StinkyLemsky: A Child of the 80s Grows Up

Oh yeah, and other stuff happened too!

Since my weekend winery recap took longer to post than it did to actually experience, I have a bit of catching up to do. Two weekends ago, my favorite sister-in-law aka best friend aka Mitch's twin sister aka Katie came to visit. It's been TOO long since she last visited (though none of us were quite able to figure out exactly when that was, we're pretty sure it was around March - which doesn't seem like that long ago but it IS). I wanted to plan lots of fun stuff for her visit because we generally just lay around and discuss the finer points of SYTYCD (so you think you can dance, in case you're not into the acronym thing) when she's here.

So, Friday (after a long day of working from home together - MUCH more fun than working from home by myself), we decided to head to a local bar for some appetizers and drinks. Oh, and some highly excellent mullet watching. There were some INTERESTING critters there, let me tell you. When a guy busted out a personal collapsible neck & back massage chair (???) we were OUT of there. Our highly exciting night out turned into a highly exciting night in (punctuated by several games of darts and pool and I'm pretty sure it was very fun but my memories are diluted by the vodka tonics consumed in bulk).

The next day, we were adventurous and headed downtown to check out Pappy's - the best bbq in St. Louis according to some. You may have even seen it on Man vs Food. My oh my - it was DELICIOUS. I am still fairly certain that my husband's pulled pork is equally delicious, the sides were out of this world (and the sides are my favorite part of bbq, so that's a tasty coincidence). After that, we headed to the Science Center.

 

Now Mitch, be serious and stop threatening to eat your sister.

 

That's more like it.

We all enjoyed the science center exhibits (while we were a little underwhelmed by the T-Rex named Sue section, I'm sure it would have been more fun if we had my nephews with us as the exhibit had many features aimed at kids). The sensory exhibits were by far our favorite.

How high of a decible can you hear?

  Tracing using mirrors.

Serving Katie's head on a platter

Realizing my husband is more flexible than me

Building the arch. Note the heart monitor - he no longer has to wear it! Only one more Dr. Appointment and his whole accident ordeal is OVER. Hopefully.

Heading to the Planetarium

 Finding out how much it would cost to send me to outer space. I think we'll pass on that for now - well, forever really. I can think of a lot more things to do with 1.5 million dollars should the opportunity arise.

And, after catching an ocean movie at the Omnimax, we were totally exhausted and decided to head home where we ended up throwing an impromptu bbq party for several of our close friends that I hadn't seen in quite some time. We all used to travel together (long time readers of my blog may remember that's how I met Katie and therefore Mitch) and opportunities are scarce to meet up. Katie being in town gave us the excuse to hang out and reminisce about crazy adventures in Cabo, Vegas, Europe, South America.... the list goes on. Again, I consumed my weight in vodka tonics so many of the details are vague. I do, however remember that it was a complete blast & can't wait for Katie to come back soon!

Weekend at the Wineries, Part 5

Sorry about the time lag - I'm sure you were all waiting on bated breath for the next installment of our winery trip recap! Work has been so crazy lately that I can't really promise more than one or two posts a week anytime in the near future. Hopefully you'll keep coming back anyway, of course!

Anyway, we were leaving Oak Glenn and heading to Hermanhoff. But, first, we had to make a pit stop.

 

 

Oh, my - the cherry pie a la mode was fantastic. In between bites, there was ample time to get my hiney beat in checkers.

 

Yes, it was a total massacre. I did have one particularly cool triple jump that vindicated me somewhat, so don't feel too bad for me. After finishing up, we started five minute walk to Hermannhoff winery.

 

We settled on a dry white wine & found a covered table because rain was moving in. Above, you can see the view from our table - it was so peaceful. We had our wine and some chips and salsa and enjoyed our view of the town's 4th of July parade while we talked about everything from the finer points of salsa varieties (corn & black bean? manga habanero?) to which movie we wanted to watch later that night. No cell phones, no email, just hanging out with my hubby and a bottle of wine.

For dinner, we walked to a bar & grill for some pizza and beer before heading back to the B&B for some lounging. We didn't even go down to the river for the fireworks show because we were so comfy. (Which turned out to be a great idea because it started pouring rain by the time the show ended).

