Dinner Out: Elaia Restaurant

Bob and I love to try new-to-us restaurants and St. Louis has so many that we haven't tried that this isn't a hard task at all.  When Ashley and Eric make it to town, we really want to share with them all the ones we have tried and loved and then find one for us all to try together.  Last night we tried Elaia.  It is over in the Tower Grove area, which we have really come to love.  The restaurant is housed in a two story two family flat that has been converted on the inside to a beautiful modern restaurant.  Before you come into the flat, you go through a renovated art deco gas station that houses another restaurant called Olio.

 

You are presented with the Menu of the Day which lists four courses.  You can order a la carte, or the four course meal.  Elaia has an extensive array of wines, which they will serve half glasses of, so you may have the perfect wine for the part of the meal you are currently eating.  That's a nice feature for those who love wine (Bob, Eric, Ashley) with their food.  I am a water kinda gal with food, although I did have a glass of wine with my scallops.  

Here were my courses, starting in the upper left corner:


1.  Cold first course:  Berata cheese with preserved candied lemon peel, asparagus, artichoke and dill.  The cheese is made with the leftovers of making mozzarella cheese.  It is cool and squeaky on the teeth.  Loved every bite and hated to share, but I did.

2.  Warm second course:  House made fetticcine with a quail egg and salmon roe.  The egg is raw but when you mix the roe and egg with the fetticcine, bliss.  The noodles were coated in a fine lemon cream sauce.  Such a yummy course.

3.  My mail course was scallops with cauliflower, white gazpacho, marconas, green almonds and sherry.  The best dish so far.  Scallops grilled perfectly, and with a bite of the mash, was excellent!

4.  The last course was dessert.  Mine was a lemon tart, with raspberries, homemade meringues and a sugar cookie crumble.  Delish!

The portion sizes were small, but the food rich and delicious.  We are very excited about coming back

and trying out Olio in the renovated Standard Gas Station.  If you are in St. Louis and want to go, call!!

Terri's Doctoral Graduation!

Dr. Terri Oliver Steffes

I am so happy to report that I am now finished with my terminal degree.  I like saying that, TERMINAL DEGREE as it implies that no degrees can follow it.  I am 100% confident that I will not be pursuing any other degree.  One, I cannot justify any more college loans and two, from now on what I want to study in detail I will read about it using my personal time and it will be for pleasure!

My mom and sister drove from Marceline to attend the ceremony.  It was held on a Thursday, which meant very few people would be able to attend. I chose to go to the departmental ceremony as it is more personal.We walk across the stage and the department heads hood us with the traditional hood.  Our names are called and the title of our dissertations.  Since three of us worked on one dissertation, we each changed up the title a bit.  We all wrote personal papers, too, but those were not recognized.

Dr. Suzanne Wilson and Dr. Terri Oliver Steffes, missing Dr. Armand Spurgin

On Thursday we woke up and showered, and got dressed for the day.  I wanted some pictures from New Town so Bob and Tammi came out and took a few while mom got ready.  When mom was done, we took a few more and then headed to Saint Louis to go to breakfast at City Diner.  A great place to have breakfast anytime, but perfect for graduation!!

Mom and Tammi, who have PhDs in life.

Me and the other Dr. Steffes

After breakfast we met up with a photographer who took professional photographs of our cohort group.  Each of us came at our own time and took pics with family and friends that came.  The location was pretty, with architecture, trees, a fountain and Saint Louis  University sign and other little pockets of nice places to photograph.  After our individual pictures were done, then we did some group photos.  Those were fun!

Dr. Suzanne Hull, Dr. Allison Gohring, Dr. Della Bell, Dr. Laura Beeler, Dr. Beck Odneal and Dr. Tim Roth (and me, in the back)

We walked from the fountains to the Arena where we checked in and waited around for the ceremony to start.  I wanted to be sure to take it in and enjoy it.  I hung around with my cohorts, just chatting about everyday things.  I really have loved each of them so much.  They have contributed to my growth as a human and an educational leader and I owe each of them more than I can ever repay!

We were called to line up and of course, they had us in ABC order so we weren't really by our friends.  I guess that is ok, but this special moment wants to be shared with those that matter the most to us.  I did meet a couple of nice people, though and that is always worth it!  We came in to the sounds of bagpipes!  What an awesome way to begin!  Since this is a Catholic Jesuit institution, we prayed.  I am glad that prayer was a part of my graduation.

