32

My cousin, Leslie, posted a list of 32 "I" statements in honor of her 32nd birthday. She requested that fellow bloggers post their own list. I've enjoyed reading other's lists so I figured why not? Let's see if I can come up with 32 interesting things about myself...

1. I'm not good at opening up about myself so this is already hard for me!
2. I am better at communicating in writing than verbally. Hence this whole blog thing :)
3. I'm not a big fan of talking on the phone (see #2) but need to get over it!
4. I recently signed up to run my first half marathon. I am both excited and incredibly nervous. More to come on this in future blog posts!
5. I am happy that signing up for the half has given me the motivation to get back into working out. After the wedding I took a bit of a hiatus from the gym.
6. I am so glad that Jason has been running with me even though I run at a much slower pace. He's a great training partner and helps me push myself.
7. I can't believe that Jason and I are quickly approaching our 1 yr anniversary. This year is flying by.
8. I'm trying to think of good present for Jason for our anniversary. Any suggestions?
9. I had a strong feeling from the moment I saw Jason that he would be a very special person in my life. You might say it was love at first sight :)
10. I am so glad that it worked out for me to nanny for my nieces part time. I love being a part of their everyday lives.
11. I am constantly amazed at how fast kids change. If I don't see Millie and Merrill for a couple of days I feel like they are bigger and smarter than the last time I saw them.
12. I love getting hugs and kisses from the girls.
13. I love Millie's imagination. Yesterday as we were driving in the car she said she would like to jump on a cloud with me and catch butterflies in a net. Sounds good to me!
14. I am excited to start my own family.
15. I can't wait to see Jason as a dad.
16. I am constantly conflicted about when to start a family. There are a lot of reasons why I would like to start sooner than later, but it just doesn't feel right quite yet. Plus Jason and I are enjoying the freedom and flexibility that comes with it just being the two of us.
17. I want to travel more. I have a long list of places I would like to visit!
18. I am grateful for the relationships I have with my siblings and my parents. I can't imagine being part a family that does not see each other or speak often.
19. I consider my siblings friends and enjoy spending time with them outside of family events.
20. I've always had a very close and open relationship with my mom.
21. I admire my dad's work ethic and all he has done for our family.
22. I wish I got to see my extended family more.
23. I learned a lot about some of my extended family by reading their "I" lists.
24. I have learned that quality over quantity is what really matters when it come to friends.
25. I have also learned that some people will never change and sometimes you have to determine if the friendship is still worth it.
26. I am starting to think about a career change again. I realize that my current job situation won't last forever and I have no idea what my next step is going to be.
27. I wonder if I will ever find a job that I love.
28. I don't like buttons and you will never see me in a button down shirt. Weird I know, but it's been a thing since I was little.
29. I love shoes.
30. I am looking forward to planning a vacation in December to either Mexico or the Dominican Republic - someplace warm!
31. I enjoy writing this blog, but wonder if anyone actually finds it interesting to read?
32. I am surprised that this was easier than I thought it would be!

Fourth of July

We had a perfect Fourth of July weekend! My parents have a cabin at Innsbrook and unfortunately Jason and I have not been able to take advantage of it for the past couple of years due to our busy schedules (planning a wedding last summer took up most of our time!). I forgot not only how much fun it is to go out there, but how relaxing it is. Jason and I got up Saturday morning, went for a run, and then hit the road for the quick 45 minute drive. We unpacked our cooler, ate lunch and then went down to the lake to take the boat out for the afternoon. Innsbrook does not allow speed boats so it's very quiet and peaceful. We have a little six person pontoon boat. It doesn't go very fast but it's so nice to get out on the water and cruise around without the noise or craziness that can come with bigger, faster boats. We anchored in the middle of the lake and just sat and talked for a couple of hours while enjoying a few drinks. It was awesome. Just the two of us surrounded by the beautiful lake completely unplugged from the real world and enjoying each others company.

So peaceful

There are some beautiful homes out there

Saturday evening we grilled out and relaxed before Brandon and Mary joined us. We went back on the boat to watch the amazing fireworks display that Innsbrook puts on every year. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen and it's so cool to enjoy it from the middle of the lake (although really loud!).

Sunday morning Jason and I were in charge of making breakfast for everyone and then we packed up the cooler with drinks and food and went back out on the boat. Unfortunately it was pretty overcast, but that didn't stop us from having a great time. We spent all day on the boat drinking, swimming, listening to music and jumping on trampolines. Trampolines? Yep. As we were heading back to the cabin we spotted a water trampoline and couldn't resist. Luckily the owner was outside and he told us to have at it. I'm sure he got a kick out of watching us!
Captain Mary

Jason enjoying the view

Jason making his way onto the trampoline

Jumping!

Mary and Brandon cooked up a delicious dinner for us and we spent the rest of the night playing Catch Phrase on the deck.

Too cool ;)

Going to Innsbrook was such a great way to spend the long weekend and celebrate the Fourth of July. It was nice to trade in the everyday hustle and bustle for sun, trees, lakes, boats, naps, cooking out and lots of good conversation and laughs. I'm hoping that we are able to make time to get out there a lot more this summer and in the coming years.

