Lately

Lately I've been pretty busy. I'm working full time and I'm enrolled in 2 Fall semester classes-Computer Literacy and Microeconomics. With the juggling act or work and school, I've started to ignore this space. But, I hope to get back to it soon...

Besides a big focus on work and class, I've been having a lot of fun on my weekends. I've been going to festivals, concerts, and spending a lot of time with friends. It has been a nice balance.

Recent highlights:
-St. Louis Cardinals games
-Garrett and Amanda's wedding
-Loufest music festival
-Dancing in the Street Festival
-Sarah Jarosz show
-Best of Missouri Market

I'm approaching the halfway point of the semester so it's time to really buckle down now and focus on my studies!

Summer Ending...

The end of August is drawing near. The St. Louis Muny season is over, evenings are a little cooler, and some of the summer fun is starting to wind down.

I'm enjoying relaxing summer evenings this week, but next week I'm going to be busy with the start of Fall semester classes. I am taking a computer class (Microsoft Office 2013) and a Microeconomics course this semester at the local community college which will be a total of 6 credit hours. I'm sure it will be a little challenging trying to balance work and school, but I think it will be good for me.

Here's what is coming up this next month or so:
- This week- hanging out with my friend, Jiyoung, who is in town for a little while
- This Thursday- St. Louis Cardinals game with Dad
- Possible Lake of Ozarks trip or two
- Classes beginning next week
- Garrett and Amanda's wedding next weekend
- Labor Day
- Loufest -maybe going to this (September 7-8)
- Jazz & Blues Festival (September 21)
- St Louis Cardinals game (September 28)

Looking Ahead

Yesterday Kati and I went the Art and Air Festival in Webster Groves. Unfortunately we were only there for 30 minutes before the storm came through. We ended up practically running out of the festival to get to our cars before the downpour. :-( It was a bummer because we saw so many artists that we liked and we both were thinking of buying some jewelry right at the time the artists started wrapping up their tents. Oh well, there is always next year!

Before I met up with Kati I did get to spend some time walking around Webster University's quad. I love walking around college campuses. The grounds are usually so well kept.

 

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Looking ahead for this month:

This weekend
-Family members coming in town from Georgia, so there will be family get togethers.
-Father's Day-my dad will be in Mexico, but maybe dinner with stepdad and family

Next week
-Start of The Muny season on Thursday!

Next weekend
-Stepsister's High School Graduation Party/Birthday Party

And I'm really wishing I could slow down time so I can soak up these summer months a little longer. These summer days seem to fly by.

Shakespeare in the Park 2013

Since I just talked about Shakespeare, I thought I'd post a few pics from Shakespeare in the Park. This year's show was Twelfth Night (which I must confess I wasn't familiar with) and it was great! I'm thankful our little big city, St. Louis has fun events like this. I love going to Forest Park, and I'm glad I will soon be going weekly for Muny productions.
This year was a little strange because it was downright chilly! We wore our fleece jackets and needed blankets to keep our legs warm. Not typical temperatures for June.

 

Habit

This week I started taking a walk each day. Nothing much, just a 25-30 minute walk, but it's a start to making a habit (I hope!). Since I have a desk job and work from home, I don't get out much or get much physical activity. I've been trying to squeeze in one walk a day and will continue with that next week. My goal is at least 6 walks a week. After doing this for a month I want to see if I can add some other activity. My problem in the past has been jumping into a high impact activity and having problems with my knees and ankles. I think part of that problem is my extra weight, so I'm hoping with walking more regularly and reducing sugary drinks I can drop a few pounds.

This week I mixed up locations a few time-walks in my neighborhood and walks at the local high school track. I also have a few other options close by so I plan on continuing to mix it up with new locations.

I love Zumba classes so I'm hoping I can get in decent enough shape to get back to one of those classes and hopefully not hurt myself again!

