Good news: They have sweet tea!

So sorry this is a little late; it's wedding season and I've been swooped up into the excitement of all the upcoming nuptials of my friends!

Darren and I loved our little vacation in St. Louis! In total we spent five days and four nights exploring the city and getting to know some of the history that gives it the character it has today. First, we focused on our task at hand: finding a new place to live. My company provided me with a realtor to show us some properties that she felt fit our needs and would make us feel at home. She was absolutely wonderful! Not only did she show us 7 places that exceeded my expectations  but she also answered all of my silly questions about the town (caramel vs  cAIRamel? are there Kohl's stores? do most places have sweet tea? etc). We ended up liking the very first property that we saw that day-- a place downtown in the loft district called Ely Walker Lofts (elywalkerlofts.com). I am proud and happy to say that very soon I will be settled down in a 2 bedroom-2 bathroom loft with the biggest kitchen I have ever seen in my entire life (a definite plus!).

There's a quick view of the sample floorplan. Mine is actually a little different- the bathroom to the left of the hall and the laundry room (the room right next to it on that side) are switched. Also, the master bath has the space for two sinks but only has one and has extra counter to the right. I liked this because it will give me space to get ready next to Darren once we're married (assuming that we will be getting ready at the same time). Of course, I could always just kick him out and make him go to the other bathroom! I also want to show a quick picture of the kitchen itself because this little drawing does NOT do it justice.

There it is, complete with my landlord to give you a scale of the size. I can't believe I am lucky enough to have this kitchen!!! Everybody will have to come visit me for Thanksgiving so we can really put its size to work.

So, enough about my new apartment. You'll get plenty of details once I'm all moved in. Onto the city itself!

There are things that I LOVE about the city, things that I am interested to learn more about (and just plain get used to), and things that I am weary of.

First, I love the climate. Yes, it was hot and yes, it was humid. However, Missouri's version of summer is a much milder version. On occasion the temperature soars above 100 degrees F. More often, though, it hovers around in the low 90's. This makes me very happy. It also appears to be doing the wildlife some good because the trees are greener, the grass is thicker, and the flowers are brighter. There's something about the Texas heat that squelches a plant's willingness to bloom and grow and makes everything turn a bit brown. That is not the case in St. Louis. This means that I will have seasons! I will be sure to put up pictures of the glorious colors of fall and spring when the time comes. Can you tell that I can't wait to see the reds, oranges, and golds of fall?!

Second, I love the history. Darren and I went to the Western Expansion Museum (part of the Gateway arch national park) to learn about all of the symbolism of the arch. Texas has great historic stories and is the best state ever, but Missouri has a past that is rooted in the tale of the United States' growth westward. I will enjoy learning more and more about the area and the people over time. St. Louis is also an older city, giving its buildings the flavor of the past while enjoying the color of the present. The building that I will live in was once a factory and still has its original floors to tell the tale. I just love that! The architecture in the city is unique since there are old buildings mixed in with the new; Texas seems to be lacking in this area just a little.

Now onto one thing I'm a little nervous about: I do not know the culture. Those of you from Garland know how you act certain ways in certain areas and around certain people. Every city has its good side and its bad. I need to learn all of this. I love that the city is diverse and I am looking forward to getting to know the different kinds of people through work and such, but I just have to make sure not to do anything (or say anything) inappropriate. Just to show how different it is: the signs only have English- I was unable to find any Spanish on anything. Like I said, different. Not weird.

So, Darren and I enjoyed our adventure immensely. We visited the zoo (free admission, $12 parking), the science center (free admission, $9 parking), the arch park, and the old courthouse. We explored a local grocery store (Schnuck's), the Galleria, and one of the suburbs.  We ate on "The Hill" at a delicious Italian restaurant ("Zia's"), we ate on "The Loop" at a middle eastern restaurant ("Ranoush") and a local favorite ("Fitz's"). We visited a local church (McKnight Road Church of Christ) on Sunday and explored the St. Louis airport for about 5 hours.

My favorite thing of all, though, was spending time with Darren. Just the two of us exploring a new city, getting to know our new home. I will miss him terribly once I move and he stays behind for school, but once we're married and he is in the city with me I know we are going to have the time of our lives.