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!
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!
