Quick Trip to STL

I had such a great time this past weekend when I visited St. Louis!  Going back to the Midwest for a quick trip made me realize how much I miss all that it has to offer.  From the fall colors, to the crispness of the air, to the red-brick architecture of the city, I have learned to appreciate all of these things when I get to see them.  It's weird that the football season in California isn't paired with visiting corn mazes, wearing hoodies while jogging, and raking all those leaves!

The trip itself though was great - I saw Melissa's apartment out in Kirkwood and we cooked an awesome white chicken chili with her roommate, which was then followed by game night!  We also carved SLU pumpkin (now a tradition in it's second year... haha) and had a great Italian dinner at a restaurant I can't pronounce - but the bruschetta was delish!

I also got to hang with Ian and Brian at their apartment and watch the Cardinals World Series game.  It's so easy to get right back into friendships after time apart and I'm so happy that they are kicking butt at SLU med and still haven't lost all of their hair due to stress!  It's a bit bittersweet to be back at SLU just as a visitor, but I do feel energized as I come back to LA to continue working in JVC.

St. Louis will always be a home to me, but for the time being, it's nice to have so many friends and family across the US that I can feel welcome pretty much wherever I go.

PS:  here is a picture of the pumpkin Melissa and I carved.  With my creativity and her precise carving technique, it's an unstoppable pumpkin carving team!