Iron Fork

Ok, so we all know how much I love food.  Well, if you could see my waistline you would know this.  So I was super stoked to get tickets to the St. Louis Iron Fork event.  It was held in the Marriott in Union Station (BTW, Union Station is worth a check out in itself).  It had 30 restaurants featured and 12 mixologists, each with a sampling of yumminess.  Of course I couldn't visit all of them, but I think I did my best.  Here are a few reviews.

 The Entrance.  Oh, yeah.  I forgot to mention there was free wine and beer.

 So many people!

 Ok, I have no idea what this is called, but it reminded me of bread pudding.  It was fantastic!  Harvest folks explained that they use as much local and/or organic products that they can.  Score one for going local!

 Here is a huge example of Toasted Ravioli, invented right here in the STL.  I can't for the life of me remember what restaurant this was from (they didn't have handy little cards) but, it was just ok.  Not too memorable.  I have definitely had better.

There was plenty of BBQ to go around!  I really enjoyed PM BBQ.  Dare I saw it was my favorite of the event?  There was also Bogart's BBQ (had it, very good, will do a review later) and Pappy's (see below), which go back and forth for the best in the 'Lou, but PM BBQ was definitely my favorite of the night.  I may have to make the trip to try it again.

 Bless the people at the mud house.  They had tone of little deserts, and the guy said I could try one of each!  There was (from left-ish) a blueberry scone, something I can't remember, gingerbread, banana bread, a brownie, and an almond milk cupcake.  Each one was phenomenal, but my favorite would be the gingerbread or the brownie.  I would definitely recommend this place if you have a sweet tooth.

 This was an interesting choice.  It was a beef slider, mixed with a little bit of pork.  It had a white cheese (not sure which kind) and an eggy sauce on top.  While the burger itself was pretty tasty, and the cheese complimented it well, I was not a fan of an eggy burger.

 Oh, Pappy's.  I had heard so much about this place, I was dying to try it.  Apparently, they make everything fresh each day, and usually sell out by 7 or 8 at night.  It totally did not disappoint!  While PM BBQ was my favorite, I really enjoyed the sweet BBQ sauce that Pappy's provided, and would definitely recommend this to anyone in the area.  The people of St. Louis know their BBQ.

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...

I thought I would do a little "getting to know you" questionnaire so that you guys can get to know about me and so I can look back on this later when I'm older to see the person that I was.  I hope everyone enjoys!  Is there anything you guys want to ask me?  Let me know!  I'm an open book.

1.  What was your favorite food when you were a child?
Hands down this was spaghetti.  Pasta is still one of my favorite foods today, but there was something about my mom's pasta and garlic bread that made the whole house smell like an Italian restaurant.

2.  What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod?
It's a song that I am sure no one has ever heard of.  It's called "Devil Take the Hindmost" and it is from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies.  I am a bit of a musical theater junkie.

3.  What is one of your favorite quotes?
"Trust, but verify."  This quote has served me well.

4.  What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity?
Indoor it would have to be reading or watching tv.  Yes, I know, I am kind of boring that way.  Sometimes I really have to motivate myself to get off of the couch.  Outside it would be swimming.  I don't know if it was because I had a pool growing up or because I grew up in Indiana far away from an ocean, but I love being in the water.  The ocean, lakes, pools...doesn't matter.  Plus, both pugs have their own life jacket and love to join in.

5. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
Mowing the lawn.  Hate it!  Plus, Joel had to be environmentally friendly so we bought a rechargeable mower that can only do about half of the lawn before it dies.  And it takes 12 hours to recharge, which I found out about late Sunday afternoon.  My yard looks awful!  Yes, I think we are "those neighbors" now.

6.  What is your favorite form of exercise?
Probably just walking it in the fresh air.  I feel like I don't get to do that enough, but it is so nice when I do.  I also really like Zumba, which I know is just a new fad, but it's pretty fun and one helluva work out!

7.  What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?
A cool/warm fall evening when the trees have just turned colors.

8.  What’s your least favorite mode of transportation?
A bus.  All of the stops are super annoying.

9.  What is your favorite body part?
Not sure if this is my favorite on other or myself, so since it is my questionnaire, I am going to say on others.  I like one's arms.  They hug you when you need it, hold you close when something tragic has happened or you've had a bad day, or they protect you when you are scared.

10.  What sound do you love?
Rain drops.  Proves I am a spring baby, I think!  There is nothing more relaxing than a rainy afternoon.  The waves of the ocean come a close second, though.

Living the Dream

So, remember in January when I was so excited that I finally landed a job?  Looking for a job in suburbia, for lack of a better term, sucks.  Even with all of my qualifications, (hey, I think seven years working in a high stress military environment gives me some credibility) I was either way over or under qualified for everything I applied for.  I couldn't even get an intern job at the history museum and I have a freaking Bachelor's degree in History!  Boo...

