A Little Visit, A Big Weekend

My friend, Ashley, came to town ealier this week for my bday! Isn't that sweet?! Ash & I became buds when I began work in Bloomington, IL. We trained together, worked together, ate lots of chips & queso together....she was pretty much the Tweedle Dee to my Tweedle Dum! I do miss her being right there at my side every day in the call-center trenches!

We checked out the Arch again, there was better weather this time so view was that much more lovely. We went to see The Grand Basin in Forest Park where they had the World's Fair (Louisiana Purchase Expedition) in 1904! Also seen in the magical & touching film 'Meet Me in St. Louis', starring Judy Garland!

This is a bit more what it looked like back then-thanks to http://www.history-map.com/
We also explored downtown St. Charles a bit more and found a gem of an antique shop near home-sorry, I'm going to be selfish & keep it a secret! At least until our home is all done up...and it still has to be built so it's gonna be a little while! Here are a few of my finds!

One of the best parts was just hitting up the candy store & seeing the movie 'Bridesmaids'. It's a funny girl-bonding movie & it stars the adorable comedic talents of Chris O'Dowd from 'Dinner with Schmucks' & "The IT Crowd'. This photo of Chris is thanks to http://www.fuckyeahcomedians.tumblr.com/

I suggest you check ou 'Bridesmaids' and anything featuring Chris O'Dowd.

I miss Ashley already, but I'm glad she was able to visit. It's my turn to go see her next!

31 years...

I must apologize for taking so darn long to update my lil blog.

I've been a busy little bee.

I turned 31 last week. I'm a bit sad but there's no stopping time, is there? I thoroughly delighted in being 30. I know it sounds cheesy, but I really did FEEL different, more...myself somehow. 31 isn't as lovely a number, but I'm sure it's going to be an even better year for me. Rob & I both have our new jobs that are going well, we're getting our first home, we states & states of great friends & family and we're enjoying what each day throws on our plates!

I did have to work on my bday, but I got off a bit early so that Rob & I could go to Midwest Mayhem in downtown at The City Museum. There were bands, food, drinks (cheap ones!), burlesque dancers, hula hoop girls and best of all...tons of things to play on! This was our first trip to the museum and we look forward to going back. It's a great place for young & old to learn & let loose at the same time. Here are some pics of me & Rob climbing around on the huge network of tunnels, planes, castles & slides outside!

Rob is so strong! He's holding himself up, no booty or feet touching the bottom of the plane!

And this is us resting at the top of a little tower after running around like hamsters on crack!

I had a good bday because I just relaxed and had fun with someone who loves me very much. That's really all ya need!

Happy Momma's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Marie,
and all the other great moms out there!

I hope you all have a happy, sunny, love-filled day!

Mom, even though we're a little over 1800 miles away from each other please know that you are always in my thoughts & in my heart. I love you!

Well, I got a lot done on my day off. Which is always good. I even got my Missouri license! It was weird & a little sad to hand over my California license but I realized I don't need a plastic memento to remind me of where I'm from. I have salt water in my veins & a little extra CA sass! I also managed to make us some killer burritos & enjoy a margarita on the rocks for Cinco de Mayo!

My boyfriend is so sweet that he practically forced me to accept a pair of Steve Madden wedges! Life is SO hard sometimes! Ha! They're lovely & very comfy! Even Penny likes them!

I told him I'd just buy myself a cheaper pair but he looked at me very seriously & said "But Steve Madden's are better quality...aren't they?" I tell ya, I fell for the man all over again! Ha ha! So I now have a fab new pair wedges for summer!







I also decided to pick up a little bday present for myself at Kohl's (ok, 2 of them). Nothing crazy, just a coral colored top & a necklace with various shades of blue. Some of my fave colors! I just wanted something to make myself feel pretty! Every girl needs pretty things!

I hope you all had a happy Cinco de Mayo, mine was busy but very pleasant. There's nothing like accomplishing things at your leisure in the beautiful sunshine! It's now Friday and a another wonderful weekend is upon us!

