Midwest!

I love the Midwest. Perhaps it's because the people are really as nice as everyone says. A few weeks ago, I got to head east for my cousin's wedding. He grew up in Colorado, which is where I spent time every summer, and then went to college in Kansas. There, he met his lovely bride. Today, he's been in western Kansas coaching baseball and she's been in eastern Kansas finishing up her master's. They got married outside of Kansas City and we danced the night away just over the state line in Missouri.

I flew into St. Louis, where my sister lives and works these days. The next morning we got in the car and drove four hours to Kansas City, KS. All the way across Missouri. It was a pretty, pretty ride, only marred by one thing: the signs that said "Arrive Alive. SaveMoLives.com" I went into a tizzy about the downfall of the English language and why can't we spell word out completely, only to realize later that "Mo" was "MO," as in the abbreviation for Missouri. Whew!

When we got to KC, we went to the hotel, grabbed some food, and got ready for the rehearsal dinner. We weren't in the wedding, but all family was invited to the dinner. Oh, did I meantion the humidity yet? It was pretty much all anyone talked about, including me, from the moment I stepped off the plane in STL. Onward. The rehearsal dinner was humid. Like I haven't felt in a while. We battled our hair and sweat glands, but had a great time. It was the first time I'd met the bride. She's the youngest of six and only my cousin, her husband, is sweeter and nicer than she.

The wedding was on Saturday at 2pm. Catholic mass. Haven't done one of those in a long time. I think it goes without saying that the JK Wedding Dancers didn't make an appearance.

Yay! My dad, my sister, and me!

The ceremony was only 70 minutes and since I don't know the routines, I hate to say it, but I zoned out quite a bit and just looked at the bride and groom. They are cute! After the ceremony we had over an hour before the reception started, and even though it was in Missouri, it was only about 20 minutes away. So, what do you do when you have time to kill? Find some frozen custard!

I don't really understand what frozen custard is and it will probably kill me, but given that we don't have this in Cali or at home in Mass, so I think I'll be okay. Oh, but it tasted so good! Not as good as Rita's where they have that Mister Misty-like stuff to mix it with. So, we were on our way.

Here's the happy couple getting out of their limo. How cute are they? Oh...and the priest at the ceremony pronounced our last name wrong, so I made sure the DJ knew how to say it. It's not that hard of a last name. It's basic phonics.

This is my other cousin, the youngest on this side of the family. He was the best man and was studying his speech. It was precious. And he gave a great, funny speech.

The reception was so much fun. I danced the whole time (except for some slow songs and some of the choreographed songs...who knew there was a Cotton-Eye Joe dance?) and so did the bride, once she got her bustle up. She loves to dance. I kept thinking that if I get married, I hope she's there to keep the party going.

The next day, we were lucky enough to get some KC BBQ with the newlyweds. I was happy to be fulfilling my weekend's destiny with the meal.

Cousins! The newest Dudley of the generation. She's a little short for the tribe, but otherwise, she fits right in.

My sister and I had a fun drive home, except for the dead dog we saw in the middle of the road. Yikes. We were completely pumped for exit 148 on I-70. It houses Ozarkland and Nostalgiaville. Unfortunately, since we wanted to stick around for dinner with the family, they were both closed. But we got pictures. Apparently Ozarkland is amazing. I guess I'll have to go back.

Do I sense a new Facebook profile picture? What you can't see in this picture is how much my sister was obsessed with Dorothy, Toto, and everything Wizard of Oz. I wish I could post the picture of her at around age 10, all dressed up for Halloween in the blue gingham dress with the basket and her stuff dog Woofer.

I wish I drank a Dr. Pepper at 10, 2, and 4 because I love them so much, not because I love empty calories.

The next day, Monday, my sister was off to work and I was off to be a tourist. Woo hoo! I bounded out of the house and within a few blocks, I saw this...

It's 8:20 and the All-Star Fan Fest doesn't open doors until 9am. But wait, there's more...

The line goes around the corner and all the way down that block. But look at that Cardinals love! I started hustling to the arch, worried about the line that might be there.

This stopped me in my tracks. The Freedom Trail is just starting randomly here, I guess. I didn't follow it, as I was on a mission, but I did see some other random spots with a red line later in the day. How confusing if you're from Boston.

