Quick C25K news....that random, horrible, who-else-does-this-happen-to run-in with the shower faucet left me with a giant (at least like half an inch long) gash surrounded by a swollen, black and purple bruise. This delightful injury literally left me unable to wear any shoes with a back for a week! AKA no running since last Sunday! Noooooo! (Actually I wasn't too torn up haha)! My pathetic stamina that I have grudgingly built up over the past 6 weeks has been defeated by a freak accident (I'm the freak in this scenario). It's almost healed now and I hope to get back on the running saddle soon.
I was so incredibly blessed to be able to visit my other, shorter half in St. Louis this weekend! Allow me to explain: when I went off to college in a state I had never been, nor did I have any friends in this state, God totally intervened (as He always does) through the potluck system of dorm roommate selection. She was also from out-of-state and there is no doubt that without each other, we would not have been able to survive! God is so good and I just love if when you can tangibly feel His hand in a situation! I went this random potluck route, which can be scary and dangerous...I've heard horror stories.....and ended up with Natalie! We instantly bonded and lived together all four years of college! I always wonder what percentage of potluckers do that.
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| One of the first pics we took together! Freshman year, 2007, in the midst of rush (which was completely planned by God too - like I'm surprised - He plans everything!!) |
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| May 2011. We recreated the pic, going back to the exact same patio of our freshman dorm, in the exact same outfits! We even had to jump the fence all un-ladylike, just like four years previously when we got locked out! |
Needless to say, after living together for all four years, it has been quite an adjustment for both of us not seeing each other's faces every single day! She is most definitely going to change the world and I have watched God increase her passion and fire for Him and His kingdom more and more every semester. She is at grad school at St. Louis University for social work and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit her for 3 days! I had absolutely no regret leaving those needy little children (just kidding, I love them) and taking Friday off, although I did miss them by Sunday night. I am so excited to share my visit to such a cool and charming city with you! I hope you find it as interesting as I did!
After a delicious lunch at Pei Wei on the way home from the airport (that honey seared chicken is to die for!), we stopped at her super cute apartment then went on a little tour of the city and of the St. Louis University campus. I fell in love with the architecture of all the buildings! Apartment complexes, hotels, you name it had really cool ornate and antique detailing. Plus the day was absolutely gorgeous - warm in the sun but cool at the same time. First time in forever that I could wear jeans and a cardigan outside and actually be on the cool side - not die of heat exhaustion!!
Catholic basilica...absolutely stunning on the inside as well as the outside!
That thing with all the colorful abstract sculptures is one of the many dog parks all over the city!
Me, being the pseudo-mom to ten children Monday through Friday, forced her to take an awkwardly precious pic by the SLU sign.
They have the cutest cafes on every corner with little umbrellas...love!
After a little sight-seeing in which I was the total tourist and had my upper body hanging out the window to take pics, we stopped at the cutest cupcake shop ever...The Cup!
Reese's peanut butter cup cupcake....incredibly moist chocolate cupcake, peanut butter buttercream frosting, crushed peanut butter cups on top. I seriously think that one will be waiting for me when I die and go to Heaven.
We totally planned to coordinate with the umbrella....and with each other!
After we slipped into a somewhat sugar-coma from our cupcakes, we got some much-needed chill time together, complete with the non-stop talking that took place the entire weekend. Then we headed to Forest Park for Balloon Glow! Tons of hot air balloons, booths with every kind of fair food you can imagine (not gonna lie, those funnel cakes and cans of Mike's hard lemonade were very tempting. Luckily we ate some appetizers before we went!)
After the super cool balloon display and firework show, we headed to a late-night dinner at the best pizza place in St. Louis - pi! Actually it was the pi sign but I don't know how to make that on here :) The words "amazing" "delicious" "cracker crust" and "I fell in love with a slice of pizza" do not even begin to describe how good it was!! More non-stop talking, then took a slight break to sleep. Day 1 - amazing!
Day 2 started with a leisurely getting-ready time with coffee and the traditional "Gilmore Girls". Then we walked to this precious cafe, 2Schae, that once again had those little umbrellas and a red and white striped awning. Unfortunately, it was a little too cold and gray to sit outside, but don't worry, the owner offered to take our pic outside as if we were pretending to eat there. We had previously discussed this idea and thought he might make fun of us....wrong!
