Summer To Do List, Revisited

Back in June, I came up with my summer to do list. Now that the last official weekend of summer is here, I thought I'd take a look at what I did, what I didn't do, and what I can still do this weekend!

Go to the drive-in
Go to the Lantern Festival at the Botanical Gardens
Go to Six Flags. Is it lame if we go to Fright Fest?
Take a walk in the evening (for some ice cream, maybe?) Went for pizza at Ferraro's!
(Learn to) Ride a bike. New fall goal? I really want to be able to rent bikes when we go to St. Pete's in November.
Visit the Tower Grove Farmer's Market. Hoping to get back again this fall before it closes!
Clean/decorate my house (and find a new one to move into this fall!). Not ready to announce anything official yet..... but stay tuned ;)
Explore neighborhoods - Cherokee, South Grand, Downtown. Didn't do this nearly enough.
Drink iced coffee like it's my job. Hartford Coffee and I are new best friends.
Go to LouFest. 
Make s'mores. Sounds like something to do at the lake this weekend!
Whip up a fancy cocktail. Another lake to do!
Spend a day at the pool. So what if it was in KC? I'm counting it!
Go to the St. Louis Zoo. Hmmmm. They're open in the fall, right?
Go golfing in Forest Park... or just ride along in the cart. Oops. Nope.
Visit the caves at Crystal City. Nope, again.
Get out of the heat and go bowling at Flamingo or Pin-up Bowl. Nope, again. Again.
Brunch. Often. Never often enough, but yes.
Drink champagne just for the heck of it. Can you drink champagne at the lake? Or is that weird?
Try something new (like paddle boarding?). Ha. Funny story. Technically, yes I tried paddle boarding. But went into a migraine 20 minutes into the lesson, causing dizziness, nausea and numbness. Awesome, right? I had to swim my board back to shore. :(

So there you have it. Looks like this weekend I'll be making s'mores and doing some fancy drinkin'.....

Also, the picture has nothing to do with this post, except for the fact that The Boathouse in Forest Park is a quintessential summer dining destination. Maybe next year I'll ride the paddle boats!

Style, Lately | Late Summer Edition

Jason Wu for Target shirt, necklace from Bauble Bar, polish is Sally Hansen Snappy Sorbet

cobalt jeans and tan flats from Target

chambray shirt from Old Navy, pink jeans from Target, flats from Alloy

striped dress from J Crew, necklace from Bauble Bar

LouFest 2012

Fact: I love LouFest.

I really do think it is one of the coolest events in St. Louis and it's a weekend I look forward to every year. Seriously - what's better than sitting on a blanket, drinking beers, eating good food and listening to  great music with your friends? 

And thanks to Chevy's Keys to St. Louis, I got to enjoy Loufest this year VIP style! Complimentary food and drinks, massages, private porta potties! 

{drink local}

{LOOK at that porta pottie. Seriously.}

{my awesome +1}

{confetti rules}

{girl talk is god}

Thanks again Chevy! PS: Look for my 'Keys to St. Louis' goodness coming to the blog in September ;)

Pizza Date

When? Sunday evening

Where? Ferraro's in Soulard, by way of walking

Who? The boy, the dog and myself

What? pepperoni pizza, house salad, Schlafly Pale Ale 

Why? Just because

This Week {8.17.12}

{messy - and lime green - desk}

{first chilly morning = cafe au lait} 

 {feelin' lucky}

{last summer softball game}

Instant Outfit

go-to summer dress (from Old Navy)

+

bright cardigan from J Crew

= 

instant outfit. 

Confession: This picture isn't from today. It's from a couple weeks ago when I wore the exact.same.thing. It's just too easy. 

The Shops at Target, Round II

The new Shops at Target are hitting me at the best/worst time. I've got home decorating on the mind and these sneak peeks are not helping.

Everything About This

stripes. leopard. iced coffee. cross body bag. pink. gold arm candy. 

via Atlantic-Pacific

Sometimes Morocco Feels Like A Dream

The taste of the hot tea that I didn't like at the time, but now, for some reason, crave. The olive smell in the air that I miss every time I use my Moroccan olive oil. The hustle of the souk that I loved... and then hated. The detail. The bread. The mountains. The blue sea and sky of Essa. The smushed cabs. The cold hotels. The toilets (oh, the toilets).

It didn't feel real then, and it still doesn't now.

To read all about my Moroccan adventure, click here.

Missouri Botanical Garden's Lantern Fest

Check it out, while you can. Ends 8/19. 

Nitro Circus 3D

Can't deny it. I'm so excited for this.

Save the Campbell House Museum's [Gl]ass™

Can I just talk about how much I adore the Campbell House Museum?

A. It's a freakin' awesome place to visit. If you are a history or STL nerd, you'll love the tour. And it is something different that chances are, you've never done in St. Louis before.

B. They kill it on social media (Facebook and Twitter). I love reading their updates. They refer to the place as 'Robert and Virgina's house' like they still live there. They've taken this really historic institution and instead of making it stuffy, it's fun.

Well, someone very mean/stupid/immature broke into the house and stole $98. (See a great post from Chris on the 'crisis communications' post-attack) In doing so, they also broke a seriously gorgeous (and seriously old) window pane that now has to be replaced. It's going to cost them (a non-profit historic institution) a pretty penny.

So if you love St. Louis or history, head over here and donate to their Save Our [Gl]ass™fund. (Brilliant naming, right?)

thankyoumuch.

Muny 2012: Pirates!

Casting/Acting: A

The Pirate King = Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. 

Mabel's sisters = A delight. 

The men (the pirates + the native band/police) = Entertaining. 

The General = Impressive. 

Frederic and Mabel..... eh. For these being the main characters, I didn't really care about them. I know Frederic is supposed to be a little dumb naive, but I found him quite annoying. Not exactly what you usually look for in a leading man. 

Song & Dance: A

There were a number of lively song and dance numbers, which I always enjoy. A few of the slower ones (especially 'Stay, Frederic, Stay') made me antsy and the duet between Ruth and Frederic about her lying about being a virgin was weak, but I'm overlooking that because by the end of the show I was smiling and clapping. My favorite number was probably the pirates sneaking in to the Governor's home (something about being 'catlike' and not making a sound). I don't want to spoil it for anyone going to see it, but I'll just say it was a treat. I'm pretty sure I squealed with delight at the end. 

Set Design: A+

They really knocked this one out of the park. Most impressive set design I've seen all season, by a landslide. Even the giant LED screen wasn't bad! It actually added something positive the show! They took us to ports, beaches/jungles and a Governor's mansion with ease. 

Overall, a great show that, if you're free this weekend and in St. Louis, I would recommend you see. I read in the STL Today review that the director told the cast to have fun, and boy, does it show. I remember thinking that watching them all dance around during one of the songs. It just looked like they were having a ball up there on stage. And that always translates to the audience as well.

Oh, and the Albert Pujols joke was the loudest I've ever heard people laugh/clap during a show at the Muny.

image source: STL Today

Hair Inspiration: Middle part, low bun

Hair inspiration today. I've been testing out the middle part, but so far only my mirror has seen it. I'm not totally sold, but today it sort of worked. (I think.)

Side note, wishing I had a slouchy striped blouse to wear today with some bright cluster earrings, too.