Weekend Update

Good grief, where in the world did this weekend go?  Wherever it went it did it fast!  Gosh, I can't believe it's Monday again.  I know these next six weeks or so are going to fly right by, so I'm going to enjoy all of the time I can here.

First up?  Let's talk about Cyndi Lauper and Cher.  Why?  Oh, I won free tickets to their concert, that's all.  And ever though they were nosebleed seats, it was a fabulous concert.  Joel didn't really care for Cher, but we were both belting out some Cyndi Lauper.

Chere had a costume change after almost every song.  She is certainly a diva, but she worked that stage!  She could have put a lot of younger artists to shams, sans Pink.  No one can outshine Pink at a concert.

Saturday we had plans to go out on a boat with a co-worker of mine.  We went, but it rained a majority of the time, so no new tan lines for me.  Also, did I mention that we drove through a tornado warning?  Because, unaware, we did.  It was quite terrifying after the fact.  Pandora will do that to you.

 

Sunday we took all three pets to the vet to get their records in order for the move.  Two dogs and a cat at the vet are a nightmare, but the place we go is absolutely fantastic.  I will miss them dearly when we leave.

Then it was a night of The Tonys and Game of Thrones.  Of course, the Tonys were fabulous, and it seems like I was a fan of most of the shows this year.  It was fun to see Idina Menzel sing a song from the show we saw a few weeks ago, and Ramin was fabulous in the 3 seconds he actually sang in Les Miz (why couldn't he sing Bring Him Home for me?!).

Game of Thrones, well...let's just say it's going to be on this Sunday during the finale.  We already have the episode penciled in on our girls' trip.

Out and About

Happy before Memorial Day weekend!  This weekend has been on my radar for quite some time, and I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and get on that plane to the Eats Coast.  I'm not excited for the weather (60s and rain), but I am excited for the fabulous food, entertainment, and history.  Can you guess where I'm going?  It's two different cities, actually.  Here are your hints.

You're smart cookies.  I'm sure you'll figure it out pretty quickly, if I haven't talked about it on here before.  :)

Weekend Update

Happy Monday!  Well, maybe it's a happy Monday.  I haven't decided yet.  Gomez, who has been fully crate trained since he was 5 months old (so for almost three years), has decided that sleeping in the crate isn't what he wants to do anymore.  So, for the past three weeks, he has decided it would be fun to bark from about midnight until we let him out of his crate.  We tried the "cry it out" method (didn't work) and the "we'll let him sleep in bed just tonight" method (also failed).  I don't know what to do.  He doesn't have to go to the bathroom, he didn't miss dinner, and the vet said there's nothing physically wrong with him.  But there will be, if I don't get some sleep soon...  Any advice?

Anyway, moving on.  Friday night, Joel and I went to go see Sheryl Crow and Rascal Flatts in concert.  It was at an outdoor theater, and since a cold spell decided to hit the Midwest, we had quite the chilly night.  It was a great show, although s little short for RF.  Their last concert was at least an hour longer.

Gloves, scarf, and jacket...check!  And also a blanket.

Sheryl Crow.  Crappy phone pic, but we had great seats!

Rewind tour!

Saturday we went to the Belleville Art Show which, believe it or not, is actually rated #2 in the country.  It was still kind of cool out, but it was a really beautiful, sunny day.  We had such a blast.  I'm not really one for art museums, but I love me some art fairs.

Sunday, we had a house showing, which means taking the dogs to the dog park for an hour.  The people that toured the house really liked it, but they found a newer home that they wanted, more.  The realtor did say if the other house fell through they were interested, so fingers crossed that something works out.  It makes me sad that we've had so many showings, and no real interest yet.  I love our house, and we put a lot of sweat equity into it.

Anyways, the boys had a blast at the park.  I think our foster appreciates it the most.  He's such an easygoing boy.

Weekend Update

A weekend update actually on a Monday?  I'm just as shocked as you are, really.  I've been slacking on the blog front, but it's one of my May goals to start posting more regularly.  You all trust me on that, right?

Anyway, this weekend was pretty busy.  Busy in mostly a good way, fortunately.  Can I first give a shout-out to my Indiana Pacers for advancing to the next round of the Playoffs?  Holla!

This weekend, my cat was in rare form.  He was super clingy (which happens often to Joel, but not me) and was laying in all sorts of contorted positions.  Case in point?  How in the world can he be comfortable?!  I can't even make out what body part is where here!!

We had our first showing of our house, and our first rejection.  Nothing we could change (they said the bedrooms were too small), but still a let down.  The weekend was gorgeous, though, so we took advantage of the free time and took the dogs to our local dog park.  Can you tell someone was excited??  I mean, look at that tongue!

