Happy Birthday Sophie!

Most bloggers with pets have quite a few posts about their canine family members. Well, H and I don't plan on getting a pet any time soon, but I still regard Sophie to be "my pet" even though she lives with my mom. After all, I did live with her right up until my wedding. Just because she doesn't live with me any more doesn't mean that she's not my pet anymore, right?

Sophie is an "Apricot" (I use that term loosely because she likes to sunbathe and her fur is more bleached out than most apricots.) poodle. Most of the people in my immediate family have terrible pet allergies, so growing up we always had to have non-shedding dogs.  She's turning 5 years bold this week, so I thought I'd commemorate it with a special post. 

Here are some pics: 

Here she is dressed up in a "people skirt" for Halloween. (The canine counterpart to the 50's poodle skirts.) She's even giving you a sassy wink in that one. 

And dressed up in her Christmas collar and "bracelets" with bells. I swear we are not those people that dress up their dog all the time....only on holidays. :) She actually loves this ensemble. She prances around the house with her feet marching straight up in the air to make the bells ring. It's hilarious.

And here she is in what we call "floosy mode." She likes the undivided attention of any human male. She's been know to kick me out of the bed when we're dog sitting. 

I'll have to scan some puppy photos of her. She fit in my bathrobe pocket and looked like a miniature teddy bear. Unfortunately that was pre-digital camera. 

Happy Birthday Sophie!

Weekend Recap: Part 2

Ok, now I'm up to date with my weekends. Here's an update from this past weekend.

It ended up being a pretty low key weekend. H didn't come home from the work trip til Wednesday night. We ate at home on Thursday night, but other than that we had been eating out for almost a week straight. I love restaurants, but I was just about sick of them. We decided to forgo our normal Friday night out and stayed in. After a home made dinner we watched a movie. We figured out that the last movie that we sat down and watched together (in a theater or at home) was in December. How sad is that?! Even sadder still.....the only movie that we agreed on was "The Rock." Yep..the classic 1996 action movie. Can you tell how behind on movies we are?

Saturday H was going on an all day golf excursion, so I spent the morning at the pool, then a little shopping, followed by a night out with my Mom and two sisters. My little sister is getting ready to head off to college, so we are trying to spend as much time together as possible before she leaves us behind for bigger and better things. Don't worry..I'll make another sappy post before she takes off. :(

For our little girls night out we went to a restaurant called Araka in Clayton. 

The decor was awesome, the martinis were delicious, and the food was good, albeit overpriced. I enjoy nice restaurants and don't mind spending the money for really good food, but when I order a $10 tomato/mozzarella salad I expect a little more than one slice of tomato and one slice of cheese. My shrimp and sweet corn risotto was good though. 

Afterwards we didn't feel like going very far so we just walked over to the Ritz Carlton to have a glass of wine on the lobby where they had a great jazz/blues band. The funniest part of the evening was when my older sister and mom decided to go peak in and see a wedding reception that was taking place. (There were bridesmaids and groomsmen running around everywhere and of course we got curious.) My little sister and I stayed behind. After a few minutes my mom and sister come walking back with two of my mom's friends that were actually guests of the wedding. Yep...they got caught trying to "crash." 

All in all, it was a fun, relaxing weekend. I like being busy, but every once in a while I definitely need a weekend like this to regroup. 

Weekend Recap: Part 1 -2 weeks ago

I'm a bad bad blogger. Two weeks without a post? Is anyone even still reading? I'm going to blame the fact that I have not been good at picture taking. Posts without pictures can be boring, so I'm going to have to use the trusty old internet to come up with some images for this post.

So...there are two weekends that I need to recap. Lets start with two weeks ago. 

We spent the weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. H had a work meeting to attend from Saturday-Wednesday, so I joined him for Saturday through Monday. We flew Midwest Airlines on one of those small, 13 row planes. Naturally we both got searched at the airport. Normally I don't mind, but this time I was only taking a carry on. (H checked a bag which contained my liquid stuff) My carry on was stuffed to the gills so that when the airport security people unzipped it, it flew open like a jack in the box. Bras and underwear everywhere. Gotta love that. Other than that the flight was easy. (Other than the fact that I was in an aisle seat on row 13 out of 13 so every time someone had to get to the bathroom I had to lean over...But whatever. The flight was less than an hour. 

