Croquet with the Cannons

In usual Cannon fashion, Darren and I approached the ever-glorious Friday evening with one question in mind, "what should we do?"  Since last weekend we had a fabulous dinner & movie night out, we didn't want to spend any more money on restaurants or paying to do something, so we decided to brainstorm a couple of fun ideas that would be free & fun.

This is from our date night last weekend- we ate at our favorite burger place & snuck candy into the theater to see the new Monsters University movie (which we loved)

As you may imagine, we thoroughly enjoy the city park that sits just down the road from our neighborhood.  It has a great combination of lush green areas, a pond for fishing, tennis courts, softball fields, and playgrounds.  The mostly-shady path around the park is calculated to be just under a mile, so it's a nice way to gauge how far you've walked.

The picture I took during our picnic at the park a few weeks ago

This past week I've been dealing with some vertigo--out of nowhere everything will start spinning and my stomach will be unsettled.  It appears as if I have allergies that have caused me to become congested, which in turn irritates my labyrinth in my inner ear (labyrinthitis: look it up).  Not pleasant.  So, with the summer heat also threatening to dehydrate any living thing outdoors, I decided to take it easy this week on the workouts by just walking around the park.

One of the wonderful gifts we received for our wedding was a very nice croquet set.  It has been patiently waiting for us to do a little research, learn how to play, find a nice sized lawn, and get going.  Boy, was it a blast!!! After our walk, we grabbed the set from the car (which is nicely packaged in a carrying case) and set up our field over in a quieter spot of the park.  You wouldn't believe some of the interesting looks we got as people walked their dogs past our field.  One older couple even commented on how much fun it looked like we were having and that we should definitely save the set so our kids can someday enjoy it, too.

If you're interested in learning how to play, here is a quick summary of the rules:
1. The goal of the game is to hit your ball/balls through a series of wickets (white gates) to hit your opponent's stake, then back through another series of wickets to hit your stake.
2. You get one stroke per turn, unless you
- go through a wicket: one extra stroke
-hit your opponent's ball: one extra stroke (and you can move your ball next to theirs and hit them again to add another stroke)
-hit the stake: two extra strokes
3. You have to go through the wickets in a certain order
4. If you have multiple balls, you rotate through them on your turns (say I have a green ball and a blue ball, if I hit the blue one on this turn I must hit the green one on my next turn).

For legitimate rules with nice diagrams, go here.

We had so much fun and both of us quickly picked up on some strategy and techniques (Darren likes to hit my ball FAR away from the wicket).  In total, we played 2 games and each won one... that seemed like a good way to end our first croquet experience.

Once we got home, we weren't quite ready to call it a night, so I referenced my Pinterest To-Do board for frugal date night ideas.  As you already know, I'm a huge advocate for this site and have used my pins for how-tos, crafts, cleaning hints, and so on.  So when I read through this free date night blog post that I had pinned, I was very excited to try it out. It shares a link to a YouTube channel with 2.5 hours of hilarious videos, which span everything from the notorious Antoine Dodson to a throwback with Kids Say the Darndest Things. This young couple did a fantastic job compiling hours of humor, and I highly recommend you take the time to have a YouTube date night using their channel!

All Aboard!

Since last June when Darren and I moved out of our loft and into our townhouse in West County, we have wanted to visit the Museum of Transportation.  Located just down the road from where we live, we have driven past this little gem numerous times while taking the winding back roads to dinner dates, etc.  Needless to say, when we saw the sign that it would be free to the public on Father's Day, we made our plans to finally pay it a visit.

Upon entering the gate, you're immediately greeted with various means of --you guessed it--transportation.  There's an Air Force jet to your right, hundreds of railway cars ahead, some older fire trucks tucked back in the trees, and over the hill a tug boat sits next to a bomber.

Inside the first museum building, we walked into a circus-themed room with the history of circus cars around the walls, complete with a model circus train running in the center.  If you've seen 'Water for Elephants' or 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,' you'll remember that circuses used to travel via train.  It was cool to see how circus travel has changed over the years.

