St. Louis Site: Castlewood State Park // Labor Day Weekend

As planned, Hubs and I saved Labor Day as a day to get out and relax. We left the house by 8:30 am and were off to revel in the sub-60 degree temps at Castlewood State Park. I had heard good things, but we weren't sure what to expect. It is only 17 miles from our doorstep, right in the city of Ballwin [one of the places where we looked for a house].

We weren't dissappointed. What a great spot for a family outing - picnics, hiking, biking, gathering, grilling, swimming [if you do that sort of thing in a river - I do not]. It was gorgeous. And, it's FREE!

Part of the reason we chose this activity was to get the Pups out and exercised. We loaded him up with full Nalgene bottles in his pack [water for us and him] to make him work a little harder. It was pretty chilly - not being used to such reasonable temperatures - so Hubs made a stop and surprised me with some coffee. Made my day.

As you can tell, Ransom had a blast. It was fun to see him working - dogs are so happy when they have a job to do - and he even took a little jump into the river. If we would have been more prepared with a long leash, we would have let him get in further. Hubs and I enjoyed the calm, quietness of the woods.

After we finished a pretty lengthy trail, we decided to do another short one. I'm excited to go back again sometime, maybe in the fall when the leaves are changing. Afterwards we got some fast food, dropped the pups off at home for a nap, and went to a matinee for $7.25 each! We finally concluded the Harry Potter movie series.

And the weather is still perfect. It really was the break we needed before we settle in for a semester of school and work!

Whirlwind Weekend

The weekend consists of 63 precious hours, from 5pm on Friday to 8am on Monday. This weekend I used every single one of those hours. I had two options regarding my weekend plans and although I wanted to do both options, I am very happy with how my weekend turned out.

It was family time vs. friend time.
 It was less driving vs. lots of driving.
And it was Dr. Albert Mohler vs. Dr. Doug Bookman. [Both of whom have been two of the most influential Bible teachers in my life.]

    Friday night sunset

I ended up seeing family and friends, seeing/hearing Dr. Bookman, and spending lots of quality time in my car. To simplify, this was my weekend:

17 hours of driving
8 hours in Kansas City
27 hours with friends
1 hour at Longview Lake
10 hours at home

    Saturday morning sunrise


The normal weekend cleaning still needs to be done and the fridge and cupboards are bare, but it was a refreshing time with people so dear to me and I'm so glad I did it.

    A spotted fawn and its mother. I also saw an armadillo and turkeys. 

Sometimes traveling back to visit can be awkward and sad, but not so. God has been so good to bless me with great friends who love Him and encourage me to do so. I had a relaxing time enjoying their friendship, just hanging out, and celebrating the new and coming babies.

    Sunday night sunset

 Of course, I missed my boys back at home. I got a picture text from them on Sunday...

    "Good morning, Mom. I miss you. See you tonight. Dad is the best."


No matter how much I would love to be sharing my day-to-day with these girls, I would much rather be with Hubs and the Pups. I'm back home and I'm ready to continue building relationships here and looking forward to more great relationships.

St. Louis Site: St. Louis Zoo

My employer had a family outing at the St. Louis zoo, which, by the way, is a free zoo. They had lunch for us and we were able to see some of the fun exhibits at the zoo.

It started off kind of rainy, but cleared up and got really hot and muggy - typical for around here. You don't really know what to think about a free zoo, but it turns out that it is a really good zoo. The animals were active - especially the hippos, hyenas, and bears. And they are adding a really cool sea lion exhibit that we will have to go back next year and visit.

And the highlight of the day was Caribbean Cove, where we were able to pet stingrays and sharks.

They are sort of slimy, but really very smooth and soft. Hands-on experience are my favorite so this was my favorite part of the day. Hubs took a little video of the experience.

I accidently slipped and "fell in." But we petted sting rays and even a few little sharks. The sharks aren't as fond of being touched as the rays so they zip by pretty fast. Sometimes they let you feed the sting rays,  so they seem to be more friendly.

When/If you visit, we'd definitely suggest this spot. Hubs and I parked on the road, had lunch provided, and even got $5 in zoo bucks (which we used towards the sting ray exhibit which costs $3/person), so the total cost of this day was $1. Those are just the kind of dates we love!

St. Louis Sight: Music+Movie in Laumeier Sculpture Park

Our Friday night outing was to Music+Movie in Laumeier Sculpture Park. The have done this for the past few years throughout June. Although I had never heard of the movie before, it was the last week for the event. So, I packed up a dinner and snacks and we headed out.

