Went to the chapel ~ Kim & Nate got married!

Going to the chapel and Nate & Kim got married!

Weddings are so fun and their wedding was the kickoff of wedding season for us.  As of now we only have one more in August but you never know!

I hope they end up getting a lot of pictures because their photographer sure didn't take more than like 5 minutes worth.  They happened to be sitting in front of us at the church and I kid you not, they were seated the entire time while everyone else had cameras, phones, etc out taking them.

The ceremony went as smooth as one can go but I swear I heard the priest say "awful wedding wife" and "awful wedding husband" instead of lawful.  Who knows, I could have been out of it!

The reception was at The Christy in South St. Louis.  I had never been there before but had heard many things about it.  It was fun...for us:

Nate and Kim were having a great time until Kim decided she needed to get to the bathroom quick.  For whatever reason, she tried to run in her dress, tripped, and when she tried to catch herself, she bent back two fingers all the way on her right hand.  Not wanting to go to the ER on her wedding night, the reception hall was able to splint her up but she was in pain all night.  The next day she went to the ER and was told both fingers were broken and they recommended she not go on their honeymoon, which was to the Bahamas and they were to leave the next day.  They got into a doctor on Sunday, he got her good to go and they left as scheduled.  Nothing vicodin and cocktails can't fix, right? ;)

Cheers Kim & Nate ~ much love for your new life together!

The Midwife's Confession - BCF

This week I'm reviewing:



Goodreads says:
Dear Anna,

What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry-

The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family - described a woman who embraced life.

Yet there was so much they didn't know.

With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit.

I say:
It was an interesting book.  It took me some time to read but it was something I wanted to finish.  I got confused a lot but in the end it kinda made sense.

I gave it 4 stars on my Goodreads list.

What are you reading?

Stuff -n- things

~ I cannot believe June is over next week - where is the summer going?

~ I am currently caught up on my scrapbooking.  Just in time to go to Mexico to have another one to do, and I'm debating when I want to start a 2014 one.  I want to do yearly ones now.  Aye ye ye!

~ Anybody watch the Real Housewives? I just watched the latest episode and apparently there's a company that makes real like babies so you can practice before having a kid.  I know they use them for classes in high school but not adults using them.  Kinda funny!

~ My sister had a Tupperware party last night.  I hadn't been to one of those in ages.  My mom use to sell it and we had a lot of it.  Anyone remember this toy:

They still sell it!  A lot of the items brought back memories, it was a fun night.

~ I've also been to Pampered Chef and 31 parties in the past few weeks.  Its been like the time to buy or something.

~ I also have friends who are selling that skin line of Roden & Fields, as well as Plexus and itWorks!  It seems like everyone is selling something nowadays.


What stuff -n- things is going on with you?

Have a great Thursday ~ go USA!

T-shirt Printing Party

I can now add "screen-printed a tee" to my list of things I've done in my life.

Yelp has been doing a series called Missouri Made, a series of free events that has showcased several home companies in the St. Louis area.

Many of us met at Shirt Kong on a random evening (I had the night randomly off from work, yay) to enjoy sweet treats and a few drinks as we learned the shirt making process.  Guests saw the screens, the ink used to create designs, the manual and electric presses and the conveyor belt used to dry the ink on the shirts.  It all depends on the amount of colors one picks for their shirt as well as how many shirts are going to be made.

After touring the facility, we got to press our own shirts with a pre-made design.  Basically you spread ink across a stencil screen that goes onto a shirt.  Very cool!

The entire gang after we made our shirts - I really wish I had this lady's camera, it seems like the people just pop out of her pictures, which is cool:

It was a fun night!  A big thank you to Shirt Kong and to Yelp.  I will definitely keep this place in mind for a few parties I may be planning in the future :)

Billy Elliott

Friday night the outdoor theatre, The Muny in St. Louis, opened with Billy Elliott.

We have season tickets and its always a date night with dinner and the plays.

I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't seen this before.

It was pretty good.  The most annoying part of the night was the gentleman behind me who had to comment on everything that happened during the play.  I have a feeling I'll be saying something to him if he's there for the future ones.

I will be giving away one set of our tickets to friends as its the Friday before we leave on our vacation so we'll need to pack and we have a friends birthday party that he expects us to be at.  So better to be safe than sorry.

Next week is Disney's Tarzan - can't wait!

