I had a sort of "responsible glow" to me that morning that we headed West. I promised to tell the children where we were going by the time time we reached the "Gateway to the West", in St. Louis, Missouri; but until then, they would have to let their minds wander. From Asheville, it was a good ten hours by the time we would stop for breakfast and lunch. I had purposely planned a few stops along the way that would be surprises and St. Louis, Missouri, was our first "layover" on "Day 1".

The first night, we would stay at the Hyatt, right at the base of the arch; and in the morning, we would go up inside the 1100 foot-high structure to have a look at the city from the "Gateway to the West". Whatever it took, this was going to be a summer to remember.

Breakfast was consumed at the Red Kitchen & Bar, as the Hyatt had an all-inclusive package. I opted for cold cereal and yogurt and the children had waffles until they were running out of their ears. I had never seen Bella and Liam ingest so much at one sitting. I opted for a lite and refreshing Mimosa that morning, which seemed to calm my nerves. It was not that my Abilify was not working, it was simply the stress of providing that "perfect summer" before Bella's senior year and Liam's beginning to tenth grade. Perfection would not be achieved, but I was striving for the victory line; as I wanted it to be as close to perfection as possible. "What mother doesn't?", I pondered over fruit, yogurt, cereal and a green tee from Starbucks. Once we finished with breakfast, we each ordered another "5-bucks from Starbucks"; and it was a short walk to the arch before getting back on the open road.