Merry Christmas 2010 - Love, The Marlow's

We hope your holiday was filled with love and laughter....

Merry Christmas

Love, The Marlow's

Kelly, Matt, and Molly

Merry Christmas EVE!

Well, it's Christmas Eve and there is about 4-5 inches of fresh snow surrounding us here in St. Louis...but never fear - Matt, Molly and I went for a walk tonight in the snow to make sure Santa's landing strip (a portion of a neighbor's yard that we have affectionately nicknamed)....just to make sure that it would be lit tonight so that Santa could find his way to our house in this Winter Wonderland...and sure enough - although one side was damaged - it was bright enough that we feel confident that with Rudolph's nose, Dasher's sense of direction, and Commet's eagle eye sight - Santa and his sleigh will make it safely to our house tonight! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Family visit before the Holidays!

So, my mom and dad made a drive up to St. Louis to visit before they headed to see Robyn and John for Christmas! It was really nice...well probably not the drive up because they were making it during a big ICE storm! Originally they were going to make it in two days - stopping halfway...however during the day of the drive, they heard from me, Matt, Kimberly and Jeff about how bad it was going to get that night and they decided to go the whole way...well, until 7 pm came and BAM!!! it was HORRIBLE outside! Kimberly's van slid down her driveway, Jeff slipped on ice, Matt had already de-iced our driveway twice in anticipation of my parents...and that's when thank goodness my parents pulled into the first hotel they saw! It was really a horrible ice storm and I'm so thankful that all of my family was safe and sound! So with that being said, the next morning I went to work - learning to drive on ice - interesting. Matt welcomed my parents in our house around 1 pm or so - they were staying with us because my sister is renovating her kitchen and there was a lot of dust in the air - tile dust...anyways, I came home from work and we had a nice Thursday evening in! Friday I was off work - so off my parents and I set while Matt got to work...We went shopping and met up with Kimberly, Jeff, and Carter for lunch and a little more shopping! Then that night, it was family dinner at the Marlow's house! Matt and I set up our dining room to accommodate 8 people and we made lasagna, had the wine and beer flowing, my dad made his famous garlic/olive oil sauce and we had chocolate pie, ice cream and Kimberly brought cookies. Dinner was phenomenal - so much fun! Then the kiddos watched some Christmas movies while the adults played Apples to Apples! So fun! Saturday was a morning with Kimberly and Mom...while Jeff, Dad, Logan and Carter hung out (movie and incredible pizza for lunch)....and Matt chilled at home...nothing was stopping us from a great day for all - even a nasty stomach bug I had! Then that night was adult date night at Mosaic!!! SO MUCH FUN!!!! So nice!!! Then Sunday Matt had a work dinner at Harrah's Casino and me, my mom, my dad, and I hung out with Kimberly, Logan, Carter and Jeff. While Matt worked at our home and Jeff worked renovating his home - the rest of us went to MOBOT for Garland Express and then to the Transportation Museum. After that, we picked up Jeff for dinner and a trip through Santa's Magical Kingdom! Monday morning I took my parents to the airport as they flew off to Colorado to celebrate Christmas with Robyn and John! Then this week it's been work work work for Matt and I - getting ready for Christmas...a white Christmas at that!

First Snow...hopefully first of many!

Well Old Man Winter and I had it out in February and I told him that I never wanted to see snow again...well, actually all I said was that i didn't want to see 2 feet of snow, 3 snow storms in a row again...well then Matt and I moved to the midwest, which is more known for snow than Charlottesville, VA and NOTHING as of almost mid-December....and then BAM!!!! The last Matt and I checked the weather before the nephews arrived Friday night, the weatherman said that the precipitation would be gone before the snow/ice line...well about 10 pm on Saturday night I got a text from my sister saying that we might get up to 3 inches...Matt and I were like "What? Snow? No way, we watched the weather!" Well when I woke up on Sunday around 4 am, I looked outside - and it was a blanket of snow - and it was in fact about 4 inches of snow! SWEET! If it wasn't for the FREEZING weather that came with the beautiful snow, then it would've been perfect! Matt and I shoveled the driveway and then came back in and Carter was ready to go outside...so after calling my sister and her husband, to get the official ok...we all went outside and played...it was a fun time playing in the first snow of the year, but just like Carter said "IT WAS FREEZING!"

