A Very Missouri Christmas - Adventure Year Week 29

posted on: January 2, 2020

Do you have any hometown favorite foods that you must have when you "go home" for the holidays?  Even though I didn't grow up in Missouri, I've now spent over 16 holiday seasons here with my in-laws and the thing I look forward to each holiday after landing in Kansas City, is Topsy's Popcorn.  This year I craved it even more, since it's hard to get really good cheese or caramel popcorn in  China - and the Red Hot popcorn is something that's hard to find nearly anywhere else!



This year we scheduled an extra special visit by arriving with bells, hats, and a song to Uncle Steve's house shortly after picking up siblings from the airport.  The surprise was well-received and brought a little extra joy and family connection on Christmas Day.


Something that surprised me this year was that both of my in-law families enjoyed the most basic holiday gifts like an onion chopper and toilet bowl cleaner. :-D





Nearly every year we have a day spent in Kansas City with the family, and this time we spent it between the Strawberry Hill Museum, unlimited crab brunch at JAX Fish House, and McCormick & Shmicks for the famous Chocolate Bag dessert.






After a couple days of getting cozy and sharing gifts in small town Missouri, we then headed out to St. Louis to spend time with our Aunt and explore all of the brand new developments downtown at St Louis Union Station, which has been turned into a family amusement park, aquarium, and hotel!

What a massive development undertaking!  We rode The St Louis Wheel, had dinner at the Train Shed while watching the fire show over the pond, and then caught a glimpse of the holiday projection show on the ceiling of the Grand Hall during a Polar Express dinner event with families dining out in their pajamas (which we happened to encounter, but not partake in.)



On our final day of 2019, we explored the new St Louis Gateway Arch Museum (free without going into the arch itself), and settled into some ancestry research on our computers at the Protagonist Cafe in the Soulard Community, before lunching in The Hill at Anthonino's for some St. Louis style provel covered pizza.




It felt good to end 2019 feeling so full of love after spending time with family, and so fulfilled after an amazing year of adventures and travels.  As I looked back on the year, I have to say it was nothing like what I thought it might be, but even better than I could have imagined!




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Looking back at 2019: Sharing a photo (or ten) nearly every day of the year along with some description of what I was thinking really helps me reflect on what the year was about and what kind of milestones or progress I had as the earth begins another journey around the sun. This year felt like the earth has been spinning faster than I am, and I’m often just trying to hold on and see what I can while not being tossed off into outer space. Here are some of the highlights: 🌏 More world travels with people I love 🌟 Greater intuitive clarity and lightness of energy 📖 Published Pricing Workbook for Creatives 👣 Deepened Swedish ancestral documentation 🛎 Himalayan Healing Bowl Certification 🏍 Learning to Ride a Motorbike in Bali 🏮 Japan Reiki Adventures & New Friends 🛩 Experiencing Comfy Business Class Seats ⛲️16th Wedding Anniversary in Singapore 🏔 Midsummer on a Minesweeper in Norway I also worked through some darkness that I didn’t realize I still held within me, especially around feelings of isolation, separation, and learning how to take advantage of the space that comes from not yet knowing what’s next. The inner work on my own darkness continues to lead to greater lightness once worked through- which is the hidden story in all of the positive moments I tend to share. Overall- this life continues to exceed anything I’ve ever conceived of- I just keep showing up to see what happens next!!
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