We need to talk about Ranch

 So, there's this restaurant in Saint Louis called "Twisted Ranch," and I freaking love it.  I make Rachel take me everytime I'm in town (looooove you, Rachel!) They have like 40 - 40! - different flavors of ranch.  as an appetizer, you can get a flight of ranch (You can also get a flight of shots at the bar!) with either 5 or 13.  13 seemed excessive, so this last time Rachel and I got 5, plus 2 bonus ones that came with the entree. This last time was like serendipity, because they closed the kitchen 10 minutes after we got there because the vent hood stopped working.  

Anyway, back to the point of this pointless story: we picked roasted garlic, pesto, avocado, jalepeno popper, jack the ripper, parmesean peppercorn, and 1 more I can't remember. 

Fun fact: Curry Yogurt is the least popular flavor; Jack the Ripper is the most popular.  

I'm actually really pissed that this place isn't a chain.  So if you're ever in St. Louis and venture to Soulard, AND you love or at least kind of like ranch, go there.  

    ranch, from a different angle!

I have been advised that I need to start a blog.

 Oh, hello old friend.  I forgot you existed until just now.  It was surprising to go back and revisit my old entries.  Damn! I used to have fun and friends! 

So, you ask, who has advised me to start a blog, and why?  I've written a novel - super exciting - and to make yourself more "marketable" agents/publishers/publicists want you to have an online presence.  Since my facebook page is absolutely not ever going to be public, this is it.  I still don't know what I'm going to put on here or how to get followers (You 7 still there?), but you know, one day at a time.  

Here's my souvenir shirt from St. Louis.  At first I was kind of "meh" about it until I heard that the Delmar Loop Trolley has indeed hit many things, most of which are parked cars, and then I found it hilarious.  

Come back to Texas

I'd love to say for my last day I did something awesome, but not really.  I did go to Saratoga and do 1 last wine tasting at Cinnabar.   To take advantage of the weather for the last time, I went to one of the places on Santana Row that has a rooftop bar.  I got to drink a glass of wine, listen to some classical guitar, and watch the sunset.  A perfect way to end my stay in Califonia - if only Mark were here! 

What I'll miss most about California:

1. Hanging out with David and Tim

2. Trader Joe's

3. the weather (although I do enjoy a few really hot days!)

4. H&M

5. Baja Fresh

Au Revoir, Mark!

Mark left for France today, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't totally jealous.  To add insult to injury, my parents also left for Sweeden!  To get a European feeling, I visited the Rodin museum on Stanford's campus (made me feel smarter just being there!).   Later in the evening I decided - what the heck, I'll go back to the drive-in.  I ended up seeing Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon.  Shrek was really funny - I especially loved fat Puss - he cracked me up!  HtTYD was also really good - I knew it got good reviews, but I really enjoyed it - super cute, too.  I loved the drive-in - wish we had more of those!

The days go by so fast

I had a list of things I wanted to do in California, and since I only have a few days left I'm trying to get as much done as possible.  I went to Overfelt Gardens, which is one of the places I've been meaning to go.  Big disappointment!  Most of the ponds were drained, and there were hardly any flowers.  I did get to see a goose and some goslings, though.  Mark and I went to Tied House for dinner and our last night together for awhile.  Garlic fries are so good - IDK why they aren't popular anywhere else!  Overall a good day!

Marky Phelps

Tuesday was a crazy day for me - I was all over the place!  I finally got to have lunch with Mark at Invidia, and it was more exciting than he thought it would be! :)  Afterwards I drove around and finally found Mission Santa Clara (see previous post), and followed some random people around to try to find a bathroom.  After that, I drove to Los Gatos to check out the cute downtown.  It was an odd mix of boutiques and J.Crew/Gap/Williams Sonoma stores.  I also found another Powell's candy store and stocked up on some goodies. :) Then I picked Mark up from work, and we went to SJSU to swim.  The pool is heated, but outdoors so it feels good when you're in and cold when you get out.  I ended up swimming some laps with Mark (Katie-style - look for it in the next summer olympics :P )  and got a pretty good workout.  I took 1 picture of Mark before the lifeguard told me no pictures (check out the contraband below - ha!).  Despite excercising, I thought it was fun!  Luckily I negated the calories I burned when I got home and had dinner...b/c you know I'd hate to lose any weight. 

Below: Cork tree, cork tree up close, mission, birds of paradise, Marky Phelps

Peace that passeth all understanding

Like most Christians (or people of any religion, probably), although ever present, my faith ebbs and flows.  Lately I haven't felt really close to God - I know he's still there, but there has been something missing on my part.  I visited the Mission Santa Clara de Asis today and felt complete again.  The mission is from 1777, and it was the first mission in CA dedicated to a woman (woo!).  They still hold regular church services and have those scary old fashioned confessionals.  At the front of the sanctuary there's a book where people write their prayer requests.  There were so many, and I stood there for about 15 minutes reading them.  One of them really touched me, though.  It was in a child's handwritting, and said something to the extent of: "Please help my mommy get through this hard time, and please let the baby in her tummy live.  I already love him."  There were also several asking God to give them direction in their lives, help them find jobs, etc.  It was very moving - I am so glad I decided to go check it out!  It never ceases to amaze me - when I am feeling down or lost, God always finds a way to remind me why I am here.

When in doubt, read my favorite verse:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; on your own intelligence rely not. In all your thoughts be mindful of Him, and He will make straight your paths."  - Proverbs 3:5-6