a wonderful trip!

We got back from St. Louis yesterday around 6:15 p.m., and I've been a busy girl since then. I still have a ton of stuff to do online, but I wanted to take a couple of minutes and tell you about our trip. I have a few pictures, which I'll post later after I've had a chance to process them. We left around noon on Friday, and stopped in Rolla on the way so that I could use a JCPenney coupon before it expired. :) I got a really cute shirt for just $3! Our drive went without a hitch, and we arrived at our hotel around 3:00. My sister and her husband arrived at almost exactly the same time, and my Dad got there about 45 minutes later. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, and it was nice. The rooms were large and even had couches and coffee tables! And we got welcome bags with a bottle of water, an apple, and Oreos. Nice touch. We got all settled in the room and then ordered some pizza so that we could fill our tummies for the evening, since the reception wouldn't even start until 8 p.m. We got all gussied up for the wedding, and boy did we look great! Brian always looks handsome in his dress blues, and Nick was just so incredibly dapper in his little pants, shirt, vest, and tie. Seriously. I can't get over how darling he looked. And if I may toot my own horn a bit, I thought I looked pretty stunning in my little black dress, sexy shoes, and fancy jewelry. The halter top of the dress really accentuated my arms and shoulders, which I consider among my best features now, and the dress and shoes served to show off my rather sculpted calves. OK - I'm done tooting my horn now. :)

We all caravanned to the church - Our Lady of Sorrows. It's a beautiful Catholic church, and was the perfect setting for a lovely wedding. It was nice to see some of my relatives before the wedding started. It was a wedding Mass, so it lasted a little over an hour. Considering this, I was very impressed with Nick's behavior - he really did very well, and when he felt that he just had to say something, he whispered. He was the picture of restraint! He also said many cute things all evening. For instance, when my Uncle Jim was walking Jessica (his daughter/my cousin) down the aisle, Nick turned to me and exclaimed "You didn't tell me she was marrying Uncle Jim!" And then when Jessica was standing on the altar with her fiance (Brian), Nick said "You didn't tell me she was marrying HIM!" See, Nick fancies Jessica his girlfriend, so he was quite chagrined that she was marrying anyone at all. The ceremony was very nice, and included three vocalists. Jessica is a singer like me, so she obviously wanted lots of music in her wedding. The most notable vocalist was her best friend, Mikey. He sang "Panis Angelicus" during Communion, and his voice is just gorgeous! I'd heard a lot about him over the years, but had never met him or heard him sing. It was very impressive.

After the wedding was over, we all caravanned again to the reception. It was held in an historical building that had an old freight elevator - that was how we got up to the third floor for the reception. The decor and ambiance was very nice, and the buffet was scrumptious (not to mention the open bar). Our table was next to the one with a branch of my family named the Crowleys, and I had a great time talking to Maureen and her daughter Katie, and catching up with them. They're such nice people! Nick proceeded to completely charm them (and others) - he was just so loquacious and personable to everyone! The best moment came, though, when the bridal party finally arrived and lined up behind their table. During a moment of relative quiet, Nick shouted "Jessica - don't do it!" Several people heard him and busted out laughing. Poor kid - it was too late! It was also absolutely precious to watch him dance with his little cousin, Claire, who's the same age. They were so cute together! As far as I'm concerned, the highlight of the reception was the wedding cake. It was from this amazing bakery in St. Louis called Lubeley's, which makes sinful gooey butter cake - my favorite. The wedding cake was chocolate with the most amazing, rich frosting I've ever tasted. I can honestly say that it was the best cake I've ever had. We visited, ate, and congratulated the bride and groom, but we had to leave by the time the dancing got underway. By then, it was after 10:30, and poor little Nick had had it. He was so exhausted! We were all in bed by 11:15, and went right to sleep. (We heard later that the reception had gone strong until midnight.) When our wake-up call came at 7:45, it was very unwelcome! But up we rose, to start another day...

We got ready and checked out, and then we all headed to this really old restaurant called Uncle Bill's Pancake House, where we met my Aunt Joanie (my Dad's sister) for brunch. It was nice to see her and spend some time together. Aunt Joanie, who is 78, reminisced about eating at Uncle Bill's when she was 17, after a school dance. After that, my Dad and sister headed home to Springfield, but Brian and I went to a shopping center to hit Trader Joe's and World Market. I was in complete heaven, and was only sad that I can't shop at these stores more often. I got several yummy snacky foods and cereals at Trader Joe's, including chocolate meringues and freeze-dried banana slices. At World Market, I bought a few Christmas presents for friends, and a cute Christmas tray and cup for Nick. I just love that place! I really enjoyed looking at all the foods, candy, and drinks from foreign countries, but I didn't buy anything edible this time.

We left the shopping center and headed to Uncle Jim and Aunt Karen's house for an open house party - a sort of continuation of the wedding celebration. Jessica and Brian were there, since they weren't leaving for their honeymoon (in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) until today. There was more totally scrumptious food and yet another cake from Lubeley's - this time it was amaretto cake, with the same amazing frosting. I definitely overindulged, but I just couldn't help it! Nick had fun running around outside with Claire and her younger brother, Evan. We finally said our goodbyes a little after 4 p.m. and headed home, and here we are! It was such a lovely trip, and it was nice to eat good food, shop, and visit with relatives. I hope we get back to St. Louis again before too long. Stay tuned for pics!