Countdown to Florida...

It's been made official, next week Nick and I will embark on a road trip to Florida. 12 days of warmth and meeting the other half of his family. We are renting a car and stopping in Orlando for a couple of days. We'll be staying with his older sister then its off to Miami to meet his dad, Ernesto, and his younger sister... oh and not to mention tons of cousins. In case you don't already know Nick's father is from Cuba so i'm going to be in for a treat.

Nick has already been testing Cuban dishes out on me. I'm a fan of plantains and i really love avocado (his dad has an avocado tree!). He has made chorizo with rice and his picadillo is getting better and better with each attempt.

Lets just say i'm looking forward to meeting the large Cuban side of his family not to mention the 12 day break from Columbia life. Might I also add that Key West is within a decent distance... i'm interested to see how well i remember Key West. I am super pumped and ready to get out of Missouri! 8 days until lift off.

Happy Birthday to Nick... and post 50!

The weekend was great. The weather was awesome. It was Nick's 27th birthday. We road tripped to a couple of places. All and all it was just a perfect weekend. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Let's start with the recap:

Friday night: got off work. went home to check the mail. one of nick's gifts arrived. changed clothing, grabbed weekend outfits, and headed to dinner downtown (the "district"). Flatbranch had a crazy long wait so we (Scott, Nick, Scott's friend whose name i cannot remember, and i) walked over to Colosseum Bistro. Dinner was tasty as were the drinks. From there Nick and i called it a night (this was at like 10 o'clock).

Saturday: I woke up early (8ish) and showered then woke up Nick at 8:30. He had no clue what he was in store for. We left his place and picked up Scott and Fish. Grabbed some McDonald's breakfast and then we were on the road. Nick has no clue where we were going. When we arrived at the Lake of the Ozarks we stopped at Ozarkland to check out all of the wondrous treasures they had to offer. The big purchase was 4 grab bags each costing $3!

Contents of these grab bags:
Scott's:
2 different magnets with "the Ozarks" and 2 different persons names
1 belt buckle with mistletoe on it
1 classic toy truck with broken headlight
1 necklace
1 Shot glass with "Eric's Bar" written on it
1 friendship beaded bracelet with the name "Brooke"
and a small personal fan
I'm sure there were other things but i can't remember.
Nick's:
1 Broken wooden cap gun
2 Ozark magnets
2 different necklaces one with a star.
2 different named shot glasses one was Jessica's bar
Fish's:
1 Stuffed frog with Velcro hands and a heart on its belly saying "#1 Teacher". When you squeeze the frog is makes kissing noises.
2 more magnets
umm i really don't remember what else Fish's grab bag contained...
Mine:
1 Necklace
1 pair of Earrings
1 cedar jewelry box with Unicorn painted on top
2 magnets
2 shot glasses
and a fan

All of the magnets wound up on the exterior of my car... they are still there.

Apparently there are no longer airbrush artists at the lake. So, instead of an airbrushed shirt we just went to a bar and played pool for a bit. Then a round of mini golf and some go karts. Somewhere in there we went to lunch and i gave Nick his first gift, a Superman DVD. Back towards Columbia I stopped and filled my car with gas ($1.99 a gallon!!!!) then got back on the road and headed towards KC.

Nick had no clue we were going anywhere else. He thought the end of the line was CoMo. We made it to Westport where we met up with Laura and Kyle to watch the epic tale "Jesus Camp". This was an amazing movie. I recommend everyone go and see it if is at a theater near you.


After the movie we went next door to Kelly's/Joe's pizza for some food and a beer. Then it was off to the Velvet Dog and back on the road to CoMo.

I will have more pictures to share later.

A Little Update

I'm going to keep some of the exact details to myself but, my birthday was perfect after work ended. Bud and i went to the berg for a couple glasses of wine where we ran into some of my favorite regulars Dr Lee and John. They were in town from Rolla for a visit. I met up with Nick after 7:30 (per his directions).

