Mini Golf For My Birthday

I had an awesome birthday weekend this year.  My birthday was on a Tuesday and Branden and I arranged to have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off together.  We spent Sunday just relaxing together and then Branden took me to dinner and to see "The Lucky One."  I liked it and would watch it again.
Monday was an AWESOME day.  I decided that we should go mini golfing so we chose a couple of courses not too far from our apartment.
First we went to Arizona Action Land.  As the name implies, this creepy "fun park" had a Southwestern theme.  Before I get too far into this, I need to let you know that Branden was convinced that this place was straight out of a horror film but I assured him that, since we were there during the day, we would be fine and this would be a great adventure.  Well, we weren't murdered and I laughed a whole lot so I think I can say that I was right!
We had to go into an old bowling alley to purchase our golf game and I wish that I'd taken more pictures because but we were more concerned with the tall, vampirish man behind the counter.  The guy was seriously so pale that I'm convinced he hasn't seen daylight in a few hundred years and he looked at us as if we were the first decent meal he'd seen in a decade.  Thankfully, I was able to use Branden as a distraction while I snapped a picture of this fine bowling team.

 I love that the best thing that can be said about them is that they are not a bad team.  Of course, they're not a GOOD team but... Well, they're not bad.
So off we go to mini golf.  At the very first hole they do a great job of setting the Southwestern theme with... Sea turtles?

 Oh, and this is the first hole.  Try to miss, I dare you!

 Second hole was just confusing.  Here, go ahead a putt across a giant Native American guy holding a slice of watermelon... What?  Also, you can't tell from this picture, but there are two holes and you literally putt uphill.  The first hole is just above his waist and gets you a "hole in two" while the second is just below his mouth and give you a "hole in one."  If you could get the ball up there, you actually couldn't miss.

 Yet another guaranteed hole in one is this guy here.  You don't even putt!  You drop the ball in a hole about four feet off the ground and then it rolls through the pipe you see on his back and lands...

HERE!

 Even though you can't miss, they want you to feel extra good about having come near this giant snake.  Branden actually had to get really close to the rattlesnake and mess with the pipe because it's broken about half-way down and his ball got stuck.

 Here's yet another time that you can't help but get a hole in one... I got it in two. :P

 Hmmm... Even more interesting than the first Native American guy.  This one also has watermelon but this time he has a strange hat, mismatched shoes and... Well... Breasts.  A little racy, huh?

 This was one of my favorite parts!  LOOK!  Actual beaver gnawed trees!  Arizona is known for beavers, right?  It's funny, I've seen beaver gnawed trees in the wild and they looked a little less... Saw cut.  And I cannot tell you how glad I am that there is a piece of fencing in front of those beavers.  I wasn't aware that concrete beavers could contract rabies.

 I'm fairly certain these little guys are beaver victims.  Before they were fenced in, they ran rampant through the mini golf course and some of the other concrete animals lost their lives.

 And this is only the first golf course!
To be fair to the other golf course, it was much more of a standard mini golf course and wasn't nearly as run down.  For the most part it just looked like it wasn't quite ready for the season.  Here are a few pictures of that one:
 This little house was probably haunted but... Isn't that normal in mini golf?

Branden is surveying our next hole.

 And here he is with his new friend.

 Magic mushroom!

 FINE!  I'll post A picture of me!

 This is some nice looking water!

 And the final hole was nearly impossible!  This was just about the only really weird part... Why does the frog have teeth?

We finished off the day by purchasing the plants and soil for our 3-bucket balcony garden, but that's a different post.

My First Cardinal's Game

One thing we learned very quickly: It doesn't matter where you are from, it doesn't matter who you THINK you cheer for, if you live in St. Louis you are a citizen of Cardinal's Nation and you ARE a Cardinal's fan.
Branden and I weren't ever sports fans of any kind... But then we moved here.  There is such a feeling of "This is OUR team, these are OUR boys" here that it's impossible to not get sucked in just a little.  I think that the World Series last fall really sealed our fates.  The entire city dropped everything and showed up in force to show support.  I'm not kidding when I say that all kinds of meetings, from town concils to cub scouts, were canceled.  The whole city wore red for days and fell in love with the Rally Squirrel.  By the end of the series, we were confirmed Cardinal's fans.
It may come as a shock to some but I actually watch baseball now... Only the Cardinals games and not every one, but that's still baseball.  I even know what some of the terms mean!  AND I own a Cardinals baseball hat!
So it comes as no surprise that when our friends told us they had tickets to a game and invited us along we were happy to go.  The tickets are actually Matt's aunt's season tickets and they were good seats!  This is the outfield RIGHT in front of us.

