What we love in St. Louis...(so far)

Well Matt and I have been living in St. Louis for (almost) 3 full months...so I thought it might be a good idea to let everyone know what we love about it/things we've done so far:

1) The St. Louis Cardinals: Matt and I have been to 6 Cards games and have loved every single one of them! We have tickets still to come to see the Reds and the Rockies! We also should mention that every game we go to, Albert Pujols hits a homerun! Just saying, but we might be their lucky charm! Also, we have been VERY lucky to see the Budweiser clydesdales twice and experience that always has me so excited! I love seeing them!

2) Grant's Farm: Matt and I are very lucky to live only about 10 minutes from Grant's farm! We have only been once together, but intend on going back again. The tram ride is pretty amazing involving history and animals only feet to inches from you. Although Bud, the male elephant didn't feel like showing us some of his moves and I'm afraid of the demon baby goats, the rest of it is a very fun zoo-like experience followed by a great time sitting and chatting in the beer garden with drinks compliments of Budweiser!

3) Lone Elk Park: Lone Elk Park is a wildlife management area, where elk and bison roam freely within park boundaries. It’s fun to ride through the park trying to spot them, and the many other animals that live in the park. Matt and I have been several times alone and with family members. We have even been fortunate enough to visit with a Park Ranger! The animals have come so close to our cars!

4) St. Louis Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure: With 71,800 of our new friends in St. Louis who helped to raise 3.4 million Matt and I participated in the Race for the Cure. I have been participating in this charity for years - starting in college at Baylor and through the years it means a lot to me. This year Matt joined the fight against breast cancer and together we walked (even if we wanted to run, it was 95 degrees and 87% humidity - not to mention who wants to play bob-and-weave through 71,800 people) the race! We had a great time, scored some fun freebies (like my awesome face tats) and helped out a great cause! Although we were exhausted by the end of it, we know we will be back next year!

It's been on of those week that has 7 Mondays, not just 1!

This week I have been quoting William Shakespeare - "A plague on both your houses"...but reinventing it to say "A plague on our house!" It all started Monday when around 1 pm, Matt said to me "There is water in our kitchen ceiling." Of course I thought he was just delirious (need I mention the crazy heat here), but I came to look, and a there was a square portion of our kitchen ceiling hanging down - like a bubble, and if you pushed it, there was water. About an hour later I hear Matt saying "It burst! And water's everywhere!!" So our kitchen has a brand new decoration for the past (almost) 7 days...some sweet blue rubbermaid tubs and 3 towels! Rockin' new look, I know! We called the landlord, and he came over Monday...Tuesday he brought with him a general contractor...They decided the problem was the air conditioner and that the problem was a hole in the air duct. So the general contractor want to test the water leakage overnight. He came back around 3 pm on Wednesday and the container had about an inch of water in it. He was unhappy and wanted to test it for another 24 hours. Although he never showed up on Thursday, the ceiling started leaking every 2 minutes and the bucket got very full! Friday the landlord showed up with an air conditioning specialist, who found out the problem and stopped the leak...no more raining ceiling in the kitchen (SWEET) and the general contractor is to come out Monday to start giving us a brand new kitchen ceiling. Then there is the picture of the tomatoes. They are from our neighbor Jim's garden - really nice guy and really yummy veggies...UNTIL I noticed a portion of 2 eaten!!! I called up my brother-in-law Jeff and he discovered that Matt and I had mice! Awesome!?!? However, he totally hooked me up with stuff to take care of the mice and trained me where to put stuff and how to check it/bait some of the traps! And as an update, our house is less 1 mouse already! Thanks Jeff! Then there is the backyard/frontyard...and by that I mean how it is DEAD! Thanks to the constant heat and the fact that although other areas around us have received rain, we haven't in FOREVER...when I mowed this week, I only had to do portions of the yard! So Sad! However, now that we are have: 1) no more leaking ceiling, 2) one less mouse, 3) rain last night....Matt and I are both hoping this next week the plague is over...

The weekend...

