So...Grandma Myers passed last week.

To say she was beloved is an understatement. She was a valuable member of the community who leaves a rich legacy of Faith and acts. She raised 5 children was the matriarch of the family. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit to being an absent grandson. I had not seen or talked to Grandma in a long time. The fault lies at my feet and any excuse is hollow at best. Do I feel the loss. Yes, I do. She is in my thoughts and prayers.

Jess and I traveled to St. Louis for the funeral. It's sad that it took a death in the family to bring me back in touch with my aunts and uncles. Naturally Dad was there and it was good to see him. Heck, it was good to see everyone. It's the circumstances that sucked. (I know, very eloquent.)

Jess and I spent Thursday driving and attending the viewing.

Friday was the funeral, cemetery, and more family time. The family went back to Grandma's house for food, fellowship, and poker. A place was set for Grandma, along with her favorite beer, and she watched over the gaming. I managed to finish with some winnings after a full day of poker. The photo is a great little shot that Jessica sneaked. It's my cousin Matt and Aunt Carol. This is special because 1) she's smiling and 2) she usually doesn't like being photographed. I saw my Uncle Tommy and Aunt Lena for the first time in probably 17 years. They have two grown daughters. I feel old. However, I did take the opportunity to eat way too much of Lena's pasta. So very tasty. So long since I had truly good Italian cooking.

Saturday, Jess and I went to the zoo very early. One of the best zoos in the country. Then we met up with Dad. He took us around the old neighborhood and we went to White Castle (none in Arkansas). After the sublimely tasty sliders, we hit the Anheuser-Busch brewery for the tour and free beer. Jess and I the headed to a big sculpture park that contains a number of modern sculpture pieces. Lastly, Jess and I had dinner with a couple who we might be traveling to Vietnam with. It was a good match and i hope we do travel with them. It's nice to know we're not the only ones going insane with the wait and stress. I'm ready to go to Vietnam now.

Sunday, we traveled home. It was a sad, but ultimately very good trip. I hope we can springboard into better contact with Dad and the family. Since St. Louis is actually only 6 hours away...we might be able to make trips on occasion...and the family will want to meet Beckett. (I'll have to share the Beckett/Grandma story soon.)

Anyway...I now have a bunch of photos that I'll be posting over the next few days. Hope you enjoy. All of them are here.