Hi! My name is Ken and this is the story of my InstructureCarn adventure.
Things started out normal enough... canvasbaby brought me and Barbie along for the annual Jones family road trip to InstructureCon (Kona "Community" Jones), and I figured I was in for the typical paddle boating and stroller rides.
Tuesday as we were wheeling around Keystone CanvasBaby got distracted by all the carnival fun and didn't realize that I got left behind. And this is where my true adventure began!
Tuesday night was game night and let me tell you, Panda is a pretty crazy bear! I partied a little too hard and unfortunately I lost a few bets... and my shorts.
I honestly don't remember all that happened Tuesday night (PS - message me if you do!), but apparently I was the life of the party and fun enough that some people not only Tweeted about me, but also posted about me on Facebook. [Is this like my 5 minutes of fame?]
Thankfully Canvas users are a friendly and fun group, and didn't take offense to my lack of clothing and crazy ways!
On Wednesday and Thursday I got to go on a hike and everyone who passed by my hangout spot (on the post by the conference center stairs) smiled and some people even took selfies with me!
InstructureCon really is an amazing conference and the carnival like environment made it even better! I was having the time of my life and even had a chance to do a bit of yoga and reconnect with nature!
Yet, by Thursday night I was getting a little worn down and was starting to wonder how Canvas Baby and Barbie were doing. Unfortunately, I found out later on that Canvas Baby had been sick Wednesday and part of Thursday, which is why I wasn't missed. Thankfully as the Jones family was packing up Thursday night they realized I was missing. It was then that Canvas Baby's Mom (Kona) realized that she knew exactly where to find me. She'd seen the crazy pictures on her Twitter feed, but had never connected the dots to realize it was ME, Ken! I was retrieved from my hangout spot on the post and Canvas Baby welcomed me home with open arms... and my shorts!
It felt strange, but good to be back with my family! Friday morning I drank my coffee with Barbie and looked out over Keystone lake and recounted my amazing InstructureCarn adventures and all the friends I made over the week.
Once coffee was done it was time for the next adventure... the trip home! We started by dropping off Canvas Grandma at the Denver Airport and then headed north to Mount Rushmore!
After Rushmore we stopped at Wall Drug for the free water and to feed the dinosaur! I'd also strongly recommend the donuts and $0.05 coffee, but save your money on the panning for gems experience.
I took a little time in the Badlands to chat up a prairie dog. He was curious if Instructure could use a new mascot. I told him Panda was pretty awesome and that I didn't think so, but hey Panda, consider this your heads up to watch your back!
During InstructureCarn I noticed a lot of clown themed stuff and even some face painting, so when the opportunity presented itself at the Omaha Children's Museum I decided to try my hand at clown make-up. Honestly Canvas Kid ended up looking pretty creepy, so I'll probably keep my day job and stay away from clowns!
We were almost home when we decided to swing by and visit Canvas Grandma. I hadn't heard of Hog Days or the Hog Capital of the World, but luckily a local pig was hanging around and filled me in on the big event. It sounded pretty cool and even includes a carnival (oh yeah!) and mud volleyball!
After almost two weeks we finally made it home! It was good to be home, but after hearing about next year's InstructureCon in Long Beach, CA I'm wondering if they could use a good lifeguard??
Special thank you to everyone who partied with me at InstCon and shared their pictures! My memory is a little hazy about everything that took place, so if you have a story about me at InstructureCarn feel free to share it below!