I was once in the arch when I was in high school (?). I have a lot of family in the STL area, so I've been here a handful of times. I love the arch. It's just so magical. I rode up with a cute family of four from Kentucky. One of the boys proceeded to play out every worst case scenario outloud. "What if there's a tornado? What should we do? I'm going to stand on the side that's facing the river so that if the arch breaks, I'll be safe in the water." I didn't have the heart to tell him that if the arch is going down, we are saying goodbye to this sweet world. But I did tell him that we're probably not going down.

It was only when I looked out the window that I realized there's a new stadium here in STL. The New Busch Stadium, ladies and gentlemen. Wow. It's pretty. The longer I was in St. Louis, the more I was reminded of Baltimore. They feel like very similar cities.

Here's another great view from the arch looking down on the city's court house and park. Someone was thinking when they designed this city.

Can you tell how much I love this arch? It's not a parabola though. It's a catenary curve. If you'd like to know the difference, listen here at about one minute in. I think it's extremely interesting.

I spent the next few hours under the arch at the Thomas Jefferson Museum of Western Expansion. This place was amazing. I really took it all in. I read all the Lewis and Clark journal entries they have posted there, watched the Lewis and Clark documentary (I loved this!), and went to an ehibit they had on the Westward Expansion of Baseball. Man, was I in heaven. No, it was Missouri.

While in this little exhibit, they had a quiz you could take. It was buckets of fun for me as a baseball fan and I got some Cardinals baseball cards for doing it.

I can't resist...

I just think it's so darn beautiful. And what a perfect day, right?

After the movie and museum, I walked to the court house. There, I watched a brief movie on the Negro Baseball Leagues (loved it) and the Dred Scott Case (so happy for the history refresher).

This court house totally made me feel more patriotic. It was just stunning. Then I was off to find lunch. There's a cool new sculpture garden (highlighted this month in the NYT) and it was fun to wander around there.

I know Pinocchio...what should I eat?

I decided to really get a sense of the city by hopping on the MetroLink. That, and, the suggestion for lunch from people was the St. Louis Bread Company...which is just Panera with a different name. I was craving something familiar though. So, off to the train I went. In the station, a nice man started talking to me. I think the best way to describe him is that he was the idiot savant of St. Louis. He knew everything! It was fun. He rode with me and told me everything about every stop, who owns the rail lines, the financial problems of the city, etc. It was great. Hi bid me adieu at my stop and I went on my way. I went to Best Buy hoping for lower sales tax on CDs...no such luck as it is only about 1% lower. Then I went to Whole Foods.

It felt like a pilgrimage when I saw it. I was hot, sweaty, and ready for calories. And boy was I happy to get them here. In STL, they donate 10 cents for every bag you bring. Out here, it's only 5. I love STL!!

I got back on the MetroLink, went back to my sister's, and promptly fell asleep until she was pounding on the door. So much for going to the Fan Fest. Oops. We got ready and walked down to the ballpark for the Home Run Derby. We didn't have tickets, but you didn't need them. You could see right into the park to the scoreboard (and they are $200...that's crazy!).

Here's the view.

Can you believe the amount of red in there. And it's not even a Cardinals game. No wonder this place has been called one of the best baseball cities in the country. I was in a Red Sox shirt and Leah in something from Stanford, so we fit right in (sort of).

A little Albert Pujols. And the crowd goes wild!

Wow. I really like this shot. So majestic. So old-fashioned. So....commercial.

We watched the last round of the derby from a restaurant. It felt good to sit. The next morning, I got up early and went to Forest Park for a run. This park is fabulous. They have lots of museums and an amphitheatre for summertime plays and lots of bike and running paths. It's bigger than Central Park. I had a great run.

Forest Park loveliness.

Yay! It's green. We don't really have green in the summer where I live.

And then, on the ride to the airport...in Normandy, MO...

Maybe JC should be my guy. I mean, if I'm going to be saved, being saved completely would be preferable. You gotta love G-d's Country.

P.S. Sorry for any typos. I'm trying to catch up on posts before getting on a plane tomorrow morning and I'm working today. I'll keep pushing though.