After we checked into the hotel H had to go to a meeting. I had planned on walking around the city and up to Lake Michigan, however, the weather was not cooperating. It was drizzling and only 65 degrees. So what's a girl to do? Locate a spa, of course! I found the W spa at the Pfister hotel and got a great pedicure. (And I sent text messages to H to let him know how much I was enjoying myself while he was stuck at a work meeting. )

That night we went to a Mediterranean restaurant called Yaffa's. The food was only so-so, but I had a delicious cucumber martini. 

The next day we went and checked out the historic Third Ward shopping area.

Very cute shops and restaurants. I would love it if they would open something like the Milwaukee Public Market in downtown St. Louis. It had awesome cheeses, spices, fresh seafood, etc from different local vendors. (Sort of like a really big, upscale, indoors, farmer's market.) We also walked up to Lake Michigan. It sort of puts the ol' muddy Mississippi to shame. Not that they're really comparable, but still....

The evening was spent out on the town with some work colleagues. 

Monday I attended some more work functions and flew out that afternoon. Naturally I got searched again. This time not until I was actually walking down the temporary bridge thing to actually walk onto the plane. (Long after I had actually gone through security.) They pulled me aside before I could actually board. My overstuffed carry on must have looked very suspicious. I must say however--have you ever flown on Midwest Airlines? If you have an afternoon flight you get warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. They were heavenly! It definitely made up for having to sit in the last row but the toilet again. :)

FINALLY something to watch! -Project Runway

I don't watch many reality shows, so in the summer I am pretty much out of luck in regards to TV. Luckily, Project Runway Season 5 has begun! The first challenge was a "repeat challenge" of the very first episode in season 1. I think they are being reminiscent since this is the last season that will air on Bravo. The contestants were taken to a grocery store and were told to use items found there to fashion their garments.

Lets remember the fab dress that Austin Scarlett created 5 seasons ago out of corn husks....

It starts out with quite a few contestants, so it's pretty hard to pick a favorite. I agreed with the judges for the most part. Overall, I was pretty disappointed. (As were the judges.) I didn't see much creativity out there in regards to materials.

Here is the winning dress. I agreed with the judges. The bleach/dye job on that skirt really masked the materials. (Sort of the point of the challenge

Materials: Vacuum Bags, Thumb Tacks, Coffee Filters, Spiral Notebook

This was the "runner up." Kudos for the difficult material. I also caught a few glimpses of the items in his portfolio and I was very impressed. He's very glam. 

Materials: Plastic Cups

Here is one that didn't get much response from the judges, but that I really liked.

Materials: Floor Mops and Plastic Tablecloth

And of course the loser....Seriously? As the judges put it...it looks like something you would wear on your way to murder someone...

My apologies for not including the designer names. When it gets narrowed down a bit it will be easier to remember. 

Happy 30th Anniversary to my In-Laws!

We all went out to dinner last night to Cielo at the Four Seasons to celebrate my in-laws 30th anniversary. It was a perfect spot and a perfect evening for the celebration. After a delicious dinner we went down to Lumiere Place casino for a little more fun. I got really wild and crazy with a couple rounds on the 25 cent slot machine. (It was actually my first time using a slot machine. I think it will be my last. It's quite boring.) My husband won $150 playing Black Jack. We were up way to late for a "school night" and a good time was had by all.

Happy 30th Anniversary In-Laws!

Sammy Update: Mystery Solved!

So apparently Sammy does not read my blog. I had really started to worry because after he dug up the plants he was no where to be found. (Not that I really thought he was into reading blogs online--I don't think he even knows what the internet is.) Anyways, he was out mowing the lawn when I went home for lunch today. I asked him where he'd been all my life. (I used to see him like 3 times a day and I hadn't seen him for a couple weeks.) Turns out Sammy and his partner are moving! They just rent from the guy that owns the townhouse. He said that he's run into "money troubles" and were going to be out by the end of the month. (Bought too many plants, perhaps?) He'd dug up all the plants and transported them over to his brother's house because the owner of the place said he wanted it to look like it did when they first moved in. 

