Total Eclipse

The last time we had a total solar eclipse in Kansas was in 1806.

So....this is a pretty big deal. We pulled the kids out of school and ordered glasses in advance so we could watch without burning holes in our retinas. 

We made the trip up Amelia Earhart Airport to watch. We bought a ticket online, nervous that all the spots to watch in its path would be taken. While we waited for the magical hour, we bought some very delicious shave ice...Everly found the ice cream in the bottom of the rootbeer float one.....so Anna went on the hunt.

It was raining and cloudy all morning. We took shelter in our cars several times. This young fellow seems to have completely given up.

The Magnusson family came up from Arkansas to watch, so we were excited to meet up and let the kids hang out.

The Guenthers kept watching the radar and were worried that the cloud cover was going to keep them from seeing anything, so they headed back to Olathe, hoping to catch a view of the partial eclipse from there.

We got antsy too, so we started driving out of the airport and heading toward clearer skies. Then we spotted a place to pull off as the time grew near.  And look what it was! Seemed like the perfect place to try to watch.

Within a few moments. The air just felt different. 

And right then, there was a little break in the clouds. Just enough to see it. A picture could not possibly do it justice.

And the coolest part. It got very dark, very fast. It made my body feel so strange.

I'm so glad we pulled the kids out, and I so relieved we got to see it through the thick clouds.

On the way home, the Flynns were behind us in their van. They called to tell us that Aidan had just had a massive seizure and had stopped breathing. They had pulled into a parking lot to trying to help him and he had come out of it. An ambulance had come to take them to the hospital and we made sure the girls got home and checked in with them throughout the day. I don't know why, but it feels so weird that he had that seizure right after the eclipse. Did it trigger him in some way?

It's been a crazy long day. Aidan is fine and home. They have a long road ahead of them to figure out what's going on. Maybe it's a good thing the next total eclipse is in 2024. Wait...that seems too soon!