Week in Review – 09.09.2016

Ann Arbor (3x). Philadelphia. Chicago. Kansas City. Cue the fall/early winter travel season!

I spent the most lovely extended Labor Day weekend in Ann Arbor, visiting Kevin. It has been quite an adjustment experiencing life in STL on my own. But the upside is that in this first month apart, I have learned that life feels so whole and right when we are together. 🙂

We spent most of our evenings exploring Ann Arbor’s downtown (Michigan is full of small breweries, so the beer selection is outstanding). I am already so excited for my next trip up in a few weeks 🙂 Last Saturday, we ventured north to Frankenmuth, which is fondly known as Little Bavaria (think Wisconsin Dells meets German kitsch). Of course, a trip to Frankenmuth would not be complete without fried chicken at Zehnder’s and a visit to Bronner’s, the world’s largest Christmas store.

On Sunday, we explored Central & North campuses and met up with part of Kevin’s research group for brunch at Cafe Felix. Monday was quieter, with a nice walk at the local botanical gardens in the morning and some quiet time before I had to leave Tuesday morning.

Since getting home, life has been back to my new normal — Pure Barre, SWE calls, and trying to commit to paint colors for my house.

I’m excited to try this salmon recipe for dinner tonight. I make an effort to eat fish once a week, and it usually falls on a weekend evening when I’m feeling ambitious.

I’m also looking forward to trying out this recipe for pumpkin granola. Though I have never loved Halloween, I love that fall is awash in pumpkin-related foods. I used to adore pumpkin spice lattes, but they’ve become far too sweet for me. Is it to early to start drinking Schlafly’s pumpkin ale and eating Trader Joe’s pumpkin bars?

This weekend should be fairly quiet, but I’m incredibly excited to take my aunt to the symphony for a showing of Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone. (I can hardly believe that it has been 15 years since we first saw that movie.)

Follow along on Instagram for food photos & any other adventures of the weekend!

Kate

 

 

Back to Blogging

It has been a long time since my last post (roughly 8 months, to be exact). So far, 2016 has been a year of change. Lots of it.

After two years in the Central West End, I returned to the St. Louis suburbs – but this time, as a homeowner! I moved to an idyllic neighborhood in Kirkwood over Memorial Day weekend. Even though homeownership has brought new challenges (yardwork and many trips to Lowe’s), I feel so lucky to have landed in such a perfect, quiet place. I am still working on making it my own, but I’m excited to spend some happy years in this house.

Kevin and I went to Disney World in June, right after I moved into my new house (this trip was planned before I started looking for houses). We stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. I am addicted to the zoo here in STL (just ask my friends, coworkers, or family), so this trip (Disney + animals + lovely meals) was absolutely magical.

A giraffe at one of the many overlook points

We met Olaf at Hollywood Studios!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge lobby

Magical fireworks picture

This summer, we ventured up to Chicago a few times to visit Kevin’s family. Our first trip included an amazing day at Summerfest in Milwaukee, that culminated with seeing Paul McCartney in concert. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to see the Beatles 50 years ago. (Also, I love Wisconsin summers.) Our second weekend trip included my first-ever Chicago White Sox game 🙂

Life changed dramatically a couple weeks ago, as Kevin is now living in Ann Arbor, MI to pursue a PhD in aerospace engineering. Suddenly, I have a lot fewer plans and a lot more free time. I’m making the most of it, though, and am going to Pure Barre classes a lot more (5-6 times / week! – class #150 is today), watching Gilmore Girls, and making an effort to try new dinner recipes. Long-distance relationships are not fun at all (we used to live 1 mile from each other; now it’s about 500), but I am glad that it is close enough that I can fly for 3-day weekends and drive for longer trips.

I’m also staying busy with SWE and have accepted that this will not change anytime soon. In addition to being named as SWE’s FY17 Outreach Committee Chair-Elect and continuing to run the Wow! Innovation Challenge, I am also trying to manage my workload for the upcoming Region i conference in STL (6 months away!) and working on everything related to WE16 in Philadelphia this fall. I’m swamped but happy 🙂

This weekend is sure to include a lot of baking (I’m planning on trying my hand at macarons for the first time!), a couple Pure Barre classes, finally unpacking everything in my second bedroom, and some more quality time with Lorelai and Rory. Follow along on Instagram for pictures of everything I cook 🙂

Kate

2015 – A Year in Review

To say the least, 2015 has been busy. Though the year started off quietly, travel swiftly increased, work steadily grew busier, and as always, SWE has been a constant. (Speaking of which – next year’s annual conference theme is something along the lines of “Life’s Variable – SWE’s Your Constant”).

