In August of 2019, I was lucky enough to spend the entire month with my grandparents in St. Louis. A part of my education for Physician Assistant School we have month long clinical rotations and I was able to get my Women's Health rotation a few minutes away from my grandparents home.
This month flew by in a blink of an eye. The days were filled with Cardinals games, brewery visits, a casino trip, sitting on the driveway in the evenings, mornings at the kitchen table with coffee and good conversations, lots of hands of cards, learning age old family recipes, hearing about my grandparents' families and where they came from, seeing new parts of the city, and a lot of laughs.
When people ask me about my time in St. Louis, I tell them that it felt like a dream. Because it was. To be able to stay with them for an extended period of time as I continued my education and to fill the days with happiness and good memories, there is nothing quite like it. The month gave me perspective into my relationship with my Papa and Grandma. I was able to see how over the past few years a friendship has developed outside of the unconditional love that family members have one another. I am extremely grateful and blessed and thankful for this time in my life.
If you have them still, give your grandparents a call. All they want is to hear from you. And it will make both of your days.
Here are some photos from that month of August.
This song randomly came up in conversation over cards one night. I had never heard of it so I played it on my phone and suddenly my grandma starts singing, unprompted and all of the words. For the three-minute song, I just sat and listened to the words and my grandma as she sung softly. It was a good moment.
Above: Papa watering his flowers from afar. Below: A gallery of photos.
Above: The beautiful flower. Below: Another one of me.
Above: These chairs are iconic for Papa and Grandma and will always remind me of them. Below: Making the roast beef.
Above: A sunset between the trees. Below: Me and Papa again.
Above: This was a small glass from the St. Louis World Fair in 1904 and was custom for my Papa's mother. She went as a kid and got this glass made. It's unbelievable to see a piece of history like this.
Above: Papa always has the best grapes at the house and this is how he does it. You're welcome. Below: Papa and his friends.
Below: Great beer and food in our explorations of St. Louis.
Above: At Heavy Riff Brewing. Below: At the Vine.
Above & Below: At Six Mile Bridge for great beer and fries.
Above: At Square One. Below: The Village Bar for food.
Below: These are film photos taken in St. Louis on Portra 400.