St. Louis

Well, here we are in St. Louis (actually, St. Charles, Missouri, about half hour/45 minutes from downtown). The trip was uneventful, but very long. We had to get up at 2:00 a.m. Friday morning, in order to leave the house by 3:30 a.m., to get to Ontario in time for our 6:40 flight. Only to get to Phoenix for what was supposed to be a 4 hour, but ended up being a 5 hour, layover, due to some sort of repairs being done on our airplane. Always an encouraging start when you're an hour late due to repairs! It was okay, though, because apparently there was an electrical fire at a plant close to the St. Louis airport, which caused them to lose power to the main terminal at the St. Louis airport, so we would have been delayed anyway. We were met at the airport by my mom.

That night we came back to my mom's and had chili (yum!). Anthony enjoyed exploring the new territory. We loved the cooler temperatures (40 degrees) and slept well. We were all exhausted from our long day of traveling, and I was still weak from surgery.

Saturday morning we had blueberry pancakes and pork sausage patties for breakfast. Then my mom and I headed out to do a little shopping. We stopped at Babies R Us, and got a booster seat and a gate for Anthony. Then we went to St. Louis Mills (an outlet mall like Ontario Mills), where they have an awesome scrapbooking store called Archivers. I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to that - it was almost overwhelming, there was so much to look at! Then we stopped for a Starbucks, then went in to Old Navy, where I got a sweater (much needed here), and my mom got me some new jammies. By the time we got back home, it was time for a quick dinner and then Kristina got in to the airport and had to be picked up. We hit the sack early, still tired from our trip.

Yesterday, we got around slowly, then went to church at First Baptist Church of Harvester, where my mom attends. The service was excellent, and it was what I really needed. One song in particular really spoke to me - it was like salve on my wounds. I was feeling really sad, because it was the one-week anniversary of the miscarriage. It wasn't the first time I've heard or sang the song, but it never meant so much to me. The words are

All of you
is more than enough for
all of me,
for every thirst and
every need,
you satisfy me
with your love,
and all I have in you
is more than enough

I don't know that there has ever been a time in my life when I have had to so completely depend on the Lord's strength and grace to get me through each hour of each day without completely falling apart.

After church, we went out to eat for a belated birthday dinner for me at an oriental buffet. It was incredible - complete with a chocolate fountain. Yum! Then we all came home and relaxed while my mom went to meet my uncle to pick up my grandmother, who came down from Illinois for the week. Then in the evening, my sister Karen, her husband Heath, and their beautiful daughter Emma (4 months old) arrived, and my mom went to pick them up. We all stayed up late chatting and oohing-over the baby.

Today we've been lazy, just hanging out and reminiscing, watching Anthony and Emma. He is enthralled with the baby and loves touching her. I'll take lots of pictures!