October 31, 2006

• You know that point where you have so much that needs to be covered, you don't know where to start?  That is where I am at right now...So this is a LOT - consider yourself warned before you go any further.

  I think that the last time I left you, I was just beginning my vacation....so let me back up to there...

  Thursday was my last official day at work last week - one of those fantastically busy days that seem to fly by - the best kind, in my humble opinion, when you are getting ready to go on vacation and are having a problem staying focused on the tasks at hand....thursday night I got to hang with the Mucci kids for the night while J and W were out of town - we had a great time together - very nearly impossible not to [have a great time] with these kids really...

  Friday morning after everyone was to their respective places where they needed to be, I took my sweet time getting ready and went in to work for a bit to tie up some loose ends - it was a good thing that I did, but I was SO glad to leave and start my vacation for real. 

  I decided my first stop would be to see Liz - my friend who also does my hair.  She is amazing and just about the only one that I will trust with it - we have enough trust built now that I can go in to see her and give her a little bit of an idea what I want, and she will run with it and make it look awesome.  There have even been times that I have gone in and said 'Okay - do whatever you want'...super cool to trust her enough to know that she won't make me regret saying those things!

  Once again, I was not dissapointed - she did a fabulous job - you can see part of it in the pictures below - but they really don't do it justice - we went super dark and red on the underneath part of my hair, with a huge chunk right in front as well - then really blond highlights again on top - it is great...it looks really sharp when it is straight, but good when it is curly too...I am very pleased.  Great way to start out my birthday/vacation week...

  I proceeded home to get ready for the evening - my sweet sister Hannah and her husband John had asked to take me to dinner and to hang for the evening - so we did - having dinner at Lonestar Steakhouse.  I actually ate steak for the first time in YEARS.  That was a little wierd, but yummy.  And now I can go another five or ten years before doing it again...I actually got a picture because I figured those who know me best probably wouldn't believe it, but then my *brand NEW* camera quit working and the pictures are gone forever...[no fear however - speedily replaced - but that is another story for another time].

  At any rate - it was a good time, good food, good conversation...

  From there we proceeded to the St Louis City Museum.  I had never been, but heard really good things about it and wanted to go - so we did...[each with a very full belly - note to self - next time do not go immediately after ingesting birthday dinner...]  Check out their website for better pictures of the place...it is like this huge playground for adults [and kids too].  There is literally nothing off limits - you crawl and climb and explore - nooks and crannies and secret passageways and tunnels - SO FUN.   I cannot even tell you how fun.  And we only did the inside - the outside was closed, but there is tons more to do out there as well.  I will definitely be going back.

  I know that you are dying to see the pictures now - so here you go...  

  

   

   

   

    **I have not had this much fun climbing around and over and on top of things since I was a kid...**

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

  ** Hannah and I in the requisite 'sister shot' - you can't tell very well in this picture, but we are sitting on a huge fake turtle - the mosaic on his 'shell' was amazing**

   

   

   

  

   

   

  ** John channeling his 'inner monkey' **

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  ** I am a little sad that you cannot see the proper context of this picture - this cage is suspended on the second floor and there is quite a bit of twisting and climbing and contorting to get there...**

   

   

   

   

  ** There was some empty space on the blackboard wall - so what do I do?  Another shameless plug for my birthday!  **

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  ** From there we moved on to 'Art City', where John and I collaborated on our own [museum inspired] mosaic made out of pieces of chopped up cd's - pretty good if I do say so myself!   **

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  ** When the staff in 'art city' found out that my birthday was the next day - they told me to pick a hat *free* off of the 'hat wall' - nearly every kind of hat that you can imagine for sale...let the fun begin [and please God protect my head!!!  ] **

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  ** I don't have a picture of the one that I chose - but it was a great little black beret - VERY chic  **

   

   

   

  ** I love these shots - it was all about who could get the best picture with the sumo wrestler...I won, but unfortunately the picture is not suitable for xanga .  I will leave that up to your imaginations... **

  

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   **Not the most flattering shot in the world - but this was one of the coolest slides ever - you hopped on at the third floor, and slide 'til it spits you out right by the entryway on the first floor.  Those brightly colored things above my head?  They are rollers that are all painted differently - no two alike - and mounted so they still spin - so if you stick out your hands as you are riding down, they make a huge racket - super cool sounding... **

   

  

   

   

   **   I just liked this picture of my sister and I - who can blame me?   **

   

   

   

   

  

   

  ** John and Hannah - you can't tell 'cause of the flash, but they were climing down out of one of the little passageways and it was PITCH BLACK - I had no idea if I had the camera pointed in their direction or not - I was shocked that I got them [aren't they sweet all holding hands?] **

   

   

  

   

   

   

  ** SQUEEEEEZZZZZZEEEEE!!! **

   

   

   

  

  ** Okay - this is super funny to me - again, you have to see this spot in its context - but basically what happened was I went crawling and exploring through a tunnel that [maybe] I wasn't supposed to go in - it spit me out underneath this particular part of the 'exhibit' and I had to crawl out into the main entryway on the floor.  There were a TON of people standing around - so they all got to see me in all of my exploratory glory [just call me Jaques Cousteau **

   

  

   

  ** Last shot of the night - just hangin' around having a blast **

   

   

   

   

   

  So there you go - hope I didn't lose anyone along the way [you DID ask for details, didn't  you? ]

  More on the actual 'birthday' to come....

  • 12:39 pm
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