I attended the hottest event in town!!!!

It is true.  The internet and social circles around are buzzing with the details of the wonderful evening:  The Gaudete Benefit Gala.

I didn't want any of MY readers to think I hadn't attended and that I was a social DUD.

Nobody knew but the event was put on by the best friends in the whole world just for me.  Okay, not just for me, really to raise money for the music department at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, MO.

The truth is this:   Two of the cutest and most talented gentlemen in the whole wide world did perform at this event just for me!

Sorry, it is a little out of focus.
Even my camera got a little teary eyed!
Exquisite!

Here is the other handsome fellow that sang for me.

I bought this fine fellow at the silent auction.
Mother Crab, do you really think they would have this item at Sotheby's?
I get him for a whole day!

I will be one of those people I said I never would be:  with my sleeping bag, cooler, camped out waiting to get my hands on a ticket next year!

Oh, don't anyone tell Mr. Peanut about all of this.

Reunited with an old flame!!!

I know it sounds a little nutty but it is true.

I loved him so much when I was young.

My dad introduced us, even approved and liked him, too.

But alas, someone stole him away from me.

Maybe it was because I used him too often.

I would reminisce about him from time to time wondering whatever became of him.

Then one cold winter morning, it happened  . . . .

My breathe was taken away!

There he was again, discarded and lonely living in a box!

An old flame still burns brightly . . . . . .

I promise I will never use you again!

Mr. Peanut, I love you so much!!!!

Thank you interesting "follower"!

Tonight, we were perusing our blog.  As I have stated before, the stats section is always intriguing.  We were looking to see how people find Hootiecootie and friends.  

Under the "keyword search" section, we found this typed in "girl  leg  converse".

The girl (with the leg and converse) and Hootiecootie haven't laughed so hard in a long time.  

I am not sure what they were looking for but they got us!

One more shot of the converse and part of the legs

Fall fun: The corn maze for blondes and one brunette.

This is Ste. Genevieve's only corn maze this year.  

I thought it would be too simple for those in my family until I heard the following while trying to create a new email account separate from my own:  

"You need to sign up with Yahoo.  It is much better than Gmail", said one brunette.  

"Why dear girl is Yahoo so much better?" I asked.  

"Well, because you can do a lot of things."  she replied.

"What exactly is better about Yahoo?  Give me one good reason."

"Well, I, ummmm, you can, ummmm, send things to other people with Yahoo."  said this brown headed girl.

I am glad I didn't let her try the maze.  She would have gotten lost. 

On second thought . . . . . . . . . . 

Beauty, culture and church : Much needed, too!

One of the reasons we returned home was to attend the Westminster Boys choir concert at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis on Wednesday evening.

2 thoughtful people believed we would not return and asked if I wanted them to sell my tickets.

I am really glad we attended.  The harmonious voices combined with the church's acoustics gave those in attendance a taste of heaven.

My little friend in a quiet moment
at St. Joseph's Altar.

The concert began with the choir in different locations throughout the church providing a lovely echoing response.

For those who have never been to St. Louis' magnificent cathedral, it is known for it's exquisite mosaic tile work throughout especially on all of the ceilings. 

Initially, I had some apprehension about concerts being performed in a church.  However given that they sang the Latin mass, it was the only fitting setting for such sublime music.  For those of us in attendance from St. Francis de Sales, we felt fortunate to be able to experience this every Sunday at 10:00 high mass under the direction of Mr. Nick Botkins.  I would highly recommend attending the Westminster Boys Choir if given the chance.  They are sure not to disappoint.

Добрый день! For my little Russian friends.

Как у вас дела?

К сожалению, я пока не говорю по-русски.

Говорите ли вы по-английски?

Мне бы хотелось узнать о тебе побольше. 

Пиши.

Trip Stats

So, here is the low down on the trip.

Total miles traveled:  7,377.3

I think this about sums it up. 