Travel was a constant this year. I felt as if I was constantly getting ready for that next work trip or the next weekend away. I spent the equivalent of over 2 weeks in Seattle for work, saw the Rolling Stones at the Indy 500, slid down a million slides (and ate at Paul Bunyan’s) in the Wisconsin Dells, experienced so much of London & Paris, and of course, ate Portillo’s and Lou Malnati’s on several trips to the Chicago area. We also enjoyed the company of our friends at a few weddings this year – Amanda & Jeremy’s wedding in August, and Luke & Lindsey’s wedding in November.

While I am still happily employed at the same company (and in the same job title and skill code), work has changed a lot too. In May, I moved over to working on a new commercial airplane, which has been such an adventure and a constant challenge. It has been a huge change, moving from production support for mature programs to design support for an airplane that is still taking shape. There is always something new to learn! I am so happy that I pursued a career in aerospace, and though 2016 will be a busy year for our program, I’m really excited to keep pushing forward.

As always, SWE has been a big part of my time outside of work. I bid farewell to collegiate leadership coaching at the close of FY15 (June 30), but said hello to coordinating the Wow Innovations Challenge on the outreach committee. I’ve also committed to helping with the 2017 region conference and am continuing to coordinate outreach awards. SWE contributed to my grand tour of Missouri in February, helped me attend the FIRST championships in April, and prompted my first-ever visit to Nashville in October (host city for WE15). Best of all, I officially became a life member in late February. 🙂

What year is complete without a few visits to my alma mater? Though I only made it to Columbia three times this year, those three visits were a ton of fun. I love having people to visit (my sister is a sophomore, and my friend Julie recently graduated with a master’s degree in music) and so many fond memories of my time there. Sports are a little disappointing right now, but I know that it will eventually pick up again. 😛 And in light of the recent tumult and unrest, I am praying that the interim leadership can push change and conversations forward, and transition the university & UM system into the hands of the new permanent leadership.

Ah, baseball. As many of you know, I am dating one of the biggest Cubs fans ever. That was easy in 2014 (when they were a minimal threat), but has grown in difficulty this year.* We attended a number of baseball games, including several Cards/Cubs games at Busch, a Cubs game at Wrigley, and a Cards/Cubs playoff game. The offseason has been a little tough, since they signed both of the big free agents from the Cardinals. 😦

* Who am I kidding? I love my Cubs fan dearly, and I’ll cut him some slack since he spent the first 18 years of his life in Chicago (and the next four in close proximity to the Iowa Cubs). I’ve accepted that we will never agree on baseball teams.

One of the other highlights of the year: meeting penguins. Best anniversary present ever. Another unexpected surprise – celebrating my 25th birthday on a beautiful dinner cruise in Paris, during our whirlwind Europe trip. I feel so lucky to have found a Disney-loving, sports-obsessed, music history – memorizing, goofy, ambitious engineer who will *always* be a child at heart, no matter how many degrees he has obtained. 😛 (I’ll stop the sap there. Sorry.)

In June, I started getting into Pure Barre. Six months ago, I couldn’t plank for 30 seconds, much less 90. It is still really hard, but I have gotten so much stronger, and I love the energy and judgement-free atmosphere. I’m hoping to make it to the 100 club by April (fingers crossed!).

My parents’ home is incomplete without a dog running around and toys in every room. Scout entered our lives in March, and has given the house some much-needed energy and spunk. Though I didn’t get to help pick her out, I am thoroughly pleased with my family’s choice. It’s really flattering to be greeted with squeals and tail-wagging.

Needless to say, 2015 has been memorable in so many ways. Here’s to an even better 2016 🙂

Kate

12.15.2015 – Week in Review

Like many recent weeks, the only places I drove during the week were home and work (with the exception of one evening at Advent church). Life has been extraordinarily quiet recently, which is a welcome change after a busy year of traveling.* It is a wonderful thing, not knowing when I will be traveling next 🙂

*For reference, between the end of February and the end of November, I visited Seattle (twice), Kansas City (twice), Chicago (three times), Indianapolis, the Wisconsin Dells, London, Paris, and Nashville.