So Friday I was not feeling very well and spent most of the day in bed...however that night Matt was ready to get out of the house...although all it really meant was dinner at Olive Garden! The rest of the weekend was a little bit of a blur - really just random errands...but I think this picture best describes Molly and Matt's weekend. Molly slept - a lot...and Matt well, I've lost him to football and it isn't even the regular season yet for the NFL and college hasn't even started...But wait, UVA's season is up and running for him on NCAA 11 Football...Ah yes, thank you PS3 for stealing my husband...and my precious puppy!

Home Sweet Home - St. Louis Style

Several people have asked what our home looks like here in St. Louis. So, I thought it would be great to put up a few pictures and let everyone know what it is like. I've left some things out, like closets, the garage, and the master bathroom because I can see how nobody really wants to see that! Anyways, here's the information...

Matt and I are very fortunate to have found a great house to rent...it is just south of downtown...about 15 minutes on I-55 South. It is a 4 bedroom, two story house. Now when we first heard of it, we thought it was only a 3 bedroom, but were very surprised by the additional room. My sister Kimberly was gracious enough to go check the house out for us in person while we were still living in Charlottesville. On her recommendation we signed a lease and saw the house for the first time on the day we arrived in St. Louis.

The rundown: The house is located on a hill, so the downstairs level is kind of underground - well really just the kitchen and the office. I know this doesn't make much sense, but I don't know how else to explain it. When you walk into the house, on your left is the living room and on your right is the dining room. You will see a hallway straight ahead and stairs on your right. Continuing down the hallway, you dead-end at a downstairs half bath. If you turn left, you will enter our shared office. If you turn right, you will enter the kitchen. The kitchen has a window that looks out on the backyard and a door to the garage. Now, it's time to head upstairs. When you get to the top of the stairs, if you turn left, you go down the hallway to two doors. The door on the right leads to the master bedroom and master bathroom. The door on the left leads to Guest Bedroom #2. If you go to the right when you come up the stairs, you will have a door on your left which is the guest bathroom, a door on your right which is Guest Bedroom #1, and the hallway will dead-end into the laundry room. The laundry room has a door that leads to the deck and the backyard.

Matt and I are really enjoying the house and for the first time an exceptionally helpful and caring landlord. Molly loves the outdoor space as well as the fact that she has a spot for herself in almost every room! We close up the two guest bedrooms when nobody is visiting us, but so far they have worked great for visitors! So feel free to come visit!

August 9, 2010 - Our First Anniversary

August 9, 2009 - Wedding Day

August 9, 2010 - 1st Anniversary

A friend of mine, Meredith, who has been married for 5 years started doing something that I absolutely loved...every year on her anniversary she posts on her blog pictures from the previous years...So, I've stolen the idea and the results are above. Thanks Mere for the GREAT idea!

Matt and I had a PHENOMENAL first anniversary! Although our anniversary was on a Monday, we began celebrating Saturday night with dinner on top of the Millenium Hotel at Top of the Riverfront. It is a four-star restaurant that show cases downtown St. Louis by creating a full rotation every 45 minutes. We began our dinner sitting by the arch and ended it at Busch Stadium - after a full rotation already. It was an absolutely stunning view and the dinner was delicious. We then came home and exchanged gifts and opened cards and gifts from my parents and Matt's. Then on Monday we enjoyed a very special dinner - a semi-recreation of our reception meal, including the cake. We took the top layer of our cake (which had previously been stored at my parents house in Florida) home with us after celebrating the 4th in Sandestin, and opened it up to try after dinner. Interestingly, it tasted good. The icing both on the top and the inside was tasty, but the cake itself was a little dry. Seriously, you'd never know that the cake was a year old.

We are so thankful to our friends and family who remembered our special day and sent either gifts, cards, messages, or voicemails. We are so thankful to have each and every one of you in our lives. We were overjoyed to celebrate such a momentous date in our lives and we look forward to many future anniversaries together.

Missing in Action...For 7.25 Months

The Marlow's have been missing in action for the past 7.25 months, but they are back. A lot has happened:

January (Month 1 of MIA): Matt and I spent New Year's in Denver visiting with Robyn and John (this did make the blog), we had an absolute blast hanging out with the two of them. The remainder of the month was spent with Kelly working at Lowe's Home Improvement (Home Decor Associate) and attending UVA Women's Basketball home games while Matt worked with the team and travelled to Florida State, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Wake Forest. It should also be mentioned, that a lot of this month was spent either 1) preparing for snow - salting the driveway and brining wood in for the fireplace or 2) shoveling snow)!