Sunday was Joel and I's fourth wedding anniversary.  Normally I'd get pretty sappy, and I was pretty nostalgic yesterday, but it was pretty low-key, so it didn't really seem like a big deal.  I am so in love with Joel, and he was so sweet, but I don't think we'll go all out unless it's a big anniversary.  And, surprisingly, I'm kind of ok with that.

We always do the traditional/modern gifts for each year, and this year was no exception.  Sometimes we're pretty creative, but I think with how busy we've been, we both went easy.  Joel got fruit, I got flowers, and Joel also got a waffle maker (appliance) that he's been talking about.

Yes, those are cinnamon rolls in the waffle maker.  And, yes...they are as delicious as they look/sounds.  And, if you hadn't realized yet, Joel and I got married on the nerdiest day of the year.  Make the connection yet?  Joel swears he didn't know, but I'm calling shenanigans on that one.

For dinner, we had a Groupon for a steakhouse called The Tenderloin Room, which is a beautiful little place in the Chase Park Plaza hotel.  The hotel itself is pretty swanky, and is in the Central West End, my favorite part of town.  The also have a cute little movie theater in the hotel, so we caught the move The Other Woman.  It was good.  Predictable, but very funny.

It was such a beautiful day, we decided to stop and have a drink on the sidewalk before dinner.  We stopped at the Drunken Fish, where I had a martini and Joel had the house Saki.  It was lovely, and I really wish that we had picked to eat outside somewhere, too.  The weather was just perfect.

Once at the Steakhouse, we ordered wine and an entree, which came with the Groupon.  We also got a salad, which we thought came with the entree, and were unpleasantly surprised to find out that they didn't.  No Caesar Salad is worth $11, I'm sorry.  I ordered the Riesling, which was pretty unexpectedly citrus-y.  I am not a fan om lemon-y wines, and was pretty disappointed.  I ordered the filet, which was cooked to perfection on the inside, but had an almost burnt taste on the outside.  Joel liked his steak that way, but I didn't.  I ordered it medium for a reason.  I was glad we tried the place on a Groupon, because I would definitely not be back.

We were in too good of a mood to let our sub-par dining experience get us down, and were acting like newlyweds on the drive home.  We ended the night with some Boston Cream Pie we got at our local grocery store, and an episode of Game of Thrones.  Low key and fabulous.

Weekend Update

I feel like this is becoming quite the Tuesday tradition.  I do have a valid excuse this week, though.  I swear!  Joel and I took the day off yesterday to finish up the house to get ready to put it on the market today.  The realtor will be by after work for us to take pictures and to get everything ready for the listing.  To say I am nervous is an understatement.  The market hasn't really rebounded in this area, and we haven't owned the house long to get much equity into it.  Fingers crossed for a quick sale!

Last week, I forgot to mention that Joel and I say Il Divo in concert.  Don't know who they are?  Well, if you are a lover of musical theater, Google them.  I don't have enough great things to say.  We had total nosebleed seats, but the music was beautiful.  We also stopped by Hard Rock on the way there, and I discover that they had margarita flights.  The food was sub par, but the drinks?  Worth the trip back.

I also had the chance to finally get a picture with an STL Birthday Cake.  There are 250 all around the city, and while I have seen plenty, this is the first one I've snagged a picture with.  How fun!

I also made a fabulous discovery.  Folks, I have found a new favorite beer.  For those outside of the Midwest, you may just have to take my word for it.  I don't know if you could find it far from this area, as it's made at a local Missouri place.  It's called Crown Valley Brewery (they also have a winery), and it's their seasonal ale.  Run, don't walk, to get yourself some.

Other than that, it was a lot of cleaning and reorganizing.  And I finally got a chance to put down our new rug in the dining room!  Ignore the mess behind the table (that's all clean now), but I couldn't be happier with the rug.  We bought it from Rugs USA online, and I was nervous buying it sight unseen.  I'm a pretty picky person, but I am just so in love with it.  I think it really adds a pop of color to the room.  Don't you think?

Weekend Update

Howdy, folks!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  The weather was fabulous here in the STL, and our Easter celebrations for two were just to really remember the reason for the Easter season, yet enjoy some quality family time together.

Friday was pretty uneventful, and no pictures were really taken.  We went to Good Friday service at our Church, which was really nice.  It was hilarious, though, because I admit that I have never actually kissed the cross on Good Friday.  New experience for me!  It was definitely, different.  But, when in Rome, right?

