How far we've come

This date of August 31 marks one year ago when my husband and I "planned" on moving back to WNY. Well, as you know, things didn't quite work out that way. Through God's grace, Matt and I have made great strides getting our lives back on track since relocating officially to Missouri. This past year of moving back-and-forth across country (twice!) has been an amazing journey; and one that has been incredibly blessed.

Matt and I are forever grateful to Uncle Tom and Aunt Warrine for allowing us to stay with them while we get back on our feet; and we plan to soon be in a place of our own.

A note to our friends and family in WNY: Matt and I plan to come home the week of December 14. We look forward to spending time with everyone and getting some home cooked meals from my mom!

All-Star birthday weekend

Matt and I have started a new tradition of celebrating each other's birthday for a whole week, we affectionately call it "birthday week." As part of an early birthday celebration, Matt took me out to eat for breakfast at our favorite Saturday spot, and I quickly noticed that there were a few extra guests who joined us: my Uncle Tom, Aunt Warrine, cousins Hannah and Molly. Additionally, I saw two people with menus covering their faces sitting at the table... my parents!

Thanks again Mom and Dad for flying out to STL to help me celebrate my birthday. I had an awesome time with you both this weekend!

Adding to my surprise was a dinner party Saturday night, and two families that are friends of my Uncle and Aunt, and have become my extended family, attended the party. Matt along with my cousins entertained us into the evening by setting off a few rounds of ground fireworks... I guess in Missouri it's legal to do that?

Sunday the celebration, and slight embarrassment, continued with a dinner at Shogun's Japanese restaurant. I completely forgot that birthday's are celebrated at this restaurant with making you dance to a Japanese birthday song while wearing a headband, yep, I'm stylin'. Thanks to Hannah and Molly for setting me up!

One of our final stops this weekend was to downtown St. Louis, I had to show my parents just how close I am to Busch Stadium, this pic was taken from the roof at my workplace parking garage.

My parents and I also toured the Arch and it's history museum. Here we are pictured at the Arch's base.

Even though Matt and my parents are not huge baseball followers, we had to stroll through Keiner Plaza dedicated to All-Star weekend.

Here's my Dad and I under one of the 10 mini arches located in the Plaza and around the city - one arch for every world series title by the Cardinals.

I must say that just living and working in a huge baseball city has started to rub off on me. Perhaps All-Star weekend has officially made me a Redbird fan; now I just need a Pujols jersey!

It was a great birthday weekend. Thank you to everyone for getting together and making this weekend so special!

Oh, and go Cards!

June recap: new car, new job, blessings indeed

Okay, so I've mentioned the heat in St. Louis.... um, it's still a popular topic out here. I join fellow St. Louisians in relief that this coming week's temperatures will be in the mid-80s. I will say that it is fantastic to have so many beautiful (however, incredibly warm) sunny days.

The month of June is not complete without mentioning a few crazy days for Matt and I. Actually, the craziness began the end of last month when I experienced my first car accident -thank God, no injuries. I skidded into (and under) the back of a Mazda Tribute. The SUV's only damage was a scratch to its bumper; however, my car suffered a bit more. In fact, it was totalled, get this.... because of the radiator! My car also had damage to the hood (see the pic below) and the front frame/bumper, headlights, etc. It was the radiator that tipped the scales to an unsalvaged vehicle.


So here is my new, used vehicle... an Oldsmobile Cutless Supreme.


It actually has a few bells and whistles my Alero didn't. I like the leather interior, which is in great shape. Dual climate controls, and the steering wheel has one-touch access to controlling radio volume and stations, temperature and fan. Even though I'm not happy about losing the Alero, at least the Cutless is paid for!

Another blessing we received is Matt's new job - just when we needed it the most! He is still working as an insurance agent, but his primary job now is working for a health care company, second shift in the warehouse. I'm so pleased that he is happy with the new job.

Additionally, Matt is considering his options to serve in the military, specifically the Air Force Reserve. Matt's felt called to serve for a number of years. It's an honor to be his wife, and Matt has my full support. On a side note, as a result of going through so many hardships this past year, our relationship has been strengthened far greater this year than in our almost six years of marriage. We fully believe the course of going through so many challenges and coming through them blessed is a testimony to God's grace and our strength as couple growing in faith. So, with that said, if the military is where Matt is meant to be, my prayer is that the door remains open, and if not, then I pray the Lord closes it. As I've heard many times before -- and continue to believe -- where one door closes, another opens.

