It all starts with a stick of butter

I love Paula Deen. Kinda creeps me out that she starts everything with at least a stick of butter, but I couldn't turn my head away from this recipe... c'mon, you know you want to click on that link to the youtube video showing how Paula makes these sinfully delicious Sypmhony brownies. If you see in her video she uses Hershey's candy bars, but apparently Symphony brand is the best for baking. I'm sure either will taste just great :)

These will for sure show up at my Halloween party this year!

I'm back... well kind of

It's been awhile, huh?! Seems that life got in the way of this blog... and I'm not happy about it! After my last post of amazing news all around, here's the short version of what's happened since then:

Renters moved into my condo October 1... they are awesome.

My great friend from SLU Mary and her boyfriend Jeremy came in town last weekend... between red wine and a lazy Sunday hanging out with them... it was the best medicine I needed.

Speaking of medicine... I'm fighting serious allergies this fall and thought I was slipping down the H1N1 slope recently. Alas, I'm alive and well now.

Joel's girls soccer team at Maryville that he coaches jumped up to D2 this year, and recently won some games they weren't expected to- leading to a happy coach and subsequently a happy house around here!

Brian (my brother) is running the full marathon in Chicago tomorrow. He decided this about 6 weeks ago. INSANE. I'm very proud of him considering these days I struggle with 3 miles!

Jack (my dog) learned how to "high 5"... it's hilarious. Check him out going to town on his bone in his favorite spot to lounge while the sun pours in...

My roof is leaking. I mean really... how many things are gonna go wrong with my house this year??? There's a good chance it has to do with the constant flying branches from my neighbor's dead tree... I have homeowners insurance investigating. Keep your fingers crossed I don't end up having to fix this out of my own pocket!

I think that's it!! Now onto the new stuff:

In a few short hours I will trek over to Waterloo, IL for a fun day at the wineries! Sean & Shannon are in town for their engagement party, so while Sean and his groomsmen are golfing the girls will be relaxing at Shorr Lake Vineyards- so excited for a fall day outside! The weather is chilly here though since it's rained for the past 48 hours straight (no joke). I'm excited to pull out some tall boots though!

Tonight is game 3 of the NLDS. The Cardinals are not doing so hot, dropping the first 2 games to the Dodgers. I have tickets to the potential game 4 tomorrow, so I'm counting on a win tonight since I've never been to a postseason game and I'm really looking forward to it!! GO CARDS!

Hope you all have a great Saturday, I gotta get up finally and start running some errands before the wineries! :)

TGIF

I'm not exactly sure why this week felt SO LONG, but I cannot fully express just how happy I am that it's finally Friday! Last week was so terrible I felt like I really just needed a break, a glimpse of something good to come in my life! Well I sure got it... a few things actually:

#1. It was sunny all week. This may seem minimal, but not having to work sales in the rain is a beautiful thing. Sun = smiling people = happy Katie = more productive = better sales = $$ = happy Katie. See the cycle?! And it all starts with a little sunshine!! This leads well into my..

#2. I sold a huge account this week! I've been working on this place for a couple months now, and it feels fantastic to see the process from start to finish. We talk about needing "wins" at work, a little pick-me-up to make sales feel worth it. This morning as my agreement was getting signed, you couldn't wipe that smile off my face if you tried!

#3. Twilight Tuesday's are back! For those of you who don't know about this hidden gem of a treat in STL, listen up: Every Tuesday at 6:3opm in front of the History Museum in Forest Park they have live bands play for FREE! We bring lawn chairs, food, wine, etc... and this week was Dr. Zhivegas... a local favorite. When he plays at Harry's the cover is $10, so you can't beat FREE!

#4. I beat brickbreaker. The very first day I got my blackberry about a year ago, my brother put a high score on it that I never thought I could attain. Not only did I beat his score, but I beat the game!! If you have a BB, you will understand. If not, just be happy for me :)

#5. The best news of all... I found a renter! After searching for about 3 months, I couldn't have hand-picked a better couple to fill the vacancy in my condo. They are newlyweds relocated here from Columbia MO, and I had such a great feeling about them from the very beginning. They were looking for places on craigslist separately, and both emailed me about seeing my condo. Karma at its best! They move in Oct 1st and are willing to sign a year lease!

