Flowers, Segways & DIS Meets, Oh My! - Updated 10/26, Final Thoughts-FINALLY!

[SoonerGirl]

Thanks for the welcome home everyone!!!

St Louis

The trip started out on a sour note when I realized about an hour & 20 minutes into our drive that I had forgotten the bags that I had made for the players at home. This was really bad because the bags included their trading pins, not something that could be left behind. The boys were both riding in the team van so I called our friend driving the van and told her what we'd done. She told me she'd take care of the boys not to worry, and Don and I turned around and drove back home to get the pins - not a pleasant start to things, but I was glad that I remembered before we got too far away!

The day after our arrival was team check in day where the boys have to answer questions and their birth certificates are checked. The tournament opening ceremonies were also this day and they were held at Busch Stadium before the St Louis Cardinals home game. Some pics as we arrived

The boys and coaches got to parade around the field, lead by the Cardinals mascot. This was really cool in one way, but was disappointing in another because there was no announcement as to what those teams were there for. Seriously, our team alone bought $700 worth of tickets to attend the game, there were 21 teams there, you know they sold us a TON of tickets and they couldn't take 5 minutes an hour & half before game time to say that the boys were there for the 9U World Series and announce the names of the teams???? Seems like a very simple thing to do that would have meant the world to these little guys

And a few more pics from the game and as we left

First pitch

Jared is a huge Albert Pujols fan so I had to get one of him batting

Tournament play started the next day. We weren't impressed with how the tournament was run either, the ballpark was just average and was mainly used for softball so they had no built in pitching mounds, they were all portable. We also had to play on all dirt infields. They didn't have the scoreboards running, we were told that they were expensive to run - really? We paid a $550 entry fee, times 21 teams, plus the $25 per guest gate fee for the week and they can't turn on the freakin' score boards??? We have been to many big tournaments with Justin and this one just seemed to do things as cheaply as they could to try and keep as much money as they could. It was disappointing to say the least. But enough of that! Here are a few photos I took from the games

This picture cracks me up - he looks like he's in pain, but he was just spitting seeds

One of our kids hit a 2 out, bases loaded home run - can you tell they were all excited?!

Jared was up after him and he almost hit one out too - ended up being a double off the centerfield wall

Continued in the next post.......

 

[SoonerGirl]

I took the boys to the zoo one morning because we were in a two hour rain delay (it had rained the night before). Of course, as soon as we got there I got a text that they had changed it from 2 hours to 1, so we only had about a half hour at the zoo - good thing it was free! This was about all we saw before we had to head out

We played our last game on Thursday night and since we hadn't gotten to do anything in the area since we had been there, and we had the hotel reserved until Sunday anyway, we decided to stay. The boys were dying to go to Six Flags, so on Friday we did that - yeah, I hated it. I kept finding myself comparing it to Disney, which there is no comparison. I had forgotten to take my motion sickness medicine before we left so I couldn't ride much of anything, for me it wasn't a fun day but the boys love thrill rides and they had a blast!

The next day was centered around what Don and I wanted to do. We started the day by going to the Arch.

We didn't want to wait in the long line to go up in it, so we just walked around and took some pictures. We also went down to the river's edge and dipped our toes into the Mississippi. The water level is very high right now, take a look

After that we headed to Union Station. It's a old rail station that has been turned into a hotel on one end and a shopping/dining center on the other.

You can see my Mickey antenna topper in the bottom right hand corner of this one

There was a really neat fountain right across the street

I thought it was funny how the water was spraying him in his rear

Inside:

We didn't buy much here, Justin got a new baseball necklace and I bought a St Louis spoon. We weren't really there to shop, I just wanted to see it.

Continued in the next post.......

 

[SoonerGirl]

Next on the list was the Cathedral Basilica.

This was just breathtakingly beautiful, I'll let the photos speak for themselves

Those are all tile mosaics or marble, there was no paint used in any of the artwork - it was truly amazing.

Continued in the next post.......

 

[SoonerGirl]

We went to "The Hill" for lunch, which is the Little Italy of St Louis. We had a fabulous lunch at a place called Favazza's. After that we headed over to the Anheuser-Busch facility to take the free tour offered there. Obviously the boys didn't enjoy this as much as Don & I did, but they did like it, especially the free pretzels and soft drinks they got at the end of the tour while we enjoyed the free beer we got at the end!

First stop on the tour were the stables, they had two Dalmatians there too, but there were too many people around them to get a picture

For a working factory I thought it was really very nice and VERY clean

This is the building where the container filling, packaging & labeling takes place. Unfortunately the line was down for maintenance so we didn't get to see it running, but I did read a sign that stated that 1,950 cans could be filled in 1 minute - pretty impressive!

