Day: 509
High Temp: 69F
Tom and I returned to the Mint House on Sunday night high on the buzz of another wonderful Becker Christmas celebration. It was so good, in fact, that the heartwarming memories have even been enough to fend off my normal bout of post-family blues. Here's the highlight reel:
Mom's cookies and candies. She continues to outdo herself each year, making huge assortments of delicious cookies and candies in huge numbers. I may very well have ingested 2 dozen raspberry cream cheese truffles. And let's not forget the brownie cookies, the chocolate dipped macaroons and the peanut butter fudge.
Abundant Twin Nephew Lovin. The boys get cuter each time I see them. They are so lovely, and good-tempered. I particularly enjoyed the realization that they are both really ticklish on their backs and necks. The sounds they make are beyond adorable
Best Christmas Present Ever. I am blessed to have many amazing people in my life, who love me, and who I love right back. And while I got and gave many amazing homemade presents this year (honestly, they were so good that this might warrant a separate post) I was most enamored with my brand new Kindle! That thing is the best!
Puppy Love Overload. We drove this year, which means that Homer joined us in St Louis for the fun. Add to him the two adorable miniature beagles my parents recently adopted, and my brother's 3 dogs, and it was a very doggy Christmas. Although it can be a bit much, I secretly love every minute of it.
Family Love. From Christmas day, to post holiday open houses, to movies and drinks at the local bar, I got the chance to see lots of family this year. I even had a chance to catch up with two of my favorite bloggers (my gorgeous cousins from A Foreign Land and The Book and Its Cover)
High School Reunion. Although we missed Mollie and Dan this year, I had a wonderful annual holiday reunion with two of my high school besties and their families, Jenna and Jenny. I got a chance to check out Jenna's growing belly (she is expecting a son in March) and to marvel over Jenny's two gorgeous and beyond smart kids, Noah and Lucy.
And if all that weren't enough, we squeezed in time to visit my favorite painting that the St Louis Art Museum, get coffee at the legendary Coffee Cartel, eat Obama's favorite pizza at Pi, see the new Cohen Bros. film True Grit, sleep late nearly every day, enjoy a fun New Years Eve dinner at Hacienda, drink lots of good beer and wine, and spend a crazy amount of time reading (on my new Kindle of course!)
I feel so blessed to be able to share such wonderful memories, and my incredible luck is not lost on me. Here's to a great end to 2010!
Showing posts with label St. Louis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Louis. Show all posts
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fall Envy
Day: 431
High Temp: 86F
For weeks I have felt it building: Fall Envy! It started with friends commenting on Facebook about the crisp, cool mornings in the Midwest and North East. Then suddenly on TV, in the stores, everywhere really, there were mentions of the upcoming Halloween holiday. And although it has started to cool down a lot at night (like in the 50s and 60s!) we are still regularly reaching the mid-80's each day. Don't get me wrong, mid-80's is lovely, but it certainly does not satiate my need for Autumn. Not to mention the abundant live oaks won't loose their leaves until spring when the new crop comes in!
The trip back to St Louis for the wedding was a nice opportunity to get a little Fall fix. The leaves had started to change, the air was unarguably crisp and cool enough to contemplate warm drinks and pumpkins. But it just wasn't enough. Now that I have been back for over a week, I am missing Fall just as much as I was a month ago.
It is really making me miss my old neighborhood in Chicago, Lincoln Square. Fall was made for that neighborhood! The maples would sport bright yellow leaves that looked positively magical at night backlit by street lamps. All the little kids running around the square would have traded their crocks and shorts for tiny little hoodies, and cute beanie hats. On a Sunday morning, I would convince myself it was still warm enough to eat brunch outside at Cafe Selmarie, so long as I had a hot chai latte in my hands. Each yard would be filled with fallen leaves spilling onto the sidewalk, and they would crunch so satisfyingly underfoot on my way to the train. By that evening, on my way home, those same leaves would have been crushed mostly to dust, leaving space for the new leaves that would surely continue to fall over night.
I truly miss it so much, but there is a revelation in this missing. This missing does not feel bitter, and it is not angry. It is a sweet longing, a memory, and not at the expense of what Austin is. It's liberating to look back on my memories of so many Autumn in Chicago, and not hate Austin for keeping that from me. And while I cant say that I don't want to be back there some day, I am awfully happy to be enjoying Austin so much more fully than I was this time last year.
