Halloween 2009

Ken was in Italy for business on Halloween this year. My friend Jaime came over to keep me company and to help me pass out candy to the many trick-or-treaters that visited our house. I made ghost suckers and had a variety of chocolate candy to hand out. I made chili and potato soup for Jaime and I to enjoy. Jaime made homemade sugar cookies. She used cousin Angela's (Ken's cousin) recipe from our cookbook. Our friends Liz and Kyle came over later in the evening. I was dressed as a cat and my friend Jaime was dressed at Mother Catersa. Our friend Liz came dressed as Minnie Mouse. It was a fun evening!

Mother Catersa, Minnie Mouse, and a cat!

Homemade decorated Halloween sugar cookies!

Chili and salad.

A few days before Halloween I made a visit to my friend Ginger's house to see baby Abby. I bought baby Abby her first Halloween book, "Five Little Pumpkins." I enjoyed reading the book to her. Abby was a pumpkin for Halloween!

I also made a visit to Kristi's house, my former teaching partner. I had a bag of goodies for her two kiddos. Miss M was a beautiful mermaid for Halloween and Mr. C was a basketball player.

The two Jennifer Talley's

On October 22, 2010, Ken's cousin Jennifer Talley Noffsinger came to St. Louis for a conference. She is a speech pathologist. She contacted us and we immediately wanted to see her while she was in town! Unfortunately Ken had to go out of town for work but I was home and was delighted to pick her up and take her out to dinner. We went to Pappy's Smokehouse for dinner and enjoyed yummy cupcakes at the Cupcakery. It was a true St. Louis experience as Pappy's and the Cupcakery are both St. Louis originals. Pappy's Smokehouse has been featured on the Food Network.

Jennifer and I share more than a first and last name. We both love cupcakes, music, and playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band. We also love animals and are only children. It was a cool and rainy evening but we warmed up with great conversation and yummy cupcakes!

Jennifer Talley Noffsinger

Pictures with the pig at Pappy's!

O Pioneers!

On Saturday, October 10, 2009, I attended the world-premiere of O Pioneers!, a new opera, based on Willa Cather's novel of tragedy, transformation and redemption. The opera made its debut at the Touhill and I was lucky to go for free because my friend Becky Swett got me a comp ticket! She played clarinet in the orchestra. The orchestra with 32 musicians! Composer Barbara Harbach, Dimensions Dance Center, the St. Louis Women's Chorale and the College of Fine Arts and Communication assembled a nationally recognized group of opera professionals to stage O Pioneers!, complete with arias, dance, chorus, and an unmistakably American story.

During my undergraduate studies I read several of Willa Cather's novels and one of those was O Pioneers! When I heard that the book had been made into an opera and was premiering in St. Louis I was very excited. Then I found out that my friend Becky was playing clarinet in the show and I was even more excited!