Vida

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 oatmeal tubes) for refills. Growing

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 buttons, b