At this point we decided to call it a day, we went back to the hotel and packed everything up and got ready to leave the next day. Sunday we got up early, ate breakfast, loaded the car and headed home. We had some car issues on the way home, my Suburban has almost 150,000 miles on it and it's starting to behave like an old car, it's probably time to trade it in - I just love not having a car payment! Regardless, we made it home fine, unpacked and got the laundry started then went over to my mom's to pick up the dog. She had made a roast for dinner - yum! My brother & his family came as well so I got to hold my sweet little Baylee too.

Thanks for letting me go off on a tangent here - a real trip update will be coming up in a couple of days!

 

[KatMark]

A boy and his seeds.

I think that is absolutely AWFUL that they did not have the scoreboard going. I know when we go to watch Andy coach his travel team that they have the scoreboard on (a parent may have to operate it, but they have it on for the length of the tournament). That's just not right. They charge an arm and a leg for those tournaments and I'd like to know WHERE the money goes sometimes.

I love Union Station in St. Louis. We stayed in the hotel there when our oldest (Andy) was looking at colleges. It was a beautiful hotel and we loved walking around the shops.

You got some great pictures and it looks as if you all had a great time.

 

[brookelizabeth]

What a great trip! My inlaws where there for a wedding around the same time and stayed at Union Station - it is just beautiful!!!

And the Basilica, wow!!!

That is awful about the tournament - I agree with you on all the counts! They should have announced the teams and turned on the scoreboards. Did someone just keep score on paper??? How strange.

All those cute little rears. Great picture though, I love how it feels a bit nostalgic with them all in baseball uniforms.

One of our kids hit a 2 out, bases loaded home run - can you tell they were all excited?

Even though I don't know ANYTHING about sprots, I DO know what this means and AWESOME!!! Great job! That had to be very exciting.

I thought it was funny how the water was spraying him in his rear

 

[marsa1969]

Great mini trip update! I was in St Louis a couple of years ago, but I haven't been to the zoo or the brewery since I was in high school. That pitching mound was a joke! Sorry about the poor playing conditions.

 

[LilAnn]

Great update! looks like a fun trip. I also love that pic that someone had resposted earlier of all the boys looking out onto the field.

The Basilica - wow. It looks amazing in the pictures, I can only imagine how breathtaking it is in person. Looks like something you would see straight out of Europe.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I loved that update! I have only been to St. Louis once and it was just for a day but it was so much fun! We actually did do the trip to the top of the arch. That was awesome, even if the pods going up were so tiny. What a view though!

The Budweiser clydesdales are so cool. They always have some here (along with that neat truck!) for the State Fair.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[mermaid764]

That's too bad that tournament was run so poorly, but congrats to them on finishing 8th, that's awesome!

St.Louis looks like a fun city to visit and luckily you guys had an extra free day to explore it a little bit

 

[Charleston Princess]

What a great trip to St. Louis! Thanks for sharing it with us!

I can't believe you had to turn around an hour and twenty minutes down the road! I would have just been beside myself!

I would have been irked at the lack of announcement at the Cardinals game and not turning on the scoreboards, too!

We have a Six Flags here in Atlanta, and I have no desire to set foot there. It's been about ten years since I went last, and I am okay with that. LOL!

The Arch, Union Station, and cathedral pictures are all so pretty! Looks like you had a really fun time with your family!

 

[Cllong75]

I just recently finished your Christmas trip report and just caught up on this one. I can't wait to read more. I have to sympathize with you because my dh is the same way, his response is always, we've been to dw enough times for awhile. Problem solved for now though, going with my mom in September, taking my youngest neice and nephew. I am so excited.

 

[PrincessInOz]

The baseball pics were fantastic....and I was interested to hear that the scoreboard wasn't turned on in the big stadium. For Aussie Rules, when the kids have the opportunity to play (usually at the half time break at the equivalent of the major league), we have mini scoreboards as the main scoreboard is still holding the scores for the big game...but then we don't have 9 innings worth of score to worry about. We just count the cummulative goals, behinds and the total over the 4 quarters.

Your photos of St Louis are amazing! This is one city I hadn't thought of visiting in the US; but it's now on my list!

Thanks for sharing....

 

[Happydog]

Wow! What fun! I think the tournie sounds fabulous for the kids, and some great sight seeing, too! That Basilica rivals many I have seen in Europe! Mosaic is amazing. the time involved and artistry. Really breathtaking in person I am sure, and your photos are lovely! So funny the brewery! Neat to see what happens before it shows up in stores!! Those horses... such a slice of americana!