High Temp: 86F
For weeks I have felt it building: Fall Envy! It started with friends commenting on Facebook about the crisp, cool mornings in the Midwest and North East. Then suddenly on TV, in the stores, everywhere really, there were mentions of the upcoming Halloween holiday. And although it has started to cool down a lot at night (like in the 50s and 60s!) we are still regularly reaching the mid-80's each day. Don't get me wrong, mid-80's is lovely, but it certainly does not satiate my need for Autumn. Not to mention the abundant live oaks won't loose their leaves until spring when the new crop comes in!
The trip back to St Louis for the wedding was a nice opportunity to get a little Fall fix. The leaves had started to change, the air was unarguably crisp and cool enough to contemplate warm drinks and pumpkins. But it just wasn't enough. Now that I have been back for over a week, I am missing Fall just as much as I was a month ago.
It is really making me miss my old neighborhood in Chicago, Lincoln Square. Fall was made for that neighborhood! The maples would sport bright yellow leaves that looked positively magical at night backlit by street lamps. All the little kids running around the square would have traded their crocks and shorts for tiny little hoodies, and cute beanie hats. On a Sunday morning, I would convince myself it was still warm enough to eat brunch outside at Cafe Selmarie, so long as I had a hot chai latte in my hands. Each yard would be filled with fallen leaves spilling onto the sidewalk, and they would crunch so satisfyingly underfoot on my way to the train. By that evening, on my way home, those same leaves would have been crushed mostly to dust, leaving space for the new leaves that would surely continue to fall over night.
I truly miss it so much, but there is a revelation in this missing. This missing does not feel bitter, and it is not angry. It is a sweet longing, a memory, and not at the expense of what Austin is. It's liberating to look back on my memories of so many Autumn in Chicago, and not hate Austin for keeping that from me. And while I cant say that I don't want to be back there some day, I am awfully happy to be enjoying Austin so much more fully than I was this time last year.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Reunion Reminiscing
Day: 44
High Temp: 91F
Job Status: Unemployed
Jobs Applied To: 6 (still no interviews... wtf?)
And so, I was home this weekend to attend my 10 year high school reunion. There were many highlights of the weekend, most of which revolve around the friends I have actually managed to keep for these many years since we graduated. I was thrilled to have a chance to see them all, and really enjoyed catching up. I have to say, that while we all had a really good time with each other, the scene at the reunion was intensely weird. For anyone who has gone to one of these you know what I mean, for those who haven't, it is just about as bad as you are imagining.
The shock literally never wears off, no matter how many glasses of wine you consume. Every time you look around you are stunned by the sight of yet another person you had forgotten existed. The most unfair truth about the reunion is that everyone, whether whispered to their friends, or silently to themselves, is categorizing everyone else they see. There are two categories: better than in high school, or worse. There was a lot of better, which was nice to see. And I have to say that the women seem to be faring better than the men... sorry fellas.
My reunion group was made up of Jenny and Steve (Jenny and Steve actually met in high school. Jenny was in my class, and Steve was 2 years ahead of us- we all met through theatre), Jenna and Ben (Jenna was in my class, and we also became friends through theatre. Ben is her fabulous husband who is not only a lot of fun, but is also a brilliant doctor.), Mollie and Gavin (I cannot exactly recall how Mollie and I became friends, but the match is so perfect. She is everything I hope people think I am, hillarious, ireverent and very smart. This weekend was my first time meeting Gavin, who is a very sweet east coast boy. Gavin and Mollie were married earlier this summer), and Kendra and Tom (Kendra and I had many classes together, and Kendra, like Mollie, is amazingly smart and so funny. This was my first time meeting her fella, Tom, who was very nice, and very brave for agreeing to attend even though no wedding vows dictated he must.) and Rissi, who pretty much was my date, as we were both solo for the evening.
The above group met up before hand to grab some drinks at the illustrious Eureka Wine Bar, where we of course ran into a few alums who had the same idea as us... the Wine Bar, is actually owned by an alum's parents, so that was no huge suprise. We had decided that a pre-reunion glass of wine would be a good idea, and this was a brilliant plan, which I would highly recommend to anyone making plans for their own reunion. After a few drinks, and feeling very social, we loaded up, and headed to a country club just down the road for the reunion. We stayed there until we were unceremoniously kicked out, and proceeded to go to (oh god) JP's in Eureka. This place is the epitome of Eureka, and not at all how I wanted to end my night. So, after sitting there for, oh, 10 minutes, Rissi and I bid adieu to our old HS buddies, and made our escape down the highway to Denny's, where we proceeded to feast upon grand slam breakfasts and do some real catching up.
After our midnight meal, I drove home feeling really happy that I had come home for the reunion. As I said, it was intensly surreal, but ultimately totally worth it!