Don't Go - BCF

Hey hey its Friday!

This week I'm reviewing:



Goodreads says:
When Dr. Mike Scanlon is called to serve as an army doctor in Afghanistan, he’s acutely aware of the dangers he’ll face and the hardships it will cause his wife Chloe and newborn baby.  And deep inside, he doesn’t think of himself as a warrior, but a healer.

However, in an ironic turn of events, as Mike operates on a wounded soldier in a war-torn country, Chloe dies at home in the suburbs, in an apparent household accident.  Devastated, he returns home to bury her, only to discover that the life he left behind has fallen apart.  His medical practice is in jeopardy, and he is a complete stranger to the only family he has left - his precious baby girl.  Worse, he learns a shocking secret that sends him into a downward spiral.

Ultimately, Mike realizes that the most important battle of his life faces him on the home front and he’ll have to put it all on the line to save what’s dearest to him – his family.

I say:
I have a good love/hate relationship with this book.  I loved it because it was a good read, kinda long but it kept you wanting to find out what happens.  I hated some of the things that happened the way they did in the book because you wanted the characters to do the other things.  This book is an example of what really does happen with deployments and families in all branches of the armed forces.  The person having to make the decisions is loyal to both family and country and it all intertwines too much.  Mike is a good guy, trying to do the good thing for everyone and is taken advantage of by people he thought were his friends and family.  Trust me, you'll want to read this!


I gave it 5 stars on my Goodreads list.

What are you reading this week?

Stuff & Things

• I'm so excited that I've been working on my Riviera Maya scrapbook all week that its almost done!  I only have 2 days left on it, yay!
• My work put me on 3 mornings this week.  I dislike getting up at 4:30am with a passion.
• Its hot now here in Missouri - but I will not complain about it because it does get very cold here in the winter too.  However seeing that parts of the Rockies got snow yesterday makes me want to go out there.  No joke!
• I started tanning yesterday for this year's Mexico trip.  I never go to the salons except for trips like this, just so I don't get too red under that sun.  Luckily I don't have to pay for it either, Keith does side work for the company and we get it for free whenever we want.
• I randomly entered a Hard Rock giveaway and won a t-shirt from the resort I'm going to in less than a month.  Score!
• We did not get to the Lake last weekend...boo!  Won't be able to try again until August.  Maybe as a going back to school weekend?
• This weekend starts being busy every weekend.  At least we are going to have fun!
• 23 days til paradise!

Have a great Thursday!

Yelp Elite Missouri Made Kickoff Party

Its been awhile since I've posted a Yelp event on here, mainly because I just haven't been free to attend.

Until recently!

Yelp St. Louis recently kicked off a special 2 weeks of pride for local products.  It started on Friday night with an Elite party at the newest Park Avenue Coffee, which is their roasting location.

They had food from AtheletEats and Wildsmoke, which was delicious BBQ.  We loved it so much we went the next day for Dad's Father's Day treat!  The drinks were from Square One Brewery and Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, both on our list of things to do in the 'Lou.  They also had a fun VW Photobus to capture a few fun moments from the night:

Did I mention the dessert?  Oh my, gooey butter cake goodness:

Towards the end of the night, we sat out with a few people and played a friendly game of Jenga:

It was a great time!

Many of us stressed to the CM Aaron that Friday night parties are the best because then many of us can come.  Since he's been the CM there hadn't been many and he said because he knew people like their Friday nights for themselves.  I'm hoping though this changes because it was quite fun!

See ya at the next Yelp event!

Forget Me Not - BCF

Hey its Friday!

Now according to Goodreads I haven't finished a book since April 8th.  Yikes!  Totally not me.  I'm currently reading 2 so hopefully I can get my goal back up to date.  So these are reviews I've needed to post since a little before then.

This week I'm reviewing:

Goodreads says:

Illustrator Lucy Brighton loves her work. Her animal characters Izzy, Bizzy, and Lizzy have their own comic strip, card line, and children’s cartoon, and their popularity has given Lucy financial stability and freedom. Yet none of that quite erases the lingering ache of a cold, lonely childhood. Sent away to boarding school at ten, Lucy spent little time with her parents afterward, and her few visits home only seemed to widen the gap between them. Even though she still lives in the New Jersey house where she grew up, Lucy has had little contact with her parents since they moved to Florida five years ago. 