I will keep you posted on Matt's decision!

Summer in St. Louis

Well, summer has officially arrived! After being out in the heat this weekend, my husband and I definitely feel it! I listened to our local weather report this morning call for a hot day; and I felt the heat at 7:30 am when I began my morning commute. It was already 84 degrees, and a bit humid.

Just so we are all on the same page, here's what the National Weather Service has to say for St. Louis: excessive heat warning for the St. Louis area remains in effect until 7 p.m. Wednesday.The high temperatures for the next three days are expected to reach the middle to upper 90s.

(Welcome to the mid-west!)

The combination of the hot temperature and humidity will make it feel like 105 degrees or hotter. The city of St. Louis and surrounding municipalities will feel the warmest -- and afternoon heat indices could climb to 110 degrees.The National Weather Service said the danger will increase each day as the buildup of heat beings to impact those at highest risk for heat-related illnesses.

(Oh. My. Gosh! I am going to melt every day this week!)

If you recall, I work a second job at a family recreation center, a.k.a. family water park known to be the stopping ground for 300 people seeking the indoor & outdoor pool area on weekends. I'm sure this week will be just as busy. Great, fun for me and the Rec Center crew!

Well, I will take the heat any day over the six months of winter in NYS. (Just a reminder that St. Louis experienced one day of snow-fall this past winter, in the amount of 6 inches... that melted after two days.)

Anyway, blessings for air-conditioning this week! And thank goodness I don't work outside.

Little late .... Easter pics

I know this post is a little late, but I needed to give a shout out to my family in NY for hosting a wonderful Easter brunch. My brother and sister made it into town as well, and it was wonderful to share an Easter meal with my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Chuck. My mom arranged a fantastic buffet, full of traditional recipies that have been passed down from great-grandma B. And of course, I was not around to help my mom cook at all... I have a suspicion that I'll never learn how to cook this meal. (Maybe my sister Jen will?)

My brother and I started off the buffet line. In the background you can see my dear hubby and my mom; however, I'm not quite sure what they are discussing.

And here is our family picture, a happy bunch. Thanks everyone for a wonderful Easter. Matt and I can't wait to see you all again!

Weekend recap - house closing and turkey strike

Good news is that our house in NY finally sold after five months on the market; the new buyer closed this past Monday, April 27. That date is especially significant to me since it marks the exact day I first arrived in St. Louis, MO to start my new job.

Okay, so that's the good news... and here's the rest of our 800 mile journey returning to the mid-west. At 6 am on Sunday my dear husband and I began our drive in our 4-door Dodge Ram completely packed with our remaining house-hold items. We were about 10 miles outside Erie, PA when we hit a turkey. Let me say that again, we hit a turkey. Or maybe it's better to say the turkey hit us?

Only in NY can this happen. Of course the stupid 15 to 20 lb. bird hit "dead" center, completely smashed in the grill, bent a steel bar which in turn destroyed the radiator. When the bird strike occurred (I still cannot believe this happened) we were on our way to visit with family in Erie. We pulled up to their house just in time... the truck was smoking since we lost all radiator fluid. We spent the rest of Sunday and Monday getting it serviced so we could get back on the road.

One new radiator later - we finished the trip home to Missouri at 1 am this morning. The unexpected delay in our trip was a blessing in disguise since we had an awesome time with Matt's sister Shannon and brother-in-law Joe, 5-year-old nephew Roman and 2-year-old niece Julianne. Thank you Shannon and Joe for taking us in!

So, there you have it... a house closing and turkey strike all in one weekend. And that's the last memory we have from living in NY.

By the way, I found our situation hilarious the entire weekend; however, Matt doesn't agree. He's trying to buy stock in Hormel as we speak.

Downtown STL Ballpark Village on hold

Today's post is two-fold; one so I can finally show a picture of where I work (downtown STL across from Busch Stadium), and secondly, to "pretend" that I understand all the hype with the city hosting a really important baseball game this summer.