High Temp: 91F
Job Status: Unemployed
Jobs Applied To: 6 (still no interviews... wtf?)
And so, I was home this weekend to attend my 10 year high school reunion. There were many highlights of the weekend, most of which revolve around the friends I have actually managed to keep for these many years since we graduated. I was thrilled to have a chance to see them all, and really enjoyed catching up. I have to say, that while we all had a really good time with each other, the scene at the reunion was intensely weird. For anyone who has gone to one of these you know what I mean, for those who haven't, it is just about as bad as you are imagining.
The shock literally never wears off, no matter how many glasses of wine you consume. Every time you look around you are stunned by the sight of yet another person you had forgotten existed. The most unfair truth about the reunion is that everyone, whether whispered to their friends, or silently to themselves, is categorizing everyone else they see. There are two categories: better than in high school, or worse. There was a lot of better, which was nice to see. And I have to say that the women seem to be faring better than the men... sorry fellas.
My reunion group was made up of Jenny and Steve (Jenny and Steve actually met in high school. Jenny was in my class, and Steve was 2 years ahead of us- we all met through theatre), Jenna and Ben (Jenna was in my class, and we also became friends through theatre. Ben is her fabulous husband who is not only a lot of fun, but is also a brilliant doctor.), Mollie and Gavin (I cannot exactly recall how Mollie and I became friends, but the match is so perfect. She is everything I hope people think I am, hillarious, ireverent and very smart. This weekend was my first time meeting Gavin, who is a very sweet east coast boy. Gavin and Mollie were married earlier this summer), and Kendra and Tom (Kendra and I had many classes together, and Kendra, like Mollie, is amazingly smart and so funny. This was my first time meeting her fella, Tom, who was very nice, and very brave for agreeing to attend even though no wedding vows dictated he must.) and Rissi, who pretty much was my date, as we were both solo for the evening.
The above group met up before hand to grab some drinks at the illustrious Eureka Wine Bar, where we of course ran into a few alums who had the same idea as us... the Wine Bar, is actually owned by an alum's parents, so that was no huge suprise. We had decided that a pre-reunion glass of wine would be a good idea, and this was a brilliant plan, which I would highly recommend to anyone making plans for their own reunion. After a few drinks, and feeling very social, we loaded up, and headed to a country club just down the road for the reunion. We stayed there until we were unceremoniously kicked out, and proceeded to go to (oh god) JP's in Eureka. This place is the epitome of Eureka, and not at all how I wanted to end my night. So, after sitting there for, oh, 10 minutes, Rissi and I bid adieu to our old HS buddies, and made our escape down the highway to Denny's, where we proceeded to feast upon grand slam breakfasts and do some real catching up.
After our midnight meal, I drove home feeling really happy that I had come home for the reunion. As I said, it was intensly surreal, but ultimately totally worth it!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Am I ready for this?
Day: 39
High Temp: 65F (apparently we do get a little fall after all! at least for today)
Job Status: Market Research Rookie (a.k.a. unemployed)
Saturday is my 10 year high school reunion. Am I ready for this? Most of the people I wanted to keep in touch with I have. Actually, there is a fairly large group of us that still talk regularly and see each other every Christmas. That said, it looks like most of them are attending, so it will be nice to see them sometime other than Christmas when every one is crazy trying to meet family obligations.
One excellent thing that will come of the reunion is my chance to see Rissi, an old friend that I haven't seen in person since our freshman year of college. Rissi and I both ended up at DePaul in the same dorm room, and we spend a lot of time together freshman year. However, as the end of the year approached, Rissi made the huge decision to leave college to pursue her music career. She is gorgeous, has a brilliant voice, and has done really well for herself. And I constantly marvel at the ballsy way she threw caution to the wind and went after (and attained) her dreams. Anyhow, the plan is for us to get together for a drink before the reunion so we can really catch up. I can't wait! Oh, and if you don't know Rissi, you should definitely check her out on iTunes or here.
I am kind of nervous though, about the reunion. Tom isn't coming with me, which means I am flying solo for the night. That's a pretty rare occurrence, and not really preferable to me, especially when concerning my reunion. Besides, you all know how adorable and charming Tom is. It would be nice to show him off a bit!
But what about you all? Anyone had a high school reunion yet? Did you go? How was it? While I am sure the new top from Anthropologie will help bolster my excitement for the big reunion, your reunion stories would definitely help too.
