We arrived in St Louis on the 20th in plenty of time to pick up both Christopher and JAC as they were being dismissed for Christmas Vacation. It was so much fun to see their faces as they dove into their Mom's car and found that we had arrived! Steve and his family rolled in on the 22nd in time for dinner. Now the fun, noise and excitement kicks up a notch or two. Jennifer and Ian had the house decorated inside and out -- it was beautiful. The only thing missing this Christmas was the snow, and to be honest, Brian and I were thrilled that it missed us! After 26 years of Minnesota winters, we prefer the mildest weather possible.
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| The Gateway Arch is 630 feet tall and was completed in October 1965. Only a few months before Brian and I had our first date! So far both the arch and our relationship are aging well. |
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| A view of downtown St Louis from the top of the arch. St Louis was founded in 1764 and became an independent city in 1877 when it seceded from St Louis County. In 1904 the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and Summer Olympics were held here. |
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| The Mississippi River. We have traveled past the arch 6 times on our boat going between Minnesota and Florida. This was our first visit on land. |
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| St Louis is the home to Anheuser-Busch. We had lunch at St Louis Brewery where a local favorite brand is produced, Schlafly. Brian had a ginger beer (ginger ale) and JAC decided to get the last drops from the bottle. |
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| Everyone tried skating except Grandma and Grandpa. |
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| Grandpa reads 'The Night Before Christmas' just before bedtime. |
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6 adults, 4 kids and 2 dogs -- Yikes, this is chaos! |
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| Classic Christmas A girl and her doll and a boy with his new mitt and ball! |
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| Just to add a little more excitement to Christmas Day -- Niko and Addison turned 5! |
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| The girls have a tea party while we watch a movie. |
On December 29th, Bonnie and Jon stopped in St Louis on their way back to our boats in Charleston. We all stayed at Jennifer's and had dinner in the Italian District, before an early morning departure on the 30th. It was a great visit and perfect Christmas with all of our family, but getting back home is wonderful too!
Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!
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