Brian’s First Time at Lulu’s
Posted on May 22, 2026 by Ching under Food and Drink.
We had dinner at Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop in Crossroads while we were in Kansas City earlier this month. Somehow I was convinced that Brian and I had been there before. Brian insisted he had never been but I knew for sure that I had. Anyway, I dug up this post from ten years ago. Long story short, I suggested that we go over there for dinner and he said no but then I got my wish a couple of months later when I ate there with some coworkers.
Fast forward 10 years later, he finally got to try it. Also, you know it’s good because it’s still around. Few restaurants survive the test of time.
We walked to the restaurant from our hotel so we enjoyed a few drinks and didn’t even think twice about it. LOL.
Here are some pictures of our food.
I decided to have soup because the walk was a little chilly and I was unprepared for cooler weather. I didn’t even bring a hoodie. Anyway, this is the Tom Kha Gai which is not quite what I had expected. I feel like I had Tom Kha Gai at our local Tup Tim Thai here in Wichita and it was different. Different or not, it was good and I still enjoyed it. I slurp, slurp, slurped it.
Speaking of walk. I took a couple of pictures of Brian in one of the alleys we walked past on the way to the restaurant.
Here’s the funny thing. Ten years ago, when I asked to eat here, Brian refused citing that he thought the area looked “sketchy” and here were are ten years later — not only are we eating there, but we walked to and from the restaurant even. Either the Crossroads District has come a long way in the last ten years or we have.
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Hummel-Ward Wedding
Posted on May 20, 2026 by Ching under Events.
We got to witness the union of two beautiful souls earlier this month. Our friend Parker Ward married is perfect match, Madison Hummel.
The ceremony was at the Church of the Nativity in Leawood, Kansas.
Their reception was the Abbott in Kansas City. It was probably the most creative celebration we’ve ever attended. Throughout their relationship, Parker would leave Madison post-it notes so, when he proposed, he also did it in a similar fashion – via a giant post-it note.
They continued this theme at the reception by putting everyone’s table assignments on post-it notes. Our placeholders at dinner were also post-it notes.
It was absolutely brilliant!
Initially, I was worried that we wouldn’t know anyone there. Thankfully, they put us at a table with other pickleball players.
The Abbott, located in the Crossroads arts district of Kansas City, was the perfect reception venue. We hung out on the rooftop patio before dinner for some pre-dinner drinks and rays of sunshine.
Brian enjoyed some old fashioneds, Parker’s favorite drink.
Dinner was fantastic. The tables were beautifully decorated and consistent with the couple’s fun vibe. They also chose a great band. I think everyone had a blast.
Here are some pictures of the food. They went with a plated salad and multiple food stations. I don’t think anyone went hungry.
Honestly, I was surprised we made Parker’s invite list as we hadn’t seen him in a while. He is always so busy with his various business endeavors. I am grateful for the invite though, because I just love weddings. It reminds me of our own wedding and brings back all the good feels. Every time we are witness to another couple’s union, it’s like Brian and I are renewing our vows to each other at the same time. It gives me the warm fuzzies.
Anyway, congratulations to Parker and Madison. We with you both the best and may you both live happily ever after!
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Hotel Indigo – Crossroads
Posted on May 17, 2026 by Ching under Travel.
We absolutely loved our recent stay at Hotel Indigo at Crossroads in Kansas City earlier this month when we came up for Parker and Madison’s wedding.
We chose the hotel based on its proximity to the reception venue. It was an easy walk to and back from the Abbott. Anyway, super impressed with this hotel. Brian, Saki, and I really enjoyed the comfy bed and fluffy pillows.
When we checked in, we found a very thoughtful green gift bag filled with some snacks and even a cookie for our dog. It was the sweetest, most thoughtful gesture.
Besides the close location to the reception venue, the hotel is also close to lots of restaurants and all of the fun things that the Crossroads District of Kansas City has to offer. Also appreciated there was a nearby park that we could take Saki to do her business. We loved the convenience of being able to walk everywhere.
I think the only downside we found to the hotel was the lack of free parking. Valet parking is available for a daily fee. Luckily, we were able to find a spot across the street and street parking is free on weekends. It saved us quite a bit.