Saturday was spent de-cluttering the house to get it ready to put on the market.  Taking down our sports stuff (I was told that a potential buyer has been known to not but a house because the owner was a fan of a team they hated), our personal pictures, and some extra furniture.  It was sad, and doesn't feel as "home-y" anymore.  But, if it sells the house, it's a small sacrifice.

The dogs really enjoyed the afternoon, though.  It was warm enough that they were able to hang outside quite a bit without overheating, and so they sunned themselves most of the day.

We then headed out to Easter Vigil service, which in all honesty was hilarious.  We went on base because they had an earlier service, and the Priest said that since people don't come to church for it to last forever (Vigil is usually a good 2 1/2 to 3 hour service), so his goal was to get it under an hour.  Umm...what?  He was close, coming in right at 75 minutes.  I won't go into detail, but quickening the service made some parts quite comical.  It was a great service overall, though.  Even with the quirks.

Sunday was Easter morning, followed by Brunch.  The Melting Pot was offering a great Easter special, so since we gave up desserts for Lent, it seemed like to perfect way to conclude the season.  And, as always, it did not disappoint.  Yum, yum!

Weekend Update

I know, I know.  It's on a Tuesday again...  Yesterday I woke up feeling like I just got hit with a freight truck called food poisoning.  So, I basically did nothing all day.  Not even surf the web.  It was a Netflix kind of day.

Anywho, on to better stuff...the weekend!

Friday was injection day!  I was completely and irrationally nervous, but everything went fine.  I seem to be recovering just fine, and so far my headaches have been alleviated somewhat.  They said it takes about a week to truly get a feel of what relief it might provide.  All I know is it hurt like a mother!  Small needles do not necessarily equal a lack of pain.  Ugh...

Saturday I had a gender reveal for a sweet friend of mine.  I am so happy for her, and she's having twins!  I guessed that she was having two girls, and Joel guessed one of each.

It was two boys!  Holy cow, I couldn't even imagine.  They called it a "guns or glitter" reveal, so I guess guns it is!

Saturday I went to one of those paint and wine parties.  I am not artistically gifted at all, but, I thought I would give it a shot.  It was actually a lot of fun!  I went with a few girls at work, and I really did have a blast.  Plus, it's so much easier when they trace the painting for you.

Weekend Update

Happy Tuesday, friends!  Wow, what wonderful weather we've been having the past few days.  Yesterday it was 79 and sunny, and today it is supposed to get up to 81.  Tomorrow?  Yep, you've guessed it...snow.  It is the Midwest, I suppose...

The weekend was pretty good!  Lots of cuddle time.  And lots of shedding.  Exhibit A from Jaeger...

Yes, that is what I brushed out of him in about five minutes.  There were many more similar piles out of him over the weekend.  Poor guy...

Saturday morning I was tempted into a detox wrap as a half off special at this fabulous little place down the road from me.  The owner is such a doll, and I'd never had one, so I decided to give it a try.  It was very relaxing, but other than that, I'm not sure there were many benefits.  It was pretty inexpensive though, so worth a try.  It was such a gloomy day, too.

Saturday night we went out to Pi in downtown STL.  If you hadn't heard, it's our President's favorite pizza place.  There's even one in D.C. now (the only one out of the STL area), and I must say that it's pretty tasty.  Usually...  This time was a bit of a disappointment.  There was barely any sauce on the pizza, and it especially made the leftovers pretty dry.  We normally have great success there, so I won't let this setback deter me from going.

Then we saw the new 300 movie next door at a place called MX movies.  I've written about them before.  I really love the concept of this place, but the execution is terrible!  It's a full restaurant and bar that you order from electronically from your seat.  The food has been pretty sub par, which is why we ate beforehand, but I love their leather seating and bar.  Who doesn't want a fancy drink with their movie?  We ordered two rum and cokes (simple drinks), and they weren't very busy, but it still took a half an hour to get them.  And they were a bit watered down.  I really want to love this place, but I don't think I'll be going again anytime soon unless they step up their game a bit.

The movie was about what you would expect.  I'm not going to lie, I really missed seeing Gerard Butler in this film.  He was amazing looking in the first movie, and his presence was missed.  It was gory, of course, and had some weird nudity scenes, but it was pretty much just like the first one, with a little different storyline.  It was fun to see on the big screen, though.

Sunday was an amazing day for a totally girly reason.  We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to look for a new coffeemaker (our Keurig might be biting the dust soon), and we found an over the door boot rack!  I had nowhere to consolidate my boots and have them easy to access and look nice, but that is all over now.  Behold the wonder of the boot rack.