And that my friends is a happy week. I'm spending the weekend relaxing tonight before the big "girls night out" with my Jamaica girls tomorrow, and then Sunday I have tickets to Cubs/Cards. Hoping the predicted rain for Sun night holds off, I love this series! Hope you all have a great weekend :)

A Sports Weekend

Whew. I'm exhausted from a full weekend of sports. Sure, it wasn't the best weekend for being an ND, OSU, or STL Cardinals fan, but either way I saw a ton of sports! I was at Mizzou with the Pinkel clan, and I swear I'm just downright spoiled when I go there! We tailgate literally next to the stadium, and I watch the game from the nice, beer-filled suite with a birds-eye view of the action! It was great to catch up with Jen, Geoff, and their beautiful 18 month old sweetie Taylor!

I came back from CoMO Sunday and watched Joel's team play soccer at Maryville, and then Joel himself played indoor soccer that night! I'm such a team supporter :) Today was a rough early morning, not gonna lie!

This weekend is the highly anticipated final matchup between the heated Cards/Cubs series. There's a chance the Cards could clinch their division this weekend too, my fingers are crossed it happens Sunday while I'm there!

And tonight was the best Monday I've had in awhile- Joel & I watched the Gossip Girl premiere and got takeout chinese! Yes, that's right... Joel watches GG. Our tradeoff last year was that I watched 24 with him, and he watched GG with me. It works out great b/c I'm now obsessed with both shows... and although he has trouble admitting it, I think Joel revels in the juicy teenage drama. And of course I love the eye candy, ahem... Nate Archibald, my real boyfriend.

disaster(s) and total shock

#1 My computer has a serious virus- right now a "critical system warning" just popped up- apparently I have the dreaded Trojan virus, and who knows... right now I could be infected and my identity could be with another dozen people in America. My fingers are crossed this in fact doesn't happen, but in the meantime I've tried my hardest to avoid using the computer. Alas, there have been no updates as promised. Sorry!

#2 I still can't believe this. No joke, I was in total shock when I read this... CHECK IT OUT!!! I must have been hiding under a rock yesterday b/c I didn't even notice this until this morning!! I can't wait for this season (read the link and you'll know what I'm talking about)!!

#3 The potential renter for my condo fell through last night, at the 11th hour. I've only shed a few tears (surprisingly), but then again with all the hesitations surrounding this on his end, I'm really not all that surprised. You see, this guy wouldn't move in unless he could have DirectTV. Apparently the GB Packers games are THAT important to him. We didn't even get that far though, because yesterday he was served divorce papers (which we both knew was coming), but what we didn't know was that his soon to be ex-wife decided last minute that she didn't want their house, so now they are both stuck paying half the mortgage until it sells. He told his wife just last week he was moving into my condo, so according to my lawyer friends out there, this is just a strategic move on her lawyers part to ensure she doesn't have to pay the full mortgage and can instead split it with her almost ex-husband. Sneaky, and yet good lawyer move. Ugh, I hope I never have to deal with stuff like this! And as for the condo, yes I'm sad, but hopefully this means I can get someone in there asap! Back to craigslist I go! :)

#4 Right now I have a plumber (minus the plumber's crack, thank God) in my basement fixing a leaky pipe. All our belongings in storage were misty and wet, and after digging around we discovered a baby pin hole in the main water pipe. Needless to say, my 1940's era home still has lead pipes (who knew?!) and it's an intense process to fix them b/c they have to be careful and not allow any of the lead into the water system... because we drink it! On top of the financial restraints caused by #3 above, this is not looking good. Seriously, can I catch a break?!

#5 Going to Mizzou this weekend! It's my friend Jen's husbands 30th bday, and she's throwing a surprise party! He's gonna be so surprised, and then it can begin the crazy drunken weekend of tailgating! I can't wait! :)

Everyone have a great week, hopefully we'll get this computer stuff figured out asap!