Winter Fun Weekend

Friday night my sister Kimberly dropped of our nephews Logan and Carter for a two night kid vacation...and we had a great time!
Friday night it was pretty much bedtime when the boys got to our house after they had a pizza dinner with Santa. So once we got on jammies it was off to bed....Then it all started at 6:30 am Saturday morning...well, really, it started at 1:30 with Carter screaming "Kelly" but that was just a quick trip to the bathroom and back to bed! HA! HA! Once Logan woke up - he and I headed downstairs to play some Wii monopoly...Matt joined us pretty quickly after - actually really quickly since I couldn't get the Wii to work! And we started a game of monopoly...shortly after Carter followed....and the day began!!! Cinnamon rolls followed Wii monopoly, then outside we all went for picking up leaves and playing football, then it was Christmas craft time, then baking Christmas cookies, then showers (covered in flour - see pictures), then Petsmart with Molly to get her picture with Santa (it was HORRIBLE and quite a crappy picture - but it went to a good cause), then back home to decorate the Christmas cookies (which really turned out phenomenal - well, that's a personal opinion), then a Christmas movie with Uncle Matt while Aunt Kelly made lunch (mac 'n cheese and hotdogs - classic), then naptime (well only one of them really naps anymore, but it is a secret from the other one...truth be told though, I think it was Aunt Kelly who really wanted a nap! Ha! Ha!), then time to get in toasty warm clothes for the Santa walk as Suson Park, then popcorn snack in the van, and pretty soon we were at Suson park...well it was FREEZING - I mean literally freezing, Carter was screaming - "I'm so cold"....the winds were quite possibly the most horrible cold things I've ever felt! So off we went to The Bread Co...for some hot soup for the adults and blueberry bagels for the kiddos...then home for a cookie and reading Spud's letter...then a game of Sorry (Kelly and Logan kicked Matt and Carter's butt), then pj's and everyone got cozy in Logan's bed for a Billy Boy story from Papa Doc (via skype), and then it was bedtime!!!! Wowzers, this has really been only 24 hours...CRAZY, but fun! Definitely a fun winter weekend!

Wednesday night at Tillis Park Winter Wonderland

Wednesday night after work, Matt and I went out on another Christmas date night...we drove out to Tillis Park for their Winter Wonderland. Tillis Park is one of St. Louis County parks and during the holiday time it is transformed into a Winter Wonderland...with lights galore! It is created and designed by St. Louis County Parks Employees - and I must say this year they have done an AMAZING job! Matt and I throughly enjoy the drive-thru lights - very classy and reminded us of a park we drove through in D.C. last year with Diana and Kory! I love when parts of the holiday season help me remember good times with dear friends and family - love it!

Wednesday night at Tillis Park Winter onderland

Santa's Magical Kingdom Sunday Night

Sunday night Matt and I met up with Kimberly, Jeff, Logan, Carter and a family who is a friend of their family - Charissa, her husband Scott and their 3 boys....it was supposed to be a larger group but unfortunately tons of people were sick with a stomach virus that has been going around St. Louis like the plague! Fortunately though, they stayed home...don't get me wrong, love some of those families...but I do not want what is being passed around! Well traditionally my sister has a Christmas cookie party at her house with everyone and then they caravan to Santa's Magical Kingdom, but this year with their kitchen in demolition/remodeling mode it was dinner at El Nopal and then off to Santa's Magical Kingdom - a drive-thru light park at a local Jellystone Park and Kringles Store where Santa was. The lights were cool and Santa, well, he was a little crazy, telling Logan to "look up what responsible is in the dictionary"....all this because he wanted a cell phone! Ha! Ha! Crazy Santa! It was a great night! Thanks to the Phillip's family for inviting the Marlow's!

Anheuser-Busch Holiday Lights Tour Date Night

Last night Matt and I went on our second themed date night to Anheuser-Busch to take the Holiday Light tour! It was great! Matt had not ever been on the tour, and I had not been in several years since going with my twin sister...Our tour guides were good and informative (which i guess is their job)...and we got to see all the regular stuff on the tour plus the over 1 million lights that AB puts up for the holiday season! It was awesome - well cold, but awesome! (And apparently not as cold as Monday is supposed to be at 17 to start and a high of 30 - hello Old Man Winter - I love you and missed you)...We had a great time on the tour - then it was off to the tasting room! Matt and I both tried new beers - he like his, I wasn't a fan of mine - too dark, but definitely worth tasting...Another great Holiday Date Night! Getting excited for another holiday date night on Sunday night with friends and family! Love this time of season - absolutely, positively love it!

