...best.night.ever...

In it's leaf state.

But when one spontaneously creeps out late at night for a sneak peak at amorphophallys titanum, aka the corpse flower, how can one not be in for an amazing night?

The corpse flower, lovingly given the nickname due to it's rotting flesh stench, is a rare bloomer, and it just so happened that one of the eight at the Missouri Botanical Gardens decided to burst forth in all it's glory this afternoon at around 4pm. Because it only blooms for about 24 hrs, the Garden remained open until 2am so that visitors could marvel at this wonder of nature.

As he was reading through the news on his phone, Andy noticed this event and challenged me to go. Umm, Botanical Gardens? Yes! Rare bloom? Yes! Limited bloom time? Yes! FREE? Oh, yes. (Thank you, again, Missouri Botanical Gardens, for being committed to education and research.) I donned my finest black attire (I was going to see a corpse flower, remember) and texted several friends. Sadly, no one shared my burning desire to smell a stinky flower. Until...

Full on flower mode.

Megan! I was already at the garden staring down this line, when she texted. She jumped in her car, grabbed a friend on the way, Ambar, and started the 40 minute trek down to the garden at 10:15pm.

As I was already in line, I waited so that they could join me when they arrived. I met Michelle, from Barnhart, and her family. As we chatted, we discovered some quirky similarities. She was a delightful person with whom to share the hour long wait.

Some fun facts about amorphophallys titanum:

1. It is indigenous to the rain forests of Sumatra, Indonesia.
2. It gives off a scent that can be smelled for two miles when it's ready to be pollinated.
3. Flesh eating bugs are attracted to the scent and they pollinate it.
4. The MO Botanical Gardens began collecting them in the 90's and the first one bloomed in 2012.
5. The blooms are sporadic and rare.


And the smell! Wikipedia describes it like this:

Analyses of chemicals released by the spadix show the “stench” includes dimethyl trisulfide, (like limber cheese), dimethyl disulfide, trimethylamine (rotting fish), isovaleric acid (sweaty socks), benzyl alcohol (sweet floral scent), phenol (like Chloraseptic), and indole (like mothballs).

I wasn't sure how I would react to the scent. I recently learned that men have a less acute sense of smell, which is why truly offensive odors don't bother them. I'm not good with awful smells at all. When I first stepped into the Linnean House, I didn't smell anything, but after taking a few more strides into the building, it suddenly hit me. Lord, did it smell in there!

An instant bond connected all those around me in line, as we giggled and gagged together. We watched as they pollinated the flower, and stood in amazement at it's size and girth. Questions of how and what and why swirled in my head. How does this flower function? What is this flower's purpose? Why does this flower exist?

Those questions went unanswered, but I marveled at this creation and thanked the Botanical Gardens member for allowing us access to this impressive sight. And as I walked out, Megan texted that she and Ambar had arrived. So I jogged out of the building, and jumped back in the 45 minute wait line!

I had never met Ambar, but, like Megan, she is fun and spontaneous, and I had a wonderful time talking and laughing with them both as we waited. When we finally arrived at the flower, I marveled at it for a second time. We all had reactions of awe and appreciation.

Thankful for the short and tall guys that took this pic!

We took pictures and selfies, asking the group behind for a quick photo. Little did we know, News Channel 5 was filming us the whole time. When we stepped into the sweet smell of the garden air, the reporter asked us to share our thoughts, and we were more than happy to oblige. I'm not really sure if we'll be on TV (hilariously, all three of us don't have cable and so we have no way of recording it if we were on) but it was fun to be asked.

We stood in front of the Botanical Gardens, taking pictures with the STL250 cake, and chatting well past our bedtimes before finally heading our separate ways.

Some adventures must be taken when the opportunity presents itself, because you may never get the chance again.

Thank you to everyone for making this such a fun night! I hope you have the opportunity to view (and smell) a corpse flower in full bloom.

More importantly, I hope you take it!

Have a great week!

...our history...

I circled around the parking lot seeking the entrance. I couldn't grasp the vast amount of land that Faust Park consumed. A tiny sign reading Faust Historic Village caught my eye on the way out, and I pulled into a parking space and climbed out of my cool air-conditioned car and into the 90 degree heat of the day.

Faust Historic Village is open only rarely during the year, and today happened to be one of those days. With the opportunity to walk into the homes, staff dressed in period clothes giving free guided tours, and a free price tag, I couldn't resist imagining what life was like for someone just like me 150 years ago in St. Louis.