This weekend was certainly more lively than the week leading up to it. I started off Friday night with Pure Barre (what a surprise) and headed home to make a delicious dinner – pizza with chicken, roasted red pepper, tomato, mozzarella, and homemade pesto (from my mom):

Delicious pizza for a quiet night in

In preparation for next weekend’s movie extravaganza (read: we are seeing Star Wars on Saturday at 9 AM), we watched Episode V on Friday and Episode VI on Saturday. I have learned a frightening amount about Star Wars in the weeks since Kevin started playing Star Wars Battlefront. The game is true to the films and mimics the landscapes and battle scenes perfectly, and I have actually grown to a point where I can identify a planet from a picture. Not bad, considering that three years ago, a senior engineer (who I spoke with while being interviewed for a job) told me that I needed to see the Star Wars movies. 😛

The big news of the weekend was all for other people – I checked the mail on Saturday morning, and found a beautiful save-the-date for my friend Audrey’s wedding. 🙂 we met through Science Olympiad many years ago, and both ended up becoming chemical engineers! I am so excited to be able to witness the beginning of the rest of her & Christopher’s lives together.

The other exciting news of the weekend – my friend Nathan got engaged! As many of you know, Nathan was one of my closest friends in college, who I met in calc 2 honors (and other classes) in the first week of college. His fiancée, Banoo, was also in that calc 2 honors class, and I got to know her through our involvement in SWE. Finally, shortly after we graduated, they started dating 🙂 I couldn’t be happier for these two, and I am so happy to see them so happy. This is another wedding that I can’t wait to attend!

So, after squealing about all the happy news for my friends, it was time to enjoy the 70 degree weather (in December – this is unreal). We spent Saturday afternoon walking around Kirkwood, finishing off a little Christmas shopping and eyeing the cookie cutters that I want to buy from Cornucopia (read: they sell dinosaur cookie cutters). Afterwards, we dropped by Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood for a beer – Christmas ale for me, and a pumpkin ale for Kevin.

On Sunday, I dropped Kevin off at the airport and zipped down to church. Normally, I am rushing in at 7:54, so it was nice to arrive at 7:45 for a change. The sanctuary looked beautiful.

All decked out for Christmas

Much of the afternoon was spent on puppy playtime. I had a quality two hours with my Scout-monster – she is just three days shy of a year old! This dog has brought so much joy to my family’s lives since March. I know she drives my parents crazy sometimes, but she is a sweetheart and so full of energy. I also dropped by my aunt’s house, under the illusion of stopping by for a Christmas sweater (which I did get), but actually to play with her sweet dogs, Ishi and Elly. I love them and they love me. 🙂

Later, I went to Pure Barre (notice a theme?) and walked over to the pretty Christmas tree, before heading home for a quiet evening of Gilmore Girls and Trader Joe’s mac & cheese. (They mentioned electrochemistry on a season 2 episode – this is my thing.)

Central West End Christmas tree (near Bissinger’s)

I spent the entirety of last night making sugar cookies for work (and wishing that I hadn’t been so ambitious with these baked goods). The recipe made an insane number of cookies. I’m bringing 18 to my old group today, already put a huge bag in the freezer, and still have two plates in the fridge to ice tonight…

Otherwise, it’s just a standard week with Pure Barre, airport chaffeuring, Star Wars, and finishing those last few touches for Christmas. I need some time off 😛 Just 8 days until winter break 🙂

Kate

12.07.2015 Week(end) in Review

Between Monday and Friday of last week, the only places I drove (besides work and my apartment) were to get my hair cut and stock up on groceries. Riveting, I know.

I went to Pure Barre a lot (anniversary month special expired Friday), and am so excited to say that I’ll be at 57 classes after tonight 🙂 I am still LTB’ing my way to the 100 Club (and hopefully beyond), and if all goes as planned, I’ll get there in the spring! That’s a lot of tucks, thigh sprints, and seat work…

Kevin and I watched The Fellowship of the Ring, and it was much, much better than I remembered. For reference, I tried to watch this movie around 2003-2004, after reading the complete trilogy (thanks to my friend Miriam, who loaned me all of the books). All I remember from that attempt was being very bored and turning off the DVD player after 15-20 minutes. I actually really enjoyed the movie this time, and am looking forward to watching the other two!

