OME! This past weekend was wonderful. I flew up to St. Louis to visit one of my 'sisters', Tracy. Tracy has been through more than any person should ever have to experience yet when I saw her as I stepped out of the airport my breath left my chest and a huge smile spread over my face. She is as she always will be, an exuberant, shining star. I wanted to cry when I saw the crimson BAMA on her t-shirt and the smile on her face. I did not realize how much I had truly missed her. Before I knew it we were whisking to her new house - which is fabulous - eating a quick breakfast, see Izzy in a hilariously cute elephant Halloween costume, seeing her sister Leslie off to the airport, then getting ready to go Apple picking in Belleville, Illinois. Yeah in a span of approximately 3 hours I was on a plane leaving Birmingham, landing in St. Louis, then heading to Illinois. It was a whirlwind, but a fun one. Apple picking was fun, we wandered the orchards & visited the country store. It is a place called Eckert's, definitely appears to be something that is pretty popular in the area. Tracy & I gabbed the entire time (while also getting updates via my phone of the Bama/Arkansas game) and when Bama beat the mess out of Arkansas we proudly sang the fight song for anyone around us to hear!
Once we got home that evening we were tired but not ready for the day to end. I had promised Tracy that I would make my homemade fried chicken while I was visiting and it seemed we needed to head to the grocery store. Well, St. Charles (the area they live in) just happened to be having an Irish Festival & Arts Festival on Main Street.
Main Street St. Charles is adorable. It is a piece of Americana that is an architectural mixture that evokes New England streets while also paying homage to European roots. I was impressed. We of course shopped, but it was more than just hanging out & looking at items to purchase. Tracy was relaxed & able to just be. There was a moment in our discussions where I really believe she just let out a breath of air and sighed. It was a little bit of freedom & stress relief while not leaving reality behind. The best kind of relaxation. Escape can be wonderful, but sometimes staying in the moments and being able to appreciate where we are is a very special kind of escape. I so hope that I was able to help, to bring a little craziness with a spark of fun to a stressful month.
After the festival 'tour' we headed to the grocery store & back home. A wonderful boysenberry & blackberry pie was on the menu for Sunday dinner so we had to get it mixed together. Then there was the famous Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake, which we had no crust for so we had to eat it by the spoon out of the bowl. I know such torture, huh? :):):):)
Sunday was a full day as well with Church, the famous Courtney fried chicken extravaganza & an amazing 3 cheese mac&cheese by Tracy afternoon. Tracy shared a box of all of Brooklyn's belongings with me that evening. That little girl is so loved!! She is so beautiful - I cannot imagine the perfection that she is as the brightest of God's angels. Isabel of course made us laugh hysterically (see Tracy's blog for the story). Isabel is adorable. There is just nothing like hearing her repeat EVERYTHING you say. I don't think I kept the grins hidden enough when she was getting lightly scolded for a few things, but I mean - she is too darn cute.
For example we were at breakfast one morning and Isabel began saying "Mike, Mike, come here. Mike, Mike come here please!" Tracy tried not to laugh and told her to say Daddy come here, well that lasted a minute then she even switched to "Tracy, Tracy, come here." it was hilarious! She has really got such a personality, she talks and talks, and is super smart. Though she does think when she sees a koala bear she calls it Dad... yeah. :) Her little 'roar' for lion is just too much - though during church it is priceless :)
(Oh yeah - Aunt Leslie - ROLL TIDE - NO DUCKS!)
Monday, Tracy & I wandered around St. Charles again and really just relaxed, shopped, acted all girly, and just had a girl’s day. It was perfect. Saying goodbye was not easy. I really did not want to leave her, but I know that Jose & Juannanita will need a job so Mike, just make sure Jose trims the edges around the sidewalk & know that little Juannanita has small hands (use her only for tight spaces & small jobs :) Don't worry the pool boy will have his hands full....
Once we got home that evening we were tired but not ready for the day to end. I had promised Tracy that I would make my homemade fried chicken while I was visiting and it seemed we needed to head to the grocery store. Well, St. Charles (the area they live in) just happened to be having an Irish Festival & Arts Festival on Main Street.
Main Street St. Charles is adorable. It is a piece of Americana that is an architectural mixture that evokes New England streets while also paying homage to European roots. I was impressed. We of course shopped, but it was more than just hanging out & looking at items to purchase. Tracy was relaxed & able to just be. There was a moment in our discussions where I really believe she just let out a breath of air and sighed. It was a little bit of freedom & stress relief while not leaving reality behind. The best kind of relaxation. Escape can be wonderful, but sometimes staying in the moments and being able to appreciate where we are is a very special kind of escape. I so hope that I was able to help, to bring a little craziness with a spark of fun to a stressful month.
After the festival 'tour' we headed to the grocery store & back home. A wonderful boysenberry & blackberry pie was on the menu for Sunday dinner so we had to get it mixed together. Then there was the famous Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake, which we had no crust for so we had to eat it by the spoon out of the bowl. I know such torture, huh? :):):):)
Sunday was a full day as well with Church, the famous Courtney fried chicken extravaganza & an amazing 3 cheese mac&cheese by Tracy afternoon. Tracy shared a box of all of Brooklyn's belongings with me that evening. That little girl is so loved!! She is so beautiful - I cannot imagine the perfection that she is as the brightest of God's angels. Isabel of course made us laugh hysterically (see Tracy's blog for the story). Isabel is adorable. There is just nothing like hearing her repeat EVERYTHING you say. I don't think I kept the grins hidden enough when she was getting lightly scolded for a few things, but I mean - she is too darn cute.
For example we were at breakfast one morning and Isabel began saying "Mike, Mike, come here. Mike, Mike come here please!" Tracy tried not to laugh and told her to say Daddy come here, well that lasted a minute then she even switched to "Tracy, Tracy, come here." it was hilarious! She has really got such a personality, she talks and talks, and is super smart. Though she does think when she sees a koala bear she calls it Dad... yeah. :) Her little 'roar' for lion is just too much - though during church it is priceless :)
(Oh yeah - Aunt Leslie - ROLL TIDE - NO DUCKS!)
Monday, Tracy & I wandered around St. Charles again and really just relaxed, shopped, acted all girly, and just had a girl’s day. It was perfect. Saying goodbye was not easy. I really did not want to leave her, but I know that Jose & Juannanita will need a job so Mike, just make sure Jose trims the edges around the sidewalk & know that little Juannanita has small hands (use her only for tight spaces & small jobs :) Don't worry the pool boy will have his hands full....
YEA! It was so much fun, we should plan trip at least twice a year to visit each other! By the way my sister is still wanting her Roll Tide comeback, let me know if you can't get it off your camera, I just bought a new one and should be able to figure out how to work it to record it also! Thanks so much again for a fun weekend. and you're right while walking around Main Street there was a moment where I let out a sigh and my body finally accepted that everything was alright and to just enjoy... LOVE YOU
ReplyDelete