Sunday, March 25, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Nashville
After 2 days at the cottage, we drove a couple more hours to Nashville Franklin 
Going to the Grand Ole Opry is sort of a can’t-miss-opportunity if you’re ever in or near Nashville
Bobby and I after the show.
On Friday we spent the day in Opryland. We toured the beautiful Opryland Hotel, which is definitely a sight worth seeing! And then spent a couple hours at the Opry Mills, a huge outlet mall, where Bobby got a pair of cowboy boots! 
Friday night was dinner & a movie in
Saturday we had a southern dining experience – the breakfast buffet at Shoney’s. We were fortunate enough to meet up with my friend Tracy that worked with me back in my days at INTRAV.
The three of us spent the afternoon touring other sights around
Going to the Grand Ole Opry is sort of a can’t-miss-opportunity if you’re ever in or near 
Loretta Lynn
Gretchen Wilson
Bobby and I after the show.
Sunday, our last day, we went to church at Christ Community PCA and had lunch with Kelly & Isla, a couple of Bobby’s friends from Pensacola, before driving back to the Lou. What a great vacation!!
FishUn Time
Bobby and I spent a couple days at Kentucky Lake for some r&r&f (that’s rest, relaxation, and fishing). Kentucky Lake is about 3 hours from St Louis and is one of the lakes that makes up the Land Between the Lakes, which is a national recreation area. We stayed in a quaint little cottage at the Kings Creek Resort.
It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but was just what we needed – two bedrooms, a kitchen, near the water, boat rentals available, and equipped with cable tv. The weather was a little uncooperative, chilly & cloudy, with rain threatening the entire time, but when we woke up Wednesday morning, the sky was clear so we threw on our fishing clothes and jumped in a boat. We did get rained on briefly, but it only lasted a couple minutes.
It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but was just what we needed – two bedrooms, a kitchen, near the water, boat rentals available, and equipped with cable tv. The weather was a little uncooperative, chilly & cloudy, with rain threatening the entire time, but when we woke up Wednesday morning, the sky was clear so we threw on our fishing clothes and jumped in a boat. We did get rained on briefly, but it only lasted a couple minutes.
The highlight of the boat trip was our friendly fishing competition. I jumped way ahead early, beating Bobby 6-0! But he quickly caught up and we finished at 11 fish for me, and 12 for him. Not bad for 4 hours.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
It’s a Revolution!
A Dance Dance Revolution to be exact! I’ve always been fascinated by this game, and even though I’ve never tried it, not even at an arcade, I mentioned that wanted one and Bobby bought it for me! It’s been a lot of fun so far, even though I’m still trying to figure it out. So even though I’m not good at it yet, I definitely am still getting a good workout. So all you Atherton girls (and guys?) out there, c’mon over if you want to try it out!
Yes, the Griffiths are big kids… Bobby got Country Music Karaoke on the same day. It looks really fun, but I’m still way to scared to do it. I tried, but I can’t even bare to sing in front of Bobby, let alone in front of people that I’m not related to!
Here are Bobby & Currie on open-mic night. (see me there, on the couch, looking very comfortable as a spectator)
Yes, the Griffiths are big kids… Bobby got Country Music Karaoke on the same day. It looks really fun, but I’m still way to scared to do it. I tried, but I can’t even bare to sing in front of Bobby, let alone in front of people that I’m not related to!
Here are Bobby & Currie on open-mic night. (see me there, on the couch, looking very comfortable as a spectator)
Monday, March 05, 2007
How was your weekend?
My long, agonizing week was followed by a short week – I love short work weeks! When I work on a Saturday, I automatically get the following Thursday off, so then I decided to take of Friday too so that I could have a four-day weekend, and it was great. My parents also took the time off of work and came out to visit us. Here’s a recap of our weekend…. Thursday we ate hamburgers grilled by Chef Bobby and then when he went off to work, my mom and I went shopping at the St Louis Mills (outlet mall). When we all got back home we watched Talladega Nights (the third time for Bobby and me). On Friday, Bobby had to go to school for a little while, and my parents & I packed up some boxes in the basement – I think we have total of about 30 boxes packed now! Then we got cleaned up and drove towards the MO/IL state line and stopped at the Chain of Rocks Bridge. Here’s a short history of the bridge…
The Chain of Rocks Bridge spans the Mississippi River and was the most famous crossing of Route 66. It is a mile long and has a 22-degree bend in the middle. The name is derived from the “chain of rocks” in the river just below the bridge. It was built in 1929 as a toll-road and closed in 1967 because the NEW Chain of Rocks Bridge was built. The reason I became interested in it was because I read a book called “A Rip in Heaven” a couple weeks ago which tells the story of the murder of two girls on the bridge in 1991. It is now part of a state park and carries walking & biking trails (aka, it’s safe… supposedly…) When we arrived, the parking lot, which usually has an attendant, was locked, closed off by a chain. But we decided to park just off of the road and get out a walk over to the bridge to see it anyway. Well, just as we were getting out of our car, another car pulled up, then as we were getting further away, another car, then another car, to the point that it was getting really sketchy! So rather than be a victim of a car jacking (and yet, another chain of rocks bridge crime), we decided to skip the walking tour of the bridge and run back to the car and high-tail it out of there! Besides, it was really cold and windy. We do hope to make it back there another time before we leave the Lou.