What would I have been like? Would I still have chosen teaching as a profession? Would I have been able to afford an instrument to play? These questions, and many others, plagued my thoughts as sweat poured from my brow. Still, there's something magical about stepping back in time, and that's what it feels like as you walk through this little village.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day:

Stepping back in time

Old barn and wagon

A wealthy man's home

The garden gate

The doctor's house

A melodian. I desperately wanted to...but I didn't play it.

Some things never change.
We still play cards and dominos to pass the time.

The blacksmith making chains and sweating buckets.

Demonstrating the use of a yoke.

The one room school house - the US was one of the first countries to offer
a free, public school system. 

Really? Really?!? The best rule? After 10 hours in school, the teacher was
allowed to read the Bible or other good books. 

Yet another amazing garden

The Historic Village at Faust Park will be open Sunday, July 27, from 1pm - 5pm. It is definitely worth a visit. If you can't make it out tomorrow, then make it a priority to visit the Historic Village during the Faust Heritage Festival September 20 & 21.

What do you think your life would have looked like if you lived then, instead of now?

...chatter and dreams...

Can it be?

Did workers really show up to our house this morning just before 7:30am to fix our house? After all these months, it seems a bit surreal.

Andy and I needed to dodge the sounds of the saws and nail guns, so we went to breakfast and then drove through Lone Elk Park.

Lone Elk Park is a drive through park only a short drive from where we live. (It's funny how we have this desperate desire to explore, but we seem to believe that it can't happen in our own backyard!) It is home to white-tail deer, bison/buffalo, and elk. (It also has a STL250 cake!)

Here are some pics:

My first

The view from the lookout...couldn't really see much...

Awww...sweet little fuzzy baby white-tailed deer

Unbelievably pretty lake

Elk stare down

Tree pose by the Missouri Trees cake

Attempted tree pose...(not bad for a first timer)

Afterwards we went to Lowe's to get some necessary house supplies, and then headed back to our demolished house to scrounge for lunch. Then, we placed pins in our antique world map of where we have been, and made a list of where we hope to go. As always, the best part of the day was spending time with Andy, no phones, no TVs, just chatter and dreams.

Animals in their own element are startlingly beautiful creatures! On our travel bucket list: African safari! Fingers crossed we'll make it there someday.

To which amazing places do you hope to travel one day?

...alone in the universe...

I've always been a big Dr. Seuss fan. I can't help but admire his ability to rearrange issues, simplifying them to their core, making them understandable to the masses.

When I posted on Facebook that I was going to the MUNY this Friday to see Seussical, Jana Vorvick, a dear friend and co-worker, generously gave me two free tickets to the Wednesday show.

The MUNY is an outdoor musical amphitheater that seats 11,000 people. When we can, Andy and I go early, take a picnic dinner and wait in line for two of the 1,500 first come, first served free seats in the back of the theater. Imagine our shock as we took our seats in section A4 (front and center) and stared at the stage. We were in awe.

The show itself was fantastic. The MUNY is always known for adding little inside St. Louis jokes to each show, and it's always fun to see and hear the artistic director's creativity. There are two songs in particular that I love from this show, and I always encourage my young voice students to sing them, as they are so hopeful and beautifully composed. And as the show began, and the audience tossed around giant beach balls while laughing at being squirted with water guns, my heart began to churn.

So, so close!

I thought of my own childhood and how my big sister compared Green Eggs and Ham with God, encouraging me to try, and, and more importantly, to trust. I thought of children in this generation that are stepping out of their comfort zones and choosing to care a whole awful lot in the hopes that things might get better. I thought of the children that I hope to have one day, and my desperate dream that they will recognize their own significance and self worth, as there will never be anyone you'er than you (or them.)

And from the moment that Horton heard the Whos on the little speck of dust and vowed to protect them, because a person is a person no matter how small, I wept. I wept for all that was, and all that is, and all that will be. Not the sad kind of weeping, the hope-filled kind.

When was the last time you read a Dr. Seuss book? Which book is your most favorite?

...hunting...

...cake hunting, that is!

The Cakeway to the West has actually been a big deal for many St. Louisans. Even today, I saw others out on the hunt, looking for the cake, taking pictures. There's a camaraderie in cake hunting, as I cheer on people I don't even know on social media sites when I see their pictures and the places they've been. And I believe that enjoying this city and these special places matter, though I can't quite articulate why yet.

