I was kind of surprised this morning when I woke up and realized Dawn has lived in St Louis for 5 months (and I have been here 3 months). What surprised me the most is how much we have discovered in a very short amount of time. Moving to St Louis was based on a new opportunity for Dawn to advance her career doing something new and challenging. From my point of view, the move was an opportunity to start something new for myself also. I was hired by Marriott hotels a month after I arrived. I chose Marriott because a few friends work for the company and talk about how great it is to work here and also, Marriott is consistently listed on “Best Companies To Work For” lists. Aug 23 will be the end of my 90 probationary period and I am looking forward to growing within this company!
Dawn and I now have a nice, very small, apartment in St Peters, Missouri (about 25 minutes West of downtown St Louis) … St Charles, Missouri has an awesome historic main street where Dawn and I have found a few great places to relax and watch the river. Places like the Olde Mill Stream – Lewellyns – Little Hills Winery all have their own reason we enjoy hanging out there. Olde Mill Stream has a Prime Rib dinner that will knock you out of your chair, plus they have a couple fire pits outside that add to their ambiance over looking a stream, which also adds a nice calming effect. Its a great patio to hit up on a night when a fire and steak will help keep you warm! Lewellyns is a lively Irish pub with a patio that looks out over the Missouri River, great beer list and decent pub food – Dawn and I have hung out on a couple Sunday afternoons, killing time watching the river and random people walk by. The Little Hills Winery is nice mainly because they have a patio with a fire pit right along main street! Great place to watch people also, and the wine list is affordable … nothing like splitting a bottle of red and ordering a couple appetizers to kill time.
We have spent a good amount of time getting to know the area, we have found restaurants, shops, bars, casinos (YES – Casinos!) and sport stadiums … what I love most about this adventure we are on … its all new! I always look forward to heading out the door and ending up somewhere with Dawn. I was excited when Dawn accepted the opportunity and we started planning our relocation … I am quickly realizing it was a smart decision for both of us.