Vida

After admiring the leaves on our runs and my bike to work, we recruited my parents to take some photos of us there this weekend.   After these photos (and tackling some IT issues for my parents) we went to a birthday gathering at the jazz festival on Cherokee Street.  I liked it more than I thought I would. As the night wore on, I started chatting with one of the friend of a friend's there.  I started going in to what a crazy year and some change it's been and, whew, it really started to overwhelm me.   This morning, Mike woke up overwhelmed by our world/specifically our country.  I woke up with that conversation still in my head and also felt overwhelmed.  We treated ourselves to Sump Coffee and had a chat.  It's not always we sit down and talk about what we want and steps to get there. Fall feels like the perfect time to reset.  As we went through the day I also thought, it's okay to miss things in the past, but it woul...

We could not have asked for better fall weather this weekend.  70 degrees.  Sunny.  We just wanted to be outside the entire time.   We went for runs and decided we needed to spend even more time appreciating the fall foliage, which apparently will peak in two weeks.  So two more weeks to enjoy!  We checked out a new to us restaurant.   Then we took a trip to Grant's Farm, which neither one of us had been to since we were kids.  And neither one of us remembered.  Capping off another day spent outside. Monday I hopped on my bike to get to work and my body felt tired from the fun of the weekend.  I looked out my window at my desk and saw so many beautiful leaves, I took a photo on the walk back to where I park my bike. P.S. Yes, I got a new job!  Hooray!  A more detailed update is coming.

A couple weeks ago after partying at Grovefest the night before with VIP passes, which included free alcohol, we pulled ourselves out of bed in the morning for one of a Connecting St. Louis Ride.  And we did not regret the decision. We all met on our bikes in our neighborhood, made several stops a developments, hearing mostly positive, but also some realistic views on what some large developments cost people.  We ventured west, north and downtown before wrapping up the ride back in our neighborhood at the brewery that's slated to open in the next few weeks (yet we've already been there multiple times for parties they've had over the summer).   We rode in the existing bike structure in St. Louis and learned about future plans.  It was a pretty lovely morning!

This past week my grandma passed away.  We will all miss her smiles and way to bring order to a room and I thought I would share a few memories of her. Grandma was always taking care of us.  She had a tradition to make birthday cakes for everyone in the family, including her kids and grandkids.  She made my birthday cake every year up until a couple years ago.  She would make whatever you requested, but I was in love with Angel Food so that was always my choice.  As you can imagine, as the family grew, so did Grandma's baking schedule.  Even when we went off to college she would pack up the cake in popcorn and mail our cakes to us.  (I enjoyed the popcorn too, even though she said not to eat it because it was stale...she also had high standards.)  And, oh man, when she would send her random, no occasion goody boxes while I was at college I would hide them and try to make the treats last as long as possible, always returning containers (often oat...

Six years ago my maternal grandmother passed away and I kept a few of her clothes, coffee maker (still in use)*, and some of her glasses to help me think of her. And boy was I excited when I saw one of her sweaters styled in a new way as part of Sezane's fall collection! Mario Jumper I immediately pulled it out and wore it again!  The only issue with this styling is it is missing a couple buttons.  The first time I buttoned it this year I thought it wouldn't be a problem at all.  Then I started googling and realized those buttons aren't made anymore.  (And they're hard to find.)  The only ones I could find in the States were "collectors items".  I ended up finding some for sale in the UK and they were the only ones I could find.  I now know more about these buttons than I ever thought I would. Mike: How old is this sweater? Me: Probably 50 years. As I relayed this story to my sister she added: Karen: At least. So stay tuned on the bu...

Hey Friends!  I'm still here! I've been meaning to write an update for quite some time, I just haven't set aside the time.  It's been a bit of a rough summer over here.  I was laid off from my job at the end of June.  Since I was the primary bread winner in our family things have been pretty stressful while I look for a new one.  Hence, I've been job hunting 7 days a week. If I've learned anything it's that there are lows and highs.  Last week I got a call for an interview at a highly desirable organization and an email for a second round somewhere else.  That was a high.  (My mouth fell open when I got the voicemail for an interview at the desirable organization.)  Then I had the interview this week, found out their typical job interview process takes 2 months and I still haven't heard anything further about the second round interview.  So yesterday was a low. Note: most weeks if I had 2 interviews it's a real win!  I th...

