meet me in...

 Todd and I recently went away for a long weekend...

...to St. Louis!  Because I knew we were in for hot weather and lots of walking, I opted not to bring my good camera and had to rely solely on my terrible cell phone camera.  The pros outweighed the cons, though.

First, to Tower Grove, considered the largest 19th century "Gardenesque" park in the United States.  It was gorgeous, full of shady paths, lakes, and flowers.  I am a sucker for water lilies and lotuses.  It's always blooming around our anniversary and that makes them extra special.  

Keeping with the theme, we headed to the Botanical Garden next.  It was the Tower Grove Park, expanded!  So much to see.  

The next day, we hit up the Science Center and Planetarium...

...and headed over to the Anheuser-Busche factory for a long tour.  I'm not a beer person, but the factory was amazing!  The complex covered over 140 acres...beautiful brick buildings...

...the assembly lines, the Clydesdale stables, and the brewing area.  These tanks were massive...25 feet tall and wide, and over 60 feet long...and there are dozens and dozens of them!  

We had to squeeze in the zoo...of course.

We walked miles, ate tons, and enjoyed ourselves greatly!  It's only a 3.5 hour drive and I have a huge list of things that we didn't get to see.  I think we'll be going back again.

Have a great week!