Recovering from the Weekend

We had a very thrilling weekend. One part was a change of address, but the more unique experience actually took place at the zoo. This spring, we learned that it's possible to spend the night at the St. Louis Zoo. Naturally, we decided to do everything in our power to make that happen. Saturday night, after moving for two days, the three of us headed to the zoo in our pj's. We began with a short walk around the zoo led by a keeper. Everyone - kids and adults - learned a lot about animals during the night.

Then we went into the indoor area where we would spend the night. They let us all pet the animals that live in the educational building. One of these was a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. Erick and Sophia took advantage of that, but I did not. Gross.

Pretty much everyone's favorite part of the evening was the night walk. We headed out way past dark, armed with only flashlights. It was great to see the animals at a time when they were comfortable and expecting only the familiar keepers. The big cats, especially, were much closer and more comfortable than they are during the day. The male and female lions were spooning while they slept. It was so sweet! The whole night walk was lots of fun.

We got a relatively good night of sleep. I think Erick and I were tired enough to sleep about anywhere. And the floor of a conference room definitely qualifies as anywhere. We were all a little sleepy when they woke us up the next day. Then we set out on one more walk before the zoo opened. The morning was cool and drizzly. That was a pleasant surprise.

The experience was one that we'll always remember. It's something we'll definitely consider doing again, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with kids. I'll post pictures of our new place once I get everything at least a little more where I want it. We are getting settled in nicely. I love this place. Can't wait for you to see it!

Summer Learning

This week, Sophia has been spending her mornings at the zoo in Camp Joey. She's having fun learning about all types and animals and making new friends. When I asked what her favorite part about camp was, the answer was the same as what she's most excited about for kindergarten - making new friends. She's a bit social. In our afternoons, we've been packing and getting ready for the move next door. We have also been trying to think of fun things to keep us busy and cool. One thing that has been lots of fun is making sentences with words we have written onto paper. The sillier the sentence the better.

Sometimes she reviews the sentence I made, and other times I look at what she's put together.

Anything to keep us out of this nasty heat. Also, 23 days till Kindergarten. Wow.

Cool in the Furnace

Last week, Sophia went each morning to Memorial Presbyterian Church, here in our neighborhood. A friend of ours had organized an arts camp/vacation Bible school there, and Sophia was part of that. They spent the week making the sets and costumes for their show, and it all culminated with Friday night's performance. Sophia loves being on stage. She was so excited about the whole thing. The show was about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and Nebuchadnezzar's furnace. It was a great show, and the kids were fun to watch. Sophia got into each part with gusto.

Here is a video of one of their more serious songs. Yes, Sophia has sunglasses on her head. They were needed for the song just before it, and she didn't put them away.

Week of friends and fun

This week, we flew to Seattle and had a magnificent time. We did a bunch of relaxing. A little shopping. And just picked up where we left off with our friends last year. Blake and Madilyn are just magnificent people. Sophia completely agrees. Even though there is a significant age difference between them, the three friends manage to find a groove together for playing and chatting surprisingly fast.

Helping them all make it through the week without run-ins was the simple fact that, when needed, they'd break off by themselves to get some alone time. Sophia rarely wanted to be by herself, of course, but Blake and Madilyn seemed to work in and out of company seamlessly.

The bonus to seeing our friends in Seattle is that they live by many beaches. The Sound provides for some great views and great sand to play in. The first attempt at beach time was a little windy.

Even though we didn't stay long at the beach, we had lots of outdoor fun in our friends' back yard. The weather was perfect.

What kicks a back yard (or any living area, for that matter) up to the next level? A golden retriever, that's what! Enter Sam. A fantastic dog. Exactly what you'd expect of man's best friend! Sophia was particularly drawn to this guy.

Did I mention that Seattle is beautiful? We did get a full and gorgeous day on the beach as well.

This only skims the surface of all the fun we had. I didn't get a picture, but we also got to see my cousin Zach. He's lived in Seattle about the same amount of time as our friends, and he loves it on sunny days just like everyone! We did the Pike Place Market again, ate lots of seafood, bought some Legos, played some crazy games and just had a blast. Back to regular summer life tomorrow. Sophia is doing Arts Camp at the Presbyterian Church in our neighborhood. Reports to come.

Grandpa's 90th

This last weekend, we drove to Illinois to celebrate my grandpa's 90th birthday. We were just a couple people short of having the whole family together, which is quite a feat in itself. The weather couldn't have cooperated any more if we had planned it ourselves. Overcast and breezy - it was a wonderful escape from the Midwest heatwave. All the way home after a day of celebrating my grandpa, I talked for quite a while about my favorite memories of growing up with Kenny Lock as my grandpa. I am grateful to have had the experiences I did. Horse shows, cattle sales, grain elevators, state fairs and all other aspects of small town life. What my favorite memories came down to were all about my grandpa trusting us (mostly me and Carrie, in my experience) to act responsibly. Giving us trust and leeway that we wouldn't find elsewhere. Sometimes we lived up to it and other times we didn't. But it shaped who I became. I am so thankful to have those memories to look back on. My grandpa is still a man who is a pleasure to be near. Stories and opinions galore. I am glad we got to celebrate him.

