It has only been a short while since Ted and Shawna Simmons moved their family from Lenexa to Lake Quivira.  During that time, they renovated their home on Navajo Lane and fell in love with being a lake family.  Ted is originally from Kansas City and Shawna spent half of her life in South Dakota but is thrilled to call Lake Quivira home now.

With Ted’s profession in finance and Shawna working as a probation officer, you might wonder how they met.  Ted had been helping employees with financial planning at Shawna’s place of employment. Shawna recalls planning to set him up with one of her friends but before she could do so, Ted asked Shawna out on a date!  This all happened in 2003 and by 2006, they were married.

The couple has three children.  Lilly, who is 15 years old and a freshman at St. James Academy High School in Lenexa, KS and Lyla, who is 13 years old and a 7th grader at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Shawnee, KS.  Jake is 9 years old and also attends Good Shepherd Catholic School as a 3rd grader.

To add and complete this great family, you must also meet their two large dogs, Bode, a (slightly overweight) yellow lab who is 9 years old and Marley, a 3-year-old Mastiff mix!  

As you could imagine, it’s a busy life in the Simmons household.  Lilly plays club volleyball with KC Power which is a traveling team.  She also is playing at St. James and is honored to be a “setter” as a freshman on the JV team.  She is also going out for the swim team at school.

Lyla plays club basketball with KC Dream.  Her positions are post and guard.  She also plays with the C.Y.O. (Catholic Youth Organization) basketball team.  Lyla loves the swim team and also has a dream to surf.  Shawna has promised to take her to the west coast and let her have the opportunity to try it out.

Jake also plays basketball for C.Y.O. and school and soccer with his buddies.  He plays club baseball and is on the Lake Quivira Swim Team!  

Ted is an avid golfer and Shawna is a self-proclaimed “sun girl” and just enjoys everything outdoors.  

The family loves the small-town feel of Lake Quivira especially when someone finds a lost item and leaves it on a rock wall or posts it on social media in hopes the owner will be found.  They also feel it is a safe place for their kids to ride their bikes around and of course,  appreciate how everyone waves and is so friendly.

The Simmons love traveling to visit family who lives in Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, and California.  This past holiday season, the family was affected by the airline scheduling collapse and aborted a long layover by turning in their tickets and just renting a car.  Ted drove them straight through in horrible weather to Key Largo, FL!  They had a similar trip back at the beginning of the pandemic when while on spring break in Florida, they ended up canceling their return flights and drove 19 hours straight home in fear of being stranded during an eminent pandemic lockdown.  

Their “happy place,” other than Quivira, is a tiny town on Florida’s Atlantic coast called, Sebastian.  The Simmons spend time there every year and visit Shawna’s father at that time.  They also travel yearly to Disney World with Ted’s family.

The Simmons wants to make sure to keep family a priority and has made a tradition called, Forced Family Night. Pizza is ordered and electronic devices are put away for the evening so that family time and memories can be made.  It’s just something they do and it seems to be working very well!