The next morning, we enjoyed our last room service breakfast before heading home - but not without promising each other we'd be back next year!

Weekend at the Wineries, Part 3

My apologies for the lack of posting - work was absolutely kicking my hiney this week! (To the point where I'd be scarfing down lunch at 2pm and having to force myself to stop working ten hours into my day). I also had a girls' night out on Tuesday night, dinner at my grandmother's house Wednesday night, dinner out with some good friends Thursday night, and then spent the weekend with my sister in law who was in town from Ohio. Shew! Can you see why I didn't have time to write?!

Anyway, I wanted to tell you more about our dinner the first night at Hermann.

We ate at the Vintage Restaurant at Stone Hill winery & it was absolutely fantastic. It's such a quaint restaurant - the inside is a renovated barn and there's just so much character to the place.

 

They even left the hooks where the saddles would hang & you can use them as a coat hanger if you'd like. We had the earliest reservation & by the time we left the place was packed.

 

Well, hello there handsome! Dinner was FANTASTIC and it was a fun & romantic time to catch up and reminisce about the last year and a half together. After dinner we headed back to the B&B to watch a movie & just snuggle up with no cell phones or internet to interrupt us!

The next morning, we woke up early & enjoyed our room service breakfast before heading out for a bike ride on the Katy Trail.

 

It was so yummy! It rained a lot this weekend, so we were too nervous to bring our camera on the bike ride, but we did snap a few pics before heading out.

 

 

 

Because of all the rain, the trail was ROUGH! We had to divert our path a few times due to water over the trail, and only rode about ten miles instead of the twelve I think we would have ridden otherwise. The pace was slow moving, but it was fun to be the only ones out on the trail. We even saw a bona fide water fall! Once we got back to the truck it was time to head "home" and take a shower so we could head to the next winery. (To be continued!)

Weekend at the Wineries, Part II

As we pulled into historic Hermann, I started getting really excited. Mitch and I had a whole weekend to spend together - with our Blackberries turned off & officially disconnected from the world. Plus, we had stayed at the same B&B the year before, so I knew we were in for a treat!

 

It's like our own little cottage in the middle of nowhwere... no eating breakfast or sharing a bathroom with strangers for us! The layout of our room was great- first you walk into the bedroom, with its adjoining bathroom, then you have an entire separate room of living space with a jacuzzi tub, couch, fridge, microwave... well, maybe it would be easier if I just showed you:

 

See what I mean? It's the perfect little getaway! We don't even have to check in, they just leave the door unlocked & bring breakfast right to your room the next morning. After unpacking a bit, we decided to head up to Stone Hill a little early and do a wine tasting.

 

The scenery is just beatiful - with vines running right up the the road. The first time we visited, I knew I had to convince my youngest sister to get married here. Um, no - she's not like dating anyone or anything, but why should that stop me from picking out her wedding venue? That's how Mitch and I found our church - my older sister had attended a wedding there & just knew it would "fit" us.

 

Sigh - isn't it beautiful? It's hard to capture the rolling hills of grapevines with my limited photography skills, but just trust me. Gorgeous! After sampling a few wines & deciding which ones to bring home with us, we had a few minutes to sit at the picnic tables and enjoy the view before dinner. We also just happened to get what we both decided was the best picture of us ever taken, hands down.

Stay tuned for Part 3!

Weekend at the Wineries, Part 1

My birthday started off just as I would have wanted... sleeping in and watching some Tivo. (Yes, that's right - my leisure time standards are pretty boring). Then, after a quick lunch of Chinese food with my mom and youngest sister, the hubs and I were off to the wineries. It was a trip planned to act as our birthday gift to each other (our second annual), and after we had SO MUCH FUN last year, we couldn't wait to return! Hermann is only about an hour from our house & it feels like our own little getaway.

 

Well, hello there cutie! Shortly after I took this photo I had to follow the paparazzi rule and take one of myself.

 

Disclaimer: Yes, I realize those sunglasses are hideous. What can I say? They were free.  

In other news, if you were wondering how much stuff two people need for 2 nights at the wineries, the answer is: A lot.

