Hiiii

I spent most of yesterday loathing late nights, red wine and 6-hour car rides. Now that I've had some time to recuperate, I can admit this past weekend was fabulous. I drove to St. Louis Friday afternoon for Kait's bachelorette party weekend. We stayed at Emily's house Friday night and had wine, cheese, and many good conversations. The night ended with a push-up contest (please see "red wine" above). I received last place by completing 1/2 of one push-up. I know you are all shocked by my lack of athleticism.

Saturday morning we had brunch at a place near Em's house and then some of us went to Kaitlin's reception place to check out a few things (it's beautiful by the way). We lounged around the house for a bit until it was time for quite possibly the highlight of the weekend: the pole-dancing class.

It. Was. Awesome.

I'd no idea what to expect but had said a quiet prayer that we'd each have our own pole and could mind our own business. Perhaps this was God's way of telling me to never again pray for something so foolish, as there was one pole in the middle of the room and plenty of space for everyone to sit and stare at you as you strutted your stuff around the torture beam. Our instructor was really nice and we ended up having a fabulous time once the nerves wore off. Many pictures were taken and only one will be shared. She did give us quite a performance at the end of the hour and we all applauded enthusiastically. Now I fully appreciate the time and talent it takes to do such...er... creative things (insert any preposition) the pole.

Afterwards we checked into our hotel and started getting ready for the cocktail shower/party at Kitchen K. I was mercilessly made fun of for my 3-ring binder complete with maps, excel spreadsheets, checklists, and confirmations. Did I mention I also brought a pair of scissors just in case? Make fun of me all you want, I can't wait to be an event planner one day. I think it is the only thing I can say I'm pretty decent at doing (along with multiplication and long division, with or without remainders).

The shower was so much fun. We had a few games, delicious food, a great cake, and many fun gifts for the bride-to-be to open. The night continued with several bars in downtown St. Louis. We were all doing great until about 2:15am and then we were reminded we are no longer 18. The mood suddenly changed to somber and sleepy so we grabbed a cab back to the hotel. There were more than enough leftovers from the shower so we all sat in bed and ate chicken satay, shrimp spring rolls, and steak & blue cheese crostinis at 3am. GLOOOORIOUS!

Sunday I drove back and made it home just in time for small group. I do NOT like driving long distances by myself as I can't stop my stupid head from thinking so much. Not bad thoughts, but constant thoughts. Is it possible to get annoyed with yourself for constantly thinking? And is it considered schizophrenia when you are begging the voice in your head to shut up for a minute so you can order a cheeseburger at McDonalds? And should I really be admitting this to any of you?

In regards to the past few posts about Christmas, there is one thing about Christmas that I do NOT feel needs to wait until after Thanksgiving and that is all of the limited time holiday treats at the grocery store. This includes but is not limited to: white chocolate covered Oreos and the fabulous Little Debbie Cake Christmas trees. Presently we have both in our pantry.

I'm only posting a few pictures. For the rest of them, CLICK HERE!






A few more days of work and then it is off to Chicago to visit the new family of three!!! WOOHOOO!