We also saw one of the first streetcars in St. Louis, which was the first exhibit in the museum.  There's an area north of  STL called Bellefontaine, which is why this car was named as it was.  I've heard rumors that they will be bringing streetcar tours back to STL... you can bet Darren and I will be some of the first people on that list! I've never been in a streetcar but they look like a lot of fun.

The building also housed some of the older fire engines that St. Louis used.  Did you know that it was the law to have a bucket out on your front porch at all times in case one of the houses near you caught on fire? This "bucket brigade" was to help put fires out quickly with buckets of water, since the fire fighting system wasn't as sophisticated or efficient as it is today.

We walked along the path for the tour train that you could ride and found ourselves inside another building, this time full of classic cars.  As you can imagine, I'm not much of a car guru, but even I could tell that some of these automobiles were high-priced classics.  Here's one of my favorites, especially since they posed it at a Route 66 Drive-In (which apparently used to exist not too far away from where we were).

Out behind all the buildings it was like a train playground; car after car, engine after engine, all available for kids (and adventurous adults) to go inside and explore.  Darren and I enjoyed seeing different cars: Monsanto, Post Office, Canadian, Missouri Kansas Texas Line, etc.  Here's one I decided to climb into for fun (and yes, I was tempted to reenact the scene from Indiana Jones where he jumps off the train onto his horse, but I don't have a horse and I love Darren too much to do that to him).

All in all it was very fun to explore this museum that we'd been driving past for over a year now. It seems like a fun place to bring kiddos so they can run around and play amidst the history of all kinds of transportation.

Be not afraid of greatness

Just over a year ago, Darren and I were driving around Forest Park after our weekly racquetball match (which he won) when we stumbled upon an outdoor theater set surrounded by a sea of picnic quilts and families.  Fortunately, we still had our camping chairs in the trunk of the car and decided to join in on the fun.  That was our first taste of Forest Park's free annual Shakespeare in the Park festival (they performed Othello).  We took mental notes on what people brought to enjoy with the show (pita & hummus, grapes, wine, cheese, etc) and decided that we would establish this as an annual tradition in the Cannon household.

This year it was intentional.  We carefully packed our new picnic basket given to us by the Weavers (thanks, Doug & Kirsten!), brought along our new zip-up picnic blanket from BB&B purchased for these very outings, and of course threw our camping chairs back into the trunk for a magical night at the park.  The play was Twelfth Night, my favorite of Shakespeare's comedies ever since our school theater performed it back when I was younger.  We got there early, but since there has been so much rain and we chose a night when the Cardinals weren't playing, it was very packed.  It didn't bother us too much though, since we both enjoy people watching (like the moment the group of giggling sorority girls realized that the movie 'She's the Man' was crafted after this play when Cesario--think Amanda Bynes as a dude--said the words "I am the man."). 

Quick snapshot of the program, picnic basket, and blanket (notice the all-important bug spray tucked in the basket pocket)

Our view of the stage. I wish I had taken a picture of the crowd to the left. 

Enjoying our evening out

We couldn't stay for the whole thing since we're old and tired (it started at 8) and don't like sitting in post-event traffic, but we soaked up a good 2 hours of it before heading home. It was lovely to have a tradition, however accidental in its origin, to partake in.  I hope to continue attending the event every year as long as we live in St. Louis. 

A week earlier, one of our favorite couples from church took us to a Cardinals game.  Not only did they give us the tickets, but they drove us to the game and even bought us dinner! And the tickets were in great seats; they sit in the Redbird Club, which has its own air conditioned area for food (think ballgame food AND gourmet eating options).  It practically rained the entire game, but we were under an awning and stayed until the opposing team hit a grand slam in the 7th. We are so thankful to have such wonderful friends to share these experiences with!

Our view of the field (tarp down for rain delay)

Pam & Mike

Pam & Me

D+B

Darren and I haven't had a lot of time together recently, with him often working nights and weekends when I am at home.  I've also been on call two weekends in a row (including today).  However, we did get the opportunity to put together a new wreath for the front door since it's summertime and almost July.  I am not kidding when I say that he helped me pick out the supplies and painted the chipboard sign... couldn't have done it without him.  Besides. it's fun crafting together.  Once he surprised me with painting a matching Missouri to my Texas (see below), I knew I could recruit him for other projects. Hehe. 