 

[klacey1]

Sorry the quality of the tournament was sub-par-- these boys just want to feel a little important. Announcing them at the field, as well as making sure they had the proper facilities would have been simple to do and made the boys feel great!
However, St. Louis is beautiful!! Both the cathedral and Union Station are breathtaking-- and that elephant looked adorable! What a smile on his face!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

A boy and his seeds.

He loves 'em!

I think that is absolutely AWFUL that they did not have the scoreboard going. I know when we go to watch Andy coach his travel team that they have the scoreboard on (a parent may have to operate it, but they have it on for the length of the tournament). That's just not right. They charge an arm and a leg for those tournaments and I'd like to know WHERE the money goes sometimes.

It's very common for a parent to operate the scoreboards, no one would have minded doing it if they would have just turned them on! They do charge alot for those tournaments and having nice facilities and working scoreboards shouldn't be too much to ask.......

I love Union Station in St. Louis. We stayed in the hotel there when our oldest (Andy) was looking at colleges. It was a beautiful hotel and we loved walking around the shops.

How cool that you got to stay there! How were the rooms? The lobby area was gorgeous!

What a great trip! My inlaws where there for a wedding around the same time and stayed at Union Station - it is just beautiful!!!

And the Basilica, wow!!!

Both places were really pretty, but the Basilica took my breath away!

That is awful about the tournament - I agree with you on all the counts! They should have announced the teams and turned on the scoreboards. Did someone just keep score on paper??? How strange.

Yep, there is alway a person with a scorebook for both teams. The scoreboards are very nice for the scorekeeper because then they don't have parents and players asking them every 5 minutes what the score is

All those cute little rears. Great picture though, I love how it feels a bit nostalgic with them all in baseball uniforms.

I love that pic, I think I'm going to do a black & white version, maybe just leaving the red on their uniform #s in color

Even though I don't know ANYTHING about sprots, I DO know what this means and AWESOME!!! Great job! That had to be very exciting.

It was very exciting! We went into that inning down 6 runs and came out of it up 4 - it was fun!

Great mini trip update! I was in St Louis a couple of years ago, but I haven't been to the zoo or the brewery since I was in high school. That pitching mound was a joke! Sorry about the poor playing conditions.

I hate the portable pitching mounds, and these weren't even full sized ones, they were mini, so it was like everytime they pitched they were falling off the mound. At least all the teams had to deal with the same conditions.

Great update! looks like a fun trip. I also love that pic that someone had resposted earlier of all the boys looking out onto the field.

The Basilica - wow. It looks amazing in the pictures, I can only imagine how breathtaking it is in person. Looks like something you would see straight out of Europe.

When I walked into the Basilica that is what I thought too - it's what I imagine some of those places in Italy to look like, one day Don and I hope go see some of those in person!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I loved that update! I have only been to St. Louis once and it was just for a day but it was so much fun! We actually did do the trip to the top of the arch. That was awesome, even if the pods going up were so tiny. What a view though!

The Budweiser clydesdales are so cool. They always have some here (along with that neat truck!) for the State Fair.

Thanks for sharing!

The tiny pods going up in the arch had me a bit worried, I sometimes get a little claustrophobic and I could just see me having a panic attack while stuck in that thing! The long lines were really just a good excuse for me to avoid it

I love the Clydesdales! I wish we would have had more time, we would have gone out to Grant's Farm where most of them are kept.

That's too bad that tournament was run so poorly, but congrats to them on finishing 8th, that's awesome!

St.Louis looks like a fun city to visit and luckily you guys had an extra free day to explore it a little bit

It was disappointing to have a poorly run tournament, but I'm sure it bothered us parents more than it did the boys. We had a really tough draw so we were pretty proud of our 8th place finish. It took my oldest son until he was 13 to win one of these, it takes a good team, but also a bit of luck!

I was really glad we took the extra time to explore some of what the city had to offer. I'm not sure if we'll ever be back there again so we wanted to take advantage of it while we were there.

What a great trip to St. Louis! Thanks for sharing it with us!

I can't believe you had to turn around an hour and twenty minutes down the road! I would have just been beside myself!

Uggg! I was so mad at myself, and what was worse was that I couldn't blame anyone else - I had to accept responsibility! The good thing is, my mind wanders in strange ways and somehow it took me to thinking about the pins, which reminded me of the fact that they were sitting in the office floor - thank goodness that happened before we got all the way to St. Louis!

I would have been irked at the lack of announcement at the Cardinals game and not turning on the scoreboards, too!

I just didn't think it would have been that hard to announce the names of the teams. They did list them on the big screen between innings of the game, but most of the kids didn't even notice that.

