When I was a junior in high school, I visited the state of Missouri for the first time. I was on a college visiting road trip with my parents, and we decided to visit the University of Missouri on our way back to Colorado. It was completely spur of the moment. I knew nothing about the school or the state of Missouri, but thought why not! That trip ended with me only applying to one school, and knowing by October of my senior year that I was headed to Columbia in August. Mizzou was the perfect fit for me, and over the next four years, Missouri became my second home. Especially when my parents left Colorado, choosing their next adventure in Europe!
After college, I wasn't quite ready to quit on Missouri. I moved to Kansas City, where the cute guy I was dating was also going to be living. Obviously, things went well for us, and we spent the first two years after college in KC. At that point, the bright lights of Chicago were calling our name, so we said goodbye to Missouri and headed up north!
In the last few years, things have come full circle. My parents ended up moving to St Louis (twice!), and as of March of this year they're living there hopefully for good. It turns out it's a pretty fun city to live in, and I love that it's an easy drive down from Chicago! Joe has brothers in Kansas City and St Louis as well, making Missouri a part of both of our families. I have a fond spot in my heart for the place where I discovered myself, made some of the best friends of my life, and married my soulmate. And now that my parents are back there, I see a lot of Missouri visits in our future!
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| Pit stop at Panera |
This was my first time visiting St Louis since my parents moved back, and also my first solo road trip with the baby. We did great overall! There was one crying breakdown from her on each part of the drive, but for the most part she slept or hung out happily in her car seat. I've got a good one here! After this trip, I officially declared Elise my sidekick. I see lots more adventures in our future!
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| We made it in time to wish my sister Colleen a happy birthday! |
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| Sometimes traveling means baby gets to nap on her mommy. It also means mommy gets a white wine spritzer brought to her in bed! |
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| First grandchild syndrome ;) |
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| Elise adores her grandpa! |
In addition to quality time with my family, I also got to catch up with Michelle, my good friend from college. We made last minute plans for her to come see us, which was such a treat! Her daughter Penelope is beyond cute. We had so much fun hanging out and playing with the girls, and I can't wait to catch up more on future trips!
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