There were words, words I didn't hear, as I watched my friends go and get their hoods and recognition.  The smiles and joy on their faces were so special to see.  Bob captured many of them in photographs.  Then it was my turn!  Dr. Wood came to stand by me, chatting, asking if Bob was here.  She's a tiny thing, so I really had to squat down for her to be able to reach me!  She hugged me, wished me well, and off I went to receive an envelope with a letter in it.  I waved to Bob, mom and Tammi and went to sit for the remainder of the ceremony.

When it was over, I said some goodbyes, to Suzy, as she wasn't staying for the reception.  Many went to the Hill to celebrate, but I went with Bob, Mom and Tammi to Scottish Arms.  What a wonderful dinner!  Bob had flowers delivered to the restaurant for me!  It was a great way to sit back and relax a bit.  We drove home, Tammi and Mom left, and then Bob surprised me with a video made from family and friends who could not be with us to celebrate.  It was such a warm video, making me laugh and cry.  Bob was well aware I was sad that my friends and family could not celebrate with me.  I knew the choices I made so I was at peace with it but this video made everyone seem so close.  Thanks, Bob, for knowing me so well!

Terri's SLU Video

As I reflect back, I am so proud of myself for completing this degree with the obstacles that were thrown in my path from the very beginning.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer eight weeks before classes started.  I had a double mastectomy and hysterectomy and lymph node dissection two weeks after our first class, missed the second class but made it to the third. I had reconstructive surgery (twice) and only missed one class due to the superintendent's examination!  I didn't get my 4.0 that I strove for, but got As in all classes but one.  I am proud of myself for this accomplishment!

What's next?  I plan to use my knowledge to continue to give students the best education possible.  I hope to do that in public schools for awhile and then maybe teach teachers. Whatever I choose, I take with me all the mentoring, coaching, and friendships that I experienced during this time.  Thank you, all of you, for your encouragement, cheering, prayers and love. 

Easter 2013

Our first Easter in Saint Charles was a quiet one.  Ashley and Eric didn't make it here mainly because they celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary on Friday.  Easter Week started out well, though, because we signed the papers on the house on Lakewood transferring ownership to a couple who I hope will be as happy as we were in that home.  I spent some of Thursday working on our dissertation with Armand Spurgin and Suzanne Wilson.  I had a lunch date with Sarah Wickham and Amie Doll.  They both were coworker friends of mine from California.  It was so good to see them and catch up on their lives! 

Holy Friday started off with breakfast at Hy Vee with Suzy before we went to school and started working again.  We worked until lunch, then headed over to HyVee for Chinese and then back to work again!  We decided to stop at 4:00 and treated ourselves to a pedicure.  Oh my, it felt great after all our work!!  Bob's band played in Ashland and I got to see Becky Odneal, Ashley Angle and Lynn Angle.  We visited all around and found out that Becky is one of Ashley's neighbors!!  So fun!!

Bob and l left our hotel on Saturday to drive to Marceline to have an Easter lunch with Mom, Tammi, Ben and his girlfriend, Rachel.  We had a great salad that Tammi made, lasagne, and garlic bread.  I brought some cake balls made by Treats by Terri here in New Town.  Sooo good!   We left Marceline so we could spend some time with Irene, who was staying at the Mark Twain Extended Care Center.  She was so surprised!  I loved the look on her face!  She was about to have dinner, so we didn't stay long, but traveled on to Saint Charles.  Bob went to Padavan's for wings and we enjoyed the rest of Saturday just watching recorded TV!

I work up on Sunday very sick, which ruined our plans for church.  I found an Urgent Care in Saint Peters and was there when it opened.  I learned I had a severe sinus infection, ear infection, and swollen lymph nodes.  My eyes were hurting, too.  I got a prescription for an antibiotic which I got before coming home.  I got home around 11:00, took my meds and went to sleep!

I woke up feeling some better.  I started working on my individual paper which has to be into Saint Louis University's Department of Education by April 3.   Ashley started texting us and that was fun!  Bob cooked us a fabulous dinner of grilled steak, sweet potato fries, and asparagus.  Yum!  I am back to work on the paper, but wanted to take a bit of a break from "have to writing" to "fun writing!"  I think it was the perfect break!!

