The American Dream

Once we got home from Italy, we couldn't sit still for long... We decided that we wanted to pursue the American Dream of being homeowners. After over a month of searching, we discovered this cute bungalow in South St. Louis City. It has everything that we wanted, more than one bathroom, a fireplace, and a kitchen that didn't need to be gutted the moment we moved in! We have an accepted contract and are in the process of inspection and financing and if all goes well, we will close on August 16th.

It will be difficult for me to leave this apartment after almost four years as there are a lot of memories (good and bad) to leave behind, but we are very excited to make this place our new home... It will help that the orange walls will be coming with us... If only I could find a place to paint stripes... And I almost forgot the best part! Our annual Halloween party will have new meaning as this house backs up to a cemetery... We won't even have to decorate!

When In Rome...

After the exhausting process of planning the largest social event of our lives, I now understand the purpose of a honeymoon... Most people choose to lay on a beach for a week straight in a tropical location, however, Matt and I decided to embark on a trip full of bad airlines, scary taxi drivers, and hundreds of stairs... Please do not mistake my late-night attempt at wit for regret in any way. This whirlwind week of travel was more amazing that we could have even dreamt. We visited five cities in seven days, each more awe inspiring than the last.

Our first night was spent in Munich, Germany as an intentionally long layover to our final destination of Italy. From there, we traveled to Rome for two nights, then Florence for three nights (with a day trip to Pisa squeezed in), and finally the sinking city of Venice for our final night. We had the wonderful opportunity to see the beginnings of modern civilization, incredible feats of architecture, and the surreal landscape of a floating city. We ate great food, drank great wine, and did our best to take in all the memories we could contain. Returning home was bittersweet as we were ready for the familiar, yet we continue to yearn for the streets of Europe. We have already begun to plan our next trip... maybe a cruise to Greece, a cross country drive on the autobahn, or an enormous pub crawl through the UK...

To see additional photos and read about our adventures abroad, please visit www.myspace.com/jenemersonbinning

The Best Laid Plans...

I know what you are thinking... "Awww, what a happy couple!" (Actually what you are probably thinking is "Geez, it's about time you posted this!) So 3+ months after saying "I do" I have remembered my password and finally updated this thing... Given that everyone I know (as some people I didn't) were at this memorable (and I mean memorable!) event, I won't bore you with the details...

So, this is the new Mr. and Mrs. during cocktail hour... Everyone is huddling inside the bar in a futile effort to stay warm in the balmy 45 degree weather. But the joke is on them! After the power goes out due to a traffic accident, there is nowhere to keep warm! However, it really proves that all you need for people to have a good time is alcohol, some ambience, and a large stuffed grizzly bear...