Springtime!

The past few days have been filled with several reminders that spring is here...to stay this time!

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/bouquetdebamboo/5553561324/]

    1) Shorts and flip flops
    2) Football catch...in daylight...at 7:30PM
    3) Painted toenails
    4) Sipping on lemonade
    5) Thunderstorms & pouring rain
    6) First Phillies baseball game of the season (tomorrow)
    7) The smells of mulch & budding trees
    8) A fresh coat of pollen on my car...everytime I get in it
    9) Burgers and corn on the cob
  10) Cool grass between my toes

What are you favorite things about this beautiful season?

I wish I may, I wish I might...

...find a decent pair of simple, black pumps that are not crazy high stiletto-platforms!

My trip to the mall yesterday was devastatingly unsuccessful in finding shoes fit for...walking?  Is that so much to ask??



Reality Check

At the conclusion of an incredibly fun mini-vacation to St. Louis, MO (more on that later), B and I found ourselves in quite a pickle.

If you've been paying any attention to the news, you've likely heard about the level EF4 tornado that blew through the St. Louis airport on Friday evening.  Our original flight home was scheduled for early Saturday morning, so we were awoken by an even earlier phone call indicating that the airport had been shut down and our flight canceled.

And thus commenced one final and unexpected adventure for our trip: getting home for Easter.

We quickly got ourselves ready and packed, called the airline to reschedule our flight out of a nearby airport (a mere 250 miles away), and made our way to the concierge to find a rental car.  This step proved to be nearly impossible.  We went through the list of nearby rental companies, all of whom said they had no cars available...until the very last name on the list.

Next, we hopped into a cab and were on our way to a car rental place near the airport.  And we stood in line for over an hour, knowing we needed to be on the road 5 minutes ago, in order to make our flight out of Indianapolis.

Finally on the road, we made the realization that Indianapolis is an hour ahead of St. Louis.  Meaning we just lost another hour.  Not to mention the downpours we faced for the first hour or so of the journey across Illinois.

After stopping for lunch, and basically admitting defeat, we called the airline to see if there were any later flights as it was looking very unlikely that we would make the flight.  There were no seats left, so we set out to make this flight with all deliberate speed.

In record time, we pulled into the airport parking lot with 15 minutes until take-off.  I called the airline once more to check if the flight was still scheduled for an on-time departure.  It was.

B grabbed both suitcases, and we made a mad dash for security, and again to the gate (Home Alone style).  There were approximately 3-4 people sitting in the seats, and no airplane to be seen.

The very nice ladies at the counter informed us that our plane had just left Philadelphia, it's origin.  The flight back to Philly was delayed for another 2 hours.

Taking a breath for probably the second or third time all day, B and I found our way to a bench at the gate.  Yes, we had made it, but I was fuming.  How could the airline not have known that this flight would be delayed?  I called more than once to check it's status, and I was not pleased.

Just then, a man dressed head-to-toe in camo, walked by.  He was on the phone with his wife explaining that as long as the plane takes off by X time, he would still make his layover so he can spend the next 4 days at home before going overseas later this week.

That really helped put things in perspective, and actually made me feel quite grateful for how well the day was going.

Regardless of everything else, we had a really fun trip.  We were not hurt in the storm.  We were able to find open seats on a flight home.  We were blessed with one of the last cars in St. Louis.  We received countless texts from family and friends, making sure we were safe.  We made the flight.  And we would make it home in time for Easter.

***
What are you grateful for on this gorgeous Monday afternoon?

We're going to...

...Missouri??

[http://www.vpsphotography.com/]

Yep!  B and I are packing our bags and heading to St. Louis, MO for a few days.

I have very much enjoyed people's reactions to this news.  I realize this is a fairly random destination, but it's still amusing.  People want to know why we're going to Missouri of all places.  Well, here it is, our top 5 reasons to going to St. Louis:

1) On short notice, it was one of the most affordable places we could have chosen.  The runner up was Providence, RI.

2) We're big baseball fans and think it'll be fun to see another city's stadium, even if the Phillies will not be in town.  [Going to LA was just a biiiit  beyond our budget.]

3) I haven't taken more than 4 days off since starting my big girl job in September, so even though this will only be a 2-3 day trip, it has given me something to look forward to.

4) There are plenty of things to do in St. Louis--and many of them are free!  Although the Arch is not one of the free attractions, going to the top is on my bucket list.  No better time than the present!

5) Why not Missouri? :-)

Bon Voyage!

Have you ever been to St. Louis?  What do you recommend?

The library

Yesterday, I left the office a few minutes early because I mistakenly thought it was warm outside, and I wanted to enjoy some sunshine while there was still daylight to be had.  Bright blue skies can be quite deceiving!

Upon realizing that it was in fact frigid and maybe it wasn't such a hot idea to stand at the train station shivering, I ducked into the library to browse.  You see, I recently designed--all by my onesies--and began a new knitting project that is very near and dear to my heart.  I cannot wait until it is complete and I can share with you!  That in mind, I was determined to find a book or two about knitting so I can teach myself some new patterns.

Side note: libraries sort of scare me.  When I delve deep into the seemingly never-ending stacks that reach far above my head, I become totally & completely anxious.  There's the overwhelming stench of books, that I'm tempted to breathe in, but since the books are mostly extremely old, it's sort of a musty smell, and so maybe I should be holding my breath instead to avoid a sneezing fit.  And . it . is . so . quiet. Quiet enough that I can hear myself breathing--ah!  I'm supposed to be holding my breath!  It's an awful lot to endure just to get a book.

[http://allthoselittletthings-.tumblr.com/]

It's a miracle I was able to navigate my way to the appropriate section and shelf I was so eager to find.  I briefly sorted through the options and walked away with two great finds I am certain will satiate my hunger for new knitting techniques.

I skimmed through them on the train ride home and am looking forward to scouring them this weekend if time permits.  B and I will be taking a mini road trip to help my brother and sister-in-law move into their new home.

[so excited!!]