He surprised me with some white lillys and then wisked me away to Tellers for dinner. Before our meal arrived he gave me a beautiful silver necklas with a teardrop shaped rose quartz charm. After dinner we went back to his place for a little champagne and dessert. Nick is a writer who moonlights as the supervisor of the sales department for Socket. He wrote me this lovely story that made me cry because it is the story of us. He plans to add to the story through out the years. Post dessert we met up with some friends at Addisons. Scott bought me a "Terry Berry Cherry Bomb" and i then fell asleep in the booth.

Basically, things are just wonderful right now. Before meeting up with Nick on my birthday i spoke with my grandma on the phone. For those of you that don't know, my grandma is the glue that holds my family together. She is the most caring, sweet, and loving person i have met. i can only hope to be half as giving as she has been. On the phone she asked, "I don't mean to be nosy, but are things getting pretty serious between you and Nick?" to which i gave my usual response "well, i plan to keep him around for a while". She then went on and on about how much she really likes him and feels that he is the best guy for me. It just really means a lot to know that my family likes Nick as much as i do. My grandma even told him on Sunday that she loves him so, its safe to say they wouldn't mind if i keep him around for a while :)

Yeah, so i'm awake

Ok, so, it's about 3 hours and 42 minutes into my 25th birthday. I'm rather unexcited about the date because i'm not a huge birthday person. It's kind of awkward receiving that much attention all day. I'm more a fan of the quick bursts of attention that come from a good joke or doing something silly. Anyway, i figure i'll just type up a blog about my weekend...

Friday, i left work early to rush home and pack up my stuff. My hopes were that we (Nick and I) would get on the road by 5:30 in order to make it to the Balloon Glow in StL. Of course, no one really leaves at their estimated departure time, we left after 6. The Balloon Glow, for those of you who don't know, is an event held at Forest Park (where the Zoo, Science Center, and History Museum.. Art Museum are) annually the night before the Great Hot Air Balloon Race. It's starts at around 7 pm and ends at 8:30pm. Basically what happens is all of the balloons gather in a field (which happens to be next to a lake) and fill up and light up the evening sky like little Chinese Lanterns. Its absolutely breathtaking. Nick and i made it just in time for the last 20 minutes and were able to find Chris and Sara with out any trouble. The place was more crowded than... well i can't think of a good analogy but lets just say it was really crowded. Anyway, my parents left way to late, and weren't able to meet us at the Balloon Glow but did make it to dinner. We took the NEW metro link line to the "Loop" and ate at Fitz's. (check out the review to come on Woo's Reviews)



Saturday, what a day, Nick and i stayed at my brother, Sam's, apartment and woke up to eat breakfast/lunch with him and his new girlfriend Laura. My brother had apparently told her that i am super mean to his girlfriends so, i knew this was going to be a treat. I had wondered why she seemed a little awkward at first but, Sam fessed up to telling her that i'm mean to all of his new girlfriends. Anyway, once this was cleared up everything went smoothly and she is a very sweet woman (i would have said girl but she is 27). After lunch Nick, Laura, and I drove out to meet up with my parents in Belleville, IL at a car show. My parents were showing their 1955 2 door hard top special off. We took a little detour and wound up in Freeburg, IL, it's quite a little gem. I want to move there...not.

Saturday night we ventured off to what is becoming a slight tradition in my family, the Hangar dance. I know some of you are wondering what the "hangar" dance is, and my friend, let me tell you, it is a sight to behold! Over 1000 people gathered into a large WWII aircraft hangar and danced the night away to the sounds of a big band. Nick and i had a terrific time dancing, drinking, and chatting it up with my parents.

Sunday, we met up with my grandma for breakfast/lunch... er brunch. She is always one of my favorite people to see in StL. We were planning to go to someplace out doors but it started to rain so our options became limited. We drove to Chris and Sara's apartment and decided to go see a movie, "the Illusionist", at the old Hi-Pointe theater. Then it was back to my parents house to say goodbyes and a quick stop by a White Castle (it seriously is what i crave when i am in StL... i can't help it! i completely engorge myself on these little onion burger bombs).

