Meet (I mean Beat) Me in St. Louis

On Saturday afternoon, Jim and I headed west to St. Louis to see my Saints play the Rams. It's always fun to see the team play in person, and since it was within driving distance, we thought we should seize the opportunity. Though the trip was fun, the game did not turn out as we had hoped, as the Saints allowed their opportunity to slip away. Darn it!

It was cold, wet, and gray on our drive, but thankfully, not snowing.
Our first glimpse of the Gateway Arch.

We went up in the Arch several years ago when the children were young. It's a great view from the top, and I remember a discussion as to whether we thought they might exercise the Budweiser Clydesdales in Busch Stadium. Probably not.

Just as we arrived in the city, the Saints posted this picture on Twitter. The Who Dats have arrived!

I had asked for an 'arch view' room at our hotel. It was a beautiful room, and did indeed have a spectacular view. That's what I call a view of the Arch!

Fully stocked mini bar. Which we did not touch, by the way. Electronic sensors charge you when you pick up the beverage.

We even had tv in the bathroom mirror. Jim was watching a little Toy Story.

We had another beautiful view of the Arch at dinner.

And equally beautiful tiramisu for dessert.

We relaxed by the lobby fireplace,

and successfully took a selfie after dinner.

Sunday morning dawned gray and cold, as shown by the views from our window.

Just for fun, I tried the panorama mode on my iPhone.

Since the game was scheduled for late afternoon, we decided to go to church. Instead of a cab, the bellman offered the hotel courtesy car, which was a stretch limo. Not our usual way to arrive at church.

We attended Centenary United Methodist Church in downtown St. Louis. It's an old church in the inner city. The sanctuary was built in 1869, and it is still beautiful. They are committed to staying in downtown St. Louis, and are especially proud of their homeless ministry, called The Bridge, which serves 3000 meals each week.

We had a connection to the associate pastor, who had served on the staff at Newburgh United Methodist Church, where my brother once attended. The crowd was small (about 25 people, 4 being visitors), and the service was relaxed and inviting. We were warmly welcomed despite our attire, which did not represent the home team. :) (Yes, I wore my jersey to church. It's not the first time.)

Since we arrived early, I was able to take a panoramic shot of the sanctuary. I love the balconies along the sides and back.

We walked back to our hotel from the church, and passed the library, which had this flag flying outside. I looked it up, and found that it is the city of St. Louis flag. I thought the fleur-de-lis was a good omen for us. I was wrong.

Back at the hotel to get ready for the game, I took another panorama.

It really was a pretty room.

There were LOTS of Saints fans in town, and they were sporting the usual (or unusual) attire representing the Who Dat Nation. This guy had a super bowl jacket and hat that I thought was especially snazzy.

This boy scared me a little bit.

'Dat Girl' came to join the ring hat guy. I think they were friends.

This is some kind of joker/jester guy. Maybe he's a character I should know? Also a little frightening, but you gotta love team spirit!

We got there early, of course, and enjoyed the pre-game warm-ups.

This is the punter/kickoff specialist Thomas Morstead. You might recall that we made friends with his parents when we were at the Superdome last month. :)

There's our Drew.

Warming up,

getting focused,

and leading the pre-game chant.

Stretching...

and getting a handshake from the coach.

There's Jimmy Graham.

The Saints are announced and take the field.

The Rams get a little more razzle dazzle for their intro.

Drew waits to get this thing started.

Coin toss.

One more stretch...

and we're ready to go.

Except we weren't. Ready.
A couple of throws to the wrong players, a fumble, missed kicks, missed tackles, missed blocks, and sloppy play put our team in a deep hole.

There was a young dad sitting next to us with his little boy, about 5, who came to the game as a Saints fan. His dad, who was wearing a Rams sweatshirt, told me the little guy insisted on wearing a gold shirt, and waited for the only one he had to come out of the dryer so he could wear it to the game. The dad said the little boy talked all the way to the game about how the Saints were going to beat the Rams.

The poor little guy was really quiet after the first half, and didn't even want to tell me the name of a favorite Saints player. I told him that sometimes your team wins, and sometimes your team loses, but they're still your team, no matter what. We Purdue fans know that lesson well.

I'm superstitious, so in the second half we changed seats, put the camera down, watched on the screen, watched on the field, eyes closed, eyes open, head down, do the hokey pokey, but nothing worked.

Coach Payton even had a little chat with the referee. That didn't work either.

The offensive coordinator's face says it all. Not. Our. Night.

Game over.

Shake hands.

Get outta town. Singin' the Saint Louis Blues.

The scoreboard tells the story. And look what they're doing to my quarterback.