It's been warmer than usual around here for the past month.  Don't get me wrong, we like it.  We made it without air conditioning until Mike's family visited for Memorial Day.  Although, my Chicago brain still gets a little weary when I see a week of 90+ temperatures.  But then I sit out on our back porch all day and it's actually pretty comfortable. This morning I was ready for the loop run around Forest Park.  I rolled out of bed earlier than normal, especially considering today I have a comp day for working over the weekend, and laced up my shoes.  My legs, honestly, felt a bit achy, but I told myself to give it a try and I would take breaks if needed.   We had a well rounded dinner last night.  I made this while Mike mowed the grass.  We use one of these because it's really all we need.  In the summer I usually keep meals pretty easy, but last night it felt like we needed something more substantive.  As soon as I ...

A couple weeks ago one of my friends came to visit.  We had a wonderful, fun-filled, busy weekend.  Sunday evening when Mike & I were sharing our high and low of the weekend, I said my high was my breakfast chats with my friend. A quick note for context.  I stay prepared to have at least one breakfast meal so no one's rushed to get ready after a day of travel.  Well, it turns out Sunday morning we were tired from the day before so I pulled some things together.  Two days of breakfast at our table.  Two days of catch-up chats. The morning after a night out or a day of fun, hanging around, recapping, and wherever that conversation leads is sometimes my favorite part.  That's when we really caught up and processed our adventures from the day before.

This year we signed up to participate in our neighborhood's community garden.  We have no idea what we're doing, but we planted the April seeds (and tomato starter) yesterday.  Fingers crossed something grows!

When you move to a new place it takes some time to find "your" new places.  Your go to Mexican place.  Your most comfy coffee shop.  The right amount of laid back bar.  We're starting to make some progress, but we've been here 8 months.  I keep hearing things feel more homey at the year mark. We've been searching for a go to Indian place since we moved and dare I say (we cheated) but we found one! We've tried several Indian places around the area, Mike has high standards for his Chicken Tikka Masala.  ;)  And nothing was really clicking, except a place Mike went in the suburbs, which we don't want to hike out to all the time. A couple weeks ago we were deciding where to go to dinner and decided to stay in the neighborhood and go to one of the places we hadn't made it to yet.  We ended up at Sameem Afghan Restaurant.  We we surprised to find a wait (a short one) and a bustling restaurant.  And we sure did find out why!  It wa...

Have you seen any bands in concert more than once? I have a close battle between the number of times I've seen Walk the Moon and Matt + Kim going.  Ironically, I saw both of them in concert this year.  I never thought I'd be someone who saw a band more than once, honestly, but when you see a good show and you keep being drawn in by their new music, it happens. I went to see Matt + Kim last night in St. Louis.  This was one of my first concerts in St. Louis.  Yes, I've attended LouFest for years, that's a music festival so it's different.  Mike & I went and saw Night Riots and Dreamers at a smaller venue in the fall.  I was excited to check out a larger venue and to be reunited with Matt + Kim. They put on a show, like they always do.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  It's the smallest crowd I've been in for a Matt + Kim concert and vibes are just different here.  Maybe it was because it was a Tuesday night. ...

In the past two weeks we've made our own pizza's twice.  I think this idea is going to stick because it's fun and easy. We've been using this crust recipe and enjoying it: Sally's Baking Addiction . My favorite combination (so far) is adding some chipotle to the sauce and jalapeños , and caramelized onions on top. It's super affordable and delicious. We ate these right before we went and saw Black Panther .  Go see it.