February (Month 2 of MIA): Molly and I spent a large bit of the month in Missouri. I went to Missouri to take the February bar examination and due to the insane amounts of snow (3 storms of 2 feet each) Charlottesville was receiving, I drove to St. Louis early. I spent a few weeks at my sister Kimberly's house studying for the bar before driving to Jefferson City, MO for the test. Matt spent the month working for the UVA Women's basketball team - traveling for games to Maryland, Miami, and Duke.

March (Month 3 of MIA): March for the Marlow's means of course MARCH MADNESS! However, thanks to Kansas, that joy ended almost as soon as it began. It was re-sparked by Baylor! I'm so proud of my bears! SIC'EM BEARS! I can't wait to see what they can do this year! It also meant a trip to the ACC tournament for Matt and the Lady Hoos. Unfortunately, the Hoos lost in the second round. That left the rest of the month to prepare for the NCAA tournament! Matt and I were both present at the NCAA Selection Monday party where the Hoos found out they would be playing Green Bay in Ames, Iowa. So, as Matt headed for Ames, Iowa with the team...I headed to Denver Colorado for a celebration! John proposed to my sister Robyn while they were on a cruise earlier in the year, and I was asked to be their maid-of-honor. It was my duty to plan an engagement party for Robyn and John and a day of dress shopping for "the perfect dress!" The engagement party was a success at Dave & Busters in Denver - an absolute blast! Where we were able to watch the Hoos play Green Bay on ESPN while we ate dinner. Unfortunately, the Hoos NCAA tournament ended earlier than hoped and the next day they headed back to Charlottesville. I wasn't done in Denver, and still had Mission Possible ahead of me in Denver. Needless to say, with four 007 Agents and 007 herself (Robyn), we were able to find the "perfect" dress and the bridesmaids dresses! Soon my work as maid-of-honor was done, and I headed back to Charlottesville.

April (Month 4 of MIA): On April 15, I received and email from my sister Barbara, who was pregnant with twins, was having contractions at only 24 1/2 weeks. I immediately emailed her back and asked how I could help and letting her know that if she needed me, I would be there. She contacted me back and said that she would love to have some help with Abby (my 3 year old niece) in a week while her husband went on a church golfing trip. I packed up my car and headed to south Alabama. After driving through some pretty horrible weather including tornados, I drove down to my parents house first for a day before heading to Barbara's. The day after I got there - literally I had not been there for more than 24 hours - that morning, Barbara's water broke. I helped Barbara by getting Abby set and getting some of her things while she made phone calls. Then I drove her to the ER. Her husband Eric met us at the ER's door and we all went up to the labor and delivery floor. They ended up sending Barbara and Eric to Pensacola, Florida to a hospital that had a NICU. I followed there later that day after cleaning up at her house with my parents. I spent a few days in Pensacola hanging with Barbara and waiting to hear news and helping with Abby. I left and drove back to Charlottesville, where a day after getting home, I found out that I had passed the Missouri bar! While I was gone, Matt was preparing for the Hoos summer and next season - and was also presented with a very interesting opportunity. Additionally, some of his friends came into town for Foxfield (horse races) so Matt was able to see some of his fraternity brothers and their significant others.

May (Month 5 of MIA): May started out with a bang - MY FIRST TWO CASES!!! I had my first case in Greene County, VA in front of Judge Barclay. I really like Judge Barclay - he is no nonsense and that really works the best for me! They ended up dismissing my first case (sidenote: an refilling it as a felony) and the second case was a plea. Not as interesting as the remaining cases that month, including my first bench trial and WIN in front of Judge Barclay in Albemarle County, VA! It was very exciting to finally be in my profession and I enjoyed it immensely! I spent most of the month in the courtroom either in Albemarle, Greene, or the City of Charlottesville circuit courts...and a little bit of time in the juvenile court. Then on May 14, Barbara had a C-section and my nieces, Reagan Nichole and Blaire Elizabeth. They spent a long time in the NICU in Pensacola, but the girls and my sister are all now home and healthy! Additionally, in May Matt was given an opportunity to come on board to a private company, FastModel Technologies - a sports analytic software company. With the new job, Matt and I were given the opportunity to relocate - towards the end of May we made our way to St. Louis, Missouri.