Summer in the City: Soulard Twilight Cinema

Last week Jason and I and Brandon and Mary went to Soulard Market Park for a free outdoor showing of The Hangover on a huge blow up screen. We grabbed dinner to go from Benton Park Cafe and settled on the lawn for a pre movie picnic. We brought along some wine (ok a lot of wine - 4 bottles plus a bottle of champagne!) and cookies for dessert and enjoyed hanging out until the movie started. It was a perect night to be outside! Side note: Jason's company, Swank Motion Pictures, provides the licensed copies of the movie for these types of events - in case you were wondering ;)

Waiting for the movie to start

Drinking wine

Summer in the City: St. Louis Uncorked: A Wine & Music Festival

Saturday Jason and I went downtown with Brandon and Mary to Soldiers Memorial for another great event: St. Louis Uncorked. The festival had live music, wine sampling and food. What more could you want? It was very hot out so we hung out in the shade and enjoyed sampling wine from various Missouri wineries. Admission to the event was free and we bought tokens which we then exchanged for wine samples. The music was great too. If you are from St. Louis you may have heard of Kim Massie - a local singer. I had never seen her perform before but now I know why she is so popular. She has an amazing voice! She even sounded great singing Happy Birthday to guy in the audience.

Soldiers Memorial

Brandon and Jason trying to stay cool

The Stage

Wine Booths

Me and Jason - Notice the butterfly fan. It was essential!

The STL Diva: Kim Massie

Father's Day

Jason and I had a great time celebrating Father's Day yesterday. We were up bright and early to get ready to host my family for brunch. On the menu: Bagel Chips With Smoked Salmon, two varieties of egg casserole, baked french toast (compliments of my sister), fruit kabobs (compliments of Mary), mimosas (also Mary's), coffee (thanks Scott) and oatmeal bars for dessert (compliments of my mom). I'd say we had a pretty well rounded meal and everything was delicious! I wish I had taken some pictures of all the food. I did catch a few pictures of everyone hanging out, but somehow didn't get any of my dad!
I did get a picture of the other dad of the day, Scott. He was loving lounging in the most comfortable chair ever :)

Lego time

Flying Merrill

Later that afternoon we headed to St. Charles to celebrate with Jason's dad. We started at Jason's Uncle's house for some appetizers and pool time - necessary when it's almost 100 degrees out! I made these Chicken Enchilada Dip Rollups and they were a hit. Easy to prepare and very tasty!

Jason's parents hosted the whole family for dinner and prepared quite the spread as usual! I swear all I did was eat all day yesterday! It was great to catch up with the Griesenauer's and pay special tribute to Grandpa Griesenauer who passed away earlier this year.

Jason and I had a great day but more importantly we enjoyed spending time with our dad's!

Restaurant of the Month: E

Kelly and I both agreed that this month was the best dinner we've had yet. Last weekend we went to yet another great part of St. Louis, Lafayette Square, for dinner at Eleven Eleven Mississippi. Known as a “Wine Country Bistro”, Eleven Eleven Mississippi is situated in a restored historic brick warehouse and serves Tuscan and Northern California influenced cuisines.

Despite the hot and sticky weather, Kelly and I decided to dine outside on the covered patio. We ordered a couple of glasses of wine and started looking over the menu.

Everything looked so good it was hard to decide on something. That is until the waitress went over the 3 nightly specials. Kelly and I both decided on the pork chop entree - A 12oz french cut pork chop over mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed green beans with roasted corn and shrimp relish. (Kelly made the waitress repeat this several times so she could write it down and I would be able to describe it just right!). It was huge!

I don't think I have ever ordered a pork chop in my whole life, but this was so delicious it might become a regular meal for me. Not to mention the sides. I was never a big fan of sweet potatoes until a few months ago and now I can not get enough of them!
Kelly and me after our delicious dinner!

After boxing up our leftovers, Kelly and I decided to walk around Lafayette square and work off a bit of that giant pork chop! We found an adorable boutique, Looking Glass Designs, and couldn't resist going in. We both ended up making several purchases! The owner was a very nice woman and we were happy to spend our money at a local business. We ended our night sitting by the fountain in the square and watching a couple of ladies go diving for quarters (I'm not kidding)! It was a relaxing evening with fantastic food, fun shopping and as always good company.

Play Date

Jason and I watched the girls on Saturday so Shannon and Scott could enjoy a kid-free afternoon. They came to our house for a play date and we had a great time! It was 95 degrees and humid so I thought it would be fun to get out the sprinkler. It was a first for the girls and they both had a blast!
Merill ready for a day of fun with LoLo and Jason! Loving the headband!

Jason setting up the sprinkler

We put on our swimsuits and joined in the fun.
Jason showing Millie and Merrill how it's done!

Merrill's turn

Millie "taking a shower"

Millie lounging and enjoying her afternoon snack

I think we wore the girls out because they both passed out cold on the way home!


Jason and I both enjoyed spending the afternoon with the girls. And we enjoyed our payment of a delicious dinner at Shannon and Scott's that evening :)