Nobody expects....Misssterrrrrrr CHEESE!!!! Cleveland, Ithaca, and Chicago: Day Fourteen: There and back again

So this was the day of the trip that we returned home. It technically is part of the trip, but it was just a lot of driving. I DID document, though, so it deserves a small blog post.

We took Rhyann to the airport in Chicago super early in the AM, leaving Alex to sleep. We came back, took a bit of a nap, then packed up and drove to STL, where we stopped for lunch at Southern. 

The gateway to the west.

The gateway to THE TASTE. This is Southern, a place Derek had been wanting to try for a long time, but we always seem to go to Chili Spot or Salt and Smoke, two places I know I can eat in STL. This time that wouldn't be a problem. I ate a pretty filling breakfast on the way to STL, and I was planning on eating when we got back home. So we stopped for Alex and Derek. 

Yup. I for sure look like shit. I was tired and road weary and I'm not nearly as good looking as Derek. 

Look at the crisp on that!!!

Alex wearing her newest shirt!

Enjoying the mac and cheese. 

Derek really enjoyed Southern. We went back a couple of days ago, actually, and he was not as enamored, but obviously we'll give it two more tries. If it fails consistently, it's no longer a go to for fried chicken for Derek. 

This is one of my favorite churches in STL. I hate that I am so anti religion, but such a fan of the aesthetic of religious buildings meant for large groups of people to gather in a grandiose setting. Look at that fucking building. 

And look at this one. Look at that!!!

Fucking stunning. I hate everything about it BUT the aesthetic. The aesthetic is fucking tits. 

After we got home and unpacked, I wanted to get a photo of all of the booze we bought. This, friendos, is almost 600 dollars in out of state goodness. 

My favorite part of returning home is sinking into my bed and snuggling my critters, but this go around, THIS was my favorite part of returning home:

And now, for real, that's all she wrote. This trip is in the bag, fully logged. I would have done a far more detailed job had I stuck to it and finished before school started. My memory would have been fresher, more photos would have gone in because I would have recalled their importance instead of just leaving them out. So perhaps this is for the best?

Until the next one, bitches.