MIA!!!

It's September... whoa, where did the time go?! I will be alone most of this upcoming Labor Day weekend as all my friends & family will be on a lake, on a boat, playing soccer, and watching some crazy fireworks extravaganza over the Ohio river! Either way I'll have tons of time to catch up on the dear 'ol blog here, so get ready for some awesome pics!

And the Baby is....

Today is the day Carly & Evan find out the gender of their baby!! I'm banking on a boy, because even though there's scientifically a 51% chance it's a girl, the mother "just knows" most of the time and Carly feels like it's a boy! We even came up with fun boy names while visiting recently! Holy cow I'm so excited for both of them!! Which of these will I need to buy?!

caffine

I pride myself on having exactly TWO cups of coffee each week... one for each early morning I have at the office. This week has been a little, well ok a LOT stressful, and somehow I've been craving the cup of joe. I counted today that just halfway through the week I've had 5 cups! Now for you daily coffee drinkers this may seem like nothing, but caffine addiction is something I simply cannot understand. In fact, I get a headache from too much, so I simply decided a few years ago to just go completely without. It started as a New Years resolution, but soon became a lifestyle change. I allow myself the occassional Cherry Coke (just because it's SO GOOD), but usually it's water and lemon for me. My boyfriend Joel is addicted (strong word, and necessary here) to Diet Coke. I'm convinced he could down a 12 pack in one day without blinking! Guess I shouldn't be too concerned, but let's just hope that the stress level at work subsides so my caffine intake can subside as well :)

Unstoppable

The St. Louis Cardinals are unstoppable! Today they signed John Smoltz, see this article from their website. SO EXCITING!!! I'm going to the game next Wednesday, and I can't wait! I love Cardinals baseball :)

what's my deal???

Do you ever feel like the times you TRY to find something at the mall, actually put in the effort to look through the sales racks in search of the perfect find... you just can't find anything worth your money?! It's always the days I don't expect it that I run to the parking lot hyperventalating because I spent a bagillion dollars. Well I've accumulated a ton of gift cards (some from as far back as last Christmas, again I ask "what's my deal??")... and I spent some of my time between appointments trying to blow them at the mall. No dice. NOTHING! Is it because the seasons are shifting in the mall?? Or is it because the color of fall is this nasty mauvy-purple, and everything seems to be in it?! Or better yet, WHAT is up with the nasty plaid/farmer looking clothing splattered all over. Forever 21 is a big fan- I am not!

Either way, I'm so excited it's Friday! Bring on the weekend!

Summer Pie

I've had requests to post the secret recipe for what's becoming my famous Summer Pie. So without further adieu, I'll give you the tricks of the trade... and p.s. it's SO EASY!

Ingredients:

(1) pre-made graham cracker crust

(1) box of Jell-o (I usually use strawberry, but you can get adventureous)

(2) 8 oz. packages of LIGHT cream cheese (don't do fat free, it tastes gross)

(1) tub of FAT FREE cool whip (light on the figure!)

strawberries and blueberries (or whatever fruit you have)

Ok, here goes...

Make the Jell-O first, since you're gonna mix it with boiling water. Place it immediately in the fridge to cool off. If you don't have that amount of time, you can always mix in a few ice cubes to speed up that process. Then in a large bowl mix together the cream cheese and cool whip with a blender. If you mix too long, it will become really frothy, and not enough will result in clumps of cream cheese. Best way I've found to test it is with your fingers :) Place the creamy mixture in the bottom of the graham cracker crust. You will not use all of it, just enough to fill it and leave some room on top for the jell-O. You can always use the leftover for a fruit dip! Then place the fruit on top of the creamy mixture. Usually you have to push it in the mixture a bit so it sticks. Then pour the jell-O over the fruit until it fills to the top of the pie crust. I make this on a cookie sheet because usually I spill a bit! Then transfer to the fridge and let it settle, usually for at least 3 hours. Serve with another dallop of cool whip, or even with the leftover creamy mixture! Here's what it looks like!

