Midwest Travelogue

To begin this tale, I'll start where I always do, with a taco.

Meet the Scarecrow from Torchy's Tacos. A pumpkin seed-dusted chicken tender with poblanos and some other yummy fixin's on a flour tortilla.

Our flight to St Louis departed in the afternoon so I was able to walk the girls with Luke to school, something I haven't had the opportunity to do before. After dropping off the empty stroller we took advantage of the cool morning and rode our bikes to Torchy's. We don't get very much kid-free daytime together (none, actually) - this morning felt thrillingly atypical and stolen. THEN I returned a purchase to Nordstrom Rack and while I was there I found a $690 Classiques Entier (my fave Nordstrom house brand) leather jacket with a fur collar for less than $200 and plaid skirt that I had almost bought months ago for $200 and now it was $35. Gym, family time, bike time, breakfast with huzcat time, retail scores, could this day get any better?

...Then Josie cried, whined, screamed, and bashed my face with a water bottle the entire one hour and forty-five minute flight to St Louis. C mostly watched Daniel Tiger on the tablet and I was like



via GIPHY

This is where I apologize for having not a single non-phone photo of my entire trip!

On Saturday I attended a meeting in St Louis and saw a bunch of my favorite people. On Sunday I drove to Nashville (my trips are getting so convoluted) and met up with Luke who flew, sanskidsmustbenice, in from SA; I went to another meeting and he had songwriting sessions. We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland which is gorgeous. We had dinner at the steakhouse bar one night and chatted with Jerry - 'the shoulder guy' - an orthopedic surgeon from Ohio.  I thought I'd have time to read and relax in the room but was busy almost the entire time -- I saw old friends and made new friends and learned a lot and it was great.

Skipped to the Lou to see these darlings. Haven't driven more than even 30 minutes by myself in a long time. Years? I listened to the BLEAKEST book of all time, A God In Ruins, the 'companion volume' to Life After Life, which I loved. I'm still trying to shake its sadness - Michael Ian Black's book isn't cutting it and I'm going to have to reach for the big guns - a David Sedaris audiobook.

We spent the rest of the week at my parents' house, the girls probing for every un-baby-proof vulnerability. There is a brand new park adjacent to their neighborhood that we walked to and another all-abilities playground that we went to every day. I WANNA GO TO THE SWING!

The weather was perfect - chilly in the morning, warm in the afternoon. Flowers still in bloom and trees changing.

Lunch at the Blue Duck. ('I WEAR MY CAT DRESS. IT'S FOR DANCING.')

Trying to get a pic of matching cat dresses. Pretty typical.

'I TAKE THE PEESHERS!' (C clicks away with the phone).

shiny pants here - I wore them for three straight days and they didn't stretch out at all. worth it!

Amy and Jerome happened to be in town from LA and they came to WashMO for lunch -- Jenny met up with us too. WHY DON'T I HAVE ANY PICTURES OF THIS? Or when my friends met up at Urban Chestnut?? Darn it!

** During this week my dear friend Jenny, who is all of your favorite friend attributes rolled into one marvelous, scintillating person, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Check out the blog she's started to document her journey - checkthosetitties.wordpress.com - and #checkthosetitties. Jenny, I love you! **

The cousins came over. We have three two year olds born within six weeks of each other in the family!

Everett and C.

Watching the ducks.

Watching Daniel Tiger.

We had another difficult flight back - Josie was a wreck. She has a unique earsplitting squeal-scream akin to a marine mammal distress vocalization that I am rather inured to by now but not so for our fellow passengers.  It was a very very very long flight. Because Luke was in Dallas I arranged to have a sitter retrieve our car from our house and pick us up at the airport (so convoluted, remember). She stayed with the girls while I contemplated running away and starting my life over again got some groceries. I was having such a difficult day and then I remembered I had not one but two Lucy Rewards gift certificates and I thought - it's going to be ok!!!*

*maybe my all-time fave MB bit

I bought some new workout clothes and a pair of sweatpants ('so soff') and had an iced coffee and bought food for the week. SERENITY NOW.

Home again, the babysitter/lifesaver left and C went completely berserk with fatigue. Exasperated, I hustled them into the car because when Josie wasn't attempting nosedives off the couch Clementine was shoving her to the floor...and by the time I got to Sonic they were snoozing. So I drank an enormous Diet Dr Pepper and ate a six piece boneless buffalo wings and read the new New York mag I'd stashed in the car. Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, I'd say.

Luke came home and I said HERE ARE THE KIDS K BYE!

A fun trip filled with lots of friends and family time and how wonderful is that?