Well, Good Monday Morning to you my fine readers! I hope you are having an excellent start to the week!
I find if you pretend you are chipper and happy on a Monday, the rest of the week goes a little better. I’m a little slow-moving today and don’t really want to do any of the work I know I have to do, so pretending to have it all together is what I’ve got today. Sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Mmmm. Cookies. 
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Alliterations are fun and so are roomie reunions. Good thing both of them are in today’s blog post!
So last week I spent some time with my college roommates in Rolla, Missouri where Ashley lives. I have been to Rolla before, but this was Jes’ first visit so Ashley got to show her all the sites. Now, Rolla is quite small. Yes, there is a university there (Missouri Science and Technology where Ashley works) but it only has 8,000 students. Those 8,000 students make up most of Rolla. Needless to say, most of our site seeing was not in Rolla.
Missouri is kind of pretty… especially the Ozarks
We picked Jes up from the St. Louis airport (almost 2 hours away from Rolla) and had dinner at a Thai place called Pearl’s Cafe. It was pretty good and I had Tom Kha Gai soup for the first time. It was probably the best part of my dinner and I’ve tried to recreate it but haven’t gotten it quite right. Soon….
Again… Missouri isn’t too shabby to look at
The next day after a stop at the Giddy Goat (a coffee place that had good variety for small town USA) we headed out to the Meramec Springs. This place was really beautiful. There was a fish sanctuary where you could feed fish (which we obviously did) little bridges, waterfalls, the spring, of course, museums, and trails. We walked around a bit and drove on the historic drive and saw old homesteads and a really pretty overlook of the Ozark Mountains.
Ashley checking out the Slag Notch. Still don’t know what that means
The fish sanctuary and the fish we fed.
Jes and Ashley by the cavern over the spring.
The actual spring… I thought it would be bubbling or something but it kind of just sits there.
After Meramac, we headed to Sybill’s for lunch. This place was in a super fancy house and they had some pretty good food. I got a strawberry avocado spinach salad and even thought it was a little sad when I removed the bacon, bleu cheese, and super sweet dressing, I added some sauteed summer squash and it made a pretty good meal.
Next, we went to The Public House which is a joint winery and brewery in St. James. This place was really nice and had a lot of indoor and outdoor space. Their gardens had a variety of yard games like bocci ball, Jenga, and lawn chess. There was a good selection of beer, cider, and wine and while played some games and caught up on life. Overall a great time.
Jes and her giant knight. They are both very excited
All the beers and a cider
Finally, we headed to a fudge factory. But not just any fudge factory, oh no.
Seriously, can’t make this up
Uranus Fudge Factory. Because the best fudge is found in Uranus. I can’t make this stuff up guys. There was also a burlesque dancing bar, tattoo parlor, and a food truck plaza. Ah, the good ol’ US of A.
That night I made a spaghetti squash casserole that will probably be on the blog this week. Then we just relaxed, watched Family Guy, old YouTube videos we made back in the day (like this one, you’re welcome Ashley) and laughed. Laughing is always a good thing.
It was a great trip, but I am glad to be back to my routine after over a week away. I’ve got new recipes to share and fall weather has finally made it’s way to Chicago. October is here and that means my birthday and anniversary are soon, yay! Oh, and speaking of anniversaries, Happy One Year Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Meyers! Have an awesome day and enjoy your new (puppy) addition! 
How was your week/weekend?
I feel like there are only two camps when it comes to returning from vacation. Either you are super ready to get back to things and your regular routine or you just don’t wanna return to reality.
Our little cottage for the week. We stayed at Timber Ridge Resort and it was awesome!
I’m definitely in the second camp.
Made it up one of the many dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes.
We’ve been back home since Friday, but I’m still resisting getting back into the swing of things. Saturday we spent the day at the beach and Sunday was just a lazy-do-nothing day. I know eventually (like today) I’ll start being an adult with responsibilities, but I really enjoyed my week away from the “real world”.
View at the end of the Empire Bluff Trail.
Have you ever just checked out of the everyday grind? Like really unplugged? I won’t say I totally removed myself from social media, I mean, who finds a taxidermy museum and DOESN’T share it on Instagram and Facebook? Selfish people, that’s who. But I will say I didn’t check my email, or constantly scroll through my Facebook or Instagram feed and it was really nice. If I missed anything, it wasn’t life-altering because the world still turned.
View from the highest point on Mackinac Island. There is more on the island than fudge and horses!
I don’t need to be connected 24/7.
Me refusing to get any closer to the dead stuffed lion than this. Also, that ox is blue in the background
The albino deer we dubbed the “Come at me bro” deer due to his hoof placement
And that has been a really hard concept for me to grasp because I work from home so I am ALWAYS connected. I always feel like there is something I could be doing. I always feel like I’m not working hard enough. I always feel like if I take a break, I’m missing out on some opportunity to better myself, my life, my home, my blog, my work.
We found a lot of fun stuff to take our picture in front of like this giant rooster….
But that’s ok. This vacation taught me that in order to give my best it’s completely ok to not always be working, or doing something, or checking something, or fixing something. Things will be just fine and life will keep on coming and if I actually rest, I and my work will be better for it.
And this wooly mammoth made of scrap metal….
That’s just one of the many lessons I learned during my week off, and I’ll share more in the coming weeks, but enjoy some of these awesome adventures I had and maybe schedule some down time for yourself.
And this ferocious bear!
Who knows? You might find your own two-headed calf to marvel!
Not making this stuff up folks!
Hello friends! I hope that your Monday morning has started off wonderfully. I know mine has because I’m currently on my way to vacation!
Did you know that Adam and I haven’t really taken a vacation since our honeymoon over three years ago? Yeah. We decided it was time for a little rest and relaxation.
We’ll be spending the week in Traverse City, Michigan at the Timber Ridge Resort. We plan on hiking, kayaking, swimming, exploring, and most of all just relaxing and enjoying doing nothing. I probably won’t be as active on social media, but I’ll try to share a few snapshots of our vacation and I’ll definitely have pictures and a recap once we get back.
I’ll have a few round-up type posts this week but I’ll bring back some new stuff once we return from Michigan. I hope that you guys have a great week and even if you’re not on vacation take just a little time each day to get some relaxation!
See you in a week!
Remember today isn’t just about the delicious BBQ food you’re going to eat or the parades you’ll watch or the fireworks you might set off. It’s about the ultimate sacrifice that some have made for our nation.
So, thank you to all who have served our country and given their all to keep America and our freedom safe. Thank you to their families who have also given a tremendous amount in the name of America. Enjoy your day off and remember why you get to enjoy a day off.
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
Life Healthfully Lived 