Oh, I forgot to mention the hotel gave us a little gift for our dog. We didn’t get a chance to open it until we got home. It was full of fun goodies. Anyway, more on the wedding and our weekend getaway on the next post but for now gonna leave you with a recommendation to check out Hotel Indigo when you’re in Kansas City. It really is a neat hotel.
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Tom’s Last Visit
Posted on May 15, 2026 by Ching under Things to Do.
Here’s a recap of our friend Tom Grace’s last visit to Wichita, which involved nails, a tequila and mezcal tasting, dinner, and brunch the next morning.
The four of us got our nails done together at Nails & Beyond, a nail salon in West Wichita where Brian and I had been going every month for nearly 20 years.
Tom got cuddles with Nugget and all of us (except for Tom, who just did “buff shiny” on his nails) got some shade of blue.
I did a dark blue on my toenails and then a light blue on on my fingernails purposely to go with the dress I was wearing to the wedding we were attending the following weekend.
Here’s a pic of my nails with the dress.
After nails, the four of us went to Total Wine for a tequila and mezcal tasting class.
We tried eight different bottles of tequila and mezcal. I list them all below along with how much each retails at Total Wine and how much I liked them.
- Bad Bull Spicy Taramindo ($19.99) *****
- Luna de Jalisco ($39.99) ***
- El Ateo Reposado ($49.99) ***
- 3 Amigos Anejo Tequila ($34.99) **
- Mi Familia Flores Cristalino ($65.99) ****
- Fosforo Ensamble Mezcal ($54.99) *
- Mi Mama Me Dijo ($44.99) *
- Mi Familia Flores Extra Anejo ($99.99) *****
As you can see, the two that I liked the most were the most expensive and the least expensive. While some people really enjoy expensive bottles of tequila, price it seems has zero bearing on whether I will enjoy it. I learned a ton at this class but my key take-away was that I apparently do not like mezcal – at all. Out of all the ones we tasted, I enjoyed the mezcal ones the least.
After the tasting, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Oak & Pie. Here are some pics of our food. I think the Italian nachos were the hit of the night.
The next morning, we had brunch at Chicken N Pickle where Brian and I ran into an old friend, Michael Castile, who we hadn’t seen in a long time.
By the way, the brunch at Chicken N Pickle is legit. They offer something for everyone. We’ve been to Chicken N Pickle for brunch a few times now and have never been disappointed.
Anyway, that pretty much wraps up Tom’s last visit to Wichita. Until next time!
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Another Broken Egg
Posted on May 13, 2026 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Brian and I found another brunch spot to add to the regular rotation. Honestly, the first time we checked out Another Broken Egg a year ago or so, Brian was not all that impressed. He thought the food was just okay and the wait was ridiculously long so it really took away from the experience. I do like their food and their coffee cocktails though so, a long as you don’t have to wait forever, it’s actually quite good.
We’ve been back a couple of time since (twice in the last month, actually). We went last month on the day of our nail appointment because we had a tequila and mescal tasting after nails and we wanted to make sure we didn’t go on an empty stomach. At the same time, we didn’t want to be too full and ruin are appetite for dinner. We decided we would go to brunch and skip lunch that day.
PRO TIP: If you sign up for their rewards program, you get free beignets.
I need to try their other coffee cocktails but my go-to has been the spiked caramel cold brew. You can’t go wrong with Baileys and Kahlua.
Here are some pictures of our food.
And, of course, a picture of us.
One of the best things about Another Broken Egg is that it is right next to TapNPaddles. So we were back again last weekend. Brian and I had brunch there and then he dropped me off at TapNPaddles for my InPickle Nation event (a mini tournament that I run on Saturdays). We had tickets to Banana Ball (more on this later) so it made sense for him to drop me off and then just come back and get me immediately after IPN and then pick up Chris and go to Banana Ball. It saved us at least 30 minutes, instead of waiting for me to come home and then the two of us go get Chris. Or if I met them there then we would have two cars and have to pay for parking twice. Carpooling made so much more sense.
The main thing about Another Broken Egg, as with most of the breakfast spots in Wichita, is that you have to go early on the weekends. If you go before 9 AM, the wait is shorter and the service is also better. If you go around 10-11 AM, you’re looking at a minimum of an hour wait for a table and then the food takes forever. Thus was our experience this past weekend.
I do really like the place and I love the spiked caramel cold brew. I’ve seen some of the other coffee cocktails which also look amazing so I’m dying to try them. We probably have several more visits on the horizon.
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