The Conclusion

The rest of my journey, alas, was not recorded in writing but it is equally unforgettable. We helped can peaches, pears, spaghetti sauce, tomato chunks, beets and beet jelly and we froze corn and green beans. We had get togethers with the youth and enjoyed countless moments of real laughter. Our last day with the Mast family and the Erickson family was at the Erickson's home in Michigan. None of us wanted to part and even the sky was gloomy. We prayed together for our safety in travelling and, amidst many tears, we drove away...with a great shout, our traditional BIG, "GOOOODBYYYYYYEE!!!!!!" all the way down the road til they could no longer hear us. Our last stop in Michigan was at the Smolls where we stayed one more night among friends. Then we left and drove through the rain until we got close to Chicago where it finally stopped.

    We arrived in St. Louis after dark and had White Castle burgers for dinner at my Grandpa's house. The next morning we went to the Arch and went in the elevator all the way to the top....630 feet. It was quite a sight to behold! We could see quite a bit from up there! I got pictures but I will have to post them later. After we descended, we explored the museum then watched a documentary on the making of the Arch. We ate lunch at Denny's and returned to my Grandpa's where we played a few songs for him on our instruments. My mom's half brothers, Adam and John, soon came along with John's wife, Deanna, and their little girl, Brooklyn. We all sat around listening to everyone catching up on news and took pictures together before they left.

    My family and I left my Grandpas house in the morning and went to my Great (and literaly!) uncle Johnny's and Great aunt Lillian's house for a bit. From there we went out to eat at Steak 'n' Shake for breakfast with my cousins Michael and David with their children and David's wife, Amy. They're AWESOME! I absolutely loved it! Even though the food was slow in coming and some of us got a little upset about that... It was still nice to see everyone again after SOOOO long!  After breakfast we had to leave :( and we only did some gas station stops and meal stops until we got to Amarillo, Texas where we stayed overnight and then Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit family. Once we left New Mexico it was several hours more and we were home. We were tired and hot but we unpacked the truck and went to bed.

And that is the pith of my story.