If you live in the St. Louis area, have you started your cake hunt?

Historic and restored Lyceum auditorium and dance hall,
now Manchester City Hall.

Original school in Parkway school district.
Decorated by Barretts students.

Museum of Transportation

Houses the largest and best collection of
transportation vehicles in the world.
(Little kids (and big kids) love this place!)

The only museum in the world dedicated exclusively
to artwork about man's best friend.

Also, the only museum in the world where dogs are welcome inside.
(At least I think so...don't quote me on that.)

Bonhomme Old Stone Church
2nd oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi.

Not sure why there were cows painted on the cake,
but they were such happy cows...

You can see more of the cakes I've visited under the About Me section to the right.

I'm convinced this will be the only kind of hunting I will ever do. I've never actually held a gun in my hands, much less fired one, and I haven't decided if that's an adventure I want to take this year. (I'm in a state of revering my virginal gun status.)

What do you think? Should I head to a firing range?

I love that St. Louis' 250th birthday is being commemorated with these 250 cakes in important spots around town. It has given me the opportunity to explore this city in so many new ways, and I've developed a greater appreciation for the place I call home.

How have you been exploring your city? What new treasures have you found?

...national ice cream day...

It has not been a very adventurous week. Mostly, the wild and crazy adventures have been happening in my mind, as I read and daydream and imagine. So, maybe adventurous, but in a different sort of way. Forgive me for falling behind?

As today is National Ice Cream Day (yippee!) it seemed like the perfect opportunity to whip out our ice cream maker wedding gift and put it to work. I found a Pinterest recipe I'd been hoarding for quite some time, purchased the ingredients, read and reread the instructions, and cautiously began.

After warming the milk, cream and sugar, I sliced the vanilla bean length-wise, and scraped out all the teeny, tiny little beans. I whipped the egg yolks and carefully mixed it all together, whisking as I poured. Then, I strained the entire mixture and put it all back on the heat, stirring it with a spatula while I waited for it to thicken. Which took over 30 minutes...30 minutes! Standing, stirring, waiting. (This better be worth it, or it might be my last cooking adventure for a while.)

I impatiently waited for the whole thing to chill as I cleaned the kitchen, dining room and living room, checking and stirring it every 10 minutes. When it was finally ready, I pulled out the mixer and the attachments that were chilling in the freezer and put them together. Suddenly, I realized the frozen “bowl” that was to hold the ice cream mixture had some small specs of dirt in it, so I grabbed a slightly damp paper towel and proceeded to wipe out the frozen inside.

Sometimes we do things without thinking through the consequences. We see a problem and we immediately want to fix it, so we proceed in the best way we know how. It's our knee-jerk reaction. Still, I should have known better.

I should have known that that damp paper towel would cling to the sides of that frozen bowl and shred into a million little pieces. I should have recognized the futility in attempting to scrape it all off with my fingernails. I started to panic just a tinge, until I decided to rinse it out with some cool water, which allowed the tiny paper smidgeons to detach from the sides and spill out. Phew! All was not lost.

It's like magic!

Again, impatient as ever, I watched as the mixer spun round and round. After 15 minutes, there was only a slight change. Quite nearly annoyed, I sat down and began reading my book, until I could hear the mixer start to slow down, like it was having difficulty spinning round. When I look at it again, it had doubled in size. I let it mix a bit longer, and then spooned it all out into a tupperware and stuffed it deep in the freezer. 

It's taken most of the day to do this, so if it's not amazing, and I mean, amazing, I don't know that this will be happening again.

Here's to hoping my hubby is pleased!

Friends, if you haven't celebrated National Ice Cream Day, there is still time. Go enjoy! I'm sure that ice cream doesn't have calories on this special day. (I mean, I'm pretty sure...)

Update: Though it's not completely frozen, we taste-tested the ice cream. Andy's response: So creamy! Feeling more adventurous due to my success, I thought I'd tackle another Pinterest recipe - cookie cups. Yeah, those didn't turn out so well. 

You win some, you lose some...

...challenge accepted...

Challenge accomplished!

Earlier this summer, a librarian managed to talk me into joining the library's adult summer reading program. With great incentives, and a desire to commit to reading more, I signed up and set to the task of reading six books in three months.

Check out my swell coolie!