There are tons of ways to mix things up with this recipe. I usually use strawberries and blueberries, but you can also use mandarin oranges and kiwi with strawberry/kiwi jell-O! The options are endless!! Enjoy!

Forever Friends

Girls weekend in Cincinnati was a huge success! It's always fun to catch up with girls who have known you forever. And while we're on the talk of forever... it's never been more evident that these girls are FOREVER friends :) Of course we spoiled Carly with a mini baby shower and gifts for her and Chu Jr. A sunny Saturday let us enjoy the pool for hours, and dinner on the rooftop of Tellers in Hyde Park was a fabulous start to our night out... followed by Graeter's and then a ridiculous game of Apples to Apples. I can't believe it's already over! Some of you may have seen is on Keehner's blog, but here's the best pic of the weekend:

We're already plannning Reunion Extravaganza 2010!

Cin-City 2009

In a short 24 hours I will be arriving in Cincinnati to help Carly get ready for the arrival of 5 other ladies to what will sure be a weekend we will not soon forget! The highly anticipated reunion of all 7 high school girlfriends is sure to be packed with loud voices, laughter, and a whole lot of booze. Crazy part is that Carly's husband Evan is staying in their house for the whole thing! That man is a saint... and definitely doesn't know what he's getting himself into.


I'm so excited I squeal like a little girl when I think about the fun we're gonna have!!!


Here's just a little taste of what the weekend will be like (sorry Jenni for not being in this pic, you were prob off dancing like a ballerina somewhere with your new husband)...

Runners High

This weekend I finally caved. After seeing the sales sign multiple times driving by Famous Footwear, I found myself creeping in on Sunday afternoon to simply "check it out"... well that's what I told Joel. Secretly, I knew I needed a pair of running shoes to replace my old Asics who have served me well the past 6 months. Not only was it a buy one, get the next pair 1/2 off, but they were ALSO on sale! I scored huge... check out these beauties:

Ok, so the picture is small, but really in person they are much darker grey and the magenta pops. My favorite thing about them are the dark grey laces. Isn't it annoying when your pretty new shoes get dirty??! I'm convinced the grey will keep their freshness much longer! I can't wait to hit the gym today to show them off :)

Speaking of the gym... I'm giving myself a workout plan to go along with Joel's upcoming soccer season. Since he's gone for basically the next three months, I decided to dedicate myself to working out for 90 days straight. Usually this is how long I train for a 1/2 marathon, which was the original goal, but after the stress fracture earlier this year and the recent return of my foot pains, I decided to call it quits for the fall half. This leaves me wondering what exactly I'm gonna do in the gym for the next 90 days. Sure, I can continue my normal routine of eliptical, bike, and occasional 2-3 mile jaunts on the treadmill, but I'm needing something else to spice up my routine. I've heard ALL about this P90X fad, which sounds phenomenal and of course intense, but I'd have to it alone... in my basement... and not sure if I trust myself to ALWAYS get the job done. So, I leave it to my followers to help me with this quest. Any suggestions on great classes to take at the gym?? Good routines to follow?? Jud, if you're reading this... put together a workout plan for me. Pretty please?!!

Here goes nothing on the quest to get a body like Megan Fox in 90 days! Ahem... Why are you laughing???! It's totally possible!

a Friday treat, just for you

I'm ready to pay it forward, blog style. I found this on a blog from another friend, and I have such fun playing around on this website where you can play around with letters and create words or even those cute last name plaques for a wedding gift. Here's what I came up with!

Happy Friday!

PG what?!!