Here are a few pictures of our finished product:

And finally, I feel like this update on our lives would not be complete without the biggest change that has happened recently.  As you may have gathered, Darren and I became good friends very quickly with a couple from our church, Kirsten and Doug.  We spent many evenings cooking and talking, playing board games and watching the History channel's Bible series together.  I love how happy and in love they are, and so dedicated to each other and God's purpose in their lives.  They leave in September to teach English in Rwanda as part of the Peace Corps.  As of early June, they moved away from St. Louis to visit family before leaving the States.  Selfishly, I miss them terribly.  However, I know that we have a few more visits in store before we officially say goodbye, and once we do part ways we will still stay close.  In order to help them out, we decided to "babysit" some of their furniture and household items until they return.  We also are keeping some things that they no longer want--including a PIANO!! 

We haven't had it tuned yet (our poor neighbors...), but Darren and I have BOTH played this piano every single day since we moved it in.  We can both read treble clef easily, so we pulled out our hymn book (given to us from Impact Houston Church of Christ when we were there on a weekend trip and they got new books) and have been playing hymns that we grew up singing in church.  I don't think either one of us has sung so many Church of Christ songs at such a frequency since we moved away from Texas as we do now. It is MARVELOUS! 

Like I said, we both read treble clef easily.  I know how to read bass clef, but not quickly and not well.  Kirsten and Doug had quite a few books of sheet music for the piano that I am slowly picking up, but it is taking some time.  I promised them I would learn how to play the theme song for Downton Abbey on the piano by the time they get back, but if you look at the music and then watch me try to play both hands at the same time you'd probably laugh yourself out of whatever chair you're sitting in.  Here's what I'm aiming for.

Nevertheless, we are both excited to have this musical instrument in our home.  My favorite days are those when I get out of my car and walk up to the front door and can hear Darren tickling the keys to a church song (we put the piano in the front room by the window we open most often when it's a nice day outside). Thanks to the Weavers for this beautiful blessing!

They also brought Leonard a little something that he rather enjoys: 

We miss the Weavers, but we have little reminders of them all over our home now :)

Levee High Apple Pie

I am happy to announce that, yet again, I am updating my blog from the beauty of my back porch.  It's a 10 x 10 slice of heaven on earth that I am finding ways to enjoy multiple times a week.  This time, Leonard is out here as well. I dug out his old collar (with my phone number on it) and a bag of treats to jiggle at him in case he decides to escape the confines of the deck itself. I'm hoping he doesn't, as having him with me out here makes it that much more enjoyable.  So much for him to explore, it's adorable.  Aw, he just sneezed. Cat sneezes are cute.

Last weekend my dad came to visit us.  As it was Memorial Day weekend, we had 3 days to fill with as many tourist-y things as possible (well, as many as my newly-broken toe allowed). He got to see the zoo, the art museum, much of Forest Park, the Arch, Lone Elk Park, the World Bird Sanctuary, and try a few of our favorite restaurants.  We then ended the weekend with a little cookout using a new grill some friends gave us.

Since this post is pretty scatter-brained, this is as good a time as any to bring up this subject: I am hopelessly hooked on Downton Abbey.  My goodness, that show is good.  I'm almost done with season 3, so I'm hoping that when season 4 airs I'll have a group of girls to come over and watch it live with me...maybe even bringing snacks and "having tea" while watching it like they did on HIMYM. Funny, but sometimes Ted, Marshall, and Lily have some great ideas.

Yesterday was June 1, a day that is very special to both me and Darren.  June 1, 2006 was the day that Darren asked me to be his girlfriend (after watching the Mavs win their playoff game...since he decided he would only ask me if they won ;)).  Now that we have a wedding anniversary, most would say that our dating anniversary doesn't really count anymore, but as you've gathered by now, I like to have things to celebrate.  Plus, we have made June 1 special for so many years, it seemed wrong not to do it now.

