Places Everyone!

We all knew our spots in the Goldsmith Subaru. Jud drove, with Paul riding shotgun. In the back, left to right it was Kara, me, Amy and Corey - four people packed into a three-person back seat. We didn't want to take two cars as we drove about Saint Louis during the Goldsmith/Park Thanksgiving/Christmas adventure.

We arrived in Saint Louis last Wednesday, starting our jam-packed Thanksgiving holiday adventure. Amy and Corey had arrived the night before. First, we stopped by the Chess store and museum, because I'm a huge chess player and enthusiast. No, not really. But it was a cool thing to see. Did you know art and style to go with the game? I wish I was smart enough to play it. After that, we went to a vodka bar and then on to Pi, a delicious pizza joint.

Cheers! 

Post Turkey walk 

Thursday was Thanksgiving, of course. Boy, do we have a lot to be thankful for! Our family has grown to six, welcoming Corey. We are all thankful Kara is a fabulous entertainer. And Jud helps.  She prepared not one, but two superb holiday meals. Plus the table was gorgeous. The girl had a spreadsheet to help her organize the meals. Paul helped a bit with the turkey and we brought the usual creamy mashed potatoes, but Kara did the rest, including gravy. Sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, even sweet potatoes. Paul supplied the pumpkin pie for dessert. That night, we played a family game where knowledge is king. In team play, chicks ruled. Kara came from behind to roar to a victory.

Kara and Amy pose outside the Frank Lloyd Wright home

Kara made "chick plans" for Amy, me and her on Friday morning. We went to a local coffee shop for a delicious beverage and egg sandwich. Then we had a date with architectural history - Frank Lloyd Wright style at the Kraus House.  Besides the three of us, there were about eight others there, plus the docent, who was quite knowledgeable about the house, family, and architect. It was very interesting and I learned a great deal. FL Wright was innovative, and was a control freak and asked much of people he designed homes for.

Fun chatting with this group at Union Station

Friday was beautiful! We took the dogs (Archie and Henry) for a couple walks that day. Odie preferred to hang out at the house. We also watched the movie about the inception of the McDonald's corporation called Founder. It was interesting. We went downtown to check out the updates to the Arch and walked several blocks to view Union Station, whilst talking about best movies from the kids' childhoods. On the drive home, Jud took us by his new office at Purina. He works on the Beneful product line.

That night we went to Stacked, a burger joint on the south side of town. It was very good. Bellies full, we pointed the Subaru at Budweiser, the beer plant, where a free light show was being displayed. The warm weather brought lots of people out.

Saturday was Christmas! Our family will be with the "other side" (the In-Laws) for real Christmas. We opened presents early because Amy couldn't wait. haha. We had traded names and each person ended up with a lovely gift. We gave each grandpuppy a "dolly" but neglected to get one for Odie, so she spent the rest of the weekend stealing Henry and Archie's. I used my bath salts tonight (from Jud). About 11 a.m. we headed to a series of three local breweries. Schlafly, one with games and Urban Chestnut, where we sat outside in the sun.

Darts!

Saturday afternoon was set-aside for the Cyclone game watch. Except for Kara who slaved over a hot stove. Next time our Christmas may need to be planned for Friday. The huge chunk of prime rib took a bit longer than expected, and the Cyclone game (torture of another sad/close ending that did not favor the good guys) caused Paul to mix up the gravy while the game was still in question.

Dinner was served. The menu - scrumptious corn, twice baked potatoes and prime rib with gravy. Kara's hard work was well worth it. I was on cleanup duty for both family meals. Though I can cook. cleanup is my preferred slot. Saturday night was quiet. Corey and Amy headed downstairs to watch Clemson's big rivalry game with South Carolina. Lucky he didn't even need to hoot and holler much as his Tigers took out their rivals quite easily. The banana cream pie Kara made was a good topper for the evening - but the movie we watched was pretty forgettable.

I love hanging out with these people. Two-thirds of us talk a lot of sports. Kara and Amy aren't into it that much and get tired of the constant patter. I don't do that well at chick talk. Still we had a lot of laughs and fun. The main floor shower broke on Day 1, and the guys figured out how to fix it for less than $20 and a trip to Home Depot. It's nice to have an engineer in the family (Corey).

We took off fairly early Sunday morning, dropping Amy and Corey off at the STL airport on our way out of town. It's likely Jud and Kara went back to bed after we took off. They were probably pretty tired and ready to have their house to themselves again. I know what that's like. Amy and Corey were already in Denver at their place by the time we pulled into Des Moines. I feel very grateful for such a wonderful family.