I hope next year I will get to be with Ashley and Eric, Mom, Irene, Tammi, Chris, Ben, Kassie, Tristan, Rachel, Tich, Gary, Joy and all the Steffes clan.  It doesn't feel like much of a holiday with just the two of us.  I am grateful we are all healthy and happy, and will be grateful for those blessings on this Easter day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, 2013!

Bob, Ashley and Eric are in the Windy City enjoying the fruits of the ASCD conferences.  As much as I wanted and had planned to go, things at school made me think twice at leaving.  That's ok, I realize that in my position sometimes plans must be changed for the good of the school and students.

Ashley sent me gorgeous pictures of the Chicago River dyed green!  That is an amazing scene and I am glad that the three of them saw it in person!  They said the crazies were out in Chicago, though, so they had a good meal and came back to the hotel.

I celebrated by watching the movie The Life of Timothy Green.  Green, get it??  There's nothing Irish about this movie but I found it fitting!  Loved the movie!

Tonight in celebration I plan to make a boiled dinner of sausage, cabbage and parsnips. 

I am a big fan of cabbage although I do not include it much in my daily meals.  I just recently became a fan of slaw when I realized how many ways you can make it! 

To recreate my Irish dinner.....

2 parsnips, peeled and quartered (potatoes can be used)
1 head of cabbage, cored and chunked
1 coil of Denny Irish sausage, or whatever sausage you like
4 cups of water
salt
butter

Slice or chunk up the sausage.  Add sausage, potatoes and cabbage to gently boiling water.  Cover, boil until potatoes and cabbage are fork tender.  Place potatoes and cabbage on a plate.  Fork smash potatoes and add butter, salt and pepper.  For the cabbage, you can dash on a bit of vinegar, or add butter and salt.  Place some of the sausage on your plate.  I am too American not to have some ketchup or BBQ sauce on it!!  My drink of choice is a good beer, A & W Root beer, that is!

I enjoyed my meal by watching the snowflakes fall on the lake.  Nothing like snow in March, but that's Missouri for you!

First Snow Day!

We enjoyed our first real snow day since joining the Wright City staff. So much fun, and so beautiful!  The dogs love the snow, but they don't want to stay out in it very long.  I enjoy the soft beauty, the quietness of the lake.  Two ducks were sitting on the lake, letting snow accumulate on their backs.  They are gone now. 

January 2013

I am continuing my project of taking a photo a day in 2013. I am not going to write much because I am still busy with writing on my dissertation. I am looking forward to going back to fun writing!

Valentine Challenge

I love a blog called Women Living Well. Have you heard of it? I am going to take their four week marriage challenge. This first week is about praising your husband. I know I take a lot of what Bob does for granted. In the past week he cooked dinner, took my car to get the oil changed and, while he had my car he washed it and filled it with gas, played the drums for my first graders in front of our Board of Education, warmed my car up in the morning and made me a healthy lunch for school. Sure, I said thanks and gave him a hug and a kiss, but real gratitude, the kind that spills over into your eyes, has been lacking.

So I am taking the challenge, to let Bob know how much I appreciate those small acts of love and kindness. I hope he will forever know the depths of my gratitude, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live.

A Month in Review December 2012

This month My365 had a lot of issues, so not all pictures were loaded correctly.  I tried to wait them out as far as getting the app updated, but it is taking too long for me!  So here it is, faults and all!

 

What's even more distressing is that what is on the website does not match what is on the app!!  Oh well, here goes:

1.  The first tree decorated and up was the Mizzou tree which won second place in a Christmas tree contest!!

2.  I held a Cookie Swap in New Town!  Lots of fun and met some great people!

3.  Pointsettias planted in the ground in Hawaii

4.  My favorite Christmas tree of all time, painted by my mom!

5.  A shot of all my favorite Christmas decs, mostly made by my mom.

6.  Lights and more lights at Tilley Park.

7.  The manger scene in Augusta, MO.

8.  Stockings hung at the mansion on SLU campus.

9.  New Town annual ornament.

10.  Wilson and Truman getting to visit Santa!

11.  All the ornaments from the GLU ornament swap.

12.  Our tree

13.  Lights at Fort Zumwalt.

14.  2CPU playing at Prison Brews.

15.  Lovely luncheon for PEO.

16.  Shopping at Frontenac, hearing some holiday tunes on the piano.

17. The stockings by our fireplace

18. Our dinner and a movie theater  Excellent!

19.  Candlelight tour at the First Capitol.

20.  Bob playing the drums for my first graders.

21.  Santa at school.

22.  My school stash!

23.  My mom's tree

24.  Me being NICE.

25.  CHRISTMAS!!
26.  All of us at the hotel before seeing a movie.
27.  TSO!
28.  At the history museum.  I think these were my clothes.
29.  Ashley and me at the KC Plaza, admiring the lights.
30.
31.  Happy New Year's Eve!!

