...updates to end the year...

Picture proof of some remaining adventures:

December 13 - 14 Hot Chocolate Expo and Run

December 15 Took Buddy to see Santa (he was way more interested in the other dogs)

December 23 Made our Christmas jammies

December 24 Christmas Eve services and time spent with family (baby bump)

December 26 Game Night

December 31 - First Night St Louis New Year's Eve Party

Scattered in between these pictures were dinners with dear friends, Christmas parties, shopping, and other end-of-the-year festivities, like my yearly Lord of the Rings trilogy viewing. Christmas Day was spent Skyping with family, eating junk food and...sleeping. No lie, we went to bed at 5:15pm, and that was after I had already fallen asleep watching a movie. It was a wonderful day!

I hope your year ended just as well!

...serendipity...

Do you have a hankering for a sweet treat? Are you willing to take a walk on the wild side?

Then head over to Serendipity Ice Cream Shop in Webster Groves where you can sample:

Cookie Monster! - Cotton Candy ice cream with Oreo pieces.

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake - I didn't try it but it's obviously a St. Louis staple.

Coffee Chocolate Bacon Ripple - yes, you read that correctly.
What's wrong with us? Isn't this just excess and overload?
(All my coffee, chocolate, bacon loving friends would LOVE this!)
I'm not a coffee fan, so the flavor was not for me, but I could see the appeal.

I opted for the Cinnamon ice cream. It was heavenly! Andy got Peach and Strawberry ice creams. He's already making plans for us to go back. Since they change their menu frequently and come up with new ideas, you might want to head over there soon if any of the above sweets interest you.

Serendipity is "the aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident." I wonder if all their ice cream flavors are happy accidents? They are definitely desirable, since they ship their ice cream out to over 100 restaurants. That's no small feat, considering that all the ice cream is made in house with all natural ingredients. No frozen dairy dessert here! 

This delightful little place is truly worth a visit. Check them out!

They also had a stl250 cake! Only, like...200 more to go! ;)

Happy accidents can make any adventure better. When was the last time you were surprised by serendipity?

...challenge nation...

Back in the saddle...

It's not that I haven't been going on adventures, it's just that I've been so exhausted by the end of the day that I fall asleep sitting up in bed trying to relay the details to you in this blog.

But today was too fun not to share! (Plus, it's the weekend, meaning I can stay up late. I'm still super tuckered, though.)

Anyway...

Have you ever heard of Challenge Nation? Challenge Nation is an urban adventure race mixing a 5k with a scavenger hunt. Think the Amazing Race on a much, much smaller scale.

It's really like a dream come true for me.

When I saw the reduced price on Groupon, I asked Karen if she would be interested and she agreed. Soon she began asking, "So...what is this?" and sadly, I had no solid answer for her. We didn't know what to expect, except that we would be enjoying each others company and running around the city. We decided it would be fun nonetheless. 

And was it ever! Here are a few pics with some details:

Pre-race selfies. I don't feel awkward. We weren't the only ones.

As the team captain, I waited in the circle for our clues.

Our very first stop, we had to find a particular statue and then use
the provided noodles to spell MO for Missouri.

On the stepping stones between the giant pink suit sculpture and the
giant head. We did get turned around a bit on this one.

Copy the pose of one of the two Cardinal greats whose names match
those of a Tarheel coaching great! (See, you had to figure it out.)
It was tricky!

Have a faux marriage ceremony on the church steps to someone else on your
team with another Challenge team officiating and acting as a wedding party.
These people were so nice!

Find someone from a state beginning with the letter N, C, T or L.
Take a photo of them with their license and then act out a scene from a
movie or show that was based in their state. Since he was from New Mexico
we wanted to do Breaking Bad, but we settled for the The Lone Ranger.
Ladies of New Mexico: This guy's a keeper!

Buy a postcard. Address it to someone on your team. Purchase a stamp.
Find a blue mailbox and take a photo. This was the most challenging
since most places selling stamps were closed. We were given a stamp
by a nice man at the 360 rooftop bar when we went to get a selfie with the arch.
Everyone should go to 360 just to support such nice people!

By a fluke, we saw the police car and gave our best Charlie's Angels pose.
This was the last of our 11 clues and we bolted away toward the finish line.

Karen and I laughed a lot as we ran back to race day headquarters, The Wheelhouse. We were sure we were close to last, since I'd seen from the previous year that many people were finishing in under and hour and we were well over an hour and a half at that point, but we didn't care. We decided to finish strong, and so we hit a steady stride and let our legs carry us to the finish line.

Interestingly enough, we past several (at least 5, by my count) other groups that were sauntering toward the finish line, and we raced past them...right into 49th place!! 

Never give up! Always finish strong!

