the adventure...

(picture heavy post)

Today was pretty much the best day ever :)

Last night, before bed, I told Adam that he had a surprise posting on my blog at 7:00am.  Without an alarm, he was up at exactly 6:59.

He was so excited for his adventure and he dubbed it the "Adamventure."

Our adventure took us all over St. Louis.

Adam was really cute trying to think of unique places to find each item on our list.

Our adventure took us to:

We spent about 40 minutes on a blanket in the City Garden admiring the amazing art and fountains.  It was a great start to the day.

A lot of the riverfront was flooded and the parts that weren't flooded, were set up and blocked off for the Fair St. Louis.  We were able to drive around though and snap some shots of the arch :) 

We spent about an hour and a half exploring the City Museum.  This is always one of my most favorite places to go.  We made a lot of beautiful art and did a lot of climbing and photo taking :)

The best lunch ever :)  I was hoping my "twisted and salty" clue was a big enough hint that I wanted Gus's pretzels today :)  It was!!

We parked and walked around the Jewel Box, which is a Climatron for flowers and plants. It is nicknamed the jewel of Forest Park.  We also drove to the St. Louis Art Museum which is one of the only building left from the 1904 World's Fair.  If the parking wasn't so incredibly crowded and crazy, we would have hung out at the museum for awhile.

We had a blast!  Adam got to experience some St. Louis "must-sees" that he hasn't before.  We ended the night with Fro-yo and fireworks near our home.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

And now, we have Adam's completed "Adventure Book!"  

Enjoy!

This was such a fun, easy, DIY activity and I encourage all of you to surprise someone that you love with something like it.  You will not regret it.  Adam and I had such a great time spending the day together.

xo

janel

Dear Adam:

I hope so!!

You have been working so hard every day at work and all night at school.

Today is your day off and we are going to have some fun together.

You deserve it.

You wanna know why?

It's because you are the greatest :)

Now, before you continue reading this, I need you to STOP 

and collect your "Adventure Kit" from on top of my desk in the studio. 

(It is the suitcase from above).

*  a photographic documentation device

* lots of film

*  change for parking meters

*  snacks

*  writing utensils

*  pretty tape for any adhering you may have to do

* post-it notes (to leave nice notes randomly all over the city while we are out)

*  a guide to St. Louis

* and your "Adventure Book"

Take special note of your Adventure Book.  

This book will guide you on your task.

Before you read about your mission, please fill out your Identification Information :)

Now breeze through the rest of the pages to get an idea of what you are in for...

Other items that you may want to grab for the day:

*  the cooler that I packed with lots of cold drinks

*  a blanket from my studio

*  sunscreen

*  Catalina

Okay okay, are you ready to see what you are doing today??

Here you go!!

Are you in?

I can't wait to spend the day with you and documenting it together.

I love you so much!!

Now....let's go!!

xo

janel

p.s. to my blog readers: I adapted this cute little adventure from the always creative and adorable Ruby over at Cakies!  Check out the one she did for her husband and kiddos on Father's Day.

a girl's night!

Yesterday, my mom and I went out to spend the day/night with my sister.  My sister only lives about 35 minutes away but when you live in St. Louis, 35 minutes can seem really far away :)

My sister and her husband are just finishing up their home renovations and we wanted to  see everything and help them get their home put back together.

We had an awesome time running errands, doing a little shopping and having dinner and ice cream out.

Again, I didn't have my camera but I do have a few random iphone shots...

This car in Wal-Mart's parking lot was insane.  There big dollar signs stenciled on the back too.  I mean.....seriously :)

I scored some really pretty tea towels and pot holders for my kitchen.

  my new glasses!

 My sister's puppy, Thor is getting so big!

After all of that we did a lot of cleaning while watching Project Runway re-runs and listening to the new Lady Gaga CD (my mom's fave.)

My mom had to leave early this morning so my sister and I had the day to hang out at the pool, and run more errands.

After lunch we had the BEST frozen yogurt at a cute little place called Orange Leaf.  Not only was it adorable...the frozen yogurt was amazing too.

I love our girl's nights.  I am pretty lucky to have a sister and mom who also happen to be my best friends too.

Tonight, when I got home, our power was out (and it's 100 degrees outside) so Adam and I high-tailed it to my parent's house for the night.  

Good times.

Alright, I am off to bed.  

Happy July 1.

love you.

xo

janel

Bonus Prompt

How about a little bonus prompt??

Well, it's not really a prompt, just a little something that I always do in my journal at random times :)

Sometimes I just like to doodle little drawings or write little one line reminders or ideas. Instead of using up a whole main page in my journal, I usually do these on the back of my journal pages.  I think it adds a nice little visual element to the pages, don't you think?

Here are some of the examples from this particular journal:

I would love to see any little last minute additions you make in your journal!! Post them in the Flickr group for sure :)

xo

janel

Prompt 30

Last day!!!  Oh my goodness, it's so bittersweet.  I have had such a great time, chatting, journaling, and Flickr-ing with you :)  I really hope that we all stay in touch through blogs, emails, and Flickr after this challenge, promise?  I love the idea of doing this challenge annually and I have been known to teach a journal class or two so keep checking back on the old blog for more journaling inspiration :)  You have been amazing.  Thank you all for encouraging me through this class!!

I love you all so much!!

Ready for our last prompt?

Journal Prompt:   A thank you :)  This page is to serve as a thank you to someone who has helped you out, inspired you, encouraged you, etc., specifically during this month.  Chose this page to document your thanks and express it!!!


My page:

This one goes to all of you :)  The lovely people who believe in my journaling skills and challenge me to be creative. 

every.single.day

THANK YOU from the very bottom of my heart :) 

I love you all so much!!

Journal Challenge:  After you create your page, share it with the person to whom it's dedicated to.  I dare you!!!

xo (times one million),

janel