13 Things to do in 2013

My brother-in-law, Gary gave each of us Field Notes booklets for Christmas this year, reminding us of how Jake used to carry a tiny notepad in his shirt pocket to jot down anything and everything he found interesting, or thought would be useful at some time or another.  He had Ashley's skating events marked, with what place she took in that event, what grades she got, graduation dates, how much each of the grandkids weighed at birth... all kinds of stuff.  Writing with pencil to paper has become a lost art, with the invention of a phone that keeps your notes, contacts, email, internet, etc all in one place.  I really became attached to this idea immediately, blurting out at Christmas, "we should bring these back next Christmas and share what we wrote this year..." getting a hardy "YES!" from Gary.

My first entry is this:  13 Things to do in 2013.  I want to keep track of these things I want to do to make 2013 a year to stand out.  Here is my list:

1.  Get rid of 50 things.  You all know how much stuff we sold or gave away when we moved.  I still feel burdened by STUFF.  I am going to find 50 things to remove from my life this year.

2.  Exercise.  Blech.  I wrote it down so I must want to do it deep down somewhere.

3.  Organize my study.  I see all these great organizational ideas on the ThirtyOne website, or at The Container Store... but I have two desks in this tiny study stuffed with things and papers and junk.  Gotta organize it once and for all.

4.  Rework my wardrobe.  My clothes are just coverings for my body so no one runs screaming from me at school.  I have to apply myself here and try a bit harder.

5.  Rededicate myself to blogging.  (check)

6.  FINISH MY DISSERTATION.

7.  Volunteer.  New Town is full of opportunities to help.  Just gotta jump in.

8.  Take the 21 day Relationship Challenge with The Happiness Project.  Signed up and waiting for the first challenge.

9.  Learn more about my camera.  I fiddle with it all the time but actually knowing what each setting means and does isn't there.  I got a great lens for Christmas.  Gotta learn how to come up with some great photos!

10.  No cell phone at dinner time, except to take pictures of food!

11. Read at least 25 books and find a book club!

12.  Visit a new city.  This one is harder.  Gotta think about my possibilities and how I can get this one in!

13.  Have a picnic.  Used to do this all the time and have not done one for awhile.  With all the beautiful gardens around here, shouldn't have any trouble with this!

Just think, this all started with a Field Notes notebook.  Can't wait to see how else it will inspire me!

Thoughts of 2012 by Terri

As I reflect on 2012 and what I learned this year, I start to tear up.  I tear up because in a way, it was the end of so many things... our life in Jefferson City andmy principalship in California, but I tear up also because it is proof that God has a plan for me, and even though it may be hard and not what I want to do, God's plan is the exact path I need to follow.

So then I feel so lucky...

Lucky that I landed in Wright City with fellow educators who are passionate about the children they serve.
Lucky that I married a man who understands my whims and fancies.
Lucky to have a daughter and son-in-law that accept my bluntness and actually cherish it.
Lucky to still have my mom and sister active in my life.

Lucky to be surrounded by family who cares deeply about me and thinks that "I am all that *snap*" and more!

Lucky that I have friends from all walks of life who love me the way I am, even when I forget to return calls, am late for dinner and who sends more belated cards that on-time ones!

Lucky that I landed in a neighborhood that I adore, making new friends and starting to feel like its home and not a visitor.

Lucky that I found a PEO and a DAR that fits. (now if I could find a BUNCO group, I will have it made!)

Lucky that I read lots of good books, had lots of wonderful food, made a bit of art, have people who like my Facebook page and blogs, and that I am missed when I don't post.

For all this, and much more, I am truly grateful.

2012 was full of life lessons for me.  Cherish my friends, face the future bravely, trust in God's plans and put family first.  Some of these lessons I had learned before, but the reminder was a gift from God and I happily accept it!  It is not all fun and games in my life, but I will always choose to focus on the positive.  I believe it has made a difference in the quality of life I live. 

Here's to a happy 2013.  Bring on the life lessons, reveal your plan, dear God, I am ready for it!

Enjoy this poster from Anders*Ruff.  It says exactly what I hope for all of you!