Since we know that our team's still our team, and since we know how to win AND how to lose, we found a nice place to have dinner and drown our sorrows in prime rib. Now that's a hunk of meat!

A night-time view of the Arch as we walked back to the hotel after dinner. I should say we walked until we happened upon a cab, which was a much better idea on a cold night. The driver even told us about one of the Saints players who was in his cab on Saturday night.

On Monday morning, we looked out our window to see this. I'm pretty sure it was written AFTER the game. Even Rams fans weren't betting on the Rams.

Our last stop before heading home was Crown Candy. It is St. Louis' oldest soda fountain, and serves lunch, ice cream treats, and, of course, candy. It's like time stood still.

And I guess it did if you notice the headline in the paper box outside.

The candy counter.

The Crown sundae. Yum.

One last look at the Arch, and we're on our way home.

So long, St. Louis.

All Aboard!

We have had a fun and busy weekend, including a road trip to St. Louis that I will write about in a separate post. First things first, though, our Friday evening ride on the Polar Express!

Jim and I went along with this sweet group to hop aboard an authentic, full size train and travel to the North Pole on the Polar Express.

Ella liked putting her nose (or maybe her tongue) on the window glass.

The conductor came through and punched our tickets just like in the movie. Punch, punch, punch, punch, punch.

My night-time inside-on-a-train photo-taking skills are definitely lacking, but Ella squealed with delight when we approached the lights of the North Pole.

Matthew kept a lookout for Santa.

It is so much fun to share in special times with our grandchildren. There is something magical about Christmas, and I think many of us are reminded of memories from our own childhoods each year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Riding the train made me think of the times we dressed in our Christmas best to go to L.S. Ayres for Breakfast with Santa. There was a small indoor train that we rode around an area decorated like a winter wonderland, taking us to the spot where we would have the opportunity to meet Santa himself. Santa! I know him! I'm pretty sure there were a few years when my mom took her whole preschool group to Indy for the trip downtown to see the elaborate window displays with moving figures, ride the train, and eat in the fancy Ayres Tea Room. When I was past preschool age, I think I got to miss school to go along. As a helper, of course. :) The Indiana State Museum has preserved and replicated some of the history of the train and the Tea Room, and kids today can enjoy the train and a visit with Santa at the museum.

On the Polar Express, we enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate while the train made its way through the snowy countryside toward the North Pole.

Grandpa and Ella.

Grandpa, Ella, Matthew, and Haleigh waiting for Santa to come.

Most of the kids on the train were dressed in their pajamas, and even some of the adults. Grandpa thought about wearing his, but decided against it. Matthew was dressed and ready in his pjs though.

Haleigh was calling for Frosty here, I think.

It's almost our turn to visit with Santa!

Here he is!

I think he's telling them to be good boys and girls, and leave him some cookies.

He talked to each one of them, and they told him what they hoped he would bring them for Christmas.

They each got a silver bell, just like the boy in the story.

And if you have read the book, you know the final line:
"At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe." ~Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express

Can you hear the bell?

Snow Day

A winter storm moved through our area on Thursday and Friday, closing schools and leaving plenty of ice and snow in its wake. Matthew was scheduled to get off the bus at our house after school on Friday, and my plan was to take him with us to get our Christmas tree. We didn't do it last weekend since we had our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. I didn't want to skip Thanksgiving by putting up our Christmas tree too early! I guess I'm one of those who likes to take one holiday at a time. Weird, I know. :)

Since he had the day off from school, Matthew came to our house early. We decided it would be best to go ahead and get the tree before we were snowed in completely. (They were predicting a possibility of 12 inches.) Jim got a truck, and we made the treacherous scenic drive to the tree farm, just a few miles away. While I gripped the seat and prayed we would avoid the ditch, Jim tuned the radio to Christmas music to enhance our holiday experience.

We had the place all to ourselves, and were able to select from some trees that had been brought inside to keep them snow-free.

Jim and Matthew took a look at a few before deciding on one.

Then Jim and Mike, the owner, carried it over to the shaker.

The shaker gets rid of all the loose needles, so they don't fall off in our house.

Then the tree is drilled so it will slip right onto our stand.

I don't think the wagon was going to be driving into the field yesterday. The snow continued to fall all day.

The tree shed and the church in the pretty little country village of Enochsburg.

When we got back, Matthew wanted to spend some time outside. We gathered embellishments for a snowman, but couldn't get the snow to pack well. We tried to have a snowball fight, but the powdery snow broke apart in the air before hitting its target. (Lucky for me, I think.) We wrote our names in the snow on the parking lot, then Matthew decided to do some shoveling.

