May Time Yay Time

 Today is the last day of May and we haven't done a Photos of Years Past!  So, guess what this post is?!

We started off the month by celebrating Ethan's graduation!  Doesn't he look handsome in his doctoral robes?

The moving in was starting to pick up a notch, starting with plants and books, of course!  We had to get a couple new bookshelves just to accommodate.

Birthday weekend arrived, starting with a Cardinals game that was way too hot so we only stayed about four innings.  I think they won though.

And for my birthday Ethan surprised me by organizing a friend reunion!  We had so much fun and even a year later, I still can't believe he made it all come together for me.

At the end of the month, the two of us went to Florida as my graduation present!  We built sandcastles, went for lots of beach walks, and just enjoyed the sound of the waves.

And in a couple days, we'll be back on the beach with the whole family!

(photos by e.hunt)

"The Final Degree of Abstraction and Imagination Allied to the Real"

 The weekend before, we went to another St. Louis cultural favorite, the Art Museum!  Andrew and Juliana were in town so after our Saturday morning Kaldi's tradition, we packed up the caravan and headed towards Forest Park.

We were all very excited to see the Monet/Mitchell: Painting the French Landscape exhibition.  We were greeted with a dapper Monet welcoming us to his Giverny gardens, with these two rich pieces as an introduction.  The jewel-tone blues and greens draw you right in.

Next was this rather odd piece, featuring water lilies and African lilies, the orb-shaped ones jutting up from the side.  The stems, and light-colored section they grow up from are quite intriguing.

Joan Mitchell, an American Abstract Expressionist, also spent time painting a garden subject matter in France.  Her bright and bold colors, and big expressive strokes pair nicely with Monet.

The right-most panel with it's heavy black and layered lower section was my favorite.

And then we arrived at the piece of the day.

The scratchiness, the cloudiness, the fluffy dreaminess!  I have never seen a Monet quite like either of these.

We were all enamored.  Lastly was this almost unfinished-looking piece, with much of the canvas left bare.  Even cataracts and ever worsening sight couldn't stop Monet from painting; he just changed the style a bit.  The quick strokes and many colors add so much movement, almost like the pond was filled with a rainbow of little fish darting about.

Over two hours, and twenty-four pieces later, we moved along to the next activity, but it was quite exciting seeing so much unknown-to-me Monet in one spot.  And it's always fun going with people to discuss and compare thoughts.  The exhibit will be at the museum until June 25, if any of you are interested.

(photos by e.hunt)

I'm Feeling Very Botanic Today

 Part of the birthday weekend activities featured one of my local favorites, the Botanical Garden!  We waited until Monday for two reasons: less of a crowd and less of a sunny heat wave.  

The Chihuly glass exhibit is going on right now, which was a nice little bonus.  My favorites were the purple spikes and the whimsical, Alice-in-Botanical-land curly-q's.

The reflecting river of flames was pretty cool too, though.

Our little walkthrough even inspired my Mother's Day card creation!

(photos by e.hunt)

Birthday Days

 This is 33.

Well actually, this is 33, as we both turned a year older this weekend!  That's right, Ethan and I are less than 24 hours apart.  We figured it out one time, but I think he's something like 15 hours older than me.

We had a rousing good weekend filled with fun activities, festive drinks, and lots of time spent outdoors.  And tonight we're joint celebrating birthday-mother's day with dinner at my parent's house.  Hope you all had a nice weekend celebrating the moms or birthdays or good weather or anything and everything else!

(photos by e.hunt)

So Be It, Jedi

 May the Fourth be with you, always.  And also with you!

As it is Star Wars day, let's look back at a little piece I did during Covid (a non-blogging year, as it were) as a one-year dating anniversary gift for Ethan.  I had made him little notes and cards before, but this was my first piece of art I made specifically for him.  It still sits on the windowsill in our dining room.

Nerdy topics like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings were some of the first things we connected over, so I knew something having to do with either series would be perfect.  I laid out the two canvases, listed important locations spanning the original (and best) Star Wars trilogy, made a quick sketch for each one, penciled it out on the canvas, then water-colored away.  I had been wanting to work on my watercolor skills and this proved the perfect opportunity.

And here it is, still in it's spot on the sill, almost three years later.  When the light hits it just so, we think it kindof looks like an old film strip, no?

(photos by e.hunt)

All My Favorites

 I wrote that last post sitting at my favorite table at my old college haunt, The Mudhouse!  That's right, I'm back in Springfield for the night for my Drury Ten Year Reunion.  It's actually been eleven years for me, but they grouped 2012 and '13 together, maybe due to Covid?  Not sure, but anyway, most of my friends graduated in 2013 so it's more of an excuse for us to all get together.

My favorite drink, the Frozen Mudturtle, is still on the menu!

(photo by e.hunt)

The Day's Intentions

 Guess what time it is!  That's right, Photos From Years Past!

The big move-in to Ethan's house was arriving in a couple months so I was savoring my little apartment that much more.  I really loved that big-windowed oasis.

Of course there were some cool skies that month.

