In honor of the VP debate...

This blog is typically free of politics but I just wanted to share this.
My friend Bernadette is very passionate about politics and I enjoy reading her blog for her latest rants/raves on the candidates. I, on the other hand, am still deciding who will receive my vote.  I suppose she is trying to sway my vote and thought the pack of gum she sent me would do the trick.  She lives in the deep southern part of Alabama and told me that you can buy these in bulk at the local Winn Dixie.

Wine, Pizza & Football

It was a super busy weekend and I'm exhausted today! Here's a run down of the weekend...         

One of my favorite activities from last fall was the St. Louis Wine Fest, so I was determined to make it this year. Despite a lot of other great activities like SLU's homecoming, attending the fest was top on my list of "to dos" for the fall. Though it was a little warm we had a great time!

After the wine fest, we headed to our favorite pizza place...Feraro's in Soulard. It's "Jersey-Style" and their specialty is the Taylor ham pizza (some sort of Jersey specialty). It's DE-LISH! My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!

Of course one of Sumeet's favorite past times is watching his beloved Buffalo Bills. They hardly ever come to St. Louis because they are in a different section of the league (I think). Since Sumeet isn't shy about his love for the Bills, a kind doc at the hospital was so nice to give us great seats to the game.  Thankfully, the Bills won! Unfortunately though for the Rams coach, they lost and he was subsequently fired. They apparently don't mess around! Go Bills!

Balloon Glow

Sumeet and I have never been to the balloon glow and it's definitely been on my list of "to-do's" before we leave the STL.  It was such a beautiful night and fun to see the hot air balloon up close.  It was great too, because my friend from school, Caroline was able to join us!

Here are a few shots from the evening.

Apple Picking

Sumeet and I both had the day off on Thursday so we decided to make our annual trip to Eckerts Orchard. Last year's trip was a bit disappointing because 

1. there were no apples to pick because of the poor crop so you had to "pick" your apples from barrels 

2. We specifically went there to get their apple cider which Sumeet loves, but were distracted by their wine tasting and neglected to buy the cider.

Thursday was a beautiful day and it was a great trip for multiple reasons: there was hardly anyone else there, there were apples to pick off the trees this year AND we remembered the apple cider! All in all, it was a successful trip!

The trip home was  a bit of adventure since we ended up driving through East St. Louis on the way home.  Apparently the Garmin directs you to the most efficient, and not necessiarly the safest route. Lesson learned. 

Fall is here!

Though I used to be more of a "summer gal", over the past few years I've definitely started to love fall! It could be that in my old age, I'm becoming more of a fan of the season that allows me to open our windows, wear jeans with my Uggs, and walk from the parking garage to school without breaking out in the typical summer sweat. 

St. Louis thankfully has also discovered the greatness of fall as well. Our schedule is almost already packed with a few weddings, the St. Louis Wine Festival, the Forest Park Balloon Glow and The Best of Missouri.   And if I'm lucky, a certain someone will take me for a picnic in the park complete with a boat ride....

Fall is Sumeet's favorite season but not for the brisk air and changing leaves. No, Sumeet loves it for the football. He watches the 50 games that are on Sundays and is in a fantasy football league. He can't get enough. He even found a Buffalo Bills fan club right here in St. Louis. Here's Sumeet today on his way to join the club...Go Bills!

Summer's End.

Well, my summer school has ended which means that the blog is officially back. To recap my summer, I basically studied the whole time. I'm even talking most Friday and Saturday nights too! It obviously was very challenging but I think it will be worth it in the end. Thank goodness for my #1 husband who took care of the majority of the household chores and meals this summer :)

A few fun facts about the program:

46 - number of students who started in the program

44 number of students currently in the program

50 -percentage of females in the program

14 - number of courses taken (and successfully completed) during the summer semester

6- number of different groups I've been in 

2- number of semesters to go!

Needless to say, it was quite an experience and I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to be a part of the program. The next two semesters will be a bit better with a lighter workload. This will give me time to work for the Marketing Chair through a Graduate Assistantship and possibly an internship with a local company. 

I've had a week off and have been really enjoying it. I joined Sumeet at his limb deformity course in Baltimore (very cool city) and enjoyed lots of great food and wonderful weather!

Here are a few photos from the trip...

Brace yourselves people...

The blog will be making its comeback next week after all my final tests, papers and presentations.