He made a path from the office door to our back gate while the snow continued to fall.

What a worker!

Great job, Matthew!

I took a photo of one of our wreaths at about 11 am, and again at about 3 pm. It just kept snowing.

And while yesterday was cold and gray while the storm moved through, this morning we awoke to blue sky and sunshine. Still cold, of course.

All is calm, all is bright.

And these two were ready for their turn to play in the snow. Their mommy sent me this picture. Wonder how long they lasted outside?

In Hodgepodge We Trust

Ready or not, December is here! And so is the Hodgepodge. Please enjoy my answers, then click on the button to visit our hostess Joyce and the others. Be sure to leave some comment love!

Here are her questions and my answers:
1. According to Oxford Dictionaries, the 2013 word of the year is 'selfie'. Your thoughts? When did you last take a selfie? Do you post them online somewhere?  Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind the lens?
Selfies have become a thing since most of us carry a camera in our pocket everywhere we go. The younger set (and almost everyone falls into that category from my perspective) is quite talented at taking them, whether in a mirror or at the end of a long arm.

I last took a selfie in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. I'm not good at it, and I took about twenty several before I finally got an acceptable one. (So many attempts that a kind stranger offered to take it for us.)  :)

I much prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. Jim always says that I'm from one of those tribes that believes that being photographed will steal a part of your soul. I did take a true selfie on the day I got my new glasses. Never before seen by the public. :)

While we are on the topic of photos, if you have never read this article, by Allison Tate, you should. She urges moms everywhere to get in the picture. I didn't do that. For every 3000 or so photos of my kids, there is probably 1 of me. And I'm not alone. Read the follow-up article for responses to her story. And all you young moms, old moms, grannys, sisters, wives, daughters out there? Get in the picture! (And I'll work on taking my own advice.) :)

2. Will you send out Christmas cards this year? If so, are they ready to go? If not, are you glad or sad about leaving that tradition behind?
I love Christmas cards, both the sending and receiving. I like to send a family photo, and we attempted one on Sunday at our Thanksgiving dinner. So they are not ready to go. Lol. I love the tradition.

3. Do you trust easily?
My first instinct is to say yes, of course, I trust easily. And I think I do in that I believe that folks are inherently good, I'm not afraid to stay or travel alone, and I have (inadvertently) left the keys in my car at the Wal-Mart. Ha. That being said, I'm not trusting, as in gullible, and I can usually see through a story or excuse that seems just a little bit too far-fetched. I'm a mom of 5, you know. :)

4. Pine-cinnamon-peppermint-vanilla (as in sugar cookie)...of those listed, which one is your favorite December scent?
Definitely peppermint. I love it all: peppermint ice cream, peppermint oreos, peppermint candles, peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint chapstick, soap, lotion, and plain ol' peppermint candies. Yum!

And I found these a couple of weeks ago. Get 'em now while you still can!!

5. Did you do more talking or more listening yesterday? Was that by choice or necessity?
Yesterday, I spent the day with this little guy. I would say I did more listening, for his sweet coos and babbles, his waking-up fussing, and his impatient cries when he needs his bottle right now. And although he's not too much for conversation yet, I probably did my share of talking as well. :)

6. What's the last song that got stuck in your head? Sorry if it's back there now :  )
Since we saw Wicked last week, I have been humming the tunes in my head. It was the fourth time I've seen it, and it's one of my favorites.

Here's a little clip of one of my favorites from the show, For Good.


7. Which world explorer (in the whole history of the world) would you most like to have traveled with, and why? 
I would like to have traveled with Christopher Columbus in 1503 on his fourth and final voyage to the New World. Headed for Hispaniola, he was blown off course, and came upon a group of three islands to the west. He named them 'Las Tortugas' because of the abundance of turtles surrounding the islands.

It must have been an exciting and breathtaking sight to come upon the beautiful islands later called Cayman. Of course, the accommodations available in 1503 may not have been exactly what I am used to. :)

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We had a nice Thanksgiving, gathering at my parents' house on Thursday, and again with all our kids at our house on Sunday. Baby Noah and his mommy and daddy stayed with us from Thursday through Sunday. :) I took almost zero pictures but spent lots of time enjoying my blessings. We shared stories, ate too much good food, played games, and watched games, surrounded by the ones we love.

On Sunday, we belatedly celebrated David's birthday with cake and singing.

 Thankful for another year of life and love.

Thankful for family around the table.

 Thankful for the clapping hands of little ones.

 And for a God who loves us more than we can ask or imagine. 

"I am come that they may have life, 

and that they may have it more abundantly." 

~John 10:10b