Hello readers!  Welcome back after a fantastic weekend.  I pretty much partied like I was in my early 20’s.  And lived to tell the tale, though perhaps barely.  I may have left my pride somewhere in June, or perhaps pre-Memorial Day.

I’ve got a few students to teach this week and then I am off to CHICAGO to visit my friend Karen and go to Avec.  Or maybe in the other order (Karen isn’t a blog reader so I can totally get away with that.)  Karen is one of my best friends from my freelancing days in Cleveland.  She’s now in the Phoenix Symphony during the year and with the Grant Park Orchestra (in Chicago) in the summer.  When I first met Karen I was totally intimidated by here, but after a few years I garnered enough courage to ask her to hang out.  The rest was history. 

My mom called last night and said she and Dad were just west of Kansas City and could stop in around lunchtime.  So my plans for today have changed a little, but I plan to go run ON THE TREADMILL DUE TO THE HEAT I JUST CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE followed by some housecleaning, teaching, and laundry.  Super exciting stuff people!  Someday you too can live my life. 

I collect pictures in a folder on my computer labeled "blog ideas".  Here are some I’ve been saving up.  I hope they make your Monday a little bit brighter.

(Chris, having a little fun before a concert at a church.)

Totally the same.  No big deal.

Stupid criminals.

Ooh, fantastic deal!  Only a slight urine smell. 

I have only done this once before?? 

What does that say about me? 

It’s a fish pie.  I forget why I have this picture. 

Do you have a good picture for my blog?  Send it my way!

I feel like the best course of action today is to stay inside. 

And perhaps for the next four days as well. 

Yesterday was pretty hot too.  Yes, I know, it’s July.  It’s supposed to be hot, yada, yada.  But I am still complaining.  And then, when winter comes, I’m going to complain about the cold.  And I will continue to get super excited about hurricanes and thunderstorms. 

I played a wedding at that church yesterday, followed by one at the Jewel Box.  Both were hot, but the Jewel Box was ridiculous.  It’s an air-conditioned greenhouse, so it wasn’t humid, but the sun was shining and I was sweating pretty profusely.  That black dress went straight into the hamper.

I followed that up with dinner at Copia for my friend Katie’s birthday.  The company was magnificent, the food was great, and the waitress was absolutely ridiculously slow and bad.  It shouldn’t take over 3 hours to serve 8 people dinner.

I spent WAY too long putting my hair in place.  I wanted to wear it in a ponytail, but I don’t think it’s that flattering…so I went with a side pony.

Okay, I am a big fan of Skinnyrunner’s blog.  She is one of my running inspirations—I am totally inspired by her awesome legs and want them for myself. 

Though, when I read that she didn’t like Bridesmaids, I was a little concerned.  But I’ll let it slide.  This time.

Here’s a piece of advice, readers.  Don’t wait to take pictures of yourself until your official photographer (that is, boyfriend) leaves town for a couple of weeks.  Or, never mind.  Do.  Or do not.

I like it!  P.S. that is the before and after a run pictures.  What do you think is better, mirror image photo or the double handed self-portrait?  Or should I hire a full-time photographer/mockumentarian?  Or some other option?  (Remember, not taking pictures is NOT an option.)

Well, I didn’t see him.  But evidently he was at Bar Louie in the CWE on Sunday.  Ironically, he was there to watch the Cardinals game…that I was AT.  I presume he was hoping to see me!

Hello!

From the article on stltoday.com:

Handsome Jon Hamm from "Mad Men" was spotted lunching on Sunday at Bar Louie in the Central West End. Polite and congenial as could be, Hamm had only one request — could you please turn on the Cards game?

Hamm came in by himself shortly before the game started at 1:15 and sat down at the bar. He was talking to manager Andrew Ahr, who recognized him but didn’t acknowledge he knew who it was, and asked Ahr if he would turn on the game.

Ahr said Hamm proceeded to sit there and watch the entire game.

"The guy was just delightful to have in there," Ahr said today. "He was by himself and no one recognized him. He had a full beard — this guy was going Grizzly Adams."

Ahr is a Mizzou grad, class of ’94, and Hamm is class of ’93, so the two chatted about their alma mater. Hamm told Ahr he was in town for a niece’s wedding and was headed to Mizzou to participate in a golf tournament on Monday being hosted by John Anderson of ESPN.

Ahr couldn’t get over how low-key and polite Hamm was.

"When he was ready to leave he waited for the bartender to finish helping someone else so he could thank her personally for her service," Ahr said. "Then he crossed the entire restaurant to shake my hand, thanked me and said goodbye. He is such a gracious guy."

I forgot to ask my friend Jen if she saw Jon at her gym (she once saw George Clooney there!  She belongs to a fancy celebrity gym).  Then again, he is from here, so he might not be staying in a hotel.  Yet, he WAS in the central west end.  Hmm.  JEN DID YOU SEE JON HAMM AND IF SO DID YOU GIVE HIM MY NUMBER?  (Chris, he’s on my list of five, it’s totally cool.)

Weddings are in the air!  In June my sister Leslie attended her boyfriend’s sister’s wedding…and caught the bouquet.

And…I guess it works, because her boyfriend proposed yesterday.  (I actually caught the bouquet at a wedding in 2003, so I will say the method is not foolproof.)

It all started (for me, and this blog IS about me) on Friday with a cryptic phone call from Peter.  He wanted me to call him back about something, and I assumed it was regarding Leslie’s upcoming 30th birthday in some manner.  I called back on Saturday, and he told me he had an engagement ring.  He wondered if he should propose before or after my parents visited Boulder (they planned to head there after St Louis) or should he call them, and how to call as they were on the road.  I was of little help, as I am not the proposal expert…I have never proposed to someone, and only been proposed to once!  I have witnessed one proposal (I was hired to play violin during it!) and of course seen them on television and in the movies.  However, we settled that he would call my phone the following day to speak with my parents.  I like to think that Peter asked me for Leslie’s hand in marriage.  I presume I will be walking her down the aisle as my dad is really more of a biker than a walker.

Peter said of course not to tell Leslie but I did tell my folks.  The next day he talked with them (or at least my mother, I think my dad might have missed the call) and told them his plan to propose whilst on a hike. 

This happened on Tuesday.  Evidently she said yes to his proposal.  So, my only hope is that she waits long enough after my wedding that I am able to help out with the planning enough!  A fall wedding next year could be lovely and that way I would definitely be able to give helpful advice from my experience.  Perhaps October?

I have already learned so much in my own planning and could probably have used more advice, but I am a bit proud that way…

Leslie is also good at creepy poses.  Must run in the family.  Also she definitely needs to start her own blog now.

So, a hearty congratulations to Leslie and Peter!  I guess a picture of the couple is in order…

Okay, what do you guys think?  Should we get a groom’s cake also?  I think Chris really wants one but feels bad about the money…but I just got a gigantic white dress that is definitely more expensive than a cake.

That’s the one 😉

My thought is the groom’s cake would be more whimsical (and we all know that I love whimsy!) and would of course only be eaten by people who could answer a series of trivia questions about Chris. 

Did you have a groom’s cake at your wedding?  Or, have you been to weddings with a groom’s cake?  Thoughts?