Wildlights Date Night

On Saturday night, Matt and I started the first of hopefully many Christmas-themed date nights! Saturday night we headed to the St. Louis Zoo (who is celebrating 100 years this year) for their annual Wildlights! You get to walk through parts of the zoo and they are completely decorated with Christmas lights, and the penguin exhibit is open! It was so much fun - we had a great time! It was Matt's first time at the zoo, and my second...both of us can't wait to go back! It was definitely a good start to the Christmas holiday season!

Our First Thanksgiving!

Our First Thanksgiving together was phenomenal! We started the morning by cooking - Matt was doing the turkey and it took 8 hours in the slow cooker, so he got to work on that! I started just with prepping the other dishes and making sure we had all the necessary ingredients! Then we made some cinnamon rolls and muffins (sidenote: I also made my mothers famous and delicious pecan rolls - however, it was an epic fail!)....and sat down to watch the parade! During the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade we also put up our ornaments on the tree! Then it was time for football and relaxing before dinner! Dinner was delicious and then we relaxed some more! Matt and I both had to work on Black Friday - so no crazy shopping for us! We did attempting Best Buy that afternoon/early evening, but nothing too fantastic! Here are some pictures from our first Thanksgiving - again, we are so very thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving Love, The Marlow's

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family! Matt and I are so thankful for each and everyone! We are especially thankful to spend today together - this is our FIRST THANKSGIVING together! In the past, Matt has been away with UVA women's basketball...so today has been so very special! May each and every one of you have a special day shared with your loved ones!

Love,

Kelly and Matt

2 weeks on the JOB...

Just thought I'd let everyone know...I'm EMPLOYED!
I came home after my first day to a beautiful flower arrangement from Matt and after my first week a treat from my parents! I'll be handling unemployment cases - for the employers. Matt and I are really excited about this opportunity for me, and we just wanted to thank everyone who has been so supportive in my job hunt!

Matt meets his newest nieces...

Yesterday, Wednesday Nov. 11th, my sister Barbara and her three kiddos Abby, Reagan, and Blaire drove from their home in Enterprise, Alabama to Destin, Florida to pick up some Christmas clothes at Carter's Outlet and The Children's Place Outlet...After some shopping I headed with Barbara and the girls to a local restaurant on the beach - The Crab Trap. Matt was swamped with work and was unable to meet us earlier in the day, but was able to get away for about 30 minutes to meet his newest nieces. It was really exciting to see how Matt interacted with the babies - he was GREAT! It was a good time all around!

It's ONLY been 1 month?!?!?

Ok, so it has ONLY been 1 month since I've posted on our blog, but wholly mcguiver...what a month it's been! So great ready, this is going to be a long post!

MATT'S DAD'S VISIT - October 7-10: Matt's dad Frank came to visit us! He spent the beginning of that week at Scott AFB located right outside of St. Louis and then headed over to our house on Thursday afternoon! We had a great time visiting with him. He and I ran a few errands while Matt worked, but then we all went a tried out a German restaurant Thursday night (see picture below) and Ted Drewes. Friday was more working for Matt, the gym and errands for me, and relaxing for Frank with westerns! Then Friday night we headed out again. Saturday was spent with my Baylor Bears playing Frank's Texas Tech Red Raiders...Matt grilled hamburgers and brauts and we just watched the game! Even though my Bears lost, it was a good time! Frank headed off to the airport Sunday. Matt's mom Doris popped in to visit for a day a month or two before Frank came, so it was great for Matt and I to be able to visit with both of them so close after we moved to St. Louis!




