MWAHAHAHA!!!