Moments 09 23 :: Week 04

Had lunch with my friends Liz and Ali at Maru, a delicious Korean restaurant. Hit the spot, and was great catching up. 

Cole (#14) played with the reserve team in Waukesha. Not the best photo, but it was fun watching him play.

Just a bunch of turkeys crossing the road. You can't tell from this, but they are young ones. I love that stuff. 

SLU Family Weekend 2023

Can't believe it is already Hudson's Senior year family weekend. We always have such a great time seeing him, and love getting to know this a little more each time we go. Friday morning we picked Joan up -- she loves it too -- and made the journey to St. Louis. We stopped at Hudson's apartment to drop some things off, then made our way to our apartment, which once again, turned out to be perfect for us. Dinner that night was pizza from Union Loafers, per tradition. It's so nice after a long trip to not have to think about what we are going to eat. Plus, it's delicious. Joan stayed behind while the three of us went to The Pageant for the Royal Blood concert. It is such a great venue, and concert was fantastic. On our way back, we went with Hudson to his local bar and even met up with one of his roommates which was fun. 

Saturday was La Patisserie Chouquette, AO&S (my new favorite store) then the Tower's Grove farmer's market. I cannot get over how absolutely amazing it is. We dropped off our goods, rested our feet for a second, then Joan took us out for my birthday lunch. I picked Balkan Treat Box, which did not disappoint. It's been a minute since we've been there, and I'm already craving it. After lunch, we stopped by the college to pick up our family weekend tickets, then streamed Cole's soccer game at the apartment while some of us (Hudson) took a nap. Evening was a quick stop at Narwhal's and then the SLU soccer game. It is always so much fun watching that team play. Over 6000 in attendance. So fun. After the game, we dropped Grandma off, and Hudson took us to a couple of his favorite bars and we had a few of his favorite shots. When in St. Louis!

We had to be out of our apartment pretty early the next morning. Picked up Hudson and killed some time at the record store before Corner 17 opened. We got the table I've been eyeing every time we go -- right in front of the window where they are making the noodles. It is honestly the best food, and a great send off before we had to make our way back home. What an incredible time. 

Moments 09 23 :: Week 03

Bathroom selfie. Last Friday night we met with this crew. First dinner, then the Cardinals soccer game. Best cheering section ever. 

Such a beautiful night. Always love getting to see our Cole. Even if it's only for a few minutes. I miss my guys!

Meanwhile, Hudson was at the balloon festival in St. Louis. Here's a re-creation of the same photo from last year. 

On Sunday, the hunt club had a member appreciation event. Brian and I went with our friend Brad. It was a beautiful day. 

The fields are so beautiful. They are usually covered with snow when we see them. This tall stuff is too hard for the dogs, but still so pretty to walk through. 

How many toys can a dog fit in his mouth? Van Duke is the cutest. 

Moments 09 23 :: Week 02

Hang tight - this was a super fun week. It started with Brian and I celebrating our 24th anniversary a day early. We decided to have a fancy picnic in the park. Rosé, caviar, cheese & bread, and a crazy delicious quiche. 

We ate near the marina so took a stroll since it was such a beautiful night. Afterwards, we went to a street festival in Shorewood and ran into a bunch of friends. So fun.

While we were there, Hudson drove to Oak Park to hang out with gang there for the night. He had an absolute blast. 

The next day, we all met up at the NCC soccer game to cheer the Cardinals on. 

Cole hasn't been seeing too much play time, but our cheering section went wild when he played for the last 25 minutes. He did awesome. 

Brothers on campus. Gracie had us all over for hot dogs afterwards. She lives only a couple blocks away. How crazy is that?

Hudson has been training with the Flying Bilikens flight team early in the mornings. Here's a cool photo he sent. Yes, he's one of those planes. 

I also met up with my friend Terri for a walk along the river. I had no idea what the route would be, but turns out, we did a brisk 5.25 miles. 

It was great to see her and the trail was very cool. Love the bits of urban that would show up in the nature. The next night I met up with other friends I met with Beautycounter, and got a preview of the products this holiday season. It was so fun seeing all of them.

The biggest surprise came when Hudson called Thursday morning saying he was doing a cross country later in the day and would be coming to Milwaukee. 

We met at a private hanger at Mitchell Field Airport. It was so fun watching him pull in. We got to spend about 30 minutes with him before he and the instructor had to turn around and head back to St. Louis. Not a ton of time, but enough for him to eat most of the Kopps hamburger we brought him. 

Such a perfect night too. Can you even believe this?

Moments 09 23 :: Week 01

Waiting for Dad. On our way back from camping, after picking the dogs up, a quick stop at the grocery store. 

Twins. Kim and  I wore our matching shirts to the gym. On my birthday.

Mom & Dad took us out for dinner on my birthday. What a treat. We went to Buckley's, which is always fantastic.

Their carrot cake is ridiculous. 

This is 54. Had coffee with some friends, got my haircut (it will never look like that again -- until it get it cut again, at least), then dinner. It was a great day. 

What a love bug. He always needs to be hugging or touching. The cutest. 

Hudson sent this awesome photo. He has to dress in a pilot uniform for one of his classes. He loves it, as you can tell. Haha. 

Spotted on the NCC soccer instagram page. Cole and a few of his friends at the student involvement day. 

Klassy Kamping 23 :: The Krew

It's always kind of a pain to get these photos, but they tell such a great story. It's so fun seeing the Krew develop over time. The biggest change this year is the lack of kids. Only one left. Thankfully she brought a friend. It was our first year without anyone - and we were not the only ones. It was relaxing and nice, but also, it's been making me feel a little melancholy ever since. It's all good stuff though. Just will take some getting used to. I'm so thankful for weekends and memories like these though. 

(Past Years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2010)