ROBYN AND JOHN'S WEDDING - October 14-18: Matt and I headed on Thursday night to Denver, Colorado for the weekend wedding festivities of my twin sister Robyn and her fiance John! Our flight was a little delayed, but was excellent! We arrived around 9:15 pm and I headed to pick up the rental car, before they closed at 10, while Matt picked up the luggage! We ended up getting a free upgrade - thanks Enterprise - to a Chevy Tahoe! With Tahoe and luggage we headed to Robyn and John's house in Thornton. Then hung out and slept. Friday morning was spent between the girls and the boys...after Matt made a few work phone calls, he, my dad, and John headed out for a boys morning, while myself, my mom, and the Bride headed out and met up with Kasey (Bridesmaid)...then that afternoon Matt and I in the Tahoe, with my parents following in their rented convertible headed up to the Estes Park, Colorado. After dropping off Robyn and John's welcome bags at the hotels, the four of us headed in the Tahoe through Rocky Mountain National Park - AMAZING! Then it was a pizza party at the Holiday Inn pool! Saturday was a very early morning with Robyn, John, my mom, and my dad watching the sunrise from 13,000+ feet! SO COOL! Then it was wandering around the town with Matt until time to set up for the Rehearsal lunch. We had a blast walking around Estes - not to mention delicious homemade ice cream! Then it was time to celebrate with the rehearsal lunch, the rehearsal, the family dinner, bowling party, brewery and then bed. The next morning was WEDDING DAY!!! Matt and my dad ran to starbucks for us girls (all 14 drinks)...and then Matt spent the day doing everything and anything that was needed! A totally awesome extra hand at the wedding - including doing an amazing job video-ing the wedding and other festivities/memorable events! I spent the day with the Bride and her maids - loving every minute of the day! The wedding was absolutely stunning! Then the reception was great! The next day was the post-wedding brunch and then heading back to Thornton. Matt and I helped Robyn and John unpack at their house and then headed out to dinner with the newlyweds before heading back to St. Louis that night! We are so happy for Robyn and John! Congrats again to the newlyweds MR. AND MRS. JOHN AKINS!! We love you both so much and are so thankful to have been a part of your special weekend!

October 23: Drove to Sandestin, Florida...Me, Matt, and Molly in the sweet sweet 'rolla for 12 hours...where Molly only likes it if the interior of the car is so cold it could snow...enough said! Ha! Ha! Ha! Seriously though, my parents are headed across the pond to tour around Barcelona, Spain for 5 days and then hop on another Royal Caribbean cruise for 14 days around other parts of Europe...so Matt and I are house/cat sitting while they are gone!




October 27: Although Matt had to work, I was able to drive from Sandestin to Enterprise, Alabama where my sister Barbara and her family live. I was with Barbara in May when her water broke (way too early) and drove her to the ER. When I left and went pack to Charlottesville, she was laying in a hospital bed in Pensacola Florida and neither baby was born yet. Shortly thereafter, the babies were born (micro-preemies) and although they came home while Matt and I were in Florida over July 4th - Matt and I both had fevers at one point in time during that trip, and we did not want to be responsible for getting those kiddos sick. I was absolutely thrilled that I was able met my nieces Blaire Elizabeth and Reagan Nichole for the very first time since they were born on May 14th!!! I got there an immediately started loving on those babies! Matt and I got the babies a book and we got Abby a Tinkerbell activity/coloring book! Both seemed to be great successes! It was a good day hanging out with the Wade ladies!





October 28-November 1: The BESTEST arrived in Panama City Beach, Florida and was in town for 4 1/2 days! We had not seen each other since Matt and I got married down here! It was so great to hang out with her. We had a blast! It was sad to see her go home, but we are hoping to see her again soon - possibly in December at Baylor's bowl game! SIC'EM BEARS! (Sidenote: this weekend that the bestest was in town, the Baylor Bears beat Texas in Austin!!! SWEET)

November 2: Matt had to work again, but I headed back to Alabama (10 am - 11 pm) to go to my very first Peanut Festival - it was also Reagan and Blaire's very first one too! It was myself, Barbara, Abby, Reagan and Blaire - a total girls night at the fair! Abby is completely fearless when it comes to the rides - and I of course was not! Ha! Ha! So Barbara and I alternated between riding rides with her while hanging out with Blaire and Reagan!

November 5-7: Matt and I drove on Friday Nov. 4th from Destin, Florida to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – about 6 hours east for Diana and Kory’s wedding weekend! We had an absolute blast! When we arrived on Friday, Matt stayed in the hotel room to get some work done while I headed to meet the girls at the reception site to help set up for the reception. After that it was time to get dressed and ready for the rehearsal. The church was absolutely stunning and the rehearsal was definitely a great practice for the big day! Then we headed with the wedding party to Aqua Grill for the rehearsal dinner…oh my gosh, so yummy and such a good time chatting with new friends and the bride and groom who sat at our table! SWEET! Then it was off to Diana’s parents house to party the night away with all the out-of-town guests! It was great to hang out with people I haven’t seen from college and to meet new people who have already become friends! With a good night’s sleep we were off to Diana’s house in the morning – well, I was off. Matt was dropping me off – then we checked the bride and groom into their hotel room and dropped their car at the hotel…Then it was back to Diana’s house for me to get started on my hair and makeup and Matt was off to get the Polaroid camera working for the guest book, watching football, taking a nap, and meeting me at the church! We girls had a blast at Diana’s house! One of her sorority sisters from college (KXA) did my hair and my eyes – oh my gosh – AMAZING work! Truly a talented individual! Then before we knew it, it was off to the church for the girls – all 5 bridesmaids, the bride, the mother of the bride, and the grandmother of the bride! The boys were already there! Then after getting the dress on the bride and the veil in – it was time for Diana and Kory to have their precious moment! Then pictures began – and soon the wedding itself – it was time!!!!! The wedding was beautiful and definitely in the spirit of Diana and Kory! After a few more pictures it was time to PARTY!!!! The reception was tons of fun! Matt and I got to chat with Kristyna and Shari (we went to Kristyna’s wedding in Chicago earlier in the year) and even got to hang out with them after the Bride and Groom made their grand exit in bubbles! The next morning Matt and I hit the road back to Destin….it was a great weekend and we are so thankful to Diana and Kory for letting us celebrate their amazing day with them! CONGRATS TO MR. AND MRS. KORY MERTZ!!!

