The Gallers: Go Cards, Go!

For the long holiday weekend, Steve and I went to St. Louis to be with Chad, Heather, Kyra, Skye & Dane. I didn't feel bad at all about missing a staff development day plus a regular day of school in order to extend our trip making it a five-night vacation. We left Las Vegas Wednesday night, and we returned Monday afternoon which was Halloween. The girls didn't understand why we had to leave before trick-or-treating Halloween night, but responsibilities in Vegas were beckoning us home.

As luck would have it, the St. Louis Cardinals were in the World Series Playoffs in St. Louis for Game 6 and 7 playing against the Texas Rangers. Although we didn't go to either game nor the victory parade and ceremony that followed a few days later, we were totally engulfed in "Cardinal" spirit. It was completely fun to see an entire city support their team by wearing red Cardinal gear throughout our five-day stay. At stake conference one of the speakers even mentioned the Cardinals and recited a small chant.

Besides enjoying baseball and "Freese" who is now my favorite baseball player, I was able to get all of my Christmas shopping done for Heather and her family. I felt happy about that accomplishment!

We also enjoyed four different parks, two lunches out, stake conference on Sunday, a Halloween party at Kyra and Skye's school, and a Halloween party at church. It is always fun to be in Missouri and especially fun to be with family. I definitely don't feel like I get to see them often enough, so thank you, Nevada, for celebrating its birth on Halloween giving me many more days to travel in spite of it being a school week.

On our first full day in St. Louis we picked up Kyra & Skye
a few hours early from school so we could go shopping.
Claymont is the name of their school.

After leaving school we headed for a cupcake store where
we enjoyed yummy cupcakes that were
decorated for the fall season.

Next we went to Shoe Carnival where I was
determined to find a pair of boots. The
girls had fun trying on high heels while they
patiently waited for me to finish
my shopping goal.

St. Louis is a beautiful place especially in the fall.
We enjoyed wandering through Bluebird Park after
spending a few hours shopping at a nearby store.

Leaves, leaves, and more leaves
(Bluebird Park)

For Halloween Kyra and Skye were go-go girls, and Dane
was an astronaut. The girls' school party and the ward party
were both on the same night and had similar agendas. We
enjoyed trunk-or-treating at both parties. Dinner was
served at both parties, but Heather opted to make homemade
chicken-and-rice soup for us at home instead.

The principal at the girls' school is a total Cardinal fan.
At trunk-or-treating, he had his car decorated with Cardinal
items like bats, balls and banners. He had a real fan blade
mounted on the top of his head. He kept saying as the
children followed him in the costume parade,
"What kind of fan am I?" The children yelled
back, "A Cardinal fan!"

Our sweet grandchildren enjoying Margaret
Stoecker Park after spending time shopping

On Saturday when Chad had a day off, we headed for
Castlewood State Park. It is a huge park, and it is located right
in the middle of town. It had a river running through it.
We enjoyed a walk along the river edge watching and
hearing a train traveling in the distance. Later
we tossed a football back and forth on a grassy field
while we gave the kids a chance to play on the park toys.

At Castlewood State Park as we strolled along the river's edge,
we came upon these totally crazy large vines wrapped
from one tree to another tree. One vine almost looked
like a huge swing or definitely a seat for some
outdoor resting and relaxation.

After Stake Conference and Sunday dinner,
we headed to Central Park. It was a cool,
brisk evening. The kids had fun throwing their
football in the water and then chasing
after it further downstream.

The small creek pictured above led us to this big pond.
In the background is the Chesterfield Mall and the YMCA.
It is hard to believe this is in the middle of town.
It felt like I was out in the country; not in a big city.

Chad, Dane, and Kyra were brave enough to walk
along this cement barrier. The clouds were so
beautiful making a really pretty reflection
in the water right before sunset.

After walking around the pond area at Central
Park, we headed over to this statue
called "The Awakening." The kids climbed
on all the different pieces, and ultimately we
ended up playing a little football in the well-lit
parking lot before heading home.