Me on Monday

So, we had a fabulous few days! We left Nashville in a rented car on Thursday morning. First stop--Bloomington, Illinois to see the new baby! Our first great-granddaughter. Sorry, I'm not allowed to post pictures. But trust me when I say that  she is the most beautiful baby ever!! Even Butch said, "She is cute as hell!" He has never said a baby was cute--even our own! And he is right. Cassidy is darling! 

We stopped at the broom capital of the world, Arcola, Illinois. That's also where Raggedy Anne and Andy were invented by Johnny Gruelle. It was a cute town with a hippie memorial too! A fun stop. 

After visiting Morgan, Olly and the baby, we headed to St. Louis for a Memorial party with family. We visited Walter and Chris. My brother, Matt had a fish fry at his house--I requested it--he makes the best fish!! Fresh caught, crappie!! So delicious. He and Sharon had quite a spread: Cole slaw, baked beans, corn on the cob, and Jennifer brought mostaccioli. Jeanne and Jim, Zachary, Allison, Reese and Nolan came too. It was such a fun evening. The next morning,  I visited my sister, Janice with my sister, Jennifer. Then it was on to Jeanne's for the party. We had about 36 family members there. So much fun!!

The weather wasn't supposed to be good, but luckily for us, it was perfect! 

Jim, Greg, Lauren and Patrick.

Just hangin' out!! Lots of activities!

The kids: from the front, Theo, Annie, Rosie, Nolan, Reese, Nathan, Josie, Evie, Travis.

Rosie gave me a tattoo!

It was Evie's 14th birthday!! 

Nieces, Andrea, Allison, Jackie and my sister, Jennifer.

Madison and me! She's a sweetheart!!

It was such a fun weekend!! We left St. Louis on Sunday morning to start our 3rd leg of Route 66. 

Our first stop was Meramec Caverns! So beautiful. 

We went on to stop in Uranus, MO and finally Carthage where we checked in to the Boots Court Motel--original Route 66 lodging.

Little did we know that when it says, "Radio in every room, it means "No tv!" Still, we made the best of it. We had our gin and tonics in those red chairs out front. Such a beautiful evening. We sat there for about an hour and a half. 

Our first day has been so much fun. Tomorrow we progress through Kansas and on to Oklahoma!