I'm not one of those people that devours books. There is a part of me that wishes I was a rabid reader, but then there is another part of me that enjoys taking my time. And, as I've said before, I like to sit with the thoughts and ideas in a book before moving onto the next chapter, and sometimes I can sit with a thought for days and days before moving on.

All the other entrants.
Not sure I stand a chance...

But today, I finished my final book, and proudly marched my ledger to the librarian's desk. I was given this sweet coolie and a free fry certificate to Penn Station (which Andy will love) and I am now entered to win St. Louis Cardinals baseball tickets, gift cards to many different stores, or, possibly, a Kindle Fire HD!

If you haven't signed up for the St. Louis County Library's Adult Summer Reading program, you can do so here. The program goes on until August 2. You can do it!

Here's what's next on my reading list. What have you been reading? I would love to hear your summer reading suggestions in the comments below.

...new beginnings...

Training for the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco began today. My feet hit the floor with nervous anticipation and my stomach fluttered. Was I sure I wanted to do this? Too late now. 

When I think about what I'm hoping to accomplish, it all seems a little bit bigger than me and what I'm able to do...and I'm scared.

...scared I'll fall...





...scared I'll get hurt...





...scared I'll fail...

I pinned this quote a long time ago, and came across it again yesterday as I scoured my Pinterest boards for projects that were awaiting my attention. It's a great little reminder, don't you think?

It's Monday. A new day, a new week, a new beginning. Go make it an amazing week!

...cooking adventures...

Due to our desire to eat well, we have developed a new found fondness for the sweet potato. Sweet potato fries, sweet potato chips, sweet potato hash browns (not really mashed sweet potatoes) have become staples in our diet.

We recently bought 12 bags of Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips on Amazon because they are our favorite and they are crazy expensive at the store. I love this brand because there are three or four ingredients and they are listed in big bold letters. I've made sweet potato chips at home, and while they were delicious, they took hours and hours to make. 

We've even found sweet potato fries that we love at Trader Joe's, but I'm always looking to save a bit here or there, so when I found this recipe for the perfect, crispy sweet potato fry, I pinned it until the moment I could give it a go...which was tonight.

The most difficult part in working with sweet potatoes is cutting them. They are hard as rocks and it's imperative that you are very careful. I researched the best method for cutting them into fries and I found a few different sites that all gave great suggestions like this one, and this one.

I feel that the best suggestion was to make sure you have a sharp knife. I actually used two, a larger, long knife so that I could use both hands to press the knife through the potato, and a smaller knife to cut the potato into fries. Simply cutting them took 30 minutes!

I let them soak in the water, I preheated the oven to 425, I tossed them in the starch, I drizzled them with olive oil, I spread them out on the pan, and I waited 15 minutes before I opened the oven door to flip them...only to find that they were stuck to the bottom of the pan!

I also think I need to make them thicker. They shrunk considerably in the oven.

I should have known to spray the pan. Some directions shouldn't need to be written down. I put it back in the oven for the final five minutes and then pulled it out and scraped as much of the sweet potato mush off as I could. They were actually pretty good, though they were still a bit raw. 

Unfortunately, I was so caught up in my failure that I didn't take a picture of my meal before eating it. I've been posting pictures of my meals on social media because of this campaign. You might consider joining in! 

If you try to make these sweet potato fries, please follow the instructions for cutting sweet potatoes and take your time.

Also...spray the bottom of the pan. 

...new paths...

Have you ever done something that made you feel completely inadequate? That was me at my very first tennis lesson this evening.

Andy loves to play tennis. He's tried to teach me at the tennis courts near our house, but sadly, for as much as I've tried, it's been a lost cause. Even volleying with me is a disaster as I either miss the ball completely, hit it into the net, or hit it over his head. Me playing tennis is just plain sad to watch.

Upon arriving, I surveyed the people who would be my classmates for the next four weeks. All women, all dressed in cute tennis outfits...and all impressive on the court. I had thought this was a class for beginners, but none of them seemed like beginners to me, especially since they all knew how to hold a racquet and I had to receive special instruction. But each lady was friendly, fun and reassuring of my skills.

I was so insecure for the first 30 minutes that I bit my lip and apologized repeatedly, focusing only on the technique of my newly acquired forehand and backhand skills. The instructors, high school/college students, were all kind and patient. They'd laugh and chat, encourage and instruct. Honestly, I think I got worse as the hour wore on. But they all put me so at ease, that I began to feel safe enough to laugh at myself and have fun.