So, we celebrated our day by going to the annual Strawberry Festival in Kimmswick, MO.  This is a cute little town about 30 minutes away in South STL.  I found out about the festival by searching for summer events in STL, and it looked like a fun way to spend the day.  As many of you know, STL had some harsh weather on Friday night, so we weren't sure with all the tornadoes and flooding whether or not the festival would still go on.. but it did! Vendors lined the streets around the existing shops and restaurants, and there were even street performers.  We saw family bands, a musician, lots of livestock for a petting zoo, and all that comes with your typical festival.  We enjoyed meandering through the little town, stopping in to explore all the little shops and street vendors.

This goat is standing on that turtle. 

Didn't know Santa was into St. Patrick's Day that much..that's my kind of Santa!

I took a picture of this because I like it and want to make it so I can have it for free.  There were tons of adorable homemade crafts like this all over the place... of course I just kept thinking to myself that I could make it and not buy it, but we'll see if I ever get around to it.

We thought this lamp was cool.  We're not really into sports-themed decor apart from Aggie gear, but for the die-hard fan this is an awesome lamp.

I took this because I've seen fairy garden things on Pinterest, but didn't realize people actually sold fairy garden pieces and sets like this. Funny.. weird..

This is the sneaky picture of the magician that I took.

Then we decided to eat at Kimmswick's famous restaurant: The Blue Owl (home of the Levee high apple pie: http://www.theblueowl.com/).  Apparently Oprah, Food Network, and the Travel Channel had featured this place, so we knew it was something we wanted to try. I got the strawberry salad (in keeping with the festival theme) while Darren tried a roast beef sandwich.  The food was fine, but it was the atmosphere that gave the restaurant distinction.  It's built in an older house, one with wooden floors that creak and give way with your steps. Upon entering the waiting area, you can't help but notice the framed quilt on the wall with a square for every worker at the restaurant.  Then you notice what the servers looked like: all older ladies with large frilly blue aprons that look like they're grandmothers from a storybook.  And that's pretty much how I would describe the rest of the experience: like you're going to grandma's house.  The setting was blue and white china, complete with doilies and fake flower baskets.  There are blue owls everywhere: the curtains, framed artwork, porcelain statues. They certainly knew their theme and stuck to it...and it works! They were very busy, and seemed to run an extremely successful business.  We were glad we stepped in and enjoyed a little taste of this small Missouri town.

Love the roses.

Place setting and menu: see the Levee High Apple Pie? The irony is, we didn't actually order any dessert.

After the festival, we decided to follow signs to a Mastodon state park. Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, it costs $4 per admission, and we're pretty frugal and weren't sure we would get $4 worth of interest and information out of it... but it was located in a very pretty area of the forest and looked like it had some walking trails that we may return to in the future. Here's as close as we got to seeing a Mastodon:

Later in the afternoon, we took a trip to Home Depot to acquire more flowers for my garden (this is rather addicting to be honest).  It was fun to get a little dirt under our nails as we worked together to add to our garden.  I am now the proud owner of another hibiscus (Henrietta Biscuit from college lives with my mom in Dallas) and some rhododendrons that should bloom soon. I am slowly but surely making my garden and back patio as awesome as I want them to be.

New hydrangea by the door! Name suggestions are welcome..

Our new grill and one of the flower pots

Here's the other one.  Patio rug to come, haven't decided what I want yet.

Yesterday evening we decided to finally use the gift card a friend gave us for Christmas and go to Ruth's Chris (a very nice steakhouse)... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I ordered an amazing filet mignon and Darren chose the ribeye. Put together with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, it was the perfect meal.  The restaurant also surprised us with rose petals and a free carrot cake cupcake complete with a lit candle to celebrate. It was seriously the nicest dinner we've ever gone to on a date, and it was very romantic.

Thanks to everyone who called/texted/FB'd to make sure we were safe on Friday.  It's a blessing to have a basement, and it's an even bigger blessing to have people who care enough to check in on us during bad weather.  Fortunately, our neighborhood wasn't even touched by any of the tornadoes or damaging winds.  There are still a lot of people without power and the flood waters are extremely high in a lot of areas.  Please keep everyone affected by all of these recent storms (both here in STL and Moore, OK) in your prayers. Thanks!

One of the many areas of flooding we saw while driving around yesterday.