Settling into summer

I haven't had much to say on the blog lately it seems. As one lies around too long, one's mind begins to atrophy... Sophia and I have spent the first few weeks of summer in a very strict routine of chilling and swimming, with an occasional errand. That's been fun, but I've been surprised to find that without a routine, Sophia and I tend to get a little snippy at one another. Actually, it's just been Sophia being snippy and me trying to stay calm about it. Apparently, she's in a bit of a teenager phase, in which she disagrees with pretty much everything I say and can defend in at least five ways every action she takes. Sigh. This morning, she headed back to Samuel Preschool for a two-week summer camp. They are going to hunt for treasure and play in the sprinklers. She was very excited. I really think adding some structure to our days will help us both tremendously. I'm also pretty sure that it will help the organization of our apartment... In two weeks, we will be in Seattle for our family vacation. Visiting our friends again. Can not wait! A few weeks after we get back, we'll be moving into a condo next door. Still renting, but renting a much nicer place. It has a little less character in the architecture, but the central heating and air and the storage make up for that little flaw. All that to say that it's a busy summer around here. Lots of fun and a little bit of learning. Oh yeah, and 59 days till Kindergarten.

I LOVE NEW ORLEANS

I really couldn't tell you how many times I declared my love for the Big Easy while we were walking its streets. Thursday afternoon, my mom and dad took Sophia home with them. Our plan was to come back to St. Louis and get about five hours of sleep before leaving at midnight. It's a ten hour drive from St. Louis. But, seeing as we were like children waiting to go to Disneyland (children who can drive), we ended up just staying awake instead. We watched The Avengers at a local theatre, and got onto I-55. We arrived in New Orleans just in time to eat an early lunch. I'll try not to go into detail about every meal, but it may be difficult. Anyway, first meal was The Gumbo Shop, a favorite of ours. It was great, and everything would just get better from there. After lunch, we did what we would do for the majority of our weekend - walked and walked. We walked every street of the French Quarter. We strolled down blocks we haven't been on before and we explored all of the busiest blocks as well. I don't know when they did this, but the city has now blocked off several blocks of Royal Street for pedestrians during the day, allowing vehicles down Bourbon instead. Then switching those two at night. This change brought out some fantastic entertainment on Royal. We saw jazz bands, jazz solos, contemporary musicians, street performers, an opera singer and many more. Until the rain washed everyone out for an hour or two. Then another group would start all over again. At night, it was much quieter, especially off Bourbon. A new walk for us was into a neighborhood called the Marigny, east of the French Quarter. It's a little edgier and local than that neighborhood. The Marigny is home to the jazz club, Snug Harbor, which often hosts Ellis Marsalis. He's been a jazz musician and teacher, primarily in New Orleans, for more than five decades. He's also father to four currently successful jazz musicians. After doing some research on jazz clubs, we bought tickets to his Friday night show. Marsalis led a fantastic jazz quartet. Watching them communicate and perform together was mesmerizing. Saturday was walking, shopping, eating, drinking, walking. So wonderful. The evening was spent on a tour of the French Quarter with a haunted history group. It wasn't the jump out at you and grab you type of tour. It was a walk and chat about various tragic events in the area that have led to some mysterious occurrences. It was quite fun. There are some stories and histories that I look forward to reading more about. After our tour, we found another place for great jazz, Fritzel's European Jazz Club. Completely different, but absolutely fun. This group was dedicated to keeping people happy and bouncing. They play a short set so the hostess can rotate a new group in for drinks and tips. They were highly entertaining! And hard to get a picture of... All of these things don't explain why I love New Orleans. I don't fully understand, so explaining it is pretty hopeless. It's the one city I know that simply fills me up. I'm satisfied in my belly, my ears, my mind, my soul and my heart. One reason I can name is the people - its residents and tourists both. Mind you, there are some in both categories that aren't easy to love, but, for the most part, everyone is fun to be around. The residents are happy you're there, especially since Katrina. They are interested in your story. They want to share part of theirs, and they're willing to go way above and beyond normal interaction - even if you're not eating at their table or buying their art or coming into their bar. They just make it fun to walk around. The tourists there are a different sort, too. Eye contact is easy to come by and is usually followed up with conversation. We met people from all over the place. We know that because we actually chatted. In lines, in restaurants, just standing around. It's almost like people want to confirm that others are having this same incredible experience. People, in general, are easier to be around in New Orleans. (And it's not the alcohol.) Another reason that I love New Orleans is our own history here. We started our life together there ten years ago. Highs and lows and lots of life later, it still meets us where we are. I love this city. Because I think it loves me back.