So that solved the mystery of the missing plants. Despite his gardening techniques I am really going to miss Sammy. He was a good neighbor and my blog is going to suffer without the weekly "Sammy Update." And I guess now we'll have to start mowing our own lawn. :(

2 Flat Tires?!!

So I was driving home from Whole Foods last night and had almost made it when my car started driving all wonky. Damn it! I have had flats before so I knew what this was. Luckily, I was only a couple blocks from my house. So I pulled over, got out of the car and sure enough, my back tire was flat. Like totally limp noodle flat. I got on the phone to call my Dad to come and change my tire (Yes, I am a wimp and still call Daddy when stuff like this happens. The husband was at a meeting, but I probably still would have called my dad.) So I'm on the phone with him when I hear a whistling sound coming from the other side of my car. #^%@$%%^$!!! Both rear tires were limp noodle flat. Of course I only have one spare, so I knew this was even  beyond my Dad.

Luckily, one of my best friend's family business is Telle Tire. (And, although it was way after they closed I had his cell number! Nothing like bothering him with work stuff when he's home relaxing.) Aaron called his tow service for me. Naturally it was more expensive than a regular tow because they had to put it up on a flat bed given that the two rear tires were flat. 

So, I leave my car and load myself down with my overpriced organic groceries and trudge home. Luckily I had my canvas grocery bags with the shoulder strap. So if you saw a pack mule walking around downtown St. Louis last night, that was me. 

I just got the call from Aaron. In one tire he found a giant bolt and in the other was a gash so big that whatever had made the puncture had already fallen out. WTH? I was worried that I was driving around with a partial flat not knowing it, but Aaron sad that the punctures were so big that the tires would have gone flat almost immediately. I was driving on cobblestone at the time, so if I had run over something, I probably wouldn't have known it given the already bumpy surface.

The only good news is that A) This could have happened on the highway and I would have been totally freaked out, and B) I was planning on getting new tires sometime this month anyways, so it's not really a surprise expense. 

One last purchase...

I forgot to mention this in my last post--

I also wandered into Sephora on my last shopping trip. I was in the market for a new, very sheer lipgloss by Nars. I was trying to decided between their two sheerest colors that have a little glimmer in them. That's when I noticed the name...

Greek Holiday. 

I took that as a sign.

Shopping for Greece

One of my favorite things about traveling is the preparation for it. With my trip to Greece only a couple of months away, I am starting to think about what purchases I need/want to make for the trip. If I wait too long all of the stores here in St. Louis will start replacing their summer inventory with fall clothes, so I might as well start buying while they still have my size in everything. (Yes--this is me trying to justify my shopping. Oh, and thank-you Lisa for your post that got me thinking about shopping in the first place:) ) The weather in Greece will be hot (like 80's) during the day and at night it will probably get cool enough to need a light jacket. 

I wasn't really thinking clearly when I made my last purchases. I bought these two tops from Banana Republic last week. I didn't really buy them for the trip, but thought that they would certainly work. Well....they are silk. Not exactly good for traveling a couple thousand miles in a hot suitcase. Oh well...they are cute anyways.

We are going to be doing our fair share of hiking and swimming, but I thought this skirt from Banana looked perfect for a nice dinner out or while browsing the streets of Santorini. I'd probably pair with with a more casual top though. 

That bring me to shoes. This is the hardest part. Of course I'm going to bring flip flops for the beach and tennis shoes for the real outdoorsy stuff, but I also wanted a pair of comfortable sandals that I could wear without looking like A. A hopeless tourist or B. Ending up with debilitating blisters. These Merrells are highly recommended for traveling and are the cutest that I could find.....and I think they are hideous.

Why would I want to buy the orthopedic looking Merrells when I could have these beauties? Oh well, sacrifices must be made.