I guess St. Louis is a baseball fans dream since the city is hosting the 2009 Major League All-Star Game set for July. Even though I'm not a huge follower of baseball, I'm sure die hard fans and tourists coming to the city will be disappointed that Ballpark Village is not waiting for them. (Perhaps the city was thinking, "If we build it, they will come.") Unfortunately, due to politics (go figure) and our economy, this investment into downtown St. Louis remains a vacant grass covered lot and the temporary site of a softball field and parking lot.

Hopefully, even without the site showcasing the planned but-not-built-yet restaurants, boutiques and condos, Cardinal and baseball fans alike will still enjoy the All-Star Game. And who knows, maybe I will enjoy the festivities too; first, I need to figure out which teams are playing at the All-Star Game this summer... guess I just proved how much I still need to learn.

Selling our house... take two

In January, we reported that our house in NY had sold; however, the first potential buyer was not able to secure financing. I know it's important to keep in mind the real estate market has it's ups and downs - as of today, I can report a blessing. Matt and I accepted a new offer on the house.

We have placed this in God's hands, and if our house is meant to officially sell this time - it will.

Pictured above is the house even before we purchased it in December 2007. Since then, we've painted the entire exterior, incorporated some landscaping around the front and sides of the house, and removed two huge pine trees in the front yard. (When I say we, I really mean Matt. It was all I could do to paint the front porch. Even though I did my best, I'm officially banned from painting anything now.)

We pray this is the last time we have to post a for sale sign in the front yard. Our prayer is for a smooth closing process.

Spring weather is almost here

Ahhh, has spring officially arrived in STL? Perhaps not; however, St. Louis weather today and this coming week will sure feel like spring. It was almost 80 degrees today, and our five-day forecast looks to be in the low 70s and high 60s. Matt and I are completely enjoying Missouri's early spring weather, as we are used to WNY snow days until the end of April.

A recap on our winter here in Missouri: it has been especially mild with only one significant snow storm to report; approximately six inches of accumulation where we live. Matt and I were surprised that the seemingly small amount of snow fall (compared to WNY's snow-belt region) caused the surrounding schools to close for a few days. Even the College I work at closed for a day. I attribute this to the state of Missouri just not having the equipment or manpower to handle ice and snow covered roads.

Oh well, here's to a wonderful spring! And I'm sure a hot and humid summer - lucky us.

Happy Adoption Day Nozzo

Yep, we are fully cognisant of how pathetic we are when it comes to our cat. Adding to our demise is the fact that we named him after a character from our favorite TV show; the only thing more pathetic is that we actually celebrate the anniversary day of when we adopted him.

Oh well, we can't help it, this cat is awesome! He is basically a cat/dog - he comes to us when we call his name, wags his little nubbin of a tail constantly, pouts when we leave the room because he wants to remain by our side and follow us where-ever we go, and he loves as much attention/affection as a human can provide. His only non-dog like trait is that he could care less about helping you and tries to get into as much trouble as possible.

Here's to a wonderful two years DiNozzo!

Here we go Pittsburgh...here we go!

This posting is for my husband... and all his family members who are HUGE Steeler fans. Congrats to the Pittsburgh Steelers for winning their sixth Super Bowl title.

Matt managed to recruit my cousin Molly and her best friend Robert Jay for Steeler nation. (Both kids became fans of Pittsburgh about one hour before the game.) It was us four against the rest of our Missouri friends and family members who were cheering for the Cardinals, and the former St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner.

(And in case you were wondering, Matt is sporting a Steelers hard-hat; he insisted on wearing it and sharing his other Steeler apparel with us.)

House in NY - renovation pics

living room

dinning room

breakfast nook


kitchen

Our adventure continues

We received two huge blessings in the past two weeks; Matt was offered a job at Farmers Insurance Company, and we sold our house in NYS - thus proving our relocation to Missouri is meant-to-be.

Pictured above are a few indoor house pics in our NY home. We close on the house in about a month, and I can't wait to go home to finally retrieve all my stuff! (If you look closely, you can spot our kitty peaking around the stairs in our living room pic.)