Daddy & Lauren Day

When I (Ryan) first started thinking about coming to St. Louis with the family on vacation I couldn't think of anything to do in town other than just hang around the house. And then it donned on me - the Arch. Of all the times I've been to St. Louis, I've never been myself. I honestly thought that you just stood underneath it and thought to yourself, "Wow, that is tall!"

















But the Gateway Arch turned out to be much more than that. And, as I tend to be the history-geography-civics nut in the family, I take my responsibility very seriously to introduce the kids to places like this. A few days ahead of flying out here, I showed Lauren some pictures of the Arch and told her that I was going to take her there. She was very excited. It was all she could talk about leading up to our trip, she spotted it out of her window on the plane as we flew in Monday night, and was nearly screaming with anticipation as we spotted it on the horizon driving towards it today.

















It was a beautiful day, which is what you need for a good visit to the Arch. But for me the highlight wasn't really the Arch itself, but getting to spend the day with my little girl doing something that kept a smile on her face the entire time. She was a little nervous in the small tram car heading to the top, but stayed brave and was in wonderment on the observation deck as she looked out over the city and the Mississippi River. Lauren thinks the word "Mississippi" sounds funny and laughs every time she says it.

















We also spent a good amount of time in the Lewis & Clark Museum located underground, then walked down to the river's edge. For some reason Lauren is big on touching water, and she couldn't pass up the chance to touch the water of the Mighty Mississippi. She said it was cold, but it, too, made her smile. At the very end of our time there, as we walked back to get picked up and head back to our host's house, we made a pile of leaves and she jumped in them over and over again. It was one of the best Father/Daughter outings we have ever had and I'll hold onto it for a long, long time. Thank you, Lauren, for making your Dad's day!