After one of the best breakfast burritos I have ever had (egg, cheese, bacon, avocado all wrapped in a huge wheat tortilla with a side of salsa and more coffee....yum!), we began our day of wonderfully-random stops! Stop #1: a huge farmer's market! Not only did they have the best-looking veggies, fruits, and anything else homegrown, they had totally random items such as purses and sunglasses that looked straight from Chinatown, BBQ stands, and anything else that you could possibly want!
Super cute spice shop....I felt a little ashamed when I thought of all the Great Value off-brand spices in my pantry at home. The smells were amazing! I also got the best idea that I cannot wait to try on my own - baking bread in flower pots! (An all-included kit with bread mix was available for purchase. That's too easy. I'm going to attempt to do it on my own. Dear Lord, please don't let a flower pot explode in my oven haha!
After the farmer's market and a stop at a precious wine-garden-gifts shop across the street where I found inspiration for another holiday decoration I want to steal, I mean, "borrow", we visited the arch! I have not seen very many U.S. landmarks in my short life so far in this world so I was like a giddy little kid whipping out my camera and once again, embracing the role of the embarrassing tourist!
The building to the right is a church. There was a wedding going on while we were there - so hard not to peak in the windows! We later saw the bride, groom, and whole wedding party drive by in a horse-drawn carriage! What a cool place to get married. Talk about awesome pics!
I had to.
After the arch came something that (almost) blew my mind as much as the landmark....a Goodwill outlet store! I cannot describe this amazing phenomenon without using the term "feeding frenzy". Picture a huge warehouse room with giant blue, almost garbage-like, bins that contain some of the most random discarded items (I don't need to buy an empty Ragu jar, I can get that on my own). They roll out new bins of stuff every 20 minutes and the frenzy commenced. They actually had to come on the loudspeaker and ask people not to approach the bins until they had come to a complete stop. And everything there is priced by the pound! So people would fill up carts literally to the brim and roll them onto large floor scales by the register...how cool is that! I found one treasure that I just couldn't resist - a book all in French from 1952! I was first drawn by the pretty, faded red cover that would go so well with the colors in our living room. Then I opened it, spotted the date, and deliciously-aged pages and fell in love! My whopping grand total spent at the Goodwill outlet:
$0.68
After the exciting Goodwill adventure, two large Dr. Peppers were a must for us, followed by some more relaxing/non-stop chatter time at her place. The weather was gray and chilly, perfect for settling down in the couch with Rory, Lorelai, and some DP! Sunday went by way too fast, as every Sunday does, and I was soon on my way back to Aggieland. Not without some flight delay, confusion, and a stifling hot cabin sitting on the runway, of course. But I made it back safe and sound! I think my husband was glad to see me, mainly due to the fact that he ate a grilled ham and cheese for almost every meal!
Speaking of meals, I tried out this new recipe that I sorta combined with others for Monday night. The combination of grunting and "Mmmmm"-ing came out once more for this delicious sub! I have never made my own meatballs before and found a recipe for them in a Rachael Ray cookbook for kid-food (my sister thought it would be a good gift a while back for my picky eater of a husband). Then I combined that with some tasty bread and bottled spaghetti sauce and voila...
Homemade Meatball Subs
1 pound ground beef, 93% lean
1 egg, beaten
1/2 small cooking onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (I used good ol' Great Value shredded Parmesan cheese)
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
(I just had plain breadcrumbs so I added a couple shakes of Italian seasoning to the mix)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 sub rolls
(I intended to use wheat hoagies but I found wheat bolillos instead. Had never heard of them but they were cheaper. And really, any bread is good in my book!)
4 slices Provolone
Jar of spaghetti sauce of your choice (I used Ragu with some sort of cheese/herb flavoring)
For meatballs:
1. Combine meat, egg, onion, garlic, cheese, bread crumbs, and a little pepper in bowl.
2. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in deep, nonstick skillet.
3. Form small balls and drop into hot pan. Once all meatballs are in skillet, give the pan a good shake and cover. Cook for 8 minutes, frequently shaking the pan to prevent burning. If meat is browning too fast, reduce heat a little.
4. Once meatballs are done (I had to cut some of the bigger ones in half to get the middle cooked), pour enough spaghetti sauce to cover and moisten the meatballs.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slice bread almost all the way through and open like book. Place cheese on one side, put on baking sheet, and bake in oven until cheese is melted and edges of bread are slightly crisp. Once cheese is melted, top open sandwich with meatballs (I squeezed about 5 on top of the cheese), close, and enjoy!
I inhaled mine in record time before making my hungry husband another one :)
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and a great Monday!
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