After that excitement, we went to another St Louis landmark, Fast Eddies Bon Air in Alton, IL. We’ve been hearing about this place on the radio for nearly 4 years now and we finally made it. To be honest, it wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was still fun. The fascination stemmed from the fact that they haven’t raised the prices on food in 19 years, so I was excited to try the 99 cent ½ pound burger and 99 cent order of French fries, and Bobby was excited to get the 29 cent shrimp and $1.99 Big Elwood on a Stick. But when we got there, we found out it’s a bar, with a food line! It was kind of funny, we sat down and the only things the waitress could get us were drinks, and we tried to order food, the waitress said, “you have to go up and order at the food line and get it yourself.” We were a little concerned, but once we got the food, we were hooked - it was AWESOME! And our bill for 4 people with a ton of food was $12!!! You certainly can’t beat that!
After dinner we went and saw Wild Hogs, which was hilarious! My parents are casual bikers so I think they could easily relate with the guys in the movie, but even Bobby and I really enjoyed it.
Saturday we ate at St Louis Bread Co and attempted to go out shopping at Crate & Barrel, Target, and Trader Joes (we felt so urban) but it was miserably cold, snowy, and windy, so that was a short trip. We were happy to come home and enjoy the comforts of our space heater. Bobby and I were invited over to celebrate our neighbor Aiden Hathaway’s 3rd birthday. It was a really cute party and we've loved watching him grow over the last couple of years – I can’t believe he was only 5 months old when we met him! I feel like he has always been running around Atherton and charming us with his funny little quotes. (His family’s blog is listed in my links.)
After the party, the four of us had FONDUE! Most of you know that I love fondue (we have 6 fondue pots) and now, thanks to an anniversary gift from my parents, we now have a chocolate fountain too! We cooked venison steak and chicken in our wine sauce (yum), dipped bread & pretzels in the Melting Pot’s recipe for cheese sauce (very yum), and then dipped anything & everything we could find in the chocolate (super YUM)! Following dinner, we nearly all passed out in the living room because we were so pleasantly stuffed, but then decided to peel ourselves off of the couch & floor for a vicious game of Sorry! It was a great way to end a very fun weekend.
The Chain of Rocks Bridge spans the Mississippi River and was the most famous crossing of Route 66. It is a mile long and has a 22-degree bend in the middle. The name is derived from the “chain of rocks” in the river just below the bridge. It was built in 1929 as a toll-road and closed in 1967 because the NEW Chain of Rocks Bridge was built. The reason I became interested in it was because I read a book called “A Rip in Heaven” a couple weeks ago which tells the story of the murder of two girls on the bridge in 1991. It is now part of a state park and carries walking & biking trails (aka, it’s safe… supposedly…) When we arrived, the parking lot, which usually has an attendant, was locked, closed off by a chain. But we decided to park just off of the road and get out a walk over to the bridge to see it anyway. Well, just as we were getting out of our car, another car pulled up, then as we were getting further away, another car, then another car, to the point that it was getting really sketchy! So rather than be a victim of a car jacking (and yet, another chain of rocks bridge crime), we decided to skip the walking tour of the bridge and run back to the car and high-tail it out of there! Besides, it was really cold and windy. We do hope to make it back there another time before we leave the Lou.
After that excitement, we went to another St Louis landmark, Fast Eddies Bon Air in Alton, IL. We’ve been hearing about this place on the radio for nearly 4 years now and we finally made it. To be honest, it wasn’t at all what I expected, but it was still fun. The fascination stemmed from the fact that they haven’t raised the prices on food in 19 years, so I was excited to try the 99 cent ½ pound burger and 99 cent order of French fries, and Bobby was excited to get the 29 cent shrimp and $1.99 Big Elwood on a Stick. But when we got there, we found out it’s a bar, with a food line! It was kind of funny, we sat down and the only things the waitress could get us were drinks, and we tried to order food, the waitress said, “you have to go up and order at the food line and get it yourself.” We were a little concerned, but once we got the food, we were hooked - it was AWESOME! And our bill for 4 people with a ton of food was $12!!! You certainly can’t beat that!
After dinner we went and saw Wild Hogs, which was hilarious! My parents are casual bikers so I think they could easily relate with the guys in the movie, but even Bobby and I really enjoyed it.
Saturday we ate at St Louis Bread Co and attempted to go out shopping at Crate & Barrel, Target, and Trader Joes (we felt so urban) but it was miserably cold, snowy, and windy, so that was a short trip. We were happy to come home and enjoy the comforts of our space heater. Bobby and I were invited over to celebrate our neighbor Aiden Hathaway’s 3rd birthday. It was a really cute party and we've loved watching him grow over the last couple of years – I can’t believe he was only 5 months old when we met him! I feel like he has always been running around Atherton and charming us with his funny little quotes. (His family’s blog is listed in my links.)
After the party, the four of us had FONDUE! Most of you know that I love fondue (we have 6 fondue pots) and now, thanks to an anniversary gift from my parents, we now have a chocolate fountain too! We cooked venison steak and chicken in our wine sauce (yum), dipped bread & pretzels in the Melting Pot’s recipe for cheese sauce (very yum), and then dipped anything & everything we could find in the chocolate (super YUM)! Following dinner, we nearly all passed out in the living room because we were so pleasantly stuffed, but then decided to peel ourselves off of the couch & floor for a vicious game of Sorry! It was a great way to end a very fun weekend.
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