Alright, I think that sums up the past month....and seriously, it's only been a month?!?!?! CRAZY!

Just Call Me...Green Thumb Marlow

So if you know me, you probably already know this...but, I HATE yardwork. I mean I loving mowing the grass and did it as a chore when I was growing up....but as far as pulling weeds, seeding, raking, etc...I HATE it! I mean absolutely, positively HATE it! So, you are probably wondering why I spent 4 hours on Monday doing just exactly what I hate...yardwork! Well, the house that Matt and I are renting - we love it! For right now in our lives, it is perfect! Enough room for us (actually it is really more room than we need), enough room for visitors, enough room for Matt to work from home, enough backyard space for Molly to catch a frisbee/ball, close enough to downtown, etc...but there was just 1 problem....our front yard! It was nice when we first moved in, well for about a week, then it was annoying! The owner had planted loads of plants right by the front door entrance that attracted a LOT of bees! Then it got worse - with the summer heat, the plants started dying...so currently, it looked like our front yard was the death valley of plants! I think today I finally hit my point of always seeing the dead plants...so after the gym I went to Home Depot and purchased some new plants and some mulch, then I came home and started ripping out dead plants! Here's the finished product...Not sure how long I can keep the plants alive, but at least now there is only living plants in our front yard!

Another Busy Weekend for the Marlow's!

Well Matt and I had another busy weekend this past weekend...I'll break it down by days...

Friday: Matt and I purchased some 50% off Cardinals tickets 2 months ago...one of the games we bought was Cardinals vs. Rockies for Oct. 1st! We thought ahead you know - that both teams would be in playoffs or in a race for the post season...so, well, we were totally WRONG on that point and it was the last series for both teams for this year...but none-the-less Matt and I had a great time! First, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so we scored free bags when we entered the game! I kept mine and we got Matt's for my mom! Then we headed to where we thought our seats were....well, we got the section right, but the seats wrong...we found out that we were only 8 rows up from the field behind third base...AWESOME seats!! What a great way for Matt and I to end the baseball season!

Saturday: Saturday we met my sister Kimberly and her family for Logan's soccer game. At the end of the game, Matt and I loaded up to go home with...Logan and Carter! We had them for Saturday night slumber party at our house!!! We had a fun day/night with them that included kickball, soccer, lunch, naps, disney version of SORRY, sidewalk chalk, dinner, sword fighting, wii, playing with molly, campfire smores, cinnamon rolls, lone elk park, m&m blasts....

Sunday: We met up with Kimberly and Jeff to hand the boys back over! Then it was off to David's Bridal to pick up my 2 bridesmaids dresses that I had altered, then Lens Crafters to pick up Matt's Christmas gift from Santa (prescription Rayban Sunglasses), and to Strassenfest (German festival in Chesterfield, Mo)....then later that night, we hit up the movies to see one Matt's really been wanting to see...The Social Network...it was the facebook movie and it was really good!!

