Meet Me in St. Louis!

St. Louis. How do I describe a trip that was as fascinating as this one? I stepped off a plane on the day after Christmas, after a 5 hour snow-bound, forced layover in Chicago O'Hare Airport to meet a friend whom I had never met face-to-face. She & I had been friends via email for 3 years...shared family stories, tears and frustrations. We were on our respective cell phones as she told me how to navigate Lambert Airport. I remember walking thru the hallway to leave the airport and screaming into my cell as we both realized that I had found the right exit. She laughed because she said "I know where you are! The guy in front of you just turned around at the same moment I heard you yell!" We hugged and laughed...and so started a really awesome trip. All the places we went to...they didn't cost a thing. The riverfront, the Arch (we did NOT go to the top...it was sold out), Anhueser-Busch Brewery tour, Union Station. We hung out, grilled out, visited the local watering holes, friends came by to meet me because they had all heard about my trip and drove around A LOT! I made new friends, celebrated my birthday and brought in the New Year of 2010 in Fenton, MO. It was a trip that I wouldn't have missed for the world. *Tipping up my glass to all the great friends I now have in STL!*