I spent Saturday morning running around the 64/40 corridor (Kirkwood, Frontenac, and Brentwood), and made a huge dent in my Christmas shopping. I even got really ambitious and wrapped most of the presents already. 😛

Window Walk in our neighborhood was on Saturday, so we walked around, enjoyed spiked hot chocolate, and looked at the pretty decorated windows. I love Christmas in the Central West End. 🙂

Saturday dinner was casual, at Tortillaria, one of our local Mexican restaurants. Pork carnitas burrito, yum! Afterwards, we watched the many conference championships at iTAP CWE.

After church on Sunday, Kevin insisted that I meet him at the zoo immediately. I showed up, and he surprised me by saying that we were there to pick out my St. Nicholas Day present 🙂 Obviously, we had to go see some animals first – penguins, sifakas, polar bear, the red panda, giraffes…

Then, I picked out this little ornament.

Kevin insisted on an unplanned trip to the zoo after we were both out of church this morning, and we ended up picking out a little present for St. Nick's 🎄 this adorable sea lion ornament will grace my tree for a long time ❤

A photo posted by Kate Nolan (@katenolan4) on Dec 6, 2015 at 11:04am PST

I made delicious chicken noodle soup for dinner (tripled the celery, quadrupled the carrots, and added a lot of spices). Perfect way to end the weekend.

Here’s to a week of great weather and continuing to avoid wearing my heavy parka!

Kate

11.29.2015 Week in Review – Happy Thanksgiving!

I normally post my week in review on Friday, but didn’t have the chance with the holidays this past week. This year, I spent Thanksgiving up north with Kevin and his family, in the land of delicious Chicago food 🙂

Over the course of our long weekend (Wednesday to Sunday), we ate at two different Portillo’s locations (Italian beef on the first visit, and a “tame” Chicago hot dog on the second), a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at Jimmy’s Charhouse (Libertyville), and Lou Malnati’s  pizza for dinner on our last night.

I’m really spoiled that Kevin is from a place with delicious, amazing food.

Had the best day at the Brookfield Zoo. 🐬🐵🐯🐺 even got a moldarama 😃 #Chicago #FridayswithKevin

A photo posted by Kate Nolan (@katenolan4) on Nov 27, 2015 at 1:09pm PST

We spent Friday at the Brookfield Zoo, and practically had the place to ourselves. I guess the zoo isn’t the most popular attraction in 40 degree, drizzly Chicago weather. But that meant that we got to see the baby snow leopards, dolphins, wombat, echidnas, meerkats, and many, many other animals with zero crowds and lots of interest (from the animals). I made friends with a sea lion 🙂

I also got a moldarama 😀 basically, it is a cheap, injection-molded plastic souvenir that parents can buy for their kids at many Chicago-area attractions. (They first débuted in 1962). After much deliberation, I settled on a blue dolphin from the Seven Seas dolphin exhibit 🙂 this masterpiece is going on my desk at work.

We visited some of the small Kenosha museums on Saturday morning, right by the lake. They were small, but completely free and a good way to spend some time.

I got hooked on Gilmore Girls (while Kevin played Star Wars Battlefront on his new PS4) and really had a wonderful time just relaxing and enjoying the holiday with Kevin and his family. And I also won at two Disney games yesterday — Disney Scene It and the Magic Kingdom race game (circa 1997).

I made a delicious turkey quinoa bowl  for dinner tonight (without avocado, corn, salsa, or tomatoes…), but it was delicious nonetheless. Looking forward to a few more weeks of work and then a nice long Christmas break 🙂

Kate

 

 

11.20.2015 Week in Review

All in all, another good week.

I spent much of last weekend catching up on errands and cleaning, but did have some fun!

Kevin accompanied me to Bring on the Men at Pure Barre last Friday. The major perk was beer after class. 😛 I have been going to Pure Barre a lot recently, thanks to the anniversary special ($100 for a month of unlimited classes). My flexibility is still pretty terrible, but I have definitely seen some improvement. 🙂

Last Saturday was Llywelyn’s 40th anniversary. Kevin, Danelle and I celebrated with drinks and free glasses. (We unfortunately just missed the bagpipes performance.)