 Oh, yes, we needed to be warned about baseballs that just might be heading in our direction.

 This is looking down the fowl line toward first base.

We had to leave when it went into overtime but we ultimately won the game and a good time was had by all.

A Vending Machine for What?

Near the end of March I got my first ever sinus infection.  It was kinda out of the blue for me because I don't have allergies and I didn't have a cold.  In fact, I really had no nasal congestion and everything started with a sore throat.  I take my temperature daily so I knew as soon as my temperature went up that I was actually sick.
Unfortunately, I got the sore throat Thursday evening, registered a fever Friday morning and still had to work Friday and Saturday.  Not only are they the busiest days of my work week, I was training a new girl.  After two VERY long 9-10 hour days at work I woke up Sunday morning and still had a fever.  Thankfully, there's an urgent care down the street from our apartment that is open on Sundays so we headed over to get my throat checked out.  Everyone and their sick child was there but waiting gave me time to snap a picture of this:

Yep, it's a vending-type machine for your prescription medication!  I spent a lot of time thinking about how this would work.  How foolproof is this?  What kind of variety do they stock in this?  Do you have to input all of your insurance information?  Does it print drug info and warn you about drug interactions?  And then I thought about this ad campaign and started giggling internally thinking about the pharmacist shoved into a little cubicle filling prescriptions.   Unfortunately, we didn't think to try it out with my prescription so I didn't get a chance to put him/her to work. 
Oh, yeah, and I did end up getting better after a couple days of rest and all of my medicine.

We Are Grilling Fools

When we moved into this apartment last year we found out that we are allowed to have a grill on our balcony as long as it is electric.  We found a decent electric grill/smoker combo and used last year's Missouri tax refund to purchase it.  We used it a few times last year but this year we are really getting our money's worth.  We LOVE having an alternate cooking option and we have used it almost every day since the middle of February.
We had a very mild winter here and it started to get warm really early.  As soon as it was warm enough outside to leave our windows open we uncovered the grill.  Grilling is a fun collaboration for us because Branden is our Master of Marinade and I am our Grill Chef.  I love all the fun flavor combinations that he throws together.  I have a cupboard full for spices from Penzeys- many of which I got for free with the coupons they send me- and most of them don't get used on a regular basis, if ever.  Branden gets in there, sniffs all the different bottles and bags and dumps a little of this and a little of that into the marinade according to his current mood.  Every combination he's tried so far has been an awesome success.
This is also an area that my love of Aldi benefits us again.  Every Wednesday they have a meat special.  We've purchased boneless skinless chicken breast, bone-in chicken breasts, roasts, beef tenderloin, bacon wrapped filets, veal roast and whole chickens.  There's no limit and I'll admit that we have gone a little over the top at times.  Like the time that whole chickens were $0.69/lb and we went to two different Aldis and bought ten total... Hey, we have a chest freezer, why not use it?
So we've been grilling chicken, hamburgers, brats, steaks, and I've even convinced Branden to try pork again!  (For those of you who don't know, Branden doesn't like pork and declares that bacon- which he LOVES- isn't from a pig, but from a snake.)  Pork chops didn't go well but there's a peppered pork tenderloin that he loves and I practically have to fight him to get a share.  Last week I even tried out grilling a frozen pizza!  It wasn't the best attempt but I have confidence that I'll do better next time.  The next thing I'm going to try is grilling potatoes... Like baked potatoes but grilled.  I've heard that they're quite tasty.

Keep Up the Good Work, Love!

Well, it's definitely time for an update! The great news around our little household is Branden's continued success in kicking his smoking habit.