The night was gorgeous. We've come to realize that wind isn't normal. Living in the midwest for so long, we started to think that a day without wind was odd. If it's windy here...well, it's just not.

There were all ages. Families, couples, singles, retirees...all sorts. And it was fun! The rockabilly band was upbeat. Kids and adults were dancing and playing outdoor sports, too.

We laid out a blanket and chairs and enjoyed our food with 1,200 other people around. They launched t-shirts into the crowd and had other free things too!

Unfortunately, we left early. The movie was not entertaining to us, so we headed home. It was still a fun time and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Visitors Already!

With the Hubs away, I knew I might get a little stir crazy. Blessings came in the form of two friends and a baby!

Expecting to help me around the house, they [hopefully] got to relax and soak in the city and all its fun and convenience.

We visited fun stores that aren't available in Kansas, the fun downtown area of Clayton, and some beautiful homes. It was great for me to get to explore the city, too!

Clark was a champ, chillin' in the stroller and attracting all sorts of attention. It's all that chubs.

We taught Clark about hills by giving him a little free-fall downhill. No worries. The stroller was stopped shortly after this...to grandma's relief.

Turns out Ransom loves Clark, too. A little bit more than we would like. Between Clark's sounds and our higher-pitched voices when we spoke to Clark, Ransom couldn't stay away and really loves the way he tastes [ahem]. When forced to stay away, he cried along with Clark, even at one point howling to the sound of his cries.

It was so good to see them. It makes me think they don't really live a whole 7 hours away.

After a fun trip to Trader Joe's, Brenda cooked us dinner. It was amazing:

 Caprese Salad with kumatoes [brown tomatoes], creamy mozzarella, fresh basil, and drizzled olive oil. Oh my, it was so yummy.

 Tandori naan and persian cucumbers with hummus and cucumber dip. This hummus was perfect and the naan so soft and sweet.

Baked salmon in a delicious sauce [sesame oil, cooking sherry, soy sauce, green onions and ginger]. Also really good, and I've never liked salmon until I tried this. This salmon was "meaty" and I couldn't taste the fish, so I will definitely try this on my own. Thanks Brenda!

I am so thankful for the visit. It was great to see friends and familiar faces and I know it will be a while before it happens again.

Thanks ladies!

All things coffee

Over a month ago our church had a Coffee Tasting event featuring my favorite coffee roasters. Right up my alley type of thing, but it happened to be the weekend we had to look for houses. Since it turned out to be a worthwhile trip, I was able to get over my disappointment pretty quickly.

Yesterday, a lady from Blacksmith Coffee stopped by the church. She told me she felt bad that I had to miss the event and presented me with a pound of my favorite roast - Guatemala Antigua. How she remembered me, for one thing, and my favorite roast, for another thing... let's just say I was pleasantly surprised and extremely grateful. Okay, really? I was shocked. And since I have been unable to find this roast in the store lately, I was thrilled.

Because people, this coffee is BETTER than Starbucks. There. I said it and the world didn't collapse. Sometimes Starbucks just isn't that good - there can be a weird aftertaste leaving your mouth kind of dry. Not with this. Just a bold, rich, wonderful cup of coffee.

Listen to the description:

This Genuine Antigua Pastoral is smooth, yet bold, with a delicious rich body highlighted by a subtle chocolatey aftertaste.

Makes you want to come over for a cup right now, right? Well, I wish you could but my grinder is packed away for St. Louis. AHHHHH. How I wish I knew where it was. I haven't made a decent cup of coffee for months.

I am ashamed to say that I haven't taken the trip to Lindsborg to visit their shop, but I have it on my to-do list before we move. Because after checking out their website there are a lot of other roasts I am dying to try.

For instance, I can't pass up a brew from Hawai'i called Maui Melemele:

And this organic Bali Blue Moon roast is interesting with dark chocolate, blueberries and tropical spices.

And, I can't leave out at least one of their ultra-premium flavored roast.

And, I have been thinking that our new house should have a coffee press instead of a coffee maker. You know, its the healthier way to brew. Add that to the reality that I am the only one who drinks coffee in the morning and we have very limited counter space that needs not be cluttered by a coffee maker... They have quite the selection of brewers - and I think that a trip to Lindsborg is a must.

So, who's going with me?

3 of the 4 photos were taken from www.blacksmithcoffee.com. Please visit their site and their store. I think you'll love these folks as much as I do!

