I had a good laugh when I received my Hometown gifts and found out they were from the state below me: Kansas! I'm a Midwest girl through and through, so that was just fine and dandy with me. :)

I have to take a moment and praise my Santa for sending such a good letter with the gifts. She explained why she sent what she did and added some fun facts that put a smile on my face. Thank you for that!

Now on to the Kansas goods! As a diehard Cornhusker football fan, I felt like maybe I was meant to boo and hiss at the Wildcats t-shirt and the Jayhawks keychain, but then I realized they're not in our conference any more and I could carry them around Nebraska without the threat of death. ;) The t-shirt itself is a good dose of nostalgia for me; While I have no affiliation with K-State, my high school mascot was also a Powercat and our school colors were also purple and white, so that was nice!

Next up was a little compact mirror from the Missouri State Fair. Adorable and useful. Can't beat that!

Then came a bottle of famous Gates barbeque sauce. We love our barbeque, so that will definitely be enjoyed and appreciated!

A couple of postcards were flanked by one of my fears in miniature: a pet tornado! Nostalgia flooded in again. I used to have one of those bad boys when I was a kid, so it's all sorts of fun to have one in my adult life, too. :D

The last and coolest thing my Santa sent is not really from Kansas at all: a kubing. If you're like me and have never heard of that before, it's a musical instrument from the Philippines. This was significant because my Santa works for a non-profit that helps families around the world, and she had a particular connection to the Philippines. As someone who has also worked for a non-profit, this was very special and gladly received.

Thank you, C.! You did a terrific job of sending cool things! I'll actually be in your neck of the woods next weekend, so I'll wave to the city as a whole for you. ;)

Oh, and P.S.? I checked out your Instagram. Good Mythical Morning! Yes!