Last night was the all-important and fantastic "girls night out." I hit up happy hour for a bit, downed 2 glasses of wine, and then headed to a chick flick. Cute movie, but not quite sure why it was so raunchy. They must have said "cock" about 50 times from start to finish. Somehow I missed this until it was over, but at the other end of our row was a mother and her child- no more than SIX years old. Excuse me?!!!! I think my mom made me cover my eyes for boobs in movies until I was old enough to probably have a pair of my own! I couldn't believe it- we were all baffled! I give this movie 2 out of 5 stars... cute and worth a red box rental, but don't go waste the $8-10 at the theater.

judged

Isn't he just the cutest?! There's Jack, posing in all his glory for the famous 2008 Christmas card. It's like he smiling- creepy or cute, you can decide. Either way, my sweet baby has an ear infection. I've admittedly let it go on for a little too long, mostly because he usually bounces back from that stuff quickly. Something in my gut told me he needed a trip to the vet, so I buckled down, grabbed my checkbook, and headed to see Dr. Julie. But oh no, Dr. Julie is on maternity leave, and in her absence they sent us to the evil spawn of vets, Dr. Catherine. Wow, what a mean lady. She talked to me like I was a child, as if it's directly MY fault that Jack has an ear infection. Was he swimming recently?? Ummm not that I can recall. Was he given a bath recently? Ummm definitely not, have you smelled him?! Has he been rolling around in any water recently?? Ummm not sure? Then she tells me that on a scale of 1-4 his ear infection is a 5+. First off, scale of 1-4??? Perhaps 1-10 would've been more effective Dr. Catherine, but by this point I was so annoyed and defensive that she was yelling at me I was tuning her out. Needless to say, my $120 afternoon left me crabby and ready for a successful Bachelorette finale.

And then Jillian goes and picks ED?!! Ed with the E.D.? Coincidence, I think not. Now that it's the day after and I've had some time to think about it, I'm annoyed with Jillian that she didn't shoot down Reid right away. She had already sent home Kiptyn, told him she was in love with someone else, and then when Reid shows back up, and she's all the sudden "not sure?!" Give me a break ABC. And what was up with the explosive volcano after Jillian and Ed rekindled in the bedroom?! hahaha I almost peed my pants... and rewinded DVR a few times just to laugh again!

Well say a little prayer for sweet Jack. His ears are really red, and he RUNS at the sight of the ear drops. This is gonna be a fun 2 weeks of drops TWICE a day :)

The Dinner Club

You know those people in your life that will always put a smile on your face?? The friend who seems to always bring out the best in you?! Well this week I had the fortune of reuniting with "The Dinner Club"... a grand idea Julie had back in the BWood Forest days to keep us and our neighbor Lisa together once we parted ways from the glorious Melrose Place. Tuesday we caught up over mexican and wine (sounds gross, but was oh so good), and we're set for Monday to get together again over the Bachelorette finale! Here's a little pic to demonstrate just how ridiculous we were circa 2006 (and completely sober):

This is Julie in the costume for an 8 year old boy. I'm fairly certain we peed in our pants laughing!

Christmas in July

Christmas in July is just a funny concept. Last night I saw a party complete with a blow-up snowman in the front yard! I've never attended one of these, but I assume it's just another excuse to throw a party in the glorious summertime. Anyone have a Xmas/July party story to convince me to throw one next year??

What. A. Weekend. I had visitors yet again- Erin and Randy drove through the night from Akron to STL on Friday morning. Erin is a high school friend, and her husband Randy somehow convinced her to join him for the 9 hour trek to pick up a dining room set that's been in the family for generations. It was great to have them around, and even though the complained about their chain-cigar-smoking uncle, it sounded like they enjoyed his company (and trip to the arch!) as well.

The weather here is OUTSTANDING. It feels like fall- so much that I kinda want to make chili in the crock pot and turn on Ohio State football. Alas, it's July 19th... and the 75 degree temps will soon be 95 I just know it. In the meantime I will take advantage of the low humidity by runs with Jack, driving with the sunroof open, and amazing hair days :)

This week should be pretty normal... finally. Joel starts soccer with the Maryville girls in a short 2 weeks, so hopefully we can get in some date nights before he goes on hiatus!

Happy Sunday!

Shopping Spree

This weekend while in Chicago, we stumbled upon the BEST deals at the Armitage boutiques. I decided to share the deals of my favorite...