Hello & Happy Wednesday!

I wanted to share this recipe I just came across on Epicurious

for grape & champagne sorbet!

It looks DELIGHTFUL & I can't wait to try it!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Grape-and-Champagne-Sorbet-364535?recipename=Fresh%20Grape%20and%20Champagne%20Sorbet&saved_to_box=y

If you try it before I do let me know what you think!

Also, I'd love to hear how you spent your Cinco De Mayo. So please return & fill me in!

I ended up with the day off but I'll probably spend most of the day cleaning & attempting to get my Missouri license. I'm going to make a point to have a margarita and relax with some reading, though. I can't bare the thought of wasting a day off with chores, chores & more chores! In fact, weather permitting, I think I'll throw on a happy sun dress to go to the DMV & hit up my new buddies at Starbucks! If any locals happen to see this I can not say enough about the S'bucks crew at the Highway K location (near Uhaul). They're awesome & I suggest asking for Dave's "White Lightening"! That's all for now folks, it's time to hang out with Rob!

Mexican "Trojan" Horse?! Ha ha ha!

Girls Weekend

Ok, so this was a couple of weeks ago, but it was awesome so I felt the need to catch you all up! One of my very-bestie's, Elena, came out to St. Louis to visit me! Both our menfolk were going to be out of town & we missed each other, so it only made sense! We didn't have a lot of time to spend together, just a couple of days, but we made the most of it! We explored the old & new, we had yummy food & drinks & drove all around this place!

One of our fave things was watching the Soulard Blues Band at BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups down in Soulard. We were there all night! The band, drinks & sweet potato fries were great! The bartenders were very sweet & you can't beat parking on the same block for only $4!
http://www.bbsjazzbluessoups.com/

We hit up a couple of tourist sites...why not, right? We HAD to check out the Arch, of course. It was pretty cool, except when it swayed that was a little weird, but I'd rather it sway a bit in the wind than fall and smush me because of a breeze. We wandered all over Forest Park. They had Earth Day celebrations going on so hippies were bountiful! All kidding aside, I do love me some earth. We enjoyed all of the beautiful flowers & trees and the little animals hanging out with the peoples.

It was a wonderful, whirlwind weekend & I truly appreciate the lovely Elena coming out to visit me & my new city.

This just in!

There will be a prize going to my first follower!

It's a surprise so sign up if you want to see what it is!

Welp, fast-forward to almost 2 years later and here we are. I have moved from beautiful, perfect, sunny San Diego to small town Bloomington, Illinois and now I'm learning my way around good ol'St. Louis, Missouri! Obviously, I'm still a bit biased. What can I say? I happened to grown up in an amazing place & in my almost 30 years there I made some spectacular friends. I also left some family behind. Though I could be better at saying it, I think of them all the time.

Why did I move then? So many things have lead me here. Mostly, a boy. My boyf, Rob, got out of the Navy and wanted to try to start a new civilian life somewhere that costs a bit less to live. We both followed job opportunities that have gotten us here and in this day and age, job security is primo! But let's not forget a sense of adventure and wanting to meet a personal challenge head on! My life has been happy and sad and not too adventurous. Everything & everyone I needed was there and my life had been built up around me. While that was wonderful, I wanted to be brave and uncharacteristic and I wanted to prove myself to...myself! And anyone else who was interested or doubtful.

I miss home with a deep-rooted longing that seems to have built it's nest in my core, but at the same time I'm very happy here and I'm excited to see how our lives unfold. I have other family out here that I will finally get a chance to know better, I'm meeting even more great people & there's a new "old" city to explore. Not to mention starting my 30's in the mid-west and growing up a bit more in an ever-expanding world! I mostly hope that this blog helps me to stay close with those that are still dear but no longer near and provide me with a happy place to express myself. I also hope that at some point or another I can bring a smile to someone's face.