At the end of the hour, I was surprised at how disappointed I was it was over.

As I venture into my own unchartered waters, I'm still learning how to ignore these intimidating feelings of inadequacy. To accept myself as I am, flaws and all, and enjoy the task of opening a new door in the hopes that it will lead me down new path.

Have you opened any new doors recently? How can I encourage your curiosity?

(ps. Also...are you a tennis pro? Any tips for a beginner?)

...what we leave behind...

Kate left a message asking if I was going to Fair St. Louis this weekend. (She felt it was my kind of adventure!) We made a plan to meet at the fair, and, when Saturday rolled around, we walked our way into Forest Park, along with countless others, to celebrate the 250th birthday of St. Louis.

The day was perfect for a fair! A warm sun accompanied by a cool breeze, the sky a bright blue with the perfect amount of marshmallow clouds. We tramped through the fair grounds, past an endless array of food vendors, with lines a block long, past the Mexican dancers, past the kids corner (where we saw Juggling Jeff) until we found a nice spot stage left to listen to the music and chat before the big fireworks display. I gazed around at the people sitting alongside me, and began to consider all our lives, how we are different, how we are the same.

The top picture shows the smiling faces of the fair goers back in 1914, celebrating the 150th birthday of St. Louis. When I saw this picture earlier this week, I was intrigued about the lives of all these people. I wondered how they celebrated this special event in their lives, how it was different or similar from how I was celebrating. Could they even imagine what life would look like for us now?

Underneath that, is a picture of the faces that graced art hill last night. I couldn't help but wonder what life will look like for the citizens of St. Louis in the next 100 years.

Many of my wild daydreams were aided by what I've seen on screen. Will space exploration and space tourism be a thing? Will the rich leave a broken earth behind and live out in space? Will we be riding hover boards or driving flying cars? Will clones be created for organ harvesting, and will we allow it? What will happen if/when the aliens arrive?

My thoughts were a muddled maze, each turn leading down a different rabbit hole. As the smoke from cigarettes, cigars, hookahs and joints wafted through the air, The Fray performed a moving, a cappella rendition of Just a Closer Walk with Thee. It was a beautiful and odd moment. Surrounded by these people, connected by our humanity and our citizenship, I wondered what beauty (or horror) we will leave behind.

Then today as I was cleaning out some computer folders, I found two old files that Andy and I had created on a whim in 2012, a list of 100 goals we had for our lives. It was an exercise we tried, typing up 100 life goals in 10 minutes. Some of the goals are utterly ridiculous. But there are some that really matter, and it was nice to be able to type, "Accomplished" with the date, next to a few.

It encouraged me as I seek out adventure and meaning and purpose.

Have you made a list of life goals? How close are you to completing them?

...country living...

We had gone to bed late, but for some reason, sleeplessness whispered in my ear at 3:42am and my brain refused to rest. Tired of tossing and turning, I got dressed and climbed out of the tent and into the cool night air around 5am, intent on catching the sunrise.

There is something dazzling about the country. Maybe it's the air, or the
smells (manure and fresh cut grass), or the silence that makes one's
eyes sparkle just a bit brighter.

I paced around the little campground as I waited for the sun to make her
spectacular appearance - two miles worth of pacing.

The sheep and the goats stared at me as I meandered past. I waved.

There is something inherently hopeful in a sunrise.
And it was breathtaking.

Spent the morning fishing and Andy caught a fish!
His first in a long time. 

I held a minnow. My first time ever to touch a fish!
(That wasn't in the shape of a square or a stick!)
It was wiggly and slimey...and wiggly. Super wiggly.
Totally freaked (and grossed) me out!

After fishing, we finished our card game, had lunch, and then headed back to the city. Exhausted from our adventure, we spent the rest of the afternoon napping. 

My eyes filled with tears as he kissed me goodbye and left for work. The best part of vacation is always time spent with Andy, and the worst part is having to go back to our odd schedules, where we barely see each other.

I hope you all have had a wonderful week! I'm so grateful to have people in my corner that encourage me to get out there and experience life and be brave. If it weren't for you, I might just sit at home and watch TV. Thanks for pushing me beyond my comfort zones.

Now you go out and do something brave, too - then tell me all about it! I'm cheering for you!