Taking Life... One Day at a Time: Meet Me in St Louis

This past weekend my cousin Nate got married in St. Louis, and Derek was commissioned to cater the rehearsal dinner. We were both looking forward to a little vacation away from home and daily responsibilities! We started our journey Thursday night, and stayed the night with my aunt and uncle in Marshall, IL. It was really nice getting to spend some time with them, as well as do something different than we usually do (i.e. stay with my mom and dad). Then Friday morning after a YUMMY breakfast my mom and dad met us there and we rode the rest of the way with them.

Annabel and her cousin Caleb

The dinner went really well, and I was proud of how professional and efficient Derek was. I wish I could have gotten some pictures of him working, but I forgot our camera that day. It's too bad, too, because Annabel was really cute that day! :)

On Saturday before the wedding, us girls (me, my mom, my grandma, Aunt Paula and Annabel) all loaded up and headed out to St. Louis Mills mall. Woohoo! Banana Republic was having a huuuge clearance sale, which served my interests quite well! :) And of course, Annabel's two grandmas spoiled her rotten at Children's Place, which was also quite nice for mommy!

The wedding was lovely, and I am excited to welcome Ruth to the family. All in all, it was so fun spending time with everyone, hanging out at the hotel, drinking beer with my grandpa (haha), and just relaxing. It was also nice, because my mom and dad kept annabel in their hotel room, so Derek and I got a little break from the early morning kisses ;)

I thought Ruthie looked so pretty in her dress...

Dancing with grandpa after changing into her jammies!

Running Grandma ragged...

This week we are back in routine, but Thursday we are heading to Bloomington to visit with my cousin Heather and her husband John, who are home for the week from Montana. We haven't seen them since before I was pregnant, so I can't wait! They were such life-savers when we moved to M****, since they were here too.

Then of course Friday is Halloween, and we are planning to attend the "trunk or treat" at my school with Lindsay and Nora. They're going to be so cute in their little costumes! And I can't wait for all the candy! hehe.

Saturday I'm so excited because I'm attending a conference led by my hero Kevin Lehman! Maybe I'm a nerd, but it was his books (Sex Begins in the Kitchen, Sheet Music, The Birth Order Book, etc) that really inspired me to want to be a therapist. I'm even going to take a copy of one of my books in case I get to meet him and see if he will sign it! I'm even so excited about it that I'm missing Annabel's one-year photo shoot! I have full confidence in Derek though....at least I hope I do...I'm sure he'll do fine....he won't let her eat breakfast in her picture outfit...will he??

So, busy, busy, busy. I'm trying hard to finish up my internship so I don't have to go into December and I can have the whole month off. That would be heavenly, but it requires me putting in some extra hours until then. Bleh. Something my supervisor says sticks with me - "A person can tolerate anything as long as they know its temporary." That's true! I know that very soon I will be done with school and all this craziness will be over. Until then, I'm trying to appreciate all the perks that come with being a student and the opportunity to learn all that I can.

Annabel continues to do well. She loves to play, laughs to herself and babbles up a storm, points continuously and says "dat. Dat." She loves cookies and string cheese. She cries when she poops, so I've started her on a higher fiber diet (think prunes and bran muffins:). She loves to give kisses first thing in the morning and is snuggly and sweet. She's walking really well, likes to chase Bailey and loves to wear shoes. If she's not wearing shoes, she'll bring me a pair and point to her feet ("dat, dat"). She's just so great! At 13 months, she still loves her "milkies" (i.e. still nursing) and has embarrassed me more than one time by yanking down my shirt in public!

Anyway, I'd better wrap this up. Derek and I are powering through seasons 5 &6 of '24', so I need to give that my full attention!:) See you soon!