Hearts

No matter what the angle.

Or the toppings.

I [heart] Hubs.

[Both tasted great, by the way.] Thanks to my mother for the heart shaped cookie pan.

A Dream Came True

When I was young and carefree I dreamed of being a doctor. Not just a doctor, a forensic pathologist. And then not even just that, but the Surgeon General of the United States!

Now, I wouldn't have the stamina and determination to be in medical school or residency or fellowships or anything else that required me to study during every free moment. I'm happy with where I ended up - the wife of a doctor - but every once in a while I think about that long lost dream.

And then, on Sunday night, my dream came true!

In our Christmas Program, I was "Dr. Newheart." Children came to the doctor on Christmas Day feeling down. I came in, diagnosed, ran tests, and helped them understand the cure for their sinful hearts was salvation through Jesus Christ!

This was a new endeavor for me, but I had so much fun. Here's why...

1. The kids. The children who were in the musical wth me were GREAT! It is one thing to get kids to memorize and say lines in front of almost 400 people; it is another thing entirely when they act out their part. And this kids did awesome. They made it so easy and fun.

2. The director. When my friend asked me to help her with this, I was clueless. Like I said, this is a first for me. But she was completely prepared. She coached us in acting the part. She encouraged 45 children K-6th grade to sing. She kept it all together and, most importantly, she always reminded us why we were doing this. We were sharing the gospel with all the people that were there and were watching online.

I'm sad it is over and I won't get to hang out with the kids each Sunday evening. But, I think they did an amazing job and had a lot of fun, too!

False Advertising

I'm not much of a vitamin-taker. It's not that I don't think I should take them, it is just that I never remember to take them. And when I do remember, I still don't do it because I hate the taste of the pill.

But then I found adult gummy vitamins; and now, I rarely miss taking my vitamin. It's really very fun to squish them in my mouth, and they don't taste bad at all. Hubs even started taking them. And then he asked me if I had read the directions.

Of course not. They are one-a-day multivitamins!

But after reading the instructions, I realized that the label wasn't actually correct...

Even though they are "one daily" vitamins, you are actually supposed to take 2. Does that make any sense? No, it just makes the vitamins cost 2x more. I even checked the name brand gummies and they also direct you to take 2 gummies.

I should be more upset, but this just means I get to eat and extra gummy each morning!

Seattle

Another state to check off my list, and this was a good one. I thought that I would like the Pacific Northwest, but I can now conclude that, of the cities I have visited, Seattle is my favorite. To give you a reference point, these are the major cities I have visited (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Rome, San Diego, St. Louis, Venice, Washington DC).

The path that I jogged on. So beautiful I didn't even realize I was jogging!

The phrase I heard most before taking this trip was, Oh, it rains all the time there or some version of that theme. I'm happy to report that it does not rain all the time. For the 4 days we were there, we did not see one drop. We asked many locals about the weather and they said it rains a lot in the winter, instead of snow. Rain vs. Snow. 35 degree lows, no wind vs -10 degree lows, 30 mph wind. You take your pick.

In fact, of all the locals we talked to not one said anything bad about the Seattle area. Quite the opposite, actually. They all loved it. That was impressive to me.

Mount Rainier is in the background.

I loved it. There were ginormous trees everywhere. I finally got to show Hubs what I mean when I say, "trees." These trees make mid-Kansas trees look like shrubs. 

A quaint little town accessed only by ferry.

Mount Rainier was always in the backdrop, along with other various jagged peaks from the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. 

Morning fog lifting off of Lake Washington.

Lush green grass and cool clean air. And large bodies of water all over. Whether it be lakes, sounds, straights or bays - there was plenty of water.

Again, Mount Rainier right in the center.

From what I was told, Seattle lays right in a valley. There aren't many places where you are on flat ground. Instead, you are either walking uphill or downhill. The mornings were covered in fog, but it cleared up and became sunny each day. And even when I was downtown, the air smelled clean and fresh.

And finally, there is so much to do in Seattle. Shopping, coffee, outdoor activities, state parks, mountains, skiing, hiking, touring, and more!

Friends, Corn, Etc.

Friends.

Time. 

       

Homemade.

Scary.

Short.

Corn.

Love.

A morning race run

Pre-run family photo:

The 3-mile winners:

Post-run family photo:

Turns out I won the 2-mile race. Though it doesn't really count considering I was the only person running the 2-mile route - everyone else walked. 

Still, it was a fun time and a great way to start the day!