these are a few of my favourite things this summer...

☀The 4th of July (Independence Day)  In STL it has been SUPER hot and really dry. So for safety reasons ... NO personal fireworks could be lit off this year. sigh. I love buying fireworks and lighting them off - then going to see a huge display somewhere.  Last yr I paid $10 for a "chinese lantern" and everyone said "waste of money...don't get it" and HA! it was the COOLEST of all.  I even thought about getting some anyway and lighting them off.  Cause you know, starting your neighbors roof on fire, or the cops catching you and you paying $500....well, maybe it's NOT worth it.  ESP when you look at the wild fires now in Colorado. TERRIBLE.  So, the 4th was sorta a bummer as I saw NO fireworks this yr and missed (1 of my) FAVE bands HEART. They played for FREE at our downtown fair. God knows how those bands can play in the heat. I DID get to go to a cute house in the woods on a lake, and despite the sweltering heat, it was pretty fun.

☀Gavin DeGraw CD - SWEETER.  I LOVE this whole entire Cd.  Well, all 10 songs.  Come on, he couldn’t have found another 2-3 songs?  10 songs is not enough and I’m always disapointed when bands come out with only 10 songs on a new album. BUT, besides that...it's a definite 10

☀Rufus Wainwright's new CD!!! This pretty much says it all ... "Rufus Wainwright's new album  
Out of the Game is widely being hailed as the Canadian singer's pop masterpiece, and boasts a distinct '70s-influenced yacht rock vibe that could have come straight out of Laurel Canyon."
By Laura Ferreiro

☀Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen - ahhhh, that wonderful escape you get from a really, really GOOD book. The ones you can't put down, and the closer you get to the end - the slower you (try) to read. Cause you just can't imagine the story ending and people you "know" and love (and hate) ending.  If you like circus life or elephants...and a great love story - then read this book.

☀The Book of Mormon [HELLO, we would like to share with you this....MOST AMAZING MUSICAL]  It's coming to St Louis to the Fabulous Fox next season and is the biggest.thing.ever. Trey Parker and Matt Stone - the South Park guys teamed up with the Avenue Q guy Robert Lopez & created THIS musical.

The St. Louis, Missouri song by JEWEL. On an acoustic tour a few yrs back, she made up an impromtu song about each city she played.  I love her, and a few weeks ago a random guy said to me "hey, you look just like Jewel"  awwwwww, that made me super happy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLctYPM-mgg

Plus, a bunch of small stuff: cold desserts (key lime pie) ♥ peaches (peeled and sliced w/ sugar)  ♥ free seats at The Muny on a lovely summer nite (you know, when it's not a sticky-humid STL nite) ♥ the neighborhood pool (tho I've hardly been down this summer) ♥ my tomato plants (which all said tom. have been eaten by rabbits) ♥ washing the car w/ Alex (good old-fashioned fun) ♥ ice-cream trucks ♥ farmers markets  
♥ daylight til 8-ish!!  And always remember ...

"every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day." ~unknown

Here are a few of my fave pics of 'A' from a few yrs ago (photos: Carey Paul)