Here begins the journey home to Columbia. Unfortunately it wasn't your usual boring trip back to Columbia. We stopped to go to the bathroom on the way back and about 5 miles on the road my car started to rev and shift funny (i have an automatic). Immediately my thoughts go to my transmission. Nick was driving and pulled over quickly so we could check out the engine. All of the fluids were ok and nothing looked crazy. I wasn't dragging any belts, hoses, and there wasn't smoke and flames. So we took our chances and started on the road again when the troubles persisted. In talking to my dad he seems to think that a vacuum hose has come loose or has a hole in it and that we should just keep my car in 2nd the whole way back (aka drive 45 on the highway... good times... and all of this just 4 miles outside of the Herman exit. Approximately 45-50 minutes from Columbia). We wound up taking the back roads to Columbia and made it home about an hour and a half after the troubles began.

So, today i look forward to spending half of my day in an auto shop getting my car worked on. Then i hope to make it into work. Year 25 is already starting to suck... maybe i can look forward to the cost of my car insurance going down?

No Gas Never Seems to Fail

I know that I tend to reference the "no gas" quick-e mart around the corner from my work pretty often. There is a reason for this, the craziest stuff goes down at the "no gas". Take for instance the other day, my coworker Mike and i went on a Field Trip (FT for short) to the "no gas". Upon arrival we know something was going to happen. The place was loaded with people and I could hear some rather strange noises. At first i thought a bird had flown into the store somehow.

With further inspection i changed my mind and decided that one of the customers was making the weird noises. It was all very suspect because the sounds really were so close to being that of a bird. Then i caught sight of it, the customer who was obviously making noises had a friend with him and, on this guys shoulder was a Sunny Conure (don't ask how i know the breed of bird... i'm a freak). I dunno maybe its just me but i think its a little strange when someone brings their pet bird into a store.



Anyway, to continue, Mike and I left without purchasing anything. As we walked back to the office a guy stopped us and asked if we like fish. Motioning to a plastic bag he held which, we assumed contained the fish. Ick, i'm not a huge fan of fish (i basically stick to a nice tuna steak or some salmon) and i'm not so sure that this guys "fish" would be a good idea to purchase.

A Night Well Spent

Last night instead of our usual routine of watching whatever happens to be on TV Nick and I played Super Mario Bros 3 after work... and continued to play until around 9 when we ate dinner and watched Sin City... then it was back to SM3. We went level by level with out the use of whistles.

I really loved SM3 when i was growing up. It had been forever since i played the game so my skills were pretty weak. I think they are only now coming back. Anyway my left thumb hasn't hurt this bad in ages and i find myself with the urge to go to Gunthers Games to play some Ms PacMan and Skee Ball.

What are the chances?

So, I have become a fan of Project Runway these last couple of weeks. I blame nick. He has it on after work and now I am addicted to finding out what is "in" and "out". From this show I have gathered some fashion knowledge... maybe it’s not the best but I know what I like so umm yeah. I guess in the end that’s all that really matters.

Last night I was going through my closet to pick my outfit for work. I came across an old vintage skirt that I had never worn. I don't know why I have held onto it. Maybe I felt since I paid money for it I should keep it until I wear it.

Ok so let me start with where and when I got this skirt. It was a long time ago. I think it was my freshman year of college. I was in the height of my rockabilly/vintage faze. Megan Simmons had invited me to go with her dance partner Dan to this HUGE old factory filled with clothing. We dug through it for hours. I came out with a couple of skirts. I think on average they cost between $3 and $5.

I bought this skirt because I liked the little pockets and it kind of fit. It was a little big but I figured I’d grow into it. As luck would have it I gained weight somewhere in those 6 years. Last night I tried it on and it fits perfectly!

This brings me to why I am writing about this skirt that has been holding a place in my closet for years. I looked at the label and it’s Max Mara. The skirt is it excellent condition and I figured I would just check into the manufacturer. Well apparently Max Mara is an Italian couture label. Skirts similar to this one are selling for a pretty penny. It’s always nice to find little gems that have been hiding out in your closet and realize that they are worth a little money too.