[/caption]I hadn't seen my Uncle Rick (my mom's brother) since before I started having children. And I always liked him a great deal, he has such a sweet smile and wonderful laugh. So when we were invited to his wedding, I jumped at the opportunity. I mean how many times do you get married the third time--only once! At my uncle's first wedding (in the same church) I was flower girl. I was Lotta's age and I got on all fours and began barking like a dog. My mom said I'd never done that before it was quite a surprise. When I professed my interest in attending the wedding, my mom, Moffat and Kirk all bought plane tickets to attend the wedding also.
As the weekend approached, I became highly reluctant about the trip. I was worried about Lotta's ability to stay in the car for days of traveling (it is an almost 8 hour trip each way from Madison to Slater, MO the wedding location). Not a task that is a top choice for 2-year-olds. Ben and Thom were not feeling exceptionally well, having caught the cold Lotta and I had had the week before. So many factors to consider, so many balls to juggle. I kept working and re-working all the plans in my head trying to figure out a way to make it all work. I felt like canceling the entire trip. But now 3 people had bought plane tickets, inspired by our desire to attend the wedding. A lot of pressure.
After numerous hours of contemplation, I finally arrived at a plan that felt do-able and fun. We would drive to
[caption id="attachment_4955" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Ben playing at the park."]
[/caption]Normal, Illinois on Friday where the kids and I would ride the Amtrak to St. Louis. There was an Amtrak sale going on from Chicago to St. Louis, so we could take advantage of that without adding any time to the trip. Both kids love the train and it would allow Lotta the opportunity to stand and walk around, again without adding time to our trip. We arrived in St. Louis in the early afternoon, picked up at the train station by Thom, who had had 3 hours alone in the car to listen to his book. We stayed the night in O'Fallon with Thom's mom (his dad was fishing). We had an ever so lovely visit with her. We were able to relax and recover and connect with Nancy, making us ready to embark on the next leg of our journey on Saturday.
Another concern I'd had was spending the day in Slater, where there is not a lot to do. We arrived at lunchtime and met up with my mom, Moffat, Kirk and John, a family friend who'd been kind enough to drive them. We went to this diner that had a "pizza" sign in the window, exactly what Ben was in the mood for. When we tried to order pizza, however, we were told that no one around those parts ate pizza for lunch so they
[caption id="attachment_4954" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mom and I at the diner in Slater."]
[/caption]never turned on the pizza oven until afternoon. When I ordered a vanilla shake, I was informed they were out of vanilla ice cream, but I could have a strawberry or chocolate. It felt as if I should ask them what they DID have rather than referring to the menu I had been handed. All-in-all, it was the perfect place to take in the local flavor.
The whole day was absolutely wonderful, I never felt as if the time were dragging as I'd feared when planning the trip. My mom took us on a tour around Slater where we visited the Statue of Liberty (who knew it was in Slater, MO?!?) We saw her childhood home and her school. We went to the graveyard and my mom explained how our family were some of the first settlers to come to Slater from Kentucky. In the cemetery, we saw a flagpole that had been resurrected in honor of my grandfather who was a prisoner of war.
When we arrived in the church, I saw that a beautiful ribbon was dividing the bride's side from
[caption id="attachment_4956" align="alignleft" width="223" caption="Ben blowing bubbles after the wedding."]
[/caption]the groom's side, and not one person was sitting on the groom's side. Our group made a point of spreading out to plump up the section. Made me glappy (glad happy) that we'd made the trip.
At the reception, Thom decided that the way to make people in this part of Missouri nervous was to ask what the vegetarian option was. Not available I think would have been the response. The food was delicious and there was plenty of meat for everyone. We stayed in a lovely hotel on Saturday night an hour's drive away, in the direction of home. Ben's favorite part of the hotel, besides the indoor pool, was getting to have the breakfast buffet twice
Sunday, our drive home had magical moments. We decided we wanted to stop for lunch before Lotta fell asleep. We wanted to find a pizza place since we had not been able to procure pizza the day before. We got off at the most promising exit. I looked up and there was a family restaurant with a "pizza" sign in the window, and in Iowa, apparently, people consume pizza during the lunchtime hour. We had a surprisingly delicious lunch the whole thing unfolding perfectly.
Upon reflection, I've thought of how when you are in the middle of creating an art project, things can get messy. Puddles of paint may be splattered about. Right in the middle you might think everything is ruined, you should just throw that canvas away and start over. But then, you keep going and suddenly realize you have a accomplished what you set out to. You know that it was all worth it. I am just hopeful that the next time I am in the middle of creating something in my life, I will remember that sometimes things get messy in the midst of planning, but ultimately, if I am able to keep on, it will all be worth it. This trip was most certainly more than I expected, an opportunity for adventure and reconnection with family.
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