We just got back from an incredible weekend in St. Louis with my family. Our flight landed in STL on Friday afternoon and went with my mom straight to Cecil Whittakers, my favorite pizza place, for lunch. They have St. Louis-style pizza; it's a thin crust pizza with provel cheese - and soooo good. After lunch, we went over to my cousin (and matron of honor) Lindsey's house to see her and her two boys. Gavin just turned 6 months old, and I hadn't been able to see him in person; I had met Logan (who's now 2) a couple times, but it's amazing how much bigger he's gotten!
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| The guys showing off our fish |
My dad suggested going fishing the next morning, so 4 of us got up before 5am and drove a couple hours to Maramac Springs Park. The creek is stocked with trout every night, and we had a very successful fishing trip. David (my brother) and my dad each got their limit of 4 trout in the first hour, and Patrick & I helped get that total up to 14 by the time we left. It was gorgeous: there was fog over the water when we arrived, and the water was so clear you could see the fish swimming around.
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| My dad announcing Patrick's new title |
After getting back to my parents' house and taking naps, it was time for the engagement party! It was really hard for me not to mention anything to Patrick in the week leading up to our trip, but my dad had been planning a surprise for him - a ceremony to induct Patrick into our royal Polish family. My Uncle Dave took Patrick away to go to the gas station (so we could get everything prepared), and he came back to see everyone sitting in the living room & some of us wearing crowns; there was also Polish music playing. The initial look of confusion/fear/amusement on his face was PRICELESS.
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| The Royal Family |
The ceremony was hilarious, and my dad went above and beyond anything I expected! He had put together a 3-page script, had Burger King crowns for all of us and he had decorated a red velvet crown for Patrick. He also had a scepter, a sword, pierogies, polish sausage and polish pickles to present to him. A couple of my dad's uncles acted as the elders, and they all walked in with a blanket around each of their shoulders and their Burger King crown. The two of them even stood up and sang a song in Polish! Just thinking about the ceremony makes me start giggling, and it was the perfect addition to the party.
It was an incredible weekend overall, and I'm very thankful for how much my family has embraced Patrick. Everyone adores him, and they easily see why I'm so happy with him. After a really rough year last year, all the fun & laughter is definitely a huge step in turning that around.
-Lisa
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