United Colors of Benetton

Original prices of all clothing AND accessories (such cute scarves and belts!):

$0-50: $20

$50-100: $30

$100+: $40

NO JOKE. We seriously took over that store and ran away with some intense deals!

Best of luck and happy shopping! Find yourself a store here:

Benetton Website

I'm an All-Star

St. Louis is the best. Well known as a "baseball town" and immersed in all things sports, the 2009 All-Star game is in this great city. I was gone in Chicago this weekend, but returned just in time for the Summer classic. Yesterday was the HomeRun Derby, and after debating big time about forking over the cash for a ticket, Kacey and I sucked it up and scored some of the last remaining tickets released by the Cardinals website. At 1pm we bought the tickets, and picked them up at 4pm. Some sightings include:

Nelly driving to his own concert in his Escalade
Run DMC performing at Lumen
David Cook
Derek Jeter
Whitey Herzog
The Clydesdales :)

I'm so glad we decided to do it. Who knows when I'll get a chance like this again, especially in my own hometown!! I'm struggling today though because I have so much work to catch up on, so I'm not sure I'll have the opportunity to get back downtown to watch the All-Star game... but then again, I woke up yesterday and didn't know I was going to the Derby, so never say never.

Chicago!!!

Ahhh, roadtrips are the best. Much better when they are with someone else, but I'll suffice with my new mix cd for the 5 hr trip up highway 55 to the great city of Chicago!! I'm going to visit some friends from way back when I lived in Ohio (and we all lived 10 minutes from each other)... Christina, who lives in Cincy and is in Chicago this week for work, and Colleen, the mid-twenties girl rocking the Chicago lifestyle most of us only wish we had the guts to do.

Now, I'm sure from previous posts you can gather I'm a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. Well this weekend in Chicago they are playing their arch-rivals, THE CUBS. And yet this trip was planned long before I put these facts together, so there will be no Wrigley for us. Instead, we are packed full of runs along the lake, mani/pedi's, a trip to a purse-making place?!, and an outdoor concert (with 40% chance of rain). Cross your fingers people, I think I'm gonna need a little help to get through this jam packed weekend!

Hope everyone enjoys the All-Star festivities here in STL, I'll be back Sunday and plan on keeping the party going!

Summa Time

I looooooooooove Summer! There's something about the smell of a bbq, the feel of a Cardinals baseball game, and the sun setting way past 9pm that makes me all giddy inside! Here's some pics from my recent Summer adventures:

Thursday night Dee arrived into town and we headed straight to the Cards game to meet up with Keri and Brian! Awesome FREE seats :)


Until recently I had NEVER been on a Budweiser Brewery Tour. 9 years in the City of Beer, and no tour?! Kacey and I took some visitors, and I have to admit... the tour is pretty darn good! I learned a ton- did you know the beer served during Prohibition was called Bevo?! Also, I had no idea AB owned Bacardi??? Did you?!

It was so great to have Dee in town. I alluded to this in the previous post, but it's so great to have "forever friends." Here's a great pic of us from this weekend:

I'm leaving this weekend for an undoubtedly amazing time in a city I love... CHICAGO! Colleen recently moved into a new pimp pad on Lakeshore Drive, and Christina will be joining us too. Colleen already emailed an itinerary, it sounds like we're full of great activities- mani/pedi's, Toro sushi :), concert, and of course hours of girl talk. Ahhh... can't wait!

Mother Freedom vs. Mother Nature

It hasn't rained in almost 3 weeks in St. Louis. And then, on my absolute favorite day of the year, Mother Nature decides to give a dose of reality to Mother Freedom. It is pouring buckets right now, the bbq planned for today is postponed until tonight, and the highly anticipated fireworks show out at Joel's family's house is CANCELLED until next weekend- and I'll be in Chicago. Damn you Mother Nature.

Oh well, I did get to see fireworks last night. They were short though- most municipalities are waiting for tonight to show off the good stuff... we'll see if that happens though... again, annoyed.

