Ah St. Louis in the fall. It's freaking freezing there. Mr. Wonderful warned me that this was why he moved to warmer climate. But I thought with my big coat and my cute new Calvin Klein boots, I'd be fine. Nope. Southern Californian blood is thin and I froze my butt off. But we had a great time. As you can see, we made it over to the arch. And all the leaves were finishing up their autumn color change, so all the driving was quite picturesque.
I ended up meeting the entire family and Mr. W's childhood best friend all on the first night, and they were wonderful. His nieces were precious; his sister and brother-in-law couldn't have been nicer; and his dad, aunt and uncle, and yaya made me feel like I was already part of the family. When we walked into the house, Yaya—who doesn't speak a whole lot of English—immediately started telling me how happy she was to meet me and kissing me on the cheek. I wanted to cry. She was absolutely adorable. It took everything in me not to fall into a hysterical mess today when we had to leave her. She made me miss my own Grandmas, and she was such a big part of Mr. W's life that I feel eternally grateful for her. I wanted to bring her home with us. Instead, I brought home a checkered apron and a crocheted shawl that she made and insisted I take with me.
In addition to experiencing the culture and cold weather along the Old Miss, I got to see firsthand how the Greek community lives. It was fascinating and extremely entertaining. We went to a special dinner party at the church Mr. W attended as a kid, and everyone seemed to know everyone. There was Greek food, lots of talking in half English/half Greek, and quite a bit of Greek dancing—which looks a lot like people marching arm-in-arm in a spiraling circle.
I didn't talk about politics or anything else on the taboo list, and I even did a shot of ouzo with Mr. W's uncle and brother-in-law. I may have an esophageal ulcer now, but it was all worth it.
I think it's safe to say I passed the test. And I hope I can go back to visit his sweet family and charming city (although I think I might need to try some different restaurants... ) The next stop may be Tampa to visit Mr. W's mom and stepdad. I'll be looking for advice. Perhaps some new pastel attire will be in order...
14 comments:
The one thing I don't miss about STL is the grey skies during Fall/Winter. But I do miss the city a ton. I'm so glad you had a good time!
Funny you go to my old stomping ground and now I'm in yours for business!
Sounds like a great trip!!
Jane! - I can't believe you're in LA! How long are you here for? Email me if you want to try to meet up.
Laura - It was. I'll have to fill you in on all the details next time I see you. :)
Oh yay! So glad you had a fun time. Next time, go in the summer and be sure to go to a Cardinals game. They've got some of the best fans in baseball (and I don't just say this because I happen to be one of them!).
Glad you had fun...your post almost made me cry! Can't wait to hear more.
I totally had a mental picture of MBFGW, only in reverse. Yaya making you a shawl is precious!! Though, not sure how often you'll use it in SoCal...
Yaya sounds just as cute as I thought she'd be! Sounds like you were a hit missy! Now on to his mom, that's a tough one but I think you'll be just fine! And I agree with coconut - scenes from MBFGW are playing in my head!
Aw, that's so great. I'm doing the girlish squeal thing for you a little bit. :)
This post makes me so happy and also a little sad. I cannot tell you how long I have waited to hear you this content and happy. At the same time, it's bittersweet that I'm not there to share this time with you. I love you to death and knew you wouldn't have any poop problems in the STL!
I'm so glad that you had a great time but I think it would've gone even better if you'd taken one of the traditional family gifts of fingernail are or something similar. I thought Big Sis was supposed to help you out. She let you down on this one.
Nilsa - Yeah, I think I would really enjoy going in the summer. I'll definitely have to encourage Mr. W to plan another trip!
Poopypants - No crying! It was nice to have family time with his side since he gets to have so much with ours!
Coconut Diaries - I'm going to try to find a reason to wear the shawl - maybe Christmas night or something.
Semichrmd - Yeah I have to rent My Big Fat Greek Wedding now for sure!
Just Run - Girlish squeal. I love it!
Lara - Why you gotta get all like that on me? Seriously. I'm throwing a remote control as I wipe a tear from my eye. COME HOME.
Dingo - Maybe I should mail Yaya a toenail picture for Christmas?
Oh, yay!! I'm glad the trip went well! And Yaya sounds positively adorable. I kind of want to bring her to my house, too!
Dingo - I tried - she wouldn't listen to me. Handmade gifts are truly the most memorable. Especially when they have scraps of DNA.
I am sure they loved you and no doubt you passed the test with flying colors. So prepare for Tampa, and then maybe you 2 can get on with some PLANNING??
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