Out of 175 teams, we placed 49th and are now eligible to compete in the National Challenge in Las Vegas for $5000. 

We won't go to Vegas, but we will definitely sign up for next year's challenge! This event was so much fun, so well organized, composed of some of the kindest people, and just an all around great way to spend the day! We couldn't stop raving about it!

The next one in St. Louis will be September 5, 2015. Mark your calendars! Hopefully we'll see you there!

The St. Louis Songbirds

...old ice cream with old friends...

Mary and Niki

...time marches on...

I was made so keenly aware of that fact as I sat down to have lunch with Mary and Niki, two dear friends from my college days, whom I hadn't spoken to in over two years.

That fact breaks my heart a bit...

I am the worst person for keeping in touch. Mind you, I see and favorite and comment on their lives through Facebook, but that's not the same.

Over the last few years, I've been trying to improve on my "touch-keeping" skills. Still, I know there are more than a few people who might think I have forgotten about them.

I never do forget them. 

I'm thankful for ladies that allow our friendship to pick back up where we left it, without malice or injury.

As we enjoyed a delicious Italian meal at Maggiano's, we chatted about where we had been and where we were headed. We laughed about our college days, about life, and about getting older.

After lunch, we sloshed through the late summer heat to The Fountain on Locust, one of the first ice cream saloons to sweep the nation.

A quick fact: the ice cream is aged, meaning it is held at high temperatures for 4 days, so as to allow the flavors to develop.

The Dark and Sinister Sundae - with a splash of caramel...
...because, you know...caramel...

I couldn't help but smile when I read that. I've always wondered, do we get better with age?

I'm so impressed with these two women, my friends. They have created such wonderful lives for themselves and their loved ones, and they continue to grow and become more beautiful every time I see them.

Our days are numbered. And as time pushes us inevitably forward, it's comforting to know that we don't have to succumb to western societies disdain of age. We can become better, filled with more life, more love, and more flavor.

For more information about The Fountain on Locust, click here.

With life tossing you to and fro, how do you manage to keep in touch with your old friends?

...a good day...

Buddy met #BabyNoa. Clip here. Hopefully, Buddy was not being inappropriate. (Not sure dad, John, would have allowed that.)

I dusted off my sewing machine and helped Noa's mom, Megan, stitch up and enhance some pretty sweet curtains. I was most thankful for the quiet conversation, Target tags and all

Buddy played with his Aunt Maggie. Clip here.

Andy, Buddy and I picnicked in Frontier Park and then went on to find 7 cakes in the St. Charles area.

Site of the First MO State Capitol

Lewis and Clark Boat House

Ameristar Casino

Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

St. Charles Old County Courthouse

Lindenwood University

Centennial Greenway/KATY Trail

Only sad part: my camera lens was dirty and it was so sunny that I didn't realize it until it was too late...

Nevertheless, it was a full and fun day! I hope yours was as well.

...pets and vets...

Stranger: Ugh! What's that smell?
Me: Oh, no, it's just me. I have a poo in my purse.

(You should have heard the backpedaling on that one!)

I'm experiencing so many firsts with this little creature, that's it's difficult to keep track of everything. The days seem to go by much more swiftly than I can ever remember.

Today, we went to the Parkway Animal Clinic, where Buddy was much beloved and well behaved for his first vet appointment. I learned much more than I could retain about my dog and his needs and my responsibilities, and left a little light headed from all the information. And while Buddy did get a shot, it hasn't seemed to slow him down yet.

Then, walking through Target, Buddy in his carrier, his head and his front paws peeking out the top, we were on the receiving end of some shocked, disgusted and exasperated stares. At first I was concerned and a bit put off. Then I caught a glimpse of us in a mirror and laughed. We did look pretty ridiculous.

Being responsible for the well being of this little guy has certainly changed me, in many ways, for the better. I might have wept when we left him at the groomers, concerned that they wouldn't be tender with his fear of the blow dryer, terrified he wouldn't remember me when we came to pick him up, and I'm not sure I'll be able to hold it together for his first day of Puppy Preschool tomorrow.

I didn't realize my heart could stretch this far.

May your week is filled with heart-stretching love.

(btw: In case you don't have animals, I had the poo in my purse because you need to take a stool sample to the vet so that he can examine it. It's not that I'm disgusting. Just wanted to clarify.)

...into the wilderness...

Before we adopted our little Buddy, Andy and I had planned a camping trip to Johnson Shut-ins, and we decided that we should stick with our plan and take our new puppy with us.

This was only my third time camping in my life. The first time was with my sister and brother-in-law when I was 13. The second time was last year with Andy. Both have their own stories attached to them, and I loved both experiences...mostly.

