So, this is the first time I've been on dA since I went on my trip. If you're interested, here's a recap of what happened.
I went to Kentucky for the 4th of July and saw my uncle at his place near Paducah. After going to Kentucky, I drove over to Branson, Missouri to see my aunt who's basically taken the position of grandma to me. Needless to say it was great to see her since my uncle died a few years ago and I don't know how long she'll be around.
After spending a couple of days in Branson, I broke off from the family with my brother and headed up to St. Louis. I had seen the gateway arch before, but I had never gone up in it, so I was determined to check that off my list. I had to navigate the insane construction going on (almost every on/off ramp to the interstate was closed along with many roads). After navigating through the craziness, I finally got to go up in the St. Louis Gateway Arch, something my dad didn't think I'd be able to do.
After my trip to St. Louis, I headed for my hometown of Ottawa, IL. After bunking in our hotel, my brother and I went out to see how things have changed in 11 years. My brother drove over to the hospital where my dad worked for 18 years and ran into one of my dad's doctor friends. We both ended up going to dinner with them and talking about absolutely everything. It was great times.
Finally, on the way back home to SC I made one last stop. I finally got to meet one of my good friends that I've been talking to for a good while now. With all said and done, it was an amazing trip and it was great to finally meet a friend I've known for over half a year.