We got a new plant and pot for the front porch.  The plant starts with the letter E so we named her Eunice (all our plants have names like that), and she's still thriving a year later!

We had a lovely Mexican Easter celebration, complete with margaritas, tamales, street corn, and a big bowl of guacamole!

Ethan was inducted into an academic honor society at his university.

And we picked out little Ollie!  It was a couple months before we could pick her up, but look at that cute little baby fluffball!

(photos by e.hunt)

Not a TV

 Here we are, almost the full No Tv Week later!  Did you all survive?  

I did!  It was a productive week filled with cleaning, cleaning out, errands, work, reading (I started The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho), walks with Ollie, and lots of coffee.  We even went out and got a clock radio so Ethan could listen to the big soccer game instead of watch it!  And in eight hours, Year Eight will be complete!

(photo design by t.hunt)

Turn That Tube Off!

 Today was the start of the 8th annual No Tv Week!  That's right, it was eight years ago that I had the idea, refined it with Taylor, and have completed it (without cheating) each April since.

Taylor came up with the design this year; pretty clever, if you ask me.  So what do we think: can you make it to next week without tv, streaming, Instagram videos and stories, or any moving image?  If the last eight years prove anything, it's that it is possible.  Welcome aboard.  We're on the wagon now.  Or is it off the wagon?

(photo design by t.hunt)

Space Paintings

 Good morning from me and my magical unicorn sparkle computer!

This was actually from a few days ago because after the hail-tornado-wind storm we had last night, it is definitely not sunny and pleasant out today.  We went down to the basement when the sky turned green, but luckily no damage was sustained by us or our house.  Hopefully you all experienced the same.

Ethan was out of town at a conference for a couple days so it was a girls weekend here at the ranch, just me and the little horse-dog, Ollie!

We went to the dog park, got a new toy, played fetch in the basement, took a ride over to my parent's house, had cuddles on the couch, and went on many long walks.  So many activities!

(photos by e.hunt)

Happy Bunny Day

 Happy Easter Sunday, everyone!  Hope you are celebrating with the lovely spring weather, family time, and hopefully some good food.  We're heading over to my parent's later for a fresh trout feast.

(photo by e.hunt)

The Big Sleepover

 And while we were away, Ollie was having the time of her life at my parent's house.

She got new toys, all the long walks, off-leash time at their neighbor's fenced-in yard, and eventually she was allowed up on the couch.  It's hard to say no to that cute puppy dog Ollie face!  From the official report, they said she was very good, barking when she needed something, sleeping through the night, following them around everywhere, and not being too much of a dinosaur.  Ollie had so much fun that she was a little mopey all the next day.  She missed them!

(photos by g.hunt, and r.hunt)

Part of the Fontbonne Table

 If you guessed a wedding for the big event we went to a few weeks ago, congratulations, you win!  That Thursday we woke up early, packed up the car, dropped Ollie off at my parents for a big sleepover, then got on the road to Chicago.  Ethan was invited to be a groomsman at his old college friend, Kyle's, wedding so we wanted to get there a day before all the festivities began to pick up his suit, get situated, and ensure time for travel snafus.

We also wanted to meet up with Andrew and Juliana, which we did that evening!  They picked a cool pizza-brewery hybrid, where we ate, drank, and merrily talked for a couple hours before closing the place down.

The following day was a lazy one before getting ready for the rehearsal dinner.  The venue was a short ten minute drive from the hotel.  When we arrived, the overly-enthusiastic priest lined everybody up to commence the walk-through.  Ethan's bridesmaid couldn't make it so I ended up standing in for her.  We were the best at walking in, for sure.

Once the priest was satisfied with all things ceremony, everyone made their way downstairs to a pizza restaurant for dinner, drinks, and toasts.  The Fontbonne table was quite fun, with the girls and guys telling stories and reminiscing.  It's a little strange being the only one who didn't go to college with all of them, but it's also quite fun to ask all the questions and hear all the stories.

On the big wedding day I dropped Ethan and the guys off at the venue around 1, picked up some lunch on the way back, and had a leisurely afternoon to myself before starting to get dressed.  Weddings are really the only time I get to go a little extra with makeup and a fancy hairdo, so I made a little cocktail, turned on some music, and had a grand old time.

The ceremony was nice.  The preacher threw in most of the same jokes he said the night before, but he told the story of how Kyle and McKenna met, when they knew they wanted to marry each other, and how he proposed.  Their vows were earnest and personalized, some funny and some serious, and they both looked radiantly happy.  Once the I Do's were said, the entire party moved down the hall for a cocktail hour.

A delicious three course dinner was next, complete with the grand wedding party entrance to music and several champagne toasts.  Once the dance floor opened up, that's all we did for the remainder of the evening.  Back at the hotel, everyone met up in the lobby (pre-approved by the staff, of course) to continue celebrating.  We left around 3:30am, even though the party was still raging.  They must've been up 'til the sunrise!

Overall it was a lovely event filled with so much fun and happiness.  Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs!

(photos by r.hunt, a.hunt, e.hunt, and collected from bellesandthistles)