Have you ever wondered how one person could have crossed paths with you a convenient time in your life? Some people plan it out, methodically, from childhood. Others were born to serve a mission on earth from God that endures throughout their entire lifetime. My amazing cat, K.C., was one of these beings... Have you ever considered that God’s animal beings have missions on earth, too? This is a true story of one such sentient being—in a cat suit—who was assigned by the angels to pounced upon an unsuspecting woman’s life that was in shambles in a time when internet and smartphones did not exist. This cat helped save her from choosing death, and then devoted his entire life to transforming her into a better human being. This cat had a mission assigned from God. The mission was—me! This story is not to convince you, but rather to enlighten you as to the possibilities of the divine—along with the billions of internet cat and pet videos of people who are trying to share the good news of their intelligence: “animals have souls!” This account is to serve as a comfort to anyone who has lost someone—be it your pet companion or human relation—to a serious illness. No one escapes the pain of heartbreak...but to endure such an obstacle course of anguish brings a light of lasting peace that will anchor your heart with joy that exists past this lifetime—being reunited again with beloved pets in the hereafter... It’s called love.

With Explorer’s Guides, expert authors and helpful icons make it easy to locate places of extra value, family-friendly activities, and excellent restaurants and lodgings. Regional and city maps help you get around and What’s Where provides a quick reference on everything from tourist attractions to off-the-beaten-track sites. Along with Amish farms, rolling countryside, and interesting history, Kansas offers rodeos, powwows, pancake races, Renaissance fairs, and spinach festivals. Kansas is known for wheat, cattle, and wide-open spaces, but it also has day spas, boutique hotels, museums, concerts, and vital urban scenes. There’s a lot to see and do here; with an insider guiding you, you can expect extras, like a detailed look at the exciting cultural centers of eastern Kansas, with their fine restaurants, nightlife, and art. There really is no place like Kansas!

Fresh off of a gutsy, thrilling 2023 Super Bowl win for the Kansas City Chiefs, two inspiring stories that fit perfectly together—a biography of superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, who brought the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in fifty years in 2020 as well as a second in 2023, along with the historical struggles and recent resurgence of the former “Paris of the Plains,” Kansas City. There is nobody like Patrick Mahomes. In three seasons, he has won a Super Bowl and competed in another, earned the titles of First Team All-Pro, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and league MVP, and turned the Kansas City Chiefs from famed playoff failures into the most successful team in the NFL. With his unique and groundbreaking playing style, and winning personality both on and off the field, Mahomes has become a truly transcendent quarterback in a journey that mirrors and accentuates the rebirth of the once swingin’ cow town of Kansas City, Missouri. Once an adventure-filled jazz epicenter and nightlife hub to rival New Orleans, Kansas City’s wild edges and captivating neighborhoods were snuffed out in pursuit of a suburbanized dream that largely left out people of color. It’s been a long road attempting to move past the scars of segregation and overcome the city’s flyover reputation, but Kansas City is now poised to make a comeback, and no other person or team embodies that hope like Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City and Mahomes represent the story of the midwestern American city—how they grew, how they shaped the country, how the sport of football came to mean so much to them, how they failed, and how they are changing. Kansas City–area natives Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd have written for outlets such as The New York Times, The Kansas City Star, and Texas Monthly, bringing their deep connection to the city, football expertise, and polished writing skills to create a serious book about a very entertaining subject—the rebirth of a city, a team’s triumph, and how Patrick Mahomes, and the team he led, were exactly what was needed to bring Kansas City back together again.

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.

Kansas City is on the rise. That's the vibe around the metropolitan area and this book shows you just where to find what's happening in this Midwestern crossroads filled with fascinating places and experiences. You've heard about the barbecue and jazz - two traditions that still define the area, but this guide takes you to places where the locals hang. It also includes insider tips and secrets along the way. We share with you the culinary joys of eating in a gas station, how to uncover the city's gangster past and where to go to make your own sausage. And that's just the beginning. 100 Things to do in Kansas City Before You Die mixes eclectic with family-friendly venues, iconic Kansas City stops along with places that honor the diversity of people who have called the area home. Whether you grew up here or just visiting you are sure this book will take you to places that will amuse you, entertain you and make you think.