'

The final tally? Two bikes, helmets, two suitcases, one picnic basket, two lawn chairs, one cooler, one bag of groceries, and one large blanket. And a partridge in a pear tree... I felt like I was filming an episode of Jon & Kate ("and those are our vitamins because we won't be eating organic.").

Really, though, I'm too tired to string a completely coherent paragraph together at this point, but stay tuned. I'll have lots of pictures of our trip & a complete recap of each day. Time seems to stand still in Hermann, I feel like I've been gone a week!

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a shot of the courthouse. It sits on the riverfront just as you enter town and immediately makes you feel like you've been wisked away to a European (German to be exact) village via time warp. Or warp zone (Super Mario Brother style); when really you've barely reached the end of your favorite radio station broadcast limits.

Blast from the past - 2002

Yesterday, my recently graduated sister asked me if I had Christmas pictures from 2006. You see, she's trying to catch up on her photo albums & that's as far as she had gotten before she fell into the rabbit hole of college & sorority life. Which, hey - spending time in real life versus memorializing past life, I'm all for it. Anyway, as I looked through my photo archives, I realized how digital cameras have changed the way I can view my photos, and I - for one - am so happy about it! Mitch and I have 7 years of photos on our computer that can be browsed by date or topic at any time. Dusty boxes (or in my mom's case, old pieces of dusty luggage), no longer part of the photo scrounging experience. Coincidentally, I do NOT have Christmas pictures from 2006 (sorry Ellen), as I was in Ohio for Christmas that year. It was the first year I spent a major holiday away from my family because of (gasp) a boy! To be fair, he had spent Thanksgiving away from his family earlier in 2006, so it was a hard year for both of us.

Anyway, thanks to the longest intro of a topic EVER, I will now get to the point. I thought it would be fun to go back through my archives, starting in 2002, and pick a few favorite shots to share with you. Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

2002 was the year my dad died (in August), so we decided to take a cruise over Christmas instead of doing the usual traditions.

 

From left, Ellen, Beth, my mom, Susan, and I. Insert mandatory "Aww, you're all so cute" here.

It was also the first time I had a digital camera, so my options are pretty limited for pictures of 2002. Seeing as how this was Christmas and all.

 

I just loved this picture of Ellen looking out at the sunset. I haven't been on a cruise since I left my job as a Travel Director, but there's really nothing quite like the sun setting over the middle of the ocean.

Oh, and did I mention this is the trip where I got my first tattoo?

 

Oh, I'm just KIDDING, Mom! That's a hemp tattoo. My husband probably had a heart attack right that very minute. Please note my incrdibly stylish accessorizing skills - with my ankle bracelet, THUMB ring, and silver wristlet that I'm just willing to bet the farm was a Christmas present from my grandma. Oh, and who could resist the bright red nails - ooh la la. Oh dear. Oh dear me. I've never been stylish in my life and it's becoming apparent that I never will be. Thank goodness for my sisters (that includes you, Katie!) - they keep me on the straight and narrow. Except... wait a minute... where were you guys when I was sporting that HEMP tattoo?! Huh?

This is also the year before I decided to lose weight. Exhibit A:... Well - scratch that. I couldn't bring myself to post exhibit A. Call it fear of the internet, but well - why SHOULD I post unflattering pictures of myself that might end up on "America's Obesity Epidemic" or something? Forget that! It's my blog and I'll do what I want to, do what I want to... you would exercise-editorial-control-over-unflattering-photos-too if it happened to yoooouu. Doo doo do do do.

And that concludes today's walk down memory lane. Tune in tomorrow (or Thursday, depending on how on the ball I am) for pics from 2003.

Introducing my favorite part of the wedding we attended this weekend...

The photo booth!

 

Come on, honey! You can't even be a little goofy with me. Sigh - I wonder if I can find some more oddballs...

 

Yep! Plenty of oddballs when my family is around. (I mean that in the most loving way possible, you guys).

 

And what's a shot of the four sisters without a little "Kiss" interpretation?