At the beginning of February Branden went to the doctor and got a prescription for Chantix. He started taking it that day and a week later had his last cigarette. It has now been two weeks since the last time he smoked. Last weekend he took the extra step of cleaning out his truck, vacuuming and scrubbing the seats and floorboards and throwing out the last lingering cigarettes.

This is a HUGE thing for him. He's been smoking for about half his life and for the first time in years he's not experiencing cravings. He's already noticed a difference in the way that he feels. Specifically, he is breathing without wheezing and the cough he has had since before we met is finally improving. I am so excited and proud that I brag about his progress to EVERYONE... Now including my few followers on here.

In related news, he's made a goal to run the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in December of 2013. To reach this goal, he has started the Couch to 5K program. He and his friend run together and he should be able to run a 5K within nine weeks. However, he doesn't plan on actually running a 5K until August when we're planning on participating in Run for You Lives, Zombie 5K and obstacle course. It's gonna be AWESOME! You can sign up as a victim, a chaser zombie or a stumbler zombie. He's planning on being a victim and running the course but I'm going to be a stumbler zombie! In order to not overshadow all of Branden's hard work, however, I will end my excited gushing here and write about this aspect at a later date.

We are both happily anticipating the health benefits that this decision will continue to bring to Branden's life. I am so truly proud of his dedication and the will-power it took for him to make it through the worst of his nicotine withdrawal. I love you, Branden. You can do this!

Important Words

This is something that's been bouncing around in my head for a while but it was brought back up while I was watching TV. A few months ago, one of the shows I watch had a couple of episodes centering around the death of a character's father. Today one of those episodes was on as a rerun and I was reminded of a question that was brought up: If your father died today, what would his last words to you be?

The first time I saw it I answered without hesitation: "Be a good kid. I love you." Thankfully, that is still my answer. Not because I haven't talked with my dad, but because every phone conversation ends the same way. I am the luckiest girl in the world because my dad loves me and tells me so every time we talk. As a matter of fact, my mom loves me, too, and also tells me every time we talk! Turns out I'm beyond lucky. :)

One of my favorite things about Branden is that he never gets annoyed with the number of times each day that I tell him I love him... And I tell him A LOT. Even better, he also tells me he loves me at random times. I plan on telling my kids that I love them all the time as well. The word love will be one of the first that they learn.

My friend Kazia once told me that no matter how mad she was at her husband, she always said I love you before she hung up the phone. It doesn't matter how you feel in that moment, what matters is how you feel overall.

Branden and I have taken that thought to heart which is why some of our phone conversations end something like this:
"You know what, I don't really wanna talk about this now!"
"Fine! I love you!"
"Well, I love you, too!"
And then one of us hangs up.

Funny as it may seem, the most important thing was said last. Whatever we're fighting over probably doesn't matter. Love does. If I never got to talk to him again, at least the last thing I said was, "I love you."

I don't really believe in making New Year's resolutions because they rarely last. Instead, I'd like to challenge every one of the five-or-so of you who read this blog to make a Life Resolution: Always tell the ones you love that you love them. Say it every time you think it. Say it when you're less than happy and when you're on top of the world. And say it every time you say good-bye. They're the most important words you can say and you won't regret it.

Notably Positive July and August: Super Best Parts Version

I have started SO many blogs in these last three months but haven't managed to finish any to the posting point. Therefore, I'm doing a BIG, two part notably positive blog and hopefully get back on track.

July was one big heatwave here in St. Louis so we took every chance we could get to cool off. Branden's friend invited us to spend some of the July 4th weekend at his parent's lake house in Illinois. When Branden said lake house I was thinking a house NEAR a lake but this was a house with back steps that lead TO the lake. I put on a bathing suit for the first time in two years and got in the water with everyone else. I rode a jet ski for the first time ever and just enjoyed the cool water. We left before fireworks so we met up with other friends and had a good time watching a show put on by the city of Webster Groves.

