Ah, St. Louis.

We made it back from our St. Louis trip and it was fabulous as always. Of course it ended too soon and we're already talking about when we can go back. For some reason this trip left me feeling a little homesick with a twinge of sadness. Maybe it was because the weather was to die for and we got to see almost all of our old buddies. And maybe it was because it's been one heck of a winter up here and we really needed to get away. But I miss our friends and our old town [and I've rarely said that since we left]. I'll be fine once we get back into our daily routine but we really do need to make more of an effort to see our friends 'down south.'

Oh, and just to clarify....neither my family nor Keri live in St. Louis. Just old friends and lots of memories:) I lived there for 8 years including my college years and it definitely feels like home.

Okay, onto the pictures. I'll start by making my fellow Milwaukee girls jealous.....you see, St. Louis has a season called 'Spring' and it's fabulous. Warm weather, green grass, FLOWERS, and budding trees. I almost forgot what Spring looks like. So I had to take a bajillion pictures to remember:)














I know, it's sickening, isn't it?

And onto the weekend events: we got into St. Louis much earlier than expected because work let us go early on Friday. Talk about a nice surprise!

When we arrived Hannah, Kim, and Maggie were waiting for us with lots and lots of vino. Nate called it an early night but us chicas had a lot of chatting to do. In fact, we stayed up until 4 a.m. which technically makes us really cool and young again. Let's just say I didn't feel too young the next morning but that's another story.

My picture from Friday night? Our rings, of course. Sometimes I pretend to be a wedding photographer, didn't you know? We took all of our rings to the jeweler the next day for a good cleaning. That is why I had them laid out so nicely and I couldn't resist a little snapshot:)

Saturday: after a rough ride to said jeweler, Hannah and I attended lunch with five other girls at The Boathouse. They've made it a monthly event because even though they all live in St. Louis I suppose it's still difficult to make time for 'girl time'. This month's meal just so happened to fall over my visit and it was so much fun to see the girls. Unfortunately my camera was hiding under my bag in our guest bedroom and didn't make it for the lunch. I know, I'm embarrassed of myself, too.

Nate drove to Columbia to golf with my dad....ALL.DAY.LONG. We are talking 27 holes, people. I guess they had some male bonding time and endured some pretty yucky weather in the name of swinging their clubs. Mom sent my birthday gift along with Dad and look at how pretty it was! A book, a journal, and a ticket to Kansas to see Keri! I love my Mom and birthdays. A lot.

That night the whole crew [boys included this time] went to dinner and out for drinks. 'The Fab Five' was reunited and such events call for a picture. Yes, my camera was uncovered in time for our night out.


Lindsey is going to kill me for this picture but it's too funny to ignore. She had the hiccups and I told her my secret remedy: you have to paralyze your phrenic nerve to stop your spasming diaphragm [I know, I'm a medical dork.] So here is her version of the technique:Only problem? This picture makes her look like she's missing teeth! Look closely and you'll see what I mean. We laughed for a good 10 minutes over this shot.

Meanwhile, Nate found $5 on the ground of the bar. So he popped it into this scratch off ticket machine. You'll never guess what happened next...

He won $150!!! From a free $5 bill! Of course I immediately yelled, "Put those puppies in your pocket, dear. Let's not spend it right away." Classic, right?

Sunday: I went to brunch at the yummy Square One Brewery with some internet gals. I've never met any of them so it was fun to visit in real life. It was a blast and I hope we do it again.
After the brunch I decided to go for a run in the beautiful weather, followed by a long walk with Hannah and the dogs. No big deal, right? It's not like it was tropical or anything but look at the results:
Sweet sports bra and tank top sunburn! And look at what Nate brought home:
The most fabulous golfers tan ever! This just proves a sad but true fact: we are officially northerners now. Our skin is so pasty white it's disgusting and this Wisconsin weather turned us into delicate flowers. As Nate put it, "I'm white as snow" and apparently we melt in warm weather now.

This has me slightly worried for San Diego but I guess we'll live. I swear I used to have a permanent tan! What happened?!

Sunday night Hannah and Michael bar-b-qued some amazing burgers for us. It was so nice we even got to sit out on their rooftop deck and bask in the glory of a Spring evening. Sigh.

Monday morning we went to breakfast with Ryan at Soulard Coffee Garden and again, we ate outside in the sunshine. Nate and Ryan are long lost buddies and it was great to catch up with him, too. Four cups of coffee later we decided to hit the road.

Goodbye, glorious Arch!
Henry was completely pooped, as you can see. This is his standard position for car rides:
Panting is required as well:

Long drive home with boring scenery, indeed. But I do appreciate the "Mercedes Sign" windmills along the way. Gotta love Illinois!

So that is it, our fabulous weekend in pictures. Much needed and thoroughly enjoyed. And now back to the real world up north [with welcoming warm weather included!] Plus, I have my first album design project for a real client. I'm so excited!