Ellen's Graduation Party

First of all, let me just say how excited I am that hubby and I got some yard work done today! Memorial Day = one big success, in my book! Yes, it involved a 7am trip to Home Depot, and yes we completed some work in the rain, and YES I came WAY closer to creepy crawlies than I ever needed to in my whole entire life... but we finished a project! YAY! (Photos to come this week). Of course, I forgot to take "before" pictures and I'm kicking myself right now because the transformation is really much more dramatic when you see what we started with, but oh well, we'll all survive, right? Right? It really is actually a GOOD thing that I forgot to take pictures because I remembered a file saved on my flash drive with before pictures of the whole house and I think I'll do a whole series of posts on how we've changed the house since we moved into it.

In the meantime, however, you'll have to deal with getting a photo post from Ellen's graduation party. It should be noted that I was solely responsible for taking pictures and somehow managed to get incredibly intoxicated around 3pm - thus the lack of evening pictures (or, really, pictures of 90% of the guests). Sigh - that's what drinking to prove you're not pregnant will do to a gal! It was worth every drop. Well, perhaps not to hubby who had to come fetch me after hours of studying (he was at the party for a few hours but then had to go home and study. He's so dilligent!).

Without further adieu...

Here's a picture of Mitch and I - we were amongst the first to arrive.

 

Here is my mom and Ellen, the graduate!

 

Beth hanging out with Gavin... Nice shades!

 

Ellen with John & Nancy - they are basically my Aunt & Uncle though we aren't related by blood or marriage. (Maybe in the next generation!)

 

Beth with both Grant & Gavin

 

This is one of the things I love about family gatherings... Everyone's hanging out drinking & chatting for hours on end. The last stragglers (okay - yes - I was one of the stragglers) didn't leave until 9:30 (over eight hours after the party started). Many of our friends live in different states, so once we all get together, there's so much catching up to do.

Congratulations on Graduating, Ellen & Good luck at Law School next year!

A belated Mother's Day celebration

Last weekend, what with my sister's graduation ceremony and (unceremonious) moving day immediately taking place thereafter, we didn't celebrate Mother's Day. However, don't think we allowed the holiday to go by completely unnoticed! For one thing, I just happen to think my mom is the coolest thing since sliced bread (okay - okay - she's WAY cooler than sliced bread, even!). For another thing, my older sister is one of the most amazing mothers I've ever met & she deserves to celebrate as well!

So, it was decided - a family breakfast at my sister's house was planned & executed this weekend. And, well, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...

 

Here's the whole gang... Ellen (the baby) is on the far left, then Susan (our hostess and my older sister). My mom is in the middle, followed by Beth (she's just a year older than Ellen) and then myself on the far right. Forgive my grubby appearance. We had to leave at 8:15am, and since I was planning on a bike ride later that day, makeup seemed totally unnecesary. Until I realized I'd be posting these pictures on Facebook and my blog. Now, I'm rethinking my logic.

 

Here's Mitch with Gavin. Mitch is Gavin's godfather and Gavin pretty much thinks Mitch is a rock star. It could have something to do with the fact that Mitch was able to show Gavin how the Transformer toy he's holding worked (uh - transformed?). Gavin got a kick out of it.

  

When he wasn't playing with his daddy, that is.

 

This is Grant, Gavin's older brother. He's also a man after our hearts (did you notice the Ohio State t-shirts?).

Breakfast was delicious, and not only did my sister and her husband prepare all the food without help, they also found time to get fresh flowers.

 

All in all, it was a wonderful morning! Oh, and my mom really loved her gifts! She got a Keurig Elite coffee maker (with over 100 coffee pods!) and a hand-made apron my sister had ordered off Etsy.

 
I have to say, Gavin's reaction to the coffee was probably the cutest thing of all...

  

And, with that, we move on. Ellen's graduation party is this weekend, so expect some more photos to come!

I had to get that dorky post further down the page...

Congratulations to my sister, Ellen, on her graduation from college this weekend!

 

(She's the red-head on the right)

 

Susan, Beth and I prior to the ceremony. Note to self: When you're expecting to sit outside for three hours, wear sunscreen. Even if it's been raining for ten days.

 

Now she's off to law school (starting this Fall at Tulane) for the next three years (SOB).

My baby sister is all grow-d up!