With the same friends, Matt, Heather and her daughter Haley, we also took trips to Bonne Terre Mine and the St. Louis Science Center. The mine is an old lead mine that has filled with water and is now a billion gallon underground lake. We took a walking tour and boat ride and just had a great time. The Science Center is always fun- and free except for parking and special exhibits!- and this time we actually took the time to see the planetarium as well.

For those of you who don't know, my mom is the oldest of nine children and her youngest brother, my uncle David, is only 5 years older than I am. He is finishing up his schooling as an orthopedic surgeon and will be completing a fellowship here in St. Louis. So one Sunday in July, Branden and I helped his family move into the house that will be their home for the next year. It's great to have some family around and I love spending time with Aunt Jen and my cousin Annabelle. Annabelle is four months old and I get to hold her and admire her almost every Monday when we get together for baking and crafting.

We finally got the new phones and phone plans that Branden has been wanting for years. We switched to Virgin Mobile and we now pay less money each month ($55 a month for me to have unlimited talk, messaging and data!) and get everything we wanted. I will admit that I was nervous about getting a smart phone, but I am enjoying looking things up on the internet any time I want and not feeling embarrassed to pull out my phone to show off pictures of my nieces and nephews... So send those pictures, guys!

Not really in the positive pile, but still notable, I got my first fillings in July. They had to numb my mouth multiple times before I couldn't feel anything and then I got some painful sores at all of my injection sites but it's over now and I no longer have a hole in my tooth.

In August the heat finally broke. It didn't stay cool for the entire month but not every day was unbearably hot. I got the last of my fillings and both of us got our teeth cleaned. I am all caught up on my dental stuff until my next cleaning in February! The month was fairly quiet for us. Our friends are in a bowling league and the season started again so we spent some time up at the bowling alley with them. I taught Aunt Jen to make creme brulee, cheesecake and focaccia bread. Branden's friend gave us homegrown tomatoes and jalapenos so we made fresh salsa. And we rounded out the month by babysitting sweet Annabelle so Dave and Jen could go to a welcome dinner.

Notably Positive September: Super Best Parts Version

September was a BUSY month for us! We went out every weekend, often multiple times each weekend.

It started with the BEST Labor Day weekend I have ever enjoyed! Branden and I were both off work Sunday and Monday so we crammed as much into those days as possible. We went to a Greek festival at the Greek Orthodox church on Sunday. We ate food, took a church tour, watched some dancing and ate more food. Then we wandered around Laumeier Sculpture Park- a 96 acre outdoor "museum"- to burn off some of the pastries. Monday we headed to Illinois for a Victorian festival and Civil War reenactment! We wandered through booths shopping, toured a Victorian mansion, looked at steam-powered machinery, heard Lincoln give the Gettysburg Address, watched an embalming demonstration, rode on a stage coach, watched the skirmish... Oh, yeah, and ate more food. It was the BEST DAY EVER!... Or at least really close. I even got to get my picture taken with Abraham Lincoln.

The next weekend I went to Hooters for the first time... For a friend's birthday. The food was ok but I was disappointed that the girls were not as cute as I thought they should be. :P Sunday found us at the St. Louis Art Fair. We didn't buy any art- everything was fairly expensive- but we did eat more food! (At the beginning of Muppet's Christmas Carol Gonzo says, "I am here to tell the story." Rizzo the Rat adds in, "And I am here for the food." Well, that is pretty much the theme of all of our outings in the month of September. Just keep that in mind.) After eating lunch there, we went to a mall and wandered around there for a while before getting dinner and going to watch Branden's friends play softball.

Sunday the 18th we headed into downtown St. Louis for the Hispanic Festival. It was pouring rain so a lot of booths weren't open but we still got good food before we wandered around Soldier's Memorial- I won't lie, I cried. Afterward, we headed to Anheuser-Busch Brewery for the Brewery Tour. The brewery has been an important part of St. Louis history and the tour was a lot of fun and quite interesting. I did spend the entire day with wet feet, though. :( I ended up with my first cold in 2 years on Tuesday and I can't say that having cold, wet feet all day Sunday didn't add to my immune susceptibility.