Well, work has been fine.  Nothing fancy, and it only paid "ok."  But, yesterday, I got the call I have been waiting since we moved here for.  For the next, well, foreseeable future, I will be spending my days doing work for a non for profit organization that works with children that have Down Syndrome.  Yes folks, this is my dream job.  I know I am getting my Masters degree in Special Education, but I really wanted to work for an agency like this.  They hold 60-ish events each year to celebrate and support those that have DS.  I couldn't imagine a better place to work.  While I felt like I made a difference working for the army, I will now be able to see that difference that I hope to make.  To make a child laugh and smile is a gift from God, and that will be my life starting in two weeks.  I am truly blessed.

In other news, I have been back on the workout train.  Without mentioning my actual weight, I have put on way too many pounds since marrying my love.  And while he's away, I am going to work on getting that figure back.  Our local radio station is doing a weight loss challenge where the winner gets a free trip to Jamaica.  Awesome, right?  And if that's not enough motivation, they also gave away a free month long membership at one of the local gyms.  A girl that I work with, who is fastly becoming a dear friend, decided to sign up with me as a team.  It's been great having a workout buddy, and so far in the first week I am down 2.2 pounds.  Whoo hoo!

Joel is doing just fine.  I miss him like crazy, though.  He's only been gone a little over two weeks, but at least I have been keeping busy.  Between school, work, the gym, and occasional time with friends, not to mention taking care of our zoo at home, I've stayed pretty busy, which I think is key.  I've noticed two occasions where his absence is much more noticeable than other times.  When I either get up in the morning or go to bed, and when I get some news I want to celebrate.  Getting up because he normally handles the dogs (which I now do), and of course going to bed alone is never fun.  Well, Pugsley sleeps in the bed, but that's a little different.  But, it was really hard to have such exciting news and not be able to just call him and tell him about it or to go out to dinner or something to celebrate.  Those are the times that are the hardest on me.

Other than that, life is good!  The weather has been amazingly beautiful, I scored another A at school which keeps my 4.0 intact, the house has been good to me, and somehow I am keeping it all together while Joel is gone.

These are a few of my (least) favorite things.

Ok folks.  Time to get personal here.  Since Joel has been gone, I have been a little sensitive to things that people say/think/do.  So, in an effort to make some people aware of things that they may do that maybe aren't so nice, I have compiled a small list.

1.  If the person you are talking to loves where they are from, don't proceed to tell them how much you hate said place.  I happen to love Indianapolis (where I grew up) and was so excited that they put on such a good Superbowl weekend.  They were voted one of the best Superbowl cities, and handled the event with class.  So, if I tell you how much I love and miss my home state, do not tell me how much you hate it there, how stupid it is, etc.  It is frankly a little rude.

2.  Along the same lines, don't openly bash a friend's religion.  I am Catholic.  While I do not believe everything that the church teaches (or sometimes does), do not tell me that you think Catholics are perverted, that Mass (which I find much spiritual satisfaction in) is boring, or that we are trying to impose our beliefs on everyone (i.e. the birth control controversy).  It is a fundamental right to practice our religion.  While the church does not believe in birth control, I do.  I am a birth control user, and believe that if it was God's will for me to get pregnant, then I would be.  But, I believe that the church has the right to their beliefs, and so I support them in trying to fight for those rights.  That does not make me small minded.

3.  I understand that Joel isn't gone forever or getting shot at every day.  But, that does not make this deployment easy on me.  I am missing my best friend every single day that he is gone.  I wake up alone, sleep alone, and eat dinner most nights alone.  My loneliness does not go away because someone else has it worse.  Someone else always has it worse.  By you telling me how it could be worse does not help me.  So please stop.

4.  Not everything has to be a contest.  If I say that I did something, you don't have to tell me how you did the same thing 100x better.  I am proud of my accomplishments.  I love when friends share stories, because it is great to be able to relate to someone, but you don't always have to be better than me.  I promise I'll still be your friend if you are not better than me.  But I might stop if you continue to tell me how awesome you are.

5.  Also, what is up with being fake all of a sudden?  Why tell me one thing, and then act in a completely different manner.  Just be real with me.

6.  What is up with entitlement?  That's all I really have to say about that one.  No one deserves anything that they didn't work for.


Whoo...I feel so much better!  Any pet peeves that you are dying to share?

My Week: A Recap

Joel successfully made it to his final destination, and the deployment has officially began.  Luckily, the good people at United Airlines allowed me a gate pass to send him off.  Everything was going fine, and it seemed fitting our last "meal" together before he left was coffee at Starbucks.  Somehow, Starbucks always seems to wiggle its way into my milestones.  Everything went well until they called for his plane to board.  I'm not going to lie: I cried the ugly cry.  You know that cry, the one that leaves you making noises that don't sound human and makes your face all puffy?  Yeah, that was me at the airport.  Luckily it was pretty apparent what was going on, and no one gave me too weird of a look.  Things have gone better since then.  Joel leaves quite often to go TDY (meaning on temporary duty), so a few days seem like normal.  I think reality will hit in about a month, or when I have to mow the grass.  Whichever comes first.

