st. lou for the weekend (p. 2)

after a slow start to the day, T and i walked over to the arch to finally check off T's bucket list to-do of going to the top!

[T loved seeing the views on either side]

[so happy and ready to get back down since the crowds were getting bigger]

[of course, i had to get another frozen treat]

after wandering a bit more around some of the older parts of st. louis, we headed over to get breakfast at the original pancake house. while originally established in portland, their pancakes had made quite the name for themselves in the city. and even though there was a bit of a wait, the apple pancake rocked our socks off (even though T said it was like a dessert)! 

next up, was the zoo...we had been told by several people that it was a must-see and while most aren't too crazy for zoos, T and i love them. T loves checking out the tigers and i am a big fan all sea life, especially polar bears. sadly, the polar bears won't be there until 2015 but, did i mention that T and i got to play with sting rays and sharks? well, we did, and couldn't have been more excited to get to have such a fun 'first' together. 

[hippos, another closet favorite of mine]

[lounging in the shade while planning what we want to see next]

our last spot to visit at the zoo, the butterfly garden, i managed to make a new friend who wanted to come back to oklahoma with us (see below)! of course, we had to say farewell but, i'm glad to know between the stingrays and the butterflies, i've become more animal-friendly.

lastly, before we headed home, we cooled off with homemade custard at the well-known treat shoppe, ted drewes. a perfect end to such a great couple of days away...thanks again st. louis!

[yum]

[gorgeous drive home]