Weekend in THE WINDY CITY

This past weekend, Matt and I headed out bright and early Saturday morning to Chicago!! We left our house around 5:30 to get to the St. Louis Amtrak station to board out 6:40 train headed for Chicago's Union Station! After a quick 6 hour train we arrived, and took a taxi to our hotel Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown to meet up with Kory and Diana. (Sidenote: Diana and I met at Baylor and Kory is her fiance...they live in Washington, D.C. - and we miss seeing them as frequently as we used to when we lived in Charlottesville, so it was a great time to get the 4 of us back together again!) Also, let me first say, thank you so much to Kory and Diana as we stayed with them at the Hampton Inn - which was also one of the nicest hotels Matt and I have stayed at! It was just renovated a few months ago and looks AMAZING! Anyways, we dropped off our luggage and headed out to lunch with them at EATT! It was a place they found while walking around (their flight arrived a few hours before our train)...and it was delicious burgers for all 4! Then it was off to Millennium Park to see the "BEAN" and the water art project! Really cool sight! Then we headed back up Michigan Ave. for some shopping - window shopping that is! Ha! Ha! Then off to the John Hancock building...up the elevators to the 96th floor with spectacular views (for free) and tasty drinks! It was really quite the sight! I mean astounding really! Even Matt and Diana (two who don't really love heights) checked out the sights after some liquid courage! Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the party at Kristyna's condo! I guess this would be a good time to point out why we were all in Chicago...Kelly's friend and sophomore year roommate at Baylor, Kristyna Sujata, was getting married to Abraham Munoz on Sunday afternoon in the St. James Cathedral in downtown Chicago!!! So off to Kristyna's condo for a "Welcome Out-Of-Town Family and Friends" party! We had a great time and meeting and greeting friends we had not seen in forever, and meeting new friends!! Then it was back to the hotel for some much needed sleep! Who knew traveling + sight-seeing was so tiring!! Ha! Ha!

Sunday morning the four of us (after an amazing breakfast at the hotel) headed out to Navy Pier! It was quite a sight - overcast at first, but then it turned out to be a beautiful day! Albeit - WINDY!!!! I had to buy a sweatshirt to keep me toasty warm, and Matt had to get some popcorn! Then it was off to Giordano's for some famous deep dish Chicago pizza!!! Yummy! Back to the hotel to get dressed and ready for the wedding! The wedding ceremony was held at St. James Cathedral and it was a stunning sight! After the wedding we went to a local Starbucks and hung out (aka stayed warm....it was 64 degrees and Diana and I had cocktail length, sleeveless dresses on)...pretty soon it was time to board the bus to take us to the Newberry Library for the reception! The cocktail hour was lovely and gave us a chance to mingle with a lot of people and hear a mariachi band! The reception followed - with lots of dancing for the 4 of us! Then it was back to the hotel by 11, for early 4:15 wake up! Diana and Kory had to leave at 4:30 to get to O'Hare for their flight and Matt and I had to head to Union Station for the train back to St. Louis!

We had a great time in Chicago and can't wait to get back! Thanks again to Diana and Kory......and, Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Munoz!!!!

Happy 26th Birthday to Matt!

Today (Wednesday September 22, 2010) is Matt's 26th Birthday!!!! Woo-hoo!!! I started helping Matt celebrate by doing something special on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday - but finally today arrived!!!! Although we had reservations for dinner at Triumph Grill (Matt's favorite restaurant) as part of my birthday gift to him - Matt decided this morning he was ready to stay home and relax for his birthday...well, he decided that and that he wanted mexican food! Ha! Ha! So we celebrated Spiderman-style with a mexican dinner, one of his favorite ice cream cakes, and cards/presents from family members!

HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY MATT!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Owner's Box please!

Matt and I were lucky to get an invite this year from my sister Kimberly's husband Jeff and his company (BlueChip Pest Control) to watch the Cardinals take on the Padres Saturday afternoon in the owner's box at Busch Stadium! Matt and I were definitely excited to say the least! We got there early to get legend Whitey Herzog's autograph...who actually signed the night before, bummer - but stayed until the top of the 9th inside the Redbird Club and the AllStar Box! It was a great afternoon full of beer, brats, and baseball! Thanks again for a fun time BlueChip! We really appreciated it!

Forest Park Balloon Glow

Friday night, Matt and I headed out to Forest Park in St. Louis for the annual Balloon Glow! It is always the night before the Great Forest Park Balloon Race (involving over 70 hot air balloons). The Balloon Glow offers spectators a breathtaking view of inflated balloons lighted by their burners. We got to get up close and walk around the balloons! It was a stunning sight! There were about 40 balloons that participated in the glow. Matt's favorite was the Post cereal balloon - Sugar Bear and Kelly's favorite was the Budweiser balloon. We also got to see the energizer bunny balloon - it was HUGE! Although we left about 15 minutes before the fireworks - wanted to beat traffic out - it was crowded - it was a fun evening!