In good, no GREAT news... Deanna is here this weekend visiting! It was a last minute planned trip, and it's been the best and most relaxing time. It's so great to see her, and of course reinforces just how blessed I am to have such great friends. We can go for so long without seeing one another and it feels like we just "pick up" right away. Dee is in the picture from my last post of all the girls posing on stairs. She's in the bottom right in a white sweather, except now picture her with much shorter (and blonder!) hair.

Just to leave you all with a good laugh, check out Brian's outfit from 7/4/2008:

Happy 4th of July!!

Carly & Evan +1!!!

Holy crap. Last night I commented on life being messy and really despising adulthood. And then God sure did slap me in the face with a check of reality on how GREAT it is to be an adult. The pic above is of my best friends from high school. It's amazing really just how close we still are- these girls will always be there for me. This pic is from a few years ago, but now that we're old and have other obligations (like jobs- yuck, and living in different states- even bigger yuck) it's tough for all of us to get together. Usually it's over the holidays (note the beautiful garland of the Hart household in the above pic) with just a short brunch to catch up... but this year we are taking it to a new level with a whole weekend in Cincinnati in August. I get giddy just thinking about it. So, now onto the news.

Carly is on the left in the pic above in the white sweater, sitting just to my right. She married Evan Chu in May 2007, and I was so proud to be one of her bridesmaids! Here's a little glimpse back... the first of Carly & Evan at Jenni's wedding in May '08, and the 2nd pic is of the ladies dancing at their wedding!

Well last night Carly sent out an email about the upcoming trip to Cincy to see her and the highly anticipated reunion. She also slipped something in at the end... she's pregnant!! I just finally got used to the idea of bridal showers, but a baby shower?! For a girl my age??? I mean I'm 26, it's not the craziest thing ever, but I guess I'm still in shock. This will be "our first baby" and holy cow will baby Chu get spoiled! They will make the most perfect parents, and I can't wait to be an auntie!

CONGRATS CARLY & EVAN!!!

life is messy

Life is messy. And I think that's so annoying. I hate being a grownup... don't you wish you could just go back to coloring or even writing 10 page papers doesn't seem as annoying now as wondering if I've paid the water bill on time.

Here's my list of adult annoyances:

1. Bills.

2. Mowing the grass (oh wait, Brian or Joel does that).

3. Laundry.

4. Work, more specifically getting up anytime before 8am.

5. Replacing things that go wrong- like the thermostat on my a/c this week- $300????

6. Did I mention Bills???

7. Having to take care of myself when I'm sick- no mom to bring me Yocono's soup!

Ok, so there's definitely more but that's a good start!

In an effort to put me in a better mood, I decided to make a list of things I love about being an adult... here goes:

1. Having a dog who loves me unconditionally. God love Jack.

2. My garage. Not so much today, but circa January 15th it was the best thing around.

3. Getting to take a shower whenever I want, and not having to wait for people to get out of the bathroom.

4. Dinner parties and bbq's!

5. Buying home things, like wreaths for my front foor and every season/holiday

6. No 10 page papers. Contrary to what I said above, I wrote more papers in 4 years of college than a human should ever be subjected.

7. Recognizing the value of a dollar.

8. Understanding what it means to work hard and get recognized for it.

9. Not worrying about getting carded at bars and restaurants.... the grocery store is not on this list because let's be honest, Schnuck's will card me until my hair turns gray... they are so weird about it!

So with just those short lists it's now making me feel MUCH better that my list of things that are good about adulthood is longer than the not so good list. Whew... I was about to look for the nearest bridge.

Just to make you guys happy and insert some pics into this otherwise boring post, here's a recent few of the love of my life:

I'm a Cards fan too!!!

Hi guys!

Beer, Burgers, and BBQ's

It's finally Friday! Does anyone else feel like this week was so long?! I have quite the weekend planned. Tonight I'm going to the Cards game for a surprise birthday party. It should be a riot- 25 of his closest friends showing up to the game and he has no idea!! Busch Stadium will be the site of the 2009 All-Star Game. Here's a pic I took the first time I visitied this place I now know like the back of my hand.

