3,972 miles later ...

Whew! We just pulled in from a record-breaking vacation for us. We've driven farther when we moved to Connecticut, but not for just a summer vacation. It was fabulous and "practically perfect in every way"! (You get 10 points if you knew that came from "Mary Poppins.")

Here are some things we did on our trip to St. Louis and Chicago:
* Saw all my Yancey relatives after 14 years and took Tinkerbell back for a play date with her new-found cousin Lyddie.
* Saw all my Hutchison relatives after 16 years.
* Saw my Chicago nieces and nephew, my sister-in-law, and her mom
* Saw "The Music Man" at the MUNY Opera in amazing seats, thanks to my sister and her boss.
* Saw my brother and sister-in-law and visited his store where we outfitted the entire family save Tinkerbell in new shoes.
* Found out why my left heel has been killing me and got some new shoes and stretches that will help it heal. (Note the homonym there!)
* Got complimented on my cute new Nike Frees, which made me happy.
* Saw my two little sisters, one of whom drove up from New Orleans.
* Missed my other sister who was there just the week before--lots. And her four kids who are scattered to the four winds.
* Spent lots of time with my parents just hanging out and talking.
* Played my sister's baby grand piano.
* Watched each of my four kids smile and laugh out loud--more than once!
* Actually had all four kids get along great the entire trip, even though they were crammed into a minivan and two have longer legs than I do now.
* Got all the kids' school shopping done.
* Visited the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, thanks to my sister-in-law's sister.
* Drove up and down Lake Shore Drive in Chicago repeatedly, and held my own with taxis, buses, and BMW convertibles.
* Nearly gave Sweetie a heart attack by driving down narrow Chicago streets. He forgot that I never had a car in Chicago until I married him and always used the bus or subway!
* Was thrilled that Chicago is even more beautiful now than it was 23 years ago when I moved there.
* Saw my old offices, apartments, and haunts in Chicago.
* Drove all the way down the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave. in Chicago) and could still name nearly all the stores.
* Showed the kids where their dad and I had our first few dates.
* Went to Steak 'n Shake, Lubeley's, and Ted Drewes. I even brought home four dobash tortes in the cooler for the rest of the birthdays this year.
* Spent the day at the Botanical Gardens with my sister, brother, and sister-in-law.
* Went to the Science Center with my nieces, brother, and sister.
* Drove across the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers numerous times, including the bridge right by the beautiful Gateway Arch.
* Realized what a small city St. Louis is after driving through Chicago earlier that evening!
* Was able to navigate my way around town without a map.
* Had loads of time to just think about things while I was driving. I feel more creative than I have in quite awhile.
* Drove through Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Colorado. I think I was actually driving during each border crossing.
* Didn't miss one thing about Utah or my house at all, except my friends, who aren't "things" after all. Didn't even miss the cats, really (sorry guys).

But now that I'm back, I guess it feels kind of good. Time to pick my life back up again, though it was heaven to leave it all behind for a little bit.

Happy 4th of July!

Even though technically I grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri (as much as an Army brat can grow up in one place), I probably spent just as much time in Webster Groves, just one town away. My parents both grew up there and all four grandparents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins were there. When we lived in Germany, we flew back to St. Louis for a few summers and took turns living with my grandparents. My cousins drove over to the house and we walked a few blocks over, plopped down on the curb, and waited for the 4th of July parade to come down the street. None of this stupid camping out stuff that is the trademark of the Provo parade. I can't stand going to the parade here, but I love it there. Then at night we headed over to Hixson Middle School (yep, named after my great-grandfather) to watch fireworks. One year we went to Westborough Country Club and lay on our backs on the golf course to watch them. Happy happy!

This year we'll go down to the Arts Fest, have a barbeque, and head out somewhere to see the fireworks. It's a nice tradition, but even I'm not brave enough to head out to the parade here. I'll let the other 250,000 (seriously!) people battle it out there.

Coming Out Of Hiding

I've been cocooning for the past few weeks. Hanging out with Sweetie and the kiddles, working on the house, picking berries, making jam, knitting--just chilling.

My dad's health has declined a lot in the last month and it's very depressing. I'm not "depressed" technically, but the whole thing has definitely got me down. I'm going home in mid-July to see my parents and siblings, which will make me feel much better I hope. Or it will make it much more real, which will make me feel worse.

So I'm sorry if I haven't been returning emails, updating my blog, or talking on the phone. I still love you all, but I just haven't felt very social. But that needs to change so I'm opening the blinds and heading out to pick currants.