Meet Me in St. Louis

I have a confession.  I have never seen that movie, even though I lived there for four years.  There are tons of things to do in that city that I never did, including riding the tram up to the top of the Arch, going to Grant's Farm and the transportation museum, walking up to the top of Tower Grove Water Tower, running on Grant's Trail, or personally picking up food from Pappy's BBQ (yum!).  These are all fairly classic things to do in that city, and we never made the time for any of them.  Not that we didn't keep ourselves busy.  We had a list of favorite places to visit/play/run, and we used them frequently.

I had a chance to rectify some (not all) of my former mistakes a week ago when my fam and I met up with Spiff's family in STL for a weekend.  We met his mom, sister, and his uncle's family from CA for his Grammy's memorial service.  We had such a great weekend.  The weather was perfect, sunny and warm 70s.  My kids were angels.  We packed so much fun into three days that we were all completely exhausted every night.  We did visit our old favorites, including the (World's BEST) Zoo, Pappy's lunch eaten at Tower Grove Park, Grant's Farm, Dinner at the King & I, swimming at the hotel pool, the Botanical Garden, and the Arch (still didn't ride that tram...no regrets).  We saw hot air balloons in the air during the Forest Park Balloon Race (although we sadly missed the Balloon Glow because we were traveling).  We drove through our old neighborhood and past our old house.  I even met a friend for a my first run on Grant's trail.  We met our friends for dinner one night, and my kids had the time of their lives.  Gunner declared after we left that he loves their daughter and "feels like marrying her."

Man, I love that city.  I admit that there are things about it that I don't miss.  It's a pretty run down urban area with a whole lot of racial segregation.  It's also filled with a lot of grumpy people.  I also admit that it has been nice living in a different region of the country known for its nice people.  I like nice people.

But all the other stuff that I mentioned before...all that stuff...I have a deep love for it all.  It is all beautiful and fun, but mostly it reminds me of good times during Spiff's medical school, before we had kids, the years we had our babies, the years I had to get to know Grammy, the years we met so many wonderful friends...the ones who became family away from family, while we all struggled through that time together.  We lived there as a couple longer than any other city.  It became home, and part of me still feels that it is home.

Most of all, spending time with Spiff family was glorious.  They live in Oregon, and we rarely see them.  I miss them and so badly wish that my kids could have a close relationship with them.  It is great to see how Gunner interacts with them now that he's a little older.  He loved them both so very much this time.  Hobbes, too.

And Grammy's funeral was lovely and perfect.  She was in the Navy as a young woman, teaching soldiers to work machine guns.  So, she was buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.  They gave her full Naval Military Honors.  My kids were completely silent and mesmerized throughout the service; they could tell how special it was.  It was impossible not to cry when the soldier knelt down in front of Spiff's Mom to present her with the folded flag.

We held an informal memorial at the grave cite where we all participated through prayers, readings, words, etc.  It was so special.  I sort of love funerals, as long as they are not over tragic circumstances.  I love how it gives me closure.  I love how they give family and friends a chance to gather together in order to celebrate the life of a loved one.  I love how I have always left a funeral feeling uplifted and peaceful after communally remembering our loved one.

That wrapped up our quick weekend in STL.  I wish we had had time to visit some other friends who still live there.  I wish for a reunion with our friends who have moved on.  But I'm filled with gratitude for a visit with family and a great reminder of a beautiful time in our little lives.