Kansas City

While we certainly aren't going overboard on summer vacations because of our Greek Extravaganza, (Yes...I'm going to call it that from now on...) we did make it out to Kansas City a couple of weeks ago for a long weekend. My husband's fraternity brother was getting married and one of my best friends  just bought a new condo there, so it was perfect time for a visit. 

We came up on a Friday afternoon and met Sarah at her place. (She was kind enough to let us crash there the first night.) Here's Sarah in front of her awesome condo right on the Plaza...

After a great dinner we headed over to the Power and Light district. (AKA what St. Louis would have if Ballpark Village would ever come to fruition.) It was awesome. It really made me sad that we have a muddy hole in it's place. The place was full of great bars and clubs and was PACKED. The city was really supporting their new hot spot.  Luckily, I didn't get any pictures of myself, but here is one of my husband dancing with Sarah. Should I be concerned? :)

Saturday we did a little shopping damage on the Plaza before heading over to our hotel. We stayed at The Raphael on the Plaza. It is a fantastic historic hotel. The wedding took place on a country club. (Can't remember the name..Indian Hills maybe?) The ceremony was outdoors and the dinner was inside. They had a gorgeous tent set up outside where the dancing took place. By that time it was breezy and cool. Of course I failed to get any of the important bride and groom pics, but here is one of us on the golf course and the great lantern set up inside the tent. It was beautiful. My pictures don't do it justice. 

We continued the party at a few bars on the Plaza which meant that Sunday I woke up with a hangover from hell. We managed to get the heck out of town. The rest of the day isn't worth reporting about.  (OK, we did make an emergency stop for a greasy fast food breakfast, but you didn't really need to know that...)

I also just realized that I used the word "plaza" like 30 times in this post. Sorry....there is no other word for it. Plaza Plaza Plaza. There. Now I used it like 33 times....

Holiday Weekend Recap

I'm feeling lazy, so I'm going to use bullet points for this post. Otherwise I'll get very long winded and boring...

Thursday:

-Got off work early. Woo hoo!

-Celebrated my sister in law's 21st birthday! She is currently undergoing chemo/radiation for Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma, so it wasn't quite as wild of a time as the average 21st birthday party. (She isn't allowed to drink. Oh the irony. Her friends and family sure seemed to pick up the slack though.) My in-laws hosted a great BBQ for her and about 30 of her closest friends. Afterwards we all went to Llywelyn's in Webster to see Jake's Leg. (A Grateful Dead Cover band that SIL enjoys.) It was a great time. I think she had a great 21st despite the circumstances. 

Friday:

-Enjoyed a little pool time at my grandpa's.

-Went to McGurk's for a few pre-game beverages and fried foods. 

-Went to the Cards/Cubs game with my husband and sisters. We ended up losing, but it was an exciting game and the loss didn't seem quite so bad when the fireworks started up. Went to Shannon's afterwords to wait out the traffic. The whole fireworks thing ending at the exact same time as the Card's game = TRAFFIC DISASTER. 

Saturday:

-Another day at the pool. The billowy clouds and cool breeze sort of fooled me. I got a little too much sun. 

-Went to our good friend's Jeff and Laura's house for another BBQ and to hang out with our god-daughter Kate. She is the cutest thing in the world and just started crawling. She is obsessed with the vent/registers when the cool air is blowing out. Hilarious. Here's a pic. She was not too thrilled about being pulled away from the register.

Sunday:

-A lazy day. Had my Dad, uncle and grandpa over for dinner. They are currently all bachelors with no cooking skills and can always use a home cooked meal.

That's about it. It was a great weekend which made it infinitely harder to get up for work this morning. Why can't they all be three day weekends?!

Am I in the Twilight Zone? - Another Sammy Update!

You are not going to believe this. I just got home from work and look what I found....

He's gotten rid of ALL the plants! Did he find my blog or something and realize my hatred of his gardening? Seriously--did one of you send a note or something? Not that these lumps of dirt and leftover mulch are any better than the random plants or anything, but it's freaky!