Do you remember a few years ago when one mug desserts were everywhere?   Last week they popped in to my brain again for an easy sweet and I'm here to remind all of you! can you see the steam??? 2 Tablespoons Flour or baking mix (or any flour of choice)
  2 Tablespoons sugar or 1-2 packets of stevia
  1 Tablespoon cocoa powder 
  1 Tablepsoon Coconut Butter/Oil or Vegetable Oil
  1 Tablespoon water dash of salt Mix the sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt in the mug and mix. Next, add the oil and water, and mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Your brownie should be gooey in the center.

Juju Papers - Sisters of the Sun - Gold on Cream Sunday our day went a little like this. I always get up before Mike and I take my time enjoying coffee and making my breakfast while diving in to our plan for the day. Once Mike got up we took our typical 8 mile run, which was really beautiful and I'm starting to get myself back in running shape from the lax I always seem to take in the winter.  Although I didn't take as much of a break this winter as I usually do. Errands.  Does anyone like these?  I do not.  We went to an inner suburb that has all the stores we need and Mike always comments on how poorly designed it is. Mike focused on his homework and I spent the next three hours hanging a gallery wall.  This is the first gallery wall I've hung that I wanted multiple columns to be even and line up.  It was not the most enjoyable project.  And I'm sure it's not perfect, except in my eyes.  Three hours. After dinner I spent about the...

Guys, real talk.  Mike is not a fan of leftovers.  I eat a lot of leftovers, I'm not a huge fan of cooking every single night.   I've started using leftovers in different dishes so he doesn't even notice! Last week, I was really proud of my creativity using these leftover  Herbed Goat Cheese Polenta Bites three different ways!  And now, friends, they're all gone. First, we ate them as the recipe directs as a side for Valentine's Day which I put way too much energy in to and we had way too much food. Second, I made a mushroom sauce to go over the top.  Vegan Mushroom Gravy Third, we used them as croutons for Minestrone Soup . We enjoyed each dish, they weren't something we really wanted to have on the side at every meal for the next week.  They made each of the dishes a bit more substantial and less cooking for me!  Win win over here! P.S.  I've also found many leftovers can be put in a tortilla with some different sauce an...

The teenagers from Parkland are giving me so much hope.  So much hope.  I think this is the first time I've read a political news article and smiled since Nov. 8, 2016. Is the Tide commercial making anyone else cry during the Olympics? As someone who's not generally a TV fan, how is it possible for me to get so involved, so quickly, in every sport?  Which by the way I know nothing about. Anyone ever try Door Dash.  I'm not big on delivery services in general, but after a bad experience with Grub Hub we gave Door Dash a try and we are fans. When a friend recommends a happy hour place, you go.  So Thursday morning a friend told me about Mangia Italiano.  Thursday happy hour Mike & I were there.  

Do you ever think of somewhere and just the thought makes you smile? As we drove to Chicago over the weekend for a memorial, I had quite a bit of time to think.  Because, friends, I didn't sleep.  I almost always take a little nap while Mike drives me on a road trip.  Whistler I've actually only been to Whistler twice.  And both times were just so good. #1 Mike & I had just decided it probably made more sense to look to buy a house in St. Louis and we were going on our first house hunting visit that weekend.  We ended up at the Whistler patio.  As we discussed (read: googled) if it's necessary to have a realtor (answer: yes, very much so.  oh the things we learned...) to look at houses, we made friends with the outdoor bartender.  We watched his supplies as he set-up, he gave us shots as a thank you.  Good people, good times.  The night ended arriving at Dante's as they closed and Mike getting a free slice from one of the wor...

You know it's such a hassle to change your name there are websites (which you pay for) to guide you through each step?  I wasn't exactly willing to pay the money, so I'm sure I paid it in time. Yes, I decided to change my name.  I definitely put some thought in to keeping mine.  I was planning to tackle the paperwork in a year or so but one of my friends changed her name over the summer after being married about 5 years and she said she wished she would have just done it to begin with.  I guess the longer you wait the more complicated it is.  Then we went on a family trip with Mike's family earlier this year and his parents generously bought our flights.  They asked if I would be Albin by then and I suddenly had a deadline. We got married 6 months ago and I finally see the end.  One more credit card and my passport.  I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of right now. Social Security Office The first step was to update my socia...