High Temp: 65F (apparently we do get a little fall after all! at least for today)
Job Status: Market Research Rookie (a.k.a. unemployed)
Saturday is my 10 year high school reunion. Am I ready for this? Most of the people I wanted to keep in touch with I have. Actually, there is a fairly large group of us that still talk regularly and see each other every Christmas. That said, it looks like most of them are attending, so it will be nice to see them sometime other than Christmas when every one is crazy trying to meet family obligations.
One excellent thing that will come of the reunion is my chance to see Rissi, an old friend that I haven't seen in person since our freshman year of college. Rissi and I both ended up at DePaul in the same dorm room, and we spend a lot of time together freshman year. However, as the end of the year approached, Rissi made the huge decision to leave college to pursue her music career. She is gorgeous, has a brilliant voice, and has done really well for herself. And I constantly marvel at the ballsy way she threw caution to the wind and went after (and attained) her dreams. Anyhow, the plan is for us to get together for a drink before the reunion so we can really catch up. I can't wait! Oh, and if you don't know Rissi, you should definitely check her out on iTunes or here.
I am kind of nervous though, about the reunion. Tom isn't coming with me, which means I am flying solo for the night. That's a pretty rare occurrence, and not really preferable to me, especially when concerning my reunion. Besides, you all know how adorable and charming Tom is. It would be nice to show him off a bit!
But what about you all? Anyone had a high school reunion yet? Did you go? How was it? While I am sure the new top from Anthropologie will help bolster my excitement for the big reunion, your reunion stories would definitely help too.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Day: 30
High Temp: 78F!!!
Job Status: Unemployed
I returned to Austin on Saturday night, after spending a week in St. Louis to mourn the passing, and celebrate the life of my grandmother. She has been battling cancer for many years now, with good results, however, when we got news that the cancer had spread to her liver in the past year, she began to prepare for the inevitable end of her fight. She was ready to go, and was at peace with what was to come. For my part, I am happy to say that Tom and I had a chance to see her twice this summer, once over the 4th of July weekend, and once in mid-August when we were in the midst of our move to Austin. We knew the end was near when we saw her a few weeks ago, and are both very happy to have had a chance to say goodbye while she was still feeling good.
Nothing is real about my life in Austin yet, so to say returning here was getting back to normal is just not true. I dont yet have a job, and spend my days while Tom is at school and work looking for and applying to jobs, and playing with my puppy. Being in St. Louis was so nice, as I had family around, and had a chance to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a while. It was nice to be there for my mom, and help her sort out some of the legal papers too (my mom and I are the executors on my grandmother's estate).
Getting back here isrough. There isn't too much to focus on, except when the puppy had last gone out for a potty break. Being back in Austin made me realize that I am not quickly settling in here, and that while I really do like this city, there is still a long time ahead of me before Austin will feel like home. Indeed, it was really sad to realize that flying home from St. Louis meant flying to Austin, not Chicago.
But, there are two more jobs posted today that I want to apply for, so I will focus on that for today, and a little bit of work I have promised TimeLine still needs to be done too. And I promise to update the blog more often now that I am back in Austin. After all, what else is there to do?
High Temp: 78F!!!
Job Status: Unemployed
I returned to Austin on Saturday night, after spending a week in St. Louis to mourn the passing, and celebrate the life of my grandmother. She has been battling cancer for many years now, with good results, however, when we got news that the cancer had spread to her liver in the past year, she began to prepare for the inevitable end of her fight. She was ready to go, and was at peace with what was to come. For my part, I am happy to say that Tom and I had a chance to see her twice this summer, once over the 4th of July weekend, and once in mid-August when we were in the midst of our move to Austin. We knew the end was near when we saw her a few weeks ago, and are both very happy to have had a chance to say goodbye while she was still feeling good.
Nothing is real about my life in Austin yet, so to say returning here was getting back to normal is just not true. I dont yet have a job, and spend my days while Tom is at school and work looking for and applying to jobs, and playing with my puppy. Being in St. Louis was so nice, as I had family around, and had a chance to catch up with friends I hadn't seen in a while. It was nice to be there for my mom, and help her sort out some of the legal papers too (my mom and I are the executors on my grandmother's estate).
Getting back here isrough. There isn't too much to focus on, except when the puppy had last gone out for a potty break. Being back in Austin made me realize that I am not quickly settling in here, and that while I really do like this city, there is still a long time ahead of me before Austin will feel like home. Indeed, it was really sad to realize that flying home from St. Louis meant flying to Austin, not Chicago.
But, there are two more jobs posted today that I want to apply for, so I will focus on that for today, and a little bit of work I have promised TimeLine still needs to be done too. And I promise to update the blog more often now that I am back in Austin. After all, what else is there to do?
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