Vida

Here we are.  A couple of new St. Louisans.   I think it's fair to say we both feel a bit lost right now, especially surrounded by boxes.  The tricky part of these boxes is we are currently in temporary housing so we're not sure how much to unpack and how much to set aside for when we move again... I arrived yesterday and Mike helped me carry in the big furniture once he got home from class.  As I looked at the puddle of sweat I was dropping, I walked up to the shower to see all the bruises appearing on my legs.  Honestly, my dad moved all the boxes in the truck into the townhouse during the day all on his own.  Let's all pause to give a round of applause for my dad!  Aside from the fact that it was above and beyond what we could have asked, I was beat after packing my car (to capacity), cleaning our place in Chicago and driving to St. Louis.  (Also, it's a good thing he was there because apparently the copy of Mike's key that we made in Chica...

How often do you tell someone you live in Chicago and they reply, "The traffic!" followed by a grimace. My standard response is, "It's one thing you don't get used to."   Or I didn't anyway.   I am excited to have less traffic in St. Louis.  Although the rest of this post is contradicting that fact.  It is usually true. Sunday we made our way to my parents little Missouri town, Ste. Genevieve.  It was right on the line for the solar eclipse and Mike had school orientation on Wednesday.  Getting out of Chicago was one of the lightest traffic we've experienced.  The rest of the ride, not so much. Apparently lots of people were on the same route as us.   Wednesday I made myself comfortable at a coffee shop near St. Louis University campus to work and it turned out to be SLU's move in day.  It was in the 70s Wednesday so I settled in outside until the tension between the cars and traffic directors got to be too much (and I needed to c...

Hey, friends, happy "Thirsty Thursday".  I feel like I haven't used that phase since college.  Oh college.... I guess I'm getting older.  Mike & I are having a date night tonight since we're both having our respective bachelor/bachelorette parties this weekend.  Wahoo! Let's pretend, instead, you & I are sitting down for Happy Hour, "Thirsty Thursday," if you will.  It's one of those happy hours where the bar isn't insane, the wait staff is somewhat nice, and we feel like sharing real events in life, not just how upset we are with our country and talk of TV shows (which I can never really contribute to).  And, hey, let's say they have solid specials too.  Why not?  So here we go.   How's your summer been?  Mine has been a bit crazy.  Here's what I'd tell you: -At the surface we're planning a wedding, house hunting and moving out of the city I've lived in for 12 years and away from all my friends. -Wait....

Zucchini is back and strong and I'm so excited! I went to Stanley's for my weekly vegetable run and saw they were $.69/lb.  $.69/lb!  Half my basket was zucchini. Every time zucchini season rolls around I make this delicious, easy, and quite healthy zucchini soup.  I'm sure I've mentioned it here before, but we all have a lot going on and a reminder never hurts. ;) So here it is courtesy of Food & Wine: Silky Zucchini Soup . I plan on making it at least once more before zucchini season ends. Fun tip:  if you have an immersion blender, the recipe is even easier!  I got mine from groupon years ago and it's still trucking along.

Over the weekend I ran my third half marathon.  Friends, it did not go well. These pictures were taken after the race when I decided I was not dead. My stomach was upset pretty much the whole run, but especially the first half and I have a cold.  (Summer colds, eh?) I still did it though.  I ran the whole thing and crossed the finish line. Feel free to read on if you're interested. It took me forever to settle in, pretty much half the run.  It usually only takes me 3 miles to settle in during a marathon.  So that was annoying.  The stomach issues were likely the cause.  I really thought cheese and I were becoming better friends, but that does not seem to be the case.   yep, even better after we sat on the ground for a half hour and with a drink in hand Around mile six, when I started to settle in, my body was like, 'oh hey, you've been neglecting me for six miles.  now you're going to be in pain.' So I was in pain the rest...

What are your hopes and dreams today? When Mike and I are at dinner or just hanging out and have honestly run out of things to talk about, Mike asks me what my hopes and dreams are.  He asks sarcastically and mostly making fun of me because I ask questions along these lines probably too much for his liking. (I'm banking on him not reading this...he's not a big fan of any blogs not about city planning or cars...) I roll my eyes a tiny bit (oh how the tables turn).  And then I always answer.  If Mike is always game when I pester him with questions like these, I definitely have to ask when he asks, even if it's sarcastically.   I really like it.  It makes me think of goals for the day/week/month and it's really good for me. So happy Tuesday, get at 'em!

I said when I turned 30 in January I was going to start using moisturizer.  Now, 6 months later, I can say I've kind of achieved the goal, but not really... I have a moisturizer from several years ago, which I received as a Christmas gift.  I used it off and on over the years, mostly off.  I've probably used it more this year than ever before, granted the bar was very low. I don't like it though.  I don't like the smell or really how it feels either. Then I heard True Botanicals released a lower-priced Basics collection designed for younger skin, technically for people in their 20s, but whatever.  I decided to try their hydrating oil (the smallest one) to see if I am able to be consistent with use. First impression: I'm still figuring out how much to use, but I love the smell.