Then Lucy receives a call to say that her mother and father have been killed in a car crash. While settling their affairs in Florida, Lucy begins to realize how little she really knew about their lives. She has no way to explain the mysterious safe in their bedroom, with its cache of fake passports, cash, and weapons. Everything in the house is neat, scrupulously clean, almost too picture-perfect. What secrets were the Brightons keeping? Were they even who they claimed to be? 

When Luke Kingston, the developer who helped build her parents’ home, calls to pay his respects, he and Lucy strike up a friendship that promises more. But before Lucy can explore a future with him she knows she must uncover the truth—even if it changes everything she once believed about her parents, and about herself.

I say:

I really enjoyed this book.  Rarely do I give 5 stars on something but it was a great mix of intrigue, friendship, mystery and romance.  You never knew what was going to happen and it kept making you read more.  I enjoyed how Luke came into Lucy's life and helps her figure out what has happened in the end.  Its a must read!

I gave it 5 stars on my Goodreads list.

What are you reading this week?

Stuff & Things!

• I can't believe I made it a whole week and blogged every.single.day!  I don't count the weekends but considering how busy I've been, this is a great thing!
• I may be on summer break from teaching but I'm still working my hotel job.  People tend to forget that.
• I have been taking some major me time the past week.  The past 2 months have been back to back jobs with no down time and honestly its worn me out.  So I apologize if I make you mad because I need to just relax for a bit and not babysit or whatever but its my life.
• I am really hoping we get to go to the Lake this weekend.  Fingers crossed!
• Last week I clicked on a random blog from a link up I participated in.  Whole purpose of them is to meet new bloggers - correct me if I'm wrong.  Well one of the blogs asked for song ideas for her upcoming wedding and I listed a few, one being Journey's "Don't Stop Believing".  It has a special meaning to a group of friends of ours.  Well I happened upon her the next day and she wrote a blurb about how that song should never be suggested to her because, and I quote, "if anyone suggests "Don't Stop Believing" you are smoking some serious crack my friend.  Am I the only one who thinks this song is painfully overplayed and basically elicits reactions equivalent to the electric slide?"  Basically a slap in the face.  Sorry lady but some people happen to like classic rock, and things like the electric slide, so hopefully you don't get complaints about what you do play at your reception.  From your ipod nonetheless...
• I'm sorry but if you're going to participate in a link up, be open to the suggestions you get.  Don't do what the above did and complain about it the next day.  Rant over.
• My goal is to scrapbook last year's Riviera Maya trip before we head to Puerto Vallarta in a little over a month.  So I got all the pictures printed at Walgreens with a great code they had for Father's Day.  I go to pick them up and the guy tells me that because of all the points I've racked up on their system, I only have to pay $0.15 instead of the $10.  Score!!

I think that's it for today.

Have a great Thursday!!

Savory ranch mix

We had Girls Night on Friday and I needed to make something to share.

There had been this recipe for a snack mix from Hidden Valley Ranch floating around on Facebook.  I decided to use it as a base and tweek it a bit:

Savory Ranch Mix

(adapted from the Hidden Valley Ranch website)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Salad dressing & seasoning mix

2-3 cups cheez-its or goldfish

2-3 cups mini pretzels

3 tablespoons of melted butter (you can also use olive oil, its to mix & help ranch stick)

9 cups of corn or rice chex

2 cups of some type of nuts

1)  Mix cereal, pretzels, crackers, and nuts in big ziploc bag or pot (I used a pot to really mix the mix)

2)  Sprinkle parmesan cheese and ranch mix all over mixture.  Mix up and sprinkle remaining over top.

3)  Pour melted butter or olive oil over mixture and throughly mix the mix til all is coated.  If needed, melt a bit more butter to make the seasoning stick.

4)  Enjoy!  Try not to eat it all!

It was a hit. I love any type of snack mix and this is a healthier version of what you'd buy at the stores and it was gobbled up before I knew it.  I'll definitely be making it again!

I tawt I taw Tweety!

Six Flags is one of the thrilling parts of St. Louis.

My sister works there as a part of their sales team so there's always perks.  One being highly discounted season passes.  This is our 2nd year having them and it includes parking and everything.

We finally got a chance last weekend to make sure the passes worked for the season.  It was an overcasted day, with a rain threat, and there were no lines!  We hit the lottery with that one :)  Our goal wasn't to ride everything, just to make sure the passes worked and ride a few.  We did just that!