You see, I want to be adventurous, but I never feel fully clean out in nature. Not having to wear water shoes in the shower and not having to wade through the blackness of night to use the bathroom matter to me. It's certainly made me more thankful for what I have.

In the hopes of really roughing it, I booked us a basic campsite. Immediately upon our late afternoon arrival, we began to set up camp. The tent was assembled quickly and Andy went to work starting a fire for dinner while I was tasked with making our little tent a home for the next few days.

As I pulled our meager belongings out of the car, and sifted through the camp box contents I came to startling realization: We hadn't packed the air mattress.

Okay, I know how silly that sounds, as we were intent on roughing it, but I will defend our need for an air mattress out in the wilderness.

So I jumped in the car and drove to find the nearest Walmart to purchase one. I figured I could just start driving and ask google maps to direct me to one, but, as I sped down the two lane highway, my phone only continued to register "No Service." I was completely out of my element. After 50 minutes of driving, I arrived back at our campsite empty-handed, and took my lack of wifi out on Andy.

We wasted the evening driving around, desperate to cling to our small comforts, frustrated and befuddled that there were people in America that lived without wifi. How do they surf the web? Are they using dial-up?!?

On a whole, the trip ended up being really wonderful. Johnson Shut-ins is an amazing place and we plan to go back again.

We introduced the pup to the joys of swimming...not so sure he's a fan...

We learned how ticklish our little man is...

We battled rapids...

....and leaped from high heights...

...we marveled at the beauty all around us...

...and had a super awesome time...

...all without dropping the phone! (now that's impressive!)...

On our last day, the rain became so torrential that we packed up in the morning and headed to Andy's aunt and uncle who live about thirty minutes down the road. We made them breakfast and played a game of Hand and Foot with them before hitting the road for our own home.

The days of summer are passing through my fingers like sand. I'm desperate to cling to all these moments. I'm hoping I'm still making the most out of them.

Have you made the most of your summer days? There's still time to make some amazing memories! Don't let today pass you by...

...becoming a mom...

...a puppy mom, that is!

Since adopting this sweet boy on Friday, the weekend has been a bit of a whirlwind. I realized two things today. Thing One: having a puppy is, in some ways, similar to the stories I have heard about having a child. Thing Two: I hadn't showered since Thursday. This is mostly due to issues surrounding thing one.

How is having a puppy similar to having a newborn?

Currently, my life revolves in hour and a half cycles. While I don't deal with a lot of feedings, I am constantly on edge trying to potty-train this little puppy. What we've basically learned is that he can hold it for one and a half hours before he gets antsy and pees in the house.

We've had our share of “accidents,” though, if I'm being honest, almost all were my fault. So now when the sweet boy barks at 12:30am (and 3:30am...and 6:05am) I'm out of bed like a bolt of lightning, pulling on whatever clothes are available and sleep walking him out onto the lawn while I wait for him to “perform,” all the while, cheering him on and cleaning up after him when it's all said and done. Who am I? It's awkward all around.

If I leave the room for more than a second, he whines...or he follows me. Even into the bathroom. The days of peeing by oneself are over. (Someone, please tell me puppy separation anxiety ends!) The click, click, click of his nails on the wood floor sends a slight sense of panic through me each time I hear it, and sometimes I want to hide.

Should I be embarrassed that I couldn't wait to go to Shop n' Save by myself, and the most exciting part of my day was filling in my game pieces for the Price is Right Collect and Win game? (If you aren't participating in this game, would you consider giving me your game pieces? Maybe we could work out a great deal?) This is what my life has become.

My diet has consisted of cheese and crackers and fruit with a little bit of meat thrown in when it's easily available. At one point today, I found a piece of a cracker in my hair...and I ate it. Also, sitting down to eat is a luxury I can no longer afford.

I missed a date with a friend because I was so self-absorbed in this new little addition that I've completely lost track of the days. (Another excuse I'm using for not having showered.)

And everyone has advice. Which, in some respects, is good, because I've never owned a dog and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. It's just funny when they all contradict each other. It's in those moments that I turn to the internet and Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer.

But mostly, I'm glowing from the warmth and love of adding this great little guy to our family. (Or maybe I was just really greasy.) All joking aside, I'm totally showered now.

And we decided to call him Buddy. It just suits him. He's our little Buddy.

Come over and visit if you like. He loves making friends!

A Day In the Life of Buddy

Snuggling with Dad after a morning walk

Shopping with mom

Puppy selfie! My very first! I'm sure there'll be many more!

Watched the neighborhood boys play ball. Maybe someday I'll join them.

Hid under momma's skirt (my favorite place to be!)

Did some afternoon reading.

Come over and play with me...or just snuggle...I love to snuggle!

...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?