On Sunday afternoon, Janelle and I met up for coffee at Blueprint. We’d been once before, well over a year ago – I wasn’t sure how I felt about it then, but I loved it this time. They take their coffee very seriously and have unique decor. (We were a little apprehensive about drinking water from a 500 mL beaker… )

The best kind of coffee is coffee with a friend ☕ #sundayfunday #latergram

A photo posted by Kate Nolan (@katenolan4) on Nov 15, 2015 at 2:45pm PST

This week was pretty quiet, aside from the arrival of Kevin’s PS4 and Star Wars Battlefront. (I’m not brave enough to try playing.)

Last night, I made pretzels from a new recipe, since my Lenten pretzel recipe was nowhere to be found. I added in a twist – half of the pretzels were rolled in a mixture of pumpkin pie spice & white sugar, and I kneaded a parmesan garlic mix into the other half of the dough.

Recipe: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/12/25/30-minute-whole-wheat-pretzels/

I originally planned to finish my laundry tonight, but making pretzels sounded better. Pumpkin pie spice / sugar in the top two rows, parmesan garlic in the bottom two rows 😋 #baking #happythursday

A photo posted by Kate Nolan (@katenolan4) on Nov 19, 2015 at 7:18pm PST

Looking forward to a wonderful weekend – date night, volunteering at SLU’s Campus Kitchen, Friendsgiving, family Thanksgiving, and hanging out with my sister. Lots of quality time with many of the people who make life so wonderful 🙂

Kate

 

Classical Music: My Top Ten

For the sake of this post, “classical” refers to orchestral, choral, and/or solo instrumental works from any period, spanning Baroque through the Modern Era.

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t listening to classical music. When everyone else was listening to the Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC, I was busy tuning in to Classic 99. (To this day, I don’t have a stance on the boy band allegiance question.) So yes, I consider myself a classical music nerd.

Even at 25, I am still happiest at work when I have classical music in the background. Holst’s The Planets continues to be one of my favorite works, years after I bought the London Symphony Orchestra’s recording. I saw The Planets in concert at the Seattle Symphony in 2012, and am so excited to see the St. Louis Symphony perform this majestic work on closing weekend in May.

@KateNolan4 looking forward to a blog post giving the top ten with analysis

— Ryan Higgins (@RyanTHiggins) November 6, 2015

Ryan’s reply got me thinking. What are my top ten?

I’ve been pondering this question all week, and I’ve come to a conclusion. The overwhelming majority of my favorite classical pieces (whether an orchestral work or short piano selection) have some kind of emotional significance.

So here goes. (For your enjoyment, I’ve included YouTube links to recordings of each piece or work.)

10. Finlandia (Jean Sibelius)
I still haven’t figured out why I love Finlandia so much. Is it the percussion? The minutes-long buildup to that melody that every classical music fan recognize? The way the music seems to capture the beautiful (yet frozen) Scandinavian environment? Still don’t know, but I love it anyway.

9. Fanfare for the Common Man (Aaron Copland)
I thought that this was part of the Apollo 13 soundtrack (and we all know one of the reasons why I love that movie), but I might have made that up. Still, I have a major soft spot for Aaron Copland’s music. I have always enjoyed Americana art (think Thomas Hart Benton or George Caleb Bingham) and Copland’s music is a perfect extension of that grand, 20th century, Wild West style.

8. Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber)
I had never heard of Adagio for Strings before my senior year of high school, when we performed this at a concert at Missouri State. There is a moment in that piece that never fails to give me chills – when, after a long section of high notes, the final one rings out – and the orchestra moves back to close out the piece. It is one of the most calming (and most difficult) pieces I’ve ever played.

7. Sonata Pathetique (L. van Beethoven)
I played the 2nd & 3rd movements of Sonata Pathetique at my final piano recital in high school, and grew to love the first movement as well. My favorite part: the last two pages of the third movement. It is so much fun to play. Also, dogs are not especially fond of the loud c minor chord that opens the sonata…

6. St. Paul’s Suite (Gustav Holst)
I don’t know if we performed St. Paul’s while I was in orchestra, but we definitely sightread it on a regular basis. Again, I love Holst for some reason. A recording of this is one of my top YouTube searches…

5. Serenade for Strings (Pieter Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
Another high school orchestra favorite.

4. Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95: From the New World (Antonin Dvorak)
Major throwback – we performed an arrangement of the 4th movement when I was in eighth grade. I searched for years to find a perfect recording of this, and found it in the Dublin Symphony Orchestra.

3. Appalachian Spring (Aaron Copland)
This one is easy. During my junior year of high school, we performed an all-Copland concert in partnership with the choir (which I was in that year). Though the concert was a bit of a mess, I adored the choral excerpts from the Tender Land Suite and Hoedown. I don’t know if we sang “Simple Gifts” in that concert, but I melt every time I hear it. (Also, Appalachian Spring is prominently featured at the close of my favorite childhood movie, The Adventures of Milo & Otis.)

2. The Planets (Gustav Holst)
Obvious choice. I think this started in 2007, when we sang “I Vow to Thee, My Country” in all-suburban choir. It is a beautiful song, sung at Winston Churchill’s funeral and Princess Diana’s wedding & funeral. It happens to be set to the main theme from the fourth movement, Jupiter: Bringer of Jollity. Several years later, I bought the full work on iTunes – and the rest is history.

1. Nocturne in E Flat, Op. 9, No. 2 (Frederic Chopin)
No matter what, this continues to be my favorite piece of classical music. I played this gorgeous nocturne in the spring of 2009, as I was finishing my senior year of high school. For years, it has been what I listen to when I have trouble sleeping or need to calm down.

Honorable mentions:

• The Moldau (from Ma Vlast – Fatherland), Bedrich Smetana
• Prelude in g minor, Sergei Rachmaninoff
• Symphony 7, Gustav Mahler

Not an exhaustive list by any means, but some of my favorites nonetheless.

Homework: Check out your local orchestra. With concerts each weekend, you’re bound to find something that piques your interest. And if you’re not the biggest classical music fan, check out some of the soundtrack & rock tributes spread throughout the season.

Also, I’m going to plug the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for a moment. Powell Hall is one of my favorite places in St. Louis, hands down. I’m thankful to my parents for the years they took us to concerts for children, for the school field trips we had to the symphony, and to the SLSO for giving me the chance to perform on that stage in late 2004, as a member of the Sperreng Fiddlers. My favorite kind of date night is a night at the Symphony, in those comfortable red plush chairs, watching the musicians I’ve adored since my childhood. Classical music is (and always will be) one of my very favorite things. 🙂

Kate

11.06.2015 – Week in Review

Life is busy as always, but this past week has been truly wonderful.

We attended the Central West End Halloween dog parade, which was basically an excuse for me to stand outside and watch dogs in costumes.

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Afterwards, I made these delicious scones and Kevin watched An American Werewolf in London. (Spoiler alert: London looks the same now as it did in 1981.) That night, we watched the Halloween costume contest on Maryland Plaza, which was far less exciting than the dog parade, but still impressive.

In honor of the Ladue studio’s 1 year anniversary, Pure Barre Ladue & CWE ran a one-day anniversary special on a month of unlimited classes. You can guarantee that I’ll be at the barre a lot between now and December 3.

I managed to hit a great sale at Madewell and picked up this sweater (in marled pepper), to replace a cheap sweater that’s starting to look the worse for wear.

My mom made stuffed green pepper soup (similar to this recipe) for dinner last night. It was delicious.

Work is going very well and I’m learning so much. I’m loving getting to focus on finishes & corrosion, and am really enjoying working on this airplane program!

I’ve traveled a lot this year. Since January 1, I’ve traveled to Kansas City and Seattle twice each, and once each to Chicago/Milwaukee, Indianapolis, London, Paris, and Nashville. (I’m hoping for a quieter 2016, but based on conversations I’ve had recently, I’m not holding my breath.)

This weekend is my second-to-last trip in 2015. Kevin and I are headed up to Chicago/Wisconsin for a wedding, and I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll also get to eat Lou Malnati’s pizza and/or Portillo’s while we’re there. And if not, there is always Thanksgiving 🙂

Kate

Week in Review – 06.25.2015

Another busy week!  I started off last weekend at my parents’ house for dinner (Friday pizza, as usual 🙂 ), which also meant a few hours of puppy playtime with Scout… this is from a rare moment of staring out the window.

https://instagram.com/p/4INTaARNDZ/?taken-by=katenolan4

I fell for this dog the moment we met in March (when my parents adopted her), and spend at least a few hours each weekend playing with her after church.  As it turns out, this means that she associates me exclusively with playtime.  Her favorite indoor game is “I’m going to bring you a toy and hit you with it until you grab on, and then I’ll try to get it back” (played on repeat), and sticks continue to be the outdoor toy of choice.  Last weekend, she ran up to me with a stick, wagging her tail 🙂 I love having a new friend!

