Moolah Theater

When watching a movie on the couch with a beer in hand, most people think of their own living room, but not St. Louis residents!

The Moolah Theater was a rundown city landmark until 2004 when it was restored into a unique venue for movie-goers. It has the largest screen in the city and people enjoy the movies from couches and loveseats...but you better come early to get a good seat!

Last night, Alan and I enjoyed a typical Friday Date Night. We went out to dinner and then headed to the Moolah Theater to see The Social Network. We had heard about the theater from some friends and then Alan spent some time checking it out online. It's apparently something everyone "has to do in the city" so of course- we wanted to check it out.

The architecture was beautiful and the atmosphere was awesome. I'm glad that Alan and I did get there a little early in order to get a good "loveseat" to watch the movie. Alan got us a couple of drinks too so we could have the complete experience. The movie was good too! If you haven't seen it, The Social Network, is one I would recommend. Especially for those of you who have Facebook!

White Cheddar-APA Soup

You know it's October when the weather starts getting colder, and you start longing for the perfect Fall comfort food...soup! This is a delicious recipe from Schlafly Bottleworks' chef Josh King. Schlafly is a local St. Louis Brewery, but if you can't find it in your own grocery store, any APA beer will still work for this recipe. Alan and I enjoyed this a couple nights ago. Hope you do too! Happy Fall Y'all!

White Cheddar-APA Soup
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks butter
1 cup flour
½ cup olive oil
1½ cups diced carrot
1½ cups diced celery
1½ cups diced onion
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 cups Schlafly APA beer
5 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. ground white pepper
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
¾ lb. sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups heavy cream
PREPARATION
• In a large pan, make a roux: Melt the butter and then add in the flour. Stirring constantly, cook over medium-low heat until the roux smells slightly nutty. Set aside
• Place the olive oil, carrots, celery, onions and garlic in a stockpot and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are soft. Do not brown.
• Add the beer, vegetable stock and all spices and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the roux in small amounts until the mixture coats the back of the spoon, stirring well after each addition. (You might not use all the roux. If you prefer a thicker soup, add more roux, but remember that the cheese will also thicken the soup.)
• Add the shredded cheese a little at a time, stirring after each addition until completely melted.
• Add the heavy cream, remove from the heat and stir well.
• Serve warm. Enjoy!

Fall Break

This past weekend was Alan's Fall Break and we decided this would be a good time to go home to Knoxville. It was so great relaxing and spending time with our family and friends!

We arrived Wednesday night just in time to have dinner with my family. It was great seeing them, especially since we would miss them the rest of the weekend because they were going to Washington DC for Knox County's Fall Break. Figures...

On Thursday, we had a wonderful lunch with Jessica & Brian Strutz at the Apple Cake Tearoom. It was so much fun to catch up with old friends, I just wish our time could have been longer. Alan and I were able to get a few "Knoxville" errands done that afternoon, and then we met Nicole & David Lipsey for dinner at Aubrey's. We enjoyed celebrating their recent pregnancy and Alan passing the Bar. I was sad about forgetting my leftovers...we don't have Aubrey's in St. Louis!

Friday morning was woke up early. Our plan for the day was to go hiking in the Smokies! We decided to hike the Chimney Tops which is a beautiful trail this time of year. It was a gorgeous October day and the trees were dressed in all of their fall glory! The hike was about 4 miles which Alan and I felt every step of it by the end, but it was worth it! We even ran into a few friends on the trail, what a small world! That night, we met his family at the boat and took it to dinner at Lakeside Tavern. You don't realize how much you love the lake until you move away from it! It was fun cuddling up in blankets and cruising to dinner as the sun began to set. It was pretty cold on the way back though!

Saturday, Susan, Katie, and I went to get manicures at SoHo in Turkey Creek. You definitely need a little bit of pampering on vacation, and my nails needed it after our hike on Friday. My only request for this weekend was to go to Apple Barn in Pigeon Forge, so that's where we headed next followed by shopping at the outlets. It doesn't get much better than that! That night we celebrated Katie's birthday at the Moore's house with hamburgers, sugar-cookie cake, and presents.

Sunday morning we went to Cedar Springs and were able to connect with a few more friends there before heading back to St. Louis. I will say that it wasn't much of a "break" since we were so busy but Alan and I came back refreshed by feeling emotionally encouraged and socially caught up. Now we are back to school and back to work!

Oktoberfest

This afternoon Alan and I went to Oktoberfest. The festival was in Soulard which is a historic community located just south of downtown St. Louis. Having gone to Germany last year, Alan and I were excited to come here this year and enjoy brauts and beer back in the states! 2010 actually marked the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest which first began in Munich in 1810. We also had fun walking through the tents and listening to traditional Bavarian music...everyone was having such a great time! Despite it being in the 70s today, Alan and I both considered Oktoberfest to be a good realization that Fall is here! What a Wunderbar day!

He Passed!

For those of you who may be interested, we are excited to announce that yesterday, Alan found out that he passed the Tennessee Bar! This was a huge answer to prayer (and a relief to Alan I'm sure) and also a very exciting step in Alan's career. We are so thankful for God's faithfulness! For me, it's almost like I knew Alan would pass due to his diligent commitment to school, but at the same time I cannot help but praise the Lord too! Last night we went to dinner at a little place called Anthonino's on The Hill with a few friends from church to celebrate! I think that I am more excited about this than Alan is...or maybe I just show my excitement more... Nonetheless, I also just want to take this chance to thank each of you for all your love, support, and prayers for Alan and myself during this time- we are so thankful.

If you click on the link in this post, it will take you to the list of successful candidates where you can find Alan's name! :)

Weekend with Family

This past weekend Alan's family came up to St. Louis to visit. The crisp fall weather could not have been better or the company sweeter...life is good!

Everyone got here on Friday, and we started the weekend off by going to dinner at Blueberry Hill in the Loop. Blueberry Hill is one of those landmark places you just have to take people to when they visit St. Louis. Everyone enjoyed onion rings, burgers, and of course, toasted ravioli!

Saturday morning, we began the day with breakfast at our house and then headed down to the Cardinals baseball game. Alan's family really enjoyed walking around and looking at everything as this was their first visit to the new Busch Stadium. Today was also Stand Up for Stan Day, and at the end of the 7th inning, Stan Musial was driven around the field waving to all the fans! After barely scraping by with a win, we rushed home to watch the end of the UT vs. LSU game. What a disappointment! UT "won" and then "lost" in a matter of minutes. But the Vols loss did not keep us from enjoying the rest of the day! Alan and I took his family on a tour of Wash U and then stopped to get "concrete" at Ted Drewes! Yum!

Sunday morning, we went to the early service at our church, Kirk of the Hills, and then came back to our house to eat chili before the Cardinals game. Then, we headed to the game and since it was Fan Appreciation Day, we each got a voucher for a game next year! I'm already looking forward to going! One of Alan's friends, Michael McKenry, who he played baseball with at Farragut was actually just called up to play with the Rockies, (the team the Cardinals were playing this weekend) and played catcher for the whole game today! Alan went down to the bull pen before the game to say Hi! It was a beautiful day today and we sat in the bleacher section which was a lot of fun! During the 7th inning stretch, Alan and I actually made it on the Jumbo Tron as we sang "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"! With our family here with us and the Cardinals winning again today, it was the perfect end to a really fun weekend!