Photo from last night (edited with Over App)

Memorial Day Weekend Part II

After Kati and I hiked around Ha Ha Tonka State Park, we settled in at our hotel and got ready for a lakeside dinner. We went to the Bagnell Dam area for dinner and enjoyed the beautiful view. Crazy enough, it was quite chilly our first night there, and we needed fleece jackets as we dined! Not typical temps for this time of year.

 

We called it an early night since we were exhausted from all the hiking around at the state park.

Saturday we woke up early and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at our hotel before setting off for a full day of fun.

 

First, we went back to the Bagnell Dam area to stop at some touristy shops. Touristy shops included a stop for candy.

 

After the first round of shopping, we went to my favorite stop of the whole trip, Shawnee Bluff Winery. 

We went inside for free wine tasting, and of course I had to buy one glass (I mean it was a beautiful day and I needed a reason to sit outside and enjoy the view, right?). 

The winery also had some lodging, which is why they had this cute pool, complete with a wine bottle fountain. The deck area with seating offered a spectacular view of the water and honestly I could have hung out at this place all day.

 Kati enjoying the view:

 We did eventually have to leave because we had shopping on the agenda, so after a quick glass of wine we were off again. We spent about 4 hours shopping at the big outlet mall in the area and thankfully didn't do too much damage to our pocketbooks. I ended up buying 3 tops and one pair of shorts and all were good prices. 

Last, but not least was another lakeside dinner and a beautiful fireworks display. We went out to a lodge that was a bit of a drive, but we had heard they put on a good fireworks show. We enjoyed a drink and relaxed by the water.

Funny moment from the night: Our waitress was young and at one point she asked us where we were from. Conversation turned to school-where did you go/where are you going and Kati and I revealed our ages. The girl looked surprised and said, "Really? You look young!" So it was a funny combo of look young/but you are old. Haha, made us chuckle. 

Of course we had to try a crazy drink (this one was named after a piranha):

This was our third annual Memorial Day weekend trip and this might have been my favorite yet. It was a relaxing weekend that I needed and actually a nice break from rushing around a new city, like we usually do (Nashville and Kansas City in the past). 

As we get older and busier these trips may not happen anymore (at least a full weekend) but I'm thankful for these memories!

Busy

I've been busy lately, and neglecting this little space.  I've recently started going to the gym in the evenings after work, and then studying for the GRE daily.

I'm taking the GRE in January, and in the time leading up to the test I'll be continuing to research schools and programs. I'm trying to find a good fit for myself with my work experience (and undergrad experience). This is proving to be difficult. My BS in Biology can be transferred to other areas fine (not worried about that), but my work experience is scattered all over the place. I'm trying to be optimistic that something will work out and I can get myself on a positive track.

 I am at the point of my life where I am ready for a new challenge. Things are getting boring and I haven't been setting new goals for myself. So, I'm finally setting some goals. 1) Getting back in shape 2) Working on career development. No more laziness!!

Thanksgiving 2012

Lake Sunset

Last weekend my family took a trip to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures this trip, including some of this beautiful sunset. It was the last boat ride of the summer and a great end to the season.

27

Celebrated my 27th birthday with family on Monday:

Time to enjoy what is left of my 20s!

Missing Saint Louis

I've only been away from St. Louis for 4 months, but I'm already missing home. Of course, it's not really the place, it's the people. Family, friends, it's hard to be away from the people you love. I will be in Dallas until the end of April (at least). 3 more months. I want to experience more of Dallas while I'm here, and not just wish away the days.
I have enjoyed the change of scenery, change of pace. I feel I really needed that, and the move came at a good time. I just need to push past the feelings of homesickness and enjoy this time I have.

St. Louis, see you in the summertime.

Texas

I haven't posted on here for awhile, but I have news! I have a new job and I am moving to Texas! I have accepted a clinical scientist position at a research company specializing in cosmetic and skin care testing. I will be living near Dallas, TX and I am looking forward to a new job and exploring a new city!

photo by Randy Case

Family

From left to right: Mom, Carl (stepdad), me, Tiara (stepsister), and Dane (stepbrother). This was from a fun night out at The Old Spaghetti Factory last month.
Photo by Valerie Martinez