June (Month 6 of MIA): The month of June was hectic to say the least. Matt, Molly, and I spent the majority of the month getting acquainted with our new home and neighborhood. We went to several St. Louis Cardinals games and put our touches on our new house. Matt and I were very lucky to have found a house to rent in a great St. Louis suburb, that fit not only our needs but also our income. During June - we made the rental house become our home...with a lot of labor and hard work help from my sister Kimberly, her husband Jeff, and their sons Logan and Carter - who not only helped us unpack over 300 boxes, but also hung pictures, shelves, and other miscellaneous tasks. Matt also spent June jumping in to his new job with tenacity, while I sent out cover letters and resumes to several local firms.

July (Month 7 of MIA): July began with a trip to Sandestin, FL to visit my parents. It was definitely a nice get-a-way. With Matt's new job, he is able to travel on weekends, so we hopped in the car on Friday night and were in Sandestin by 3 am Saturday morning. We stayed for a week and celebrated the 4th with my parents on the beach watching fireworks. It was very special for Matt and I to be back at the same spot where we were married almost a year ago. We even ate dinner on the night of the 4th in the same ballroom where our reception was held. Additionally, while there we were able to take Molly for her yearly vet check-up. We were concerned that Molly's cancer was back because although we could not feel any tumors, we did notice a drastic decrease in her weight. It was just a year ago that a tumor was found and she underwent surgery in Charlottesville. However, Molly got a great check-up. She had dropped from 85 pounds to 63 pounds, and Dr. Swift (world's best vet) was concerned, but all other areas checked out great - including her blood work! So now knowing that her cancer has not spread to her blood, she has changed to a senior diet (she is 8 after all which is 56 in human years) and added an additional cup of food a day. Since then her weight has stayed steady at 63 pounds and has made not only Matt and I super proud, but has calmed all fears that we or Dr. Swift had. Although we had a great time in Florida, but a week later, returned to St. Louis on a Sunday night. Matt spent the rest of July working hard and I spent it being what I like to call a "babysitting goddess" - making an income as a babysitter while waiting on firms to either 1) get off a hiring freeze and 2) realize I am amazing in the courtroom. Additionally, Molly has been helping by dog sitting for families while they go on vacation. Molly is a giver - sharing her bed, toys, and bones with the other 4 legged friends who come over. We also took the time to go on date nights to movies (it is so nice to be in theaters with stadium seating again - oh Charlottesville theaters, Matt and I do not miss you!), Cardinals games (Albert has hit a home run at every game we have been to), MOBOT (Missouri Botanical Gardens) Summer Music festival, and of course also enjoy our new home (it is super HOT here this summer - so when the temperature reaches 104, sometimes you just want to stay home!)!

August (Month 7.25 of MIA): Not much to the beginning of August except for my sister Kimberly and her husband Jeff's 11th wedding anniversary. Matt and I offered to watch Logan and Carter for the night so that they could enjoy a nice dinner and kid free night - not to mention no babysitting fees! Matt and I had a blast with the boys. We played outside in a pool and on a Disney Cars slip'n slide, we had sword-fights, we used sidewalk chalk to draw pirate ships, we watched Adam West Batman movie (just Logan and I), we got pulled over in the national park by a park ranger (no ticket and no warning), we saw several animals in the state park (both before and after getting pulled over), we made make-your-own pizza, we made and decorated choc. chip cookies, and we played baseball...we were busy! Then we met up the next day for lunch with Kimberly and Jeff - dropping off the boys and heading home to get ready to celebrate our anniversary. I'm going to post more about our anniversary on a separate post.

So, I think that covers where exactly the Marlow's have been and what they were doing over the past 7.25 months. Since we are still a significant distance, geographically, from our families and friends, we are going to use this blog to help keep them updated with our lives. We look forward to updating everyone on the adventures we will take together as a family - Love, Kelly • Matt • Molly.