Despite my miserable cold, I was NOT going to miss out on having a great anniversary weekend. I took lots of zinc and vitamin C, slept as much as I could and knocked back shots of Dayquil and Nyquil. By Saturday, I was tired and still sick but functioning fairly well. Saturday night we went to Taste of St. Louis... And ate food. We got to try food from a lot of different restaurants and found a couple that we'd actually like to visit in the future. We took the light-rail downtown so that we wouldn't have to worry about parking. Neither one of us had ever been on a train so it was a first and I have to say I'd do it again.

After a late night out on the town, we got up relatively early, put on costumes and headed to Pirate Fest! Oh, yes, we spent the day with friends, dressed as pirates, eating food, watching pirate-themed entertainment and shopping for pirate items... And we fit right in. Branden has been teaching himself to make leather pouches and he's actually doing pretty well. He made me a leather belt hook for my pewter mug and a couple of pouches to carry everything we needed for the day and I was proud to use all of the things he'd made. We found an awesome necklace for me and a pirate hat for Branden. We had so much fun and I could almost ignore my cold. I was pretty wiped out at the end of the day but it was a good tired. I can't imagine that we could have had a better anniversary and we're already making plans to be back at Pirate Fest next year.

So, those are all the best parts- and a couple of the not as great parts- of the last three months. If you made it this far, congratulations! If not, well, this is more for my own remembering in the long run.

My First Dental Visit In A VERY Long Time

Last Sunday while I was eating I suddenly became aware that something was wrong in my mouth. My very back molar on the bottom left side of my mouth had a piece of tooth missing! This would be traumatic for most people but you need to understand that in my 29 years of life I've NEVER had a cavity filled. That's not to say that I didn't figure that I had a few since it's been at least eleven years *cough*probablythirteen*cough* since my butt has sat in a dentist's chair. I won't deny a few panicked tears when I realized the inevitable trip to the dentist.

After a week of dread, this morning found me sitting in an exam chair. It was interesting to see how far dental technology has progressed since the last time I went. They took x-rays of most of my teeth that appeared on the computer screen instantly! The panoramic x-ray was the same as before but it was still kinda fun to once again see the healed crack in my jaw: my only bone that has ever broken. (It was broken during my birth but nobody knew until I was 13. The dentist was interested in seeing it, too. He said it's not something that you see every day.)

After looking at the x-rays, the dentist said that my teeth actually look pretty good. Yes, there's the one big cavity but nothing else that is big. Then he did the real exam and looked at my teeth and gums. While I do have a total of six cavities- yep, five more small ones- my gums are healthy, I have minimal plaque and tarter and no big concerns. :) After the cavities are filled- two separate visits for that- I'll be looking at quite the healthy mouth! It's crazy to think that I've gone this long without seeing a dentist and was dreading hearing that my mouth was simply rotting only to find out that I only have six cavities.

Yes, you could say, "Wow! Six is a lot of cavities for one dental visit!" But when you look at it from the perspective of six cavities in my entire 29 years- or even six cavities in more than a decade with no professional dental care- well, that's really not bad!

Branden has an appointment for tomorrow. He already has a mouth full of silver and he knows he's getting more fillings. This is an old game to him. He's been telling me that there's nothing to worry about this whole week but I didn't really believe him. Sure, there's still a lot of pain to come for both of us but we'll probably both survive.

"Woo-ee-oo, I Look Just Like Buddy Holly"

Branden needs corrective lenses. Without them, he can't tell that I'm me from across the room. A couple of weeks ago he decided that it had been too long since he'd had glasses. He hasn't had a pair since we got together and he needed to pick some up for those times that his allergies were bothering his eyes or he just didn't want to wear contacts.

He went to Pearl Vision, got an exam and picked a few pairs then took me back to help him choose. Every time he put on a particular pair I started laughing. It's not that he looked BAD in them but... They were such typical nerd glasses! As it turns out, my laughing mattered little as he already had his heart set. We purchased the glasses and he went back about a week later to pick them up. And here he is:

What a handsome nerd I've married!

(To be accurate, these are NOT the same type of glasses that Buddy Holly wore, nor are they the same as Rivers Cuomo's glasses but, you know, close enough. Also, I like the song!)