I seem to always make friends wherever I go:

There was also a #stl250 cake in front of the park.  Its fun to see these cakes around the city to celebrate St. Louis' birthday:

It was a fun day.  Not sure when we'll get back as we're quite busy the next few weekends but we will!

Meal Plan Monday!

Now that I'm on summer break, Operation We're Going to the Beach is in full swing.

So now I'm back to meal planning because I can actually make dinner before I go to the hotel at night, I'm going to make myself accountable and post them on the blog and hopefully get some ideas from you guys too!

The past two months, I was able to make dinner only 4 days a week and now its up to a full 6 as we usually do a date night out.  So I hope this will help keep us on track!

Monday ~ hot roast beef sandwiches on french bread with chips

Tuesday ~ grilled chicken with spinach artichoke dressing

Wednesday ~ late lunch date

Thursday ~ steak or chicken wraps

Friday ~ Yelp Elite event -or- out at the Lake

Saturday ~ steak with green beans -or- out at the Lake

Sunday ~ Lasagna with salad

What's on your meal plan this week?

Stuff & Things!

I honestly didn't have a post for today but now I have some randoms that maybe you all can help with!

• Teacher friends - have you ever modified grades so there were no F's in your class?  Me either.  If the student earns the grade for whatever reason, then that's the grade they are going to get.  We'll see what happens there...
• Are you attached at the hip to your significant other?  No?? Me either!  We're having issues with that in one group of our friends, the girl NEVER EVER leaves her guy's side.  Not that she has a choice because he gets angry with her if she does, and she gets mad at him if he leaves her.  There's more to that story and its just not healthy.  Sometimes I just can't stand people!
• I may actually get to go to the Lake of the Ozarks next weekend.  Keep fingers crossed!
• School has been out for a mere 3 days and I'm already sick with allergies.  Not sure why but I've been hacking up a storm the past few days, it sucks galore!  I can't sleep, nothing.  I hope it passes soon!
• This was supposed to be my week to getting back to the gym.  Well needless to say the hacking part of being sick has worn me out big time and I have no energy :(
• I got my first Edible Arrangment yesterday.  It's yummy!
• Am I a bad daughter for today realizing that I forgot my Mom and Dad's anniversary yesterday?  I feel bad, even though Mom isn't here to celebrate and whatnot but still.

I think that's it!

Here's to a great Thursday!!

I am smarter than a 5th grader!

Hey friends!

Sorry for the semi absence from the blog world.  Its been a busy past 2 months but today starts summer break for at least one job so I get somewhat of a break.

Want to know what's been going on?

• I was offered, and accepted, a 5th grade long term position from the beginning of April up until yesterday.  It was fun, hard and rewarding.  I came in right in the middle of testing season and so the kiddos hated the regular teacher for leaving, then disliked me for testing them for 5 weeks.  I would have had today with them but the main teacher wanted to come back and say goodbye to them and they won't pay 2 people to be there so I wrapped everything up yesterday and started my break today.
• However I am currently not in a position for the fall and it bums me out.  But hopefully that will change before then.  I have already been asked to do a maternity leave then if anything else so at least I know that I have something solid.
• I will still be at the hotel until at least the fall.  We have come under new management and to be honest, it is hell.  My new manager has been trying to fix stuff that isn't broken, including the schedule, and times that I had requested off awhile ago and been approved hadn't happened just to name a few things.  I really need to kiss this place goodbye so please keep fingers crossed for something in the fall.  I would teach then go to the hotel after teaching and the new manager felt I never needed sleep so she was putting me on in the AM on the weekends.  Trust me, my body is exhausted!
• With all the above, I haven't really worked out for real since the beginning of April either.  Sure I've been on my feet a lot and whatnot but because I was needing to sleep whenever I got the chance, working out got thrown to the wayside...until now!  Operation "We're Going to the Beach" started this past weekend and its going pretty good.  I'm excited to go back to my classes however I'm not going to do that until next week so I get just get my body gym ready this week again.
• I haven't read a book since beginning of April either, as I've had no time.  I've got many lined up so I'm super excited!  According to Goodreads, I'm 8 books behind on my goal for the year!!
• One of my summer goals is to scrapbook last year's Mexico trip before we leave on this year's Mexico trip.  Hopefully this happens!!

So that's Julie lately!

How have you been?