St. Louis has had some crazy weather lately.  Or at least I think it has.  I remember Februaries in Indiana being bitterly cold and usually pretty snowy.  This week it was in the sixties and I walked the dogs without a jacket on.  And then there's been the tornadoes.  Those are not so fun when you sleep alone.  The sirens go off, they make the dogs bark, I wake up.  Then wash, rinse, and repeat.  While I grew up with tornadoes (my mom's house has had damage twice), it is a little different now that I own my own home and am all alone.  I walked around, and luckily there was no damage of any kind.  Let's hope those occurrences stay to a minimum.

I had another day of observations.  I swear, I love those kids already.  Each time I go to my class, I realize that kids with special needs are just kids.  They just want to be loved and believed in like any other kid.  In one of my special ed classes, we watched a documentary called "Without Pity" which basically said that these kids get enough pity.  And I think it reigns true.  These kids are teaching me not to pity them, but to love and teach them.  It only reinforces my desire to learn all I can and to love what I do.  And every time I get a spontaneous hug from one of them, which happens at least once every time, I just smile.  Things like that completely reinforce my feelings of this is what I am meant to do.  To not only love what I do, but to make a difference.  I feel very blessed because I have the opportunity to go back to school and change careers.  Sure, I hate the papers I have to write and the long evening classes, but all of it is to teach me how to be better for them.  God is good, but sometimes he is extra great.

Normalcy?

Well, we have been back for a few days now, and some normalcy has set in.  We ran long overdue errands this weekend, I got caught up on schoolwork, we had morning coffee in the sun room with our pups, and Joel prepared for work this week.  All was fairly normal. except for that last part.  D-Day (ish) is upon us, and we are doing our best in the midst of chaos to handle it.  Do deployments suck?  You bet they do.  But, I am trying not to let that weigh me down.  Sure, he is going to miss my birthday, his birthday, our anniversary, and lots of other days, but we still have each other, and he will come home.  I need to stay busy with school, work, and the pups.  Plus, I am going to try to get my fitness on (didn't I say that before? hmm...) and try to work on some self improvements.

Wish me luck that the tearful goodbye isn't quite so tearful and that Joel makes it off without a hitch.  I will update once both of those have been accomplished.

A great loss...

Thanks to everyone that said a little prayer for Joel's brother.  Unfortunately, early on Valentine's morning we lost him to heaven.  It's been a great loss to everyone, but of course, especially to his immediate family and his wife.  No parent should ever have to bury their child, and no wife should ever have to let go so early on in their marriage.  Joel is taking it pretty hard, as is everyone.  Please continue to pray for his family as they grieve such a tragic loss.  And please say an extra prayer for his wife.  It was difficult enough for me to have the "what would you want if you died" talk with Joel before he deployed; I could not imagine the pain that she is feeling right now.

What goes up...

Sorry for my lack of posting.  Of course when life is going too well, something always has to happen to bring us back down to earth.  Joel and I are currently on emergency leave tending to his brother.  He has been battling cancer for years, and just when we thought he had won his battle, a virus reared his ugly head and has taken over his body.  If you wouldn't mind, would ya'll say a little prayer for him?  Things don't look good, but his doctors only gave him a few days to live on Wednesday, and he is still hanging in there.  They did an experimental procedure, and we are waiting for the test results.  If it works, it would be a miracle, but there's always hope until there isn't, you know?

Gleetastic!

I know I am due to post about a ton of updates and reviews, but I have something I wanna talk about, and that's one of my favorite shows, Glee.  I love Lea Michelle, I love musical theater, and I love Becky, the Cheerio that has become Sue Sylvester's number two gal.

I also love that the show is talking about something real and something that I am very passionate about.  Becky has down syndrome.  This week's episode brought to the surface that people with disabilities are still people, with their own thoughts and feelings.  I am going to school right now to be a Special Education teacher, and I wish that more people understood that about these kids.  They laugh, love, and feel.  And they hurt.  There is a movement called Spread the Word to End the Word.  Check it out, google it, friend it on Facebook, and realize that words hurt.  Please.

Guess who's back...back again...

So, December and January have been fast and furious months.  We had Joel's family in town for Christmas, I had Lasik eye surgery (I can finally see!), we went to Vegas for a week, came back, and closed on a house the next day!  Today (OMG, did we really do this on Friday the 13th?) we are moving in to the new place, next week I start a new job, and last, but certainly not least, grad school starts back up Tuesday.  So, I am so sorry I haven't been on to blog!  I will certainly update as soon as I can, and when Joel deploys at the end of the month I am sure I will have ample time.  For all that have remained faithful to read my little corner of the world, thanks!  And now, back to moving...