I was obsessive about keeping the blog up to date while I was living in Switzerland, and now you know why. Once I stop writing and get behind, the wheels fall off! I still haven’t decided what the cadence of posting will be now that I’m back in the US, but for now, I imagine it will continue to be sporadic.
In my mind, summer is the period of time between two US holidays – Memorial Day (last Monday in May) and Labor Day (first Monday in September). I already wrote about spending Memorial Day in San Francisco and what I did in the month of June. Now to bring you up to speed on the remainder of the summer (which is shockingly almost over!)…
Fourth of July weekend in Chicago was a chance to reunion with the leader of my Connect Group from my church in Switzerland over Mexican food at XOCO (a Rick Bayless restaurant) and doughnuts at the Doughnut Vault…
…to take a really long walk along the lakeshore to be able to take this picture…
…a quick reunion with some Miami friends who were pregnant with their first baby when I saw them last. Now they have three! I also got to see a sweet friend from my time in Grand Rapids, but we forgot to take a picture together! We enjoyed a gorgeous evening at The J. Parker – a Chicago rooftop bar at Hotel Lincoln and then dinner at an adorable Italian restaurant.
For my final night, I drove up to Willmette to stay with some Miami friends. I got to meet their little one, who is completely adorable!
We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at their home before walking over to the beach to watch the fireworks! I am OBSESSED with fireworks, so I LOVED this!
We even had personal sized jars of “dirt” to enjoy while we waited for the fireworks to begin! Such a treat!
I drove back to St. Louis on the fourth to enjoy a second round of fireworks! Some friends came over to celebrate with me. It was a lot different than the past two years of more than 50 people at my home celebrating, but I was grateful for an evening with some of my dearest St. Louis friends.
We walked into Forest Park for the 4th of July celebration complete with a Flo Rida concert and fireworks on Art Hill. After a weekend of rain, it was SO muddy! Thankfully, a Purina friend had some extra bracelets for the Purina tent, so we could sit in real chairs. In spite of the mud, there were still thousands of people there!
I cried when I received a picture from the US expat community in Vevey. I love that they carried on the tradition of hosting a 4th of July bash in Switzerland! Made me so proud (and definitely reminded me of how much I miss them!).
Several weekend days were spent on my rooftop enjoying the pool!
Four more musicals at the Muny! This was my first time ever seeing the Music Man. I thought it was so fun!
Summer thunderstorms gave way to beautiful skies!
A Knoxville friend came to visit! (You may recognize him from previous posts about Lisbon, Venice, Romania, or his time in Switzerland.) He is the reason I have this new friend in St. Louis!
I took him to see Young Frankenstein at the Muny. Neither of us knew the storyline prior to the show and laughed when we found out it took place in Transylvania! We were just there in February!
We took him to Anheuser-Busch for the brewery tour, and he took over from our guide before the end of the tour!
Beer tasting after the tour!
Of course, a Cardinals baseball game is a must for visitors!
And a visit to Ted Drewes for frozen custard after the game is a tradition.
And not just for us, but for most of the city! Ha!
I saved the final bar of Cailler blond chocolate from Switzerland for this visit after introducing him to the goodness in February. We were both very excited!
This group of people is connected to each other in the most outrageous ways. The world is SO small.
I went to see Coldplay in concert with a friend, and it was such an amazing show! They are incredibly high energy, and there are so many lights and so much confetti! Each person in the audience is given a wristband that lights up. The wristbands are synchronized, so they’re turning all sorts of colors on cue throughout the concert. I was mesmerized!
There are several friends living in Washington DC, who I haven’t seen since before I moved to Switzerland. I was excited for a laid back weekend with them! We planned to go to the Holocaust Museum, since they were out of tickets the last time I was in town. Can you believe it was closed due to a power outage?! Maybe next time. Third time’s a charm, right?
The only DC monument I photographed during my visit (to send to a friend in St. Louis when she asked if I was around to do something over the weekend)…
We ate an amazing brunch at Le Diplomate and delicious tacos at District Taco, but I think my favorite meal was this one at my friend’s home. Having people from three different life stages (Miami University, Grand Rapids, and St. Louis) around the same table was so wonderful!
It’s been eight years since the last wedding we attended (and the last time we saw each other). This sweet friend is still as delightful as I remember!
Friends treated us to their Club seats, and we enjoyed a Nationals game!
A quick trip to Las Vegas for the SuperZoo pet trade show. We had a private event at the Foundation Room on the 63rd floor of Mandalay Bay, which boasts a magnificent view of the strip.
This sweet friend moved to the Twin Cities earlier this month. St. Louis’ loss is St. Paul’s gain. I miss her already!
Another night at the Muny, and another new musical for me!
A private concert with Andy Shauf was put on by a friend and former boss to benefit the St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
A Little Black Dress Cocktail Party at the Missouri History Museum to go along with their Little Black Dress exhibit!
A final night at the Muny to see Aida with some wonderful friends. Michelle Williams (formerly part of Destiny’s Child) played Aida!
Blues at the Arch concert on a gorgeous evening!
Volunteering with International Friends (the international student ministry of Intervarsity) at their Free Furniture Giveaway at Washington University! This event was incredible! It’s for first year international students to come find furniture or other household items for their new homes. Lunch is also served. There were HUNDREDS of students and so many donations to give away! I was really impressed!
This morning I experienced my first-ever baby baptism. I love this baby girl’s parents, so it was special to be there for this important event.
We celebrated with a delicious lunch at Pastaria!
This summer has been full of fun, but with some cooler temperatures the past few days, I actually find myself looking forward to fall.