I brought Melissa back to my apartment with me, where we indulged in a John Hughes classic (Sixteen Candles), Sprite Zero (I never buy soda!) and microwave popcorn.  We haven’t hung out in awhile, since she was off at school for so long, and I’ve been busy too.

On Saturday morning, we woke up early and drove over to Vincent Van Doughnut in Clayton.  I normally don’t eat doughnuts, but I have heard so many great things about this place (and have seen a plethora of photos from our AP German teacher), that I decided it was time for my annual exception.  We brought them back to my apartment, and I finally brewed some of my Brazilian coffee (from the Starbucks Roastery) to accompany a delicious chocolate salted caramel doughnut, raspberries, and blueberries.

https://instagram.com/p/4JxzHZRNG3/?taken-by=katenolan4

It was only 8:30, so we sat around and watched Frasier for awhile before kicking off our day.  The Pulitzer Arts Foundation recently reopened their museum (I think), and when I saw that Alexander Calder was one of the featured exhibits, I knew I had to go.  Though photography was forbidden inside, I caught this beautiful view on the patio:

https://instagram.com/p/4J_kz7xNCt/?taken-by=katenolan4

We managed to get an amazing (and free!) parking spot in the Pulitzer’s tiny lot, so we walked down the street to the Contemporary Art Museum.  This was up Melissa’s alley.  I was lost and a little confused by artwork (apparently modern art is about process, not final results), but thoroughly enjoyed the live band and cardboard city (part of the family block party day at the Pulitzer, CAM, and the Sheldon).

It was only 11 am by this point, so we decided to continue art museum hopping, and headed over to the Art Museum in Forest Park.  Kevin and I actually just visited at the end of May (the day before I flew to Seattle), but I never get tired of staring at Monet’s water lilies or the Mondrian that inspired my purchase of the copy in my apartment.  I also purchased a Mondrian dry erase board in the gift shop, which I have been eyeing and dreaming of for weeks.  I can’t wait to hang it up in my cubicle at work!

https://instagram.com/p/4KIqobxNF1/?taken-by=katenolan4

We enjoyed lunch at Nora’s before heading back to my parents’.  Big surprise – Scout wanted to play.  For hours.  A little later, while searching for Rascal Flatts CDs (they’re opening for the Stones next weekend!!!), I found my molecule set from college, and made all sorts of things – benzene rings, ethanol, chloroform, water… it’s funny how a molecule set is tons of fun, now that I am not in organic chemistry anymore.  I also grabbed my 1000+-page copy of Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, to drag to work next week – surely, there is something useful for my job in aerospace, right?

I headed home after dinner, and made delicious blondies.  Baking is so much fun 🙂

On Sunday, I went to church as usual, followed by a perfect Father’s Day lunch at my parents’ (chicken salad sandwiches on flatbread, strawberries, tortilla chips, and brownies) and a nice afternoon at my grandpa’s house in Illinois.

This week at work, I have been taking a class on some software, and have learned way more about designing airplane parts than I ever wanted to before.  It is incredibly frustrating and has confirmed that chemical engineering was the right degree program for me, and that I am happy in my world of finishes & corrosion prevention. 🙂

I’ve been going to Pure Barre a lot this week (M-Th), since I’m on my second week of the new client special.  It really is getting easier to follow what is going on, and I’m so happy after each class!

Kevin finally comes home from Seattle tonight, and I can’t wait.  I’m off to the airport in a bit to pick him up – it has been a long few weeks apart, and it has been a long ~4 weeks since our last full weekend together.  What better way to start the rest of our summer, than with a few Cards/Cubs games? 😛 In spite of the fact that I’ll be listening to Cardinals rants tomorrow evening, I am beyond excited to kick off an amazing summer with my best friend 🙂

And GO CARDS!

Kate