We have a Six Flags here in Atlanta, and I have no desire to set foot there. It's been about ten years since I went last, and I am okay with that. LOL!

We're just Disney spoiled Jackie - who want to go to yucky old Six Flags?!

The Arch, Union Station, and cathedral pictures are all so pretty! Looks like you had a really fun time with your family!

It was a nice day

I just recently finished your Christmas trip report and just caught up on this one. I can't wait to read more. I have to sympathize with you because my dh is the same way, his response is always, we've been to dw enough times for awhile. Problem solved for now though, going with my mom in September, taking my youngest neice and nephew. I am so excited.

Wow! Thanks so much for reading!

We need to form some sort of support group for all of us with Disney resistant husbands!

That's great that you get to take your niece and nephew though! I think Don would be fine with me taking the boys without him, it's just that we don't have the funds for me to do that plus take a family vacation someplace he wants to go, so I'm stuck trying to keep him happy and squeeze in Disney when I can.....

 

[Disneygrl36]

Loved your mini-update. St Louis looks like a lot of fun!
Six Flags.......... I just can't do it. Went to the one in Atlanta probably 12 years ago & vowed never to go again. I know people love those parks, but I guess I have just become to much of a Disney snob to enjoy that kind of "theme" park.
Love the clydesdale horses!!!! So majestic.
Union Station & that basilica both look amazing. I often wonder when I go into churches like that, what it would be like to attend services at a place like that on a regular basis....surrounded by all that beauty.

 

[SoonerGirl]

The baseball pics were fantastic....and I was interested to hear that the scoreboard wasn't turned on in the big stadium. For Aussie Rules, when the kids have the opportunity to play (usually at the half time break at the equivalent of the major league), we have mini scoreboards as the main scoreboard is still holding the scores for the big game...but then we don't have 9 innings worth of score to worry about. We just count the cummulative goals, behinds and the total over the 4 quarters.

Your photos of St Louis are amazing! This is one city I hadn't thought of visiting in the US; but it's now on my list!

Thanks for sharing....

I probably wasn't clear on this - the boys didn't get to actually play at Busch Stadium, that would have been awesome! They were just there for the 'opening ceremonies' for their tournament. Their's was actually held at a different venue. The big scoreboard was definitely running for the St. Louis Cardinals game that we watched.

I was pleasently surprised by the city of St. Louis, I know there are places there that you want to stay away from, but the downtown area was very nice and there are tons of things to do around town!

Wow! What fun! I think the tournie sounds fabulous for the kids, and some great sight seeing, too! That Basilica rivals many I have seen in Europe! Mosaic is amazing. the time involved and artistry. Really breathtaking in person I am sure, and your photos are lovely! So funny the brewery! Neat to see what happens before it shows up in stores!! Those horses... such a slice of americana!

I was curious to know how that Basilica compaired to some in Europe, someday we will get over there and see some of those for ourselves! Will you be our tour guide when we finally get to Italy???

The brewery was fun! We couldn't be at the birthplace of Budweiser and not visit now could we? I love those horses, they are gorgeous!

Sorry the quality of the tournament was sub-par-- these boys just want to feel a little important. Announcing them at the field, as well as making sure they had the proper facilities would have been simple to do and made the boys feel great!
However, St. Louis is beautiful!! Both the cathedral and Union Station are breathtaking-- and that elephant looked adorable! What a smile on his face!!

The tournament wasn't terrible, just not nearly as well run as many we have been to over the years with Justin. It was disappointing!

We did really like St. Louis though, it's a great city. I wish we would have had one more day, I would have loved to go back to the zoo and actually have time to see it all and I had plenty more on my list of things to do!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Six Flags.......... I just can't do it. Went to the one in Atlanta probably 12 years ago & vowed never to go again. I know people love those parks, but I guess I have just become to much of a Disney snob to enjoy that kind of "theme" park.

I know - yuck, right?! The kids really enjoyed it, I'm just not into running from thrill ride to thrill ride with nothing of any interest to look at along the way. I hadn't been to Six Flags since Justin was 3 I think, and prior to that it was before Don & I were even married - I never was a fan, even before I ever set foot in a Disney park.

Love the clydesdale horses!!!! So majestic.

Aren't they though? I wish we could have gotten up closer to them.

Union Station & that basilica both look amazing. I often wonder when I go into churches like that, what it would be like to attend services at a place like that on a regular basis....surrounded by all that beauty.

I wonder if you would get sort of immune to it, kwim? Kinda like having something right in your own city that everyone else thinks is amazing but you never visit - if it's there all the time you kind of take it for granted.

One of the dads on our team grew up in St Louis and he said he had a friend that got married there, could you imagine? I bet that ceremony was spectacular!