1. All 50 states license plates were spotted including some from Mexico, Canada and Europe.
2. Favorite national park:  3 way tie between Sequoia, Grand Canyon and Zion
3. Favorite city:  San Francisco
4. Best ice cream:  Durango
5. Number of things lost:  2 - one earing and one shoe (which was really important)
6. Number of injuries:  3 - one requiring butterfly bandages (and produced a black eye), one from the catus (that you read about earlier) and one very infected knee (no idea how that happened that required seeing a doctor upon arriving home)  Yes, it was all the same person, too.
7. Things spilled in the car:   2 very hot cups of coffee on the same person and 2 gallons of water.
8. State with the cutest towns: Colorado
9. State with the worst drivers:  Colorado
10. Gas prices:  Highest:  $4.74   Lowest:  $2.99
11. Temperatures:  High - 106 in Nevada  Low - 24 in Colorado
12. Number of flat tires - 2
13. Number of animals killed along the way:  3 UFO's and thousands of small mice and one injured small car.
14. Speeding tickets - 1  Oops, did I fail to mention that one along the way?!? 
15. Times I left my purse:  Miraculously only once in a hotel and thankfully it wasn't at the same time I met up with Officer Friendly.
16. Number of bathroom stops:  743,693,853,002 and counting




Best burger:  Create Cafe
Creator:  Christopher Duncan





Weirdest smoker EVER seen.





How I felt at the pump.





Most unusual sign

  



What 3 bags of smashed fortune cookies look like. 
Sorry, we wanted to share them.  Not such a good idea.
Check out the fortune we got though!

  



Most unusual beer sighted.
In Utah of course!

Oh and one last thing, I couldn't help myself.  I stopped at Oz Winery and picked up some more wine!  Let's have an "End of the Road" get together.  Who's in?

Roads and life thereafter.

Life is like this.  So many options, roads to take, turns, detours, etc.

The only question now is which one to take next!

This particular journey has been wonderful to say the least.

The things I am sorry to have pasted by are the Mining Museum in Colorado, the Hearst mansion, and Alcatraz.  But, tomorrow is another day right?

Things that were loved the most was the time spent with all of the family (yes, even the ones in the car) and really just experiencing unexpected thrills along the way.

We originally started the blog just for this trip but have decided to keep it going and thus we will keep going seeing all of the people and places and things we can together and with those that are brave enough to come along.

Thank you so much for following us and adding to the thrill of the open road!

We will get the stats posted hopefully very soon!

There's no place like home . . .

Oh, my how are we EVER going to find our way home?

My dear, you have always had the power to return home.

Just click your green converse together 3 times and say  . . . .

There's no place like home,

There's no place like home . . . .



There's no place like home . . . 

See you silly girl, if you had worn the shoes your mother

kept telling you to wear, you could have been home long ago!

We're baaaack!

The last leg: to do and stand on (for some)



This is it our LAST national park.
Yes, I promise!



While it looked similar to others it had it's very own unique features.

It may not look huge but really it is.  I am glad it didn't fall while we were there!



Meet Delicate Arch




The hike to it was lined with the cutiest trail markers.



Once again, people with real shoes go on a hike.



Pine Tree Arch



What a good little Jr. Ranger helping out like that!

Landscape Arch is wider than a footbal field and only 9 feet thick.

Skyline Arch

 

One last pose!

At least I had the fantastic Rocky Mountians to console me as we headed to our final destination.

Hwy 14 - Canyonlands

After a grueling late night of travel and waking up early in an undisclosed location, we decided to see the other end of Zion National Park since we were heading right by it and we had enjoyed the other part so much.

Well, really we went because we heard that giant pieces of candy corn were falling from the sky there.

Driving along scenic Hwy 14 in Utah in Red Canyon



Looking to avoid these things too!
Do these signs ever end? 
And has anyone really ever hit a horse here?

Because so many people said they loved Bryce Canyon
we decided to go there too.

It is truly amazing and completely unique in its landscape.

Those of us with proper shoes on decided to hike down to the bottom of the canyon.

It was certainly worthwhile and a stunning view from everywhere.



Almost done guys!



After Bryce along the same highway, we drove through Escalante.

All of the different colors were brilliant.





Yes, more cows on the road.

 


And as we climbed another mountain, we encounter more snow!



Breathtaking panoramic views.

We were astounded by how quickly the lansdscape changed along the route.

I think that house is a bit too close to danger. 
Even I can see that!

 

Capital Reef is toward the end road



There we got to see some fabulous petroglyphs. 





The rest of the drive was candy for our eyes as well.



Parting shot of San Rafael Reef as the sun was setting.