Saturday I have a bbq with some friends I went to Jamaica with about a month ago. They are such fun people, and I love spending time with them, but the bbq starts at NOON?!!! #1 The high tomorrow is like 100 degrees, and #2 I can't imagine starting to party so early in the day, especially coming after a night downtown and a Cards game. Ahhh well, here goes nothing!

Here's the whole crowd from Jamaica:

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy Friday!!!

power nap

I'm exhausted from this crazy week. I think what we all need is a good old fashioned 'power nap' and my good friend Jud gets jealous that my sales schedule occasionally allows for these in the late afternoon. Who knew they were clinically SO GOOD for you?!!!

Jud, this is for you.

Can Shaq stop the curse???

I'll admit I'm a fair weather fan of the NBA. I adore college basketball, enter into March Madness drafts every year, and contrary to popular belief, I do NOT pick my teams based on their colors or their funny names (Gonzaga, hahaha). However, this past season and the dramatic run by my hometown team The Cavs for the NBA championship helped get me back into the NBA swing.

Oh the Cavs... what a sad story. Years of finishing behind the seemingly unstoppable Bulls left a team in need of something, someone, and then it happened. An Akron native (who went to high school with my brother) showed up in the NBA draft the year the Cavs just so happened to have the #1 pick. Enter... LeBron James. Here we go. A new breath of life swept into the Cavs, and the fans. Sold out crowds. Bigger than life MVP posters downtown Cleveland. Magical. And the 08-09 season seemed like the Cavs really had a chance. Articles and ESPN analysts kept saying the Orlando Magic was like a "fantasy team" specifically built to attack the Cavs weaknesses. As I watched the Magic tear apart the dreams of so many Cleveland fans, I realized there really is a curse. If LeBron can't stop the curse, who can??

I live in St. Louis now, and with no NBA team here they never cover basketball. I first heard about this from facebook status updates, but had to research it further. I had to search the STL paper today for the tiny blip about the new reported acquisition by the Cavs.

SHAQ?????????

Holy cow. They're putting the curse of the Cavs into the big hands of this giant??? I mean, I get it- the whole combo of Shaq and Kobe worked, and I'm assuming they think Shaq/LeBron will bring in the rings as well. Shaq, good luck... it's quite the curse.

Guests to the STL

I'm amazed my eyes are still open. What. A. Weekend.

This weekend my mom and aunt were here visting me and my brother. Friday night we went to Pi, a newer pizza restaurant made famous during the presidential campaign trail. Obama even flew the chef to Washington to cook pizza for his family. I highly recommend it- it sure did live up to the hype!

Against our better judgements with the 90+ degree heat, Saturday we ended up sucking it up for a trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. My mom and I share no green thumb, kill all plants, and even kill most veggies in the fridge. My aunt on the other hand is a master of the garden, so we knew she'd love the acres of different types of flowers. Best part is St. Louis city and county residents get in FREE before noon! Seriously, if you haven't checked this place out yet you really should! The Climatron was my favorite part- a simulated rain forest, complete with poisonous frogs! This one was my favorite:

After showering off the 100% humidity, we settled in for a bbq with friends and kept the night very relaxing! It's always nice to have family in town, but boy am I pooped!

Here's to a great weekend!

The Wedding Date

Does anyone else feel like your mid-twenties is just one big wedding???? Here I am with Laurie, my go-to date at yet another wedding this summer. It's a pretty good deal though- we split the shower and wedding gifts, get to sit next to one another at dinner, and take turns getting drinks. Better than praying some guy doesn't get too drunk and make an ass out of himself in front of your closest friends.

Here Goes Nothing!

After years of reading friends blogs, and oh ok I'll admit to also reading blogs of people I don't even know... I'm diving into creating my own blog!

The title is fitting for me... my life really is an adventure. I'm fiercely independent, yet along with this stellar trait comes a ton of responsibility. Strangely, I'm rarely stressed.

I'm excited to share with you the craziness that is my life!