So yesterday I was sitting on the couch minding my own business when the lady that use to watch my kids called me. She lives down the street from me and after she took a full-time job at a church, we just didn’t talk as much. So anyway she called to see if I knew there were 251 cakes. They added one to grow on. I said are you kidding me? I can barely find the cakes with GPS and an address no way can I find a mystery one. Since I didn’t have to work until one today I got online and googled are there really 251 stl250 cakes. And as usual my babysitter was right! It seems a gal name Amy has found them all. I found a nice article about her. She makes me look normal. No really she does. This crazy found and photographed 54 cakes in one day. All I have to say is she must have way better internal GPS than I do. Maybe she is lucky and never has to flip a u-turn in the middle of the street! Ha ha  The most i have found is 27 and Emily and I were exhausted. We are currently at 164 cakes. I have planned the ending to the cake hunt and am hoping to have a little surprise for each person that has gone with me! And then you can all call me cray cray!

Maybe if the cake distraction will go away, blog ideas will come back. Emily has returned to school. We had a great week with her home. She and I ate out a lot and I still lost weight as I kept my calorie goal in mind. Kayla started college yesterday and has done her homework two days in a row. I was released from the foot doctor last Thursday and he told me to take it easy getting back into running. I haven’t run since Wednesday. I think I have been walking on the outside of my foot as it has been hurting so I am taking it easy. I have to remind myself I have the rest of my life to run so I can either take it easy or push it and need another surgery! I’m kind of over surgery and injuries so I will lay low for a while!

I have decided to use an online photo book for the cakes! This way I don’t have to print out a million pictures which will be out-of-order. I don’t think in the end it will cost much more. Now off to go work on that.

Mole moral  Momma mole is just a little obsessive!

Today we headed down 44 to Meramec Caverns as this was the farthest cake out west. We then made our way back down 44 stopping along the way. We did the cave tour as I have never done it. It was really cool to see but we froze the entire time. I think the girls enjoyed it as well.  We then saw the Franklin County Courthouse. That was a GPS nightmare and walked around the building before we realized we were at the wrong building. Next stop washington historical society. That cake was cool. We then went onto Gray Summit and Purina farms. That was a tad disappointing. I think Suson Park in South County had almost the same amount of animals. Shaw nature park cake was very detailed with little animals glued on and a big sign stating not to even touch the cake. So we didn’t. Would have loved to have driven through it but after spending 55 to see the cave the credit card was on fire. We then visited the Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos. I need to look up the history on that because the name did not match what I envisioned and it was actually pretty cool. Of course when I told Brian about it, he knew exactly where it was as he delivered candles there back during his first job when he worked at a candle factory. Six Flags is closed during the week. You can be sure crazy cake lady told the guys at the fence to move the cake so that it can be viewed even when closed. They seemed to think that was a pretty good idea. We then visited the wolf center where Allyson went to wolf camp last summer. Also the bird sanctuary and we got to see them bring the birds in for feeding. It was cool to see the barn owl up close. Of course we drove around Lone Elk Park and saw the animals and the cake. We ended at Maritz where the girl’s aunt use to work. That cake was really cool as it had each side as a different season. We left at 8:30 and didn’t get home until 6. I think work will be much easier tomorrow!

It’s been a while since I have written anything. Emily is home for a week between PT school semesters and she is all into the caking with me. I know it probably seems ridiculous to drive all over town but here are 10 really good reasons.

1. The kids are locked in the car with me without music so we must talk.

2. I have seen parts of St. Louis I would never see.

3. It gets me out of the house as I could easily be a hermit.

4. We have met some cool people while out on this adventure. The one cake artist and the book illustrator. Today I was telling the guy at the train station how there are 250 cakes all over from IL down to Meramec Caverns . Allyson got to meet a saxophone player down by Vinatage Vinyl in the loop.

5. I learned Clayton is five minutes from the loop. Did I ever mention I have zero sense of direction. We are constantly flipping U-turns and going the wrong way. All this driving is not helping me one bit with my sense of direction.

6. We have some great pictures and behind every picture is a story.

7. It keeps Allyson off of the electronics.

8. School starts in two days for Allyson, six for Kayla, and nine for Emily. Then its just me and my fleas!

9. The dog enjoys going when it’s not too hot. We can’t always get her out of the car.

10. This time will be known as the summer “our crazy mother drug us to all those silly cakes and called it culture!”

It’s been a rough sort of week so it makes it really difficult for me to get blog post ideas. So just so random things that have happened.

Yesterday my nephew would have been 14. I worked and our break room is right by the old NICU. It seems like yesterday. I left the burn unit after that and went to women’s health. Yesterday, I had a patient tell her friend who was having upcoming surgery if I wasn’t working she wasn’t getting the best nurse. That was really nice.

It was wise to drag Brian out cake hunting before letting him eat lunch. We had lunch on the hill that day and had dynamite sandwiches. Most of the places are closed on Sunday but we found a great pizza place and yet no one even ordered pizza. Leave it to the moles.

Art camp this week is duck tape. Well it turns out it’s fashion camp so Allyson was totally bored yesterday and predicts today will be no better. She says she can’t wait to start school next week.

We are going caking when I pick her up this afternoon. I become just a little obsessive when I get something like that in my head. We still need to go bike riding but it is going to be way too hot this afternoon. Maybe by 7 we can run up to Meramec trail. That is close to our house but no cakes. See I am obsessed.

My work schedule is all different too. I never work Mondays and always work Tuesdays but I worked yesterday and am off today. I can see the reason now why and it’s all related to the hard week! And that is code for don’t ask don’t tell!

The bike from my dad is really nice and it switches gears. I rode it around the circle in front of my house so he could get the seat the right height. Of course I almost crashed into Brian’s truck. When he got out of the pool and seen the bike he started complaining there was no room in the garage. I told him to sell his giant truck that he had to cut a hole in the drywall to get it to fit in the garage. He didn’t appreciate that. I found out from Allyson when I went to the grocery store she conned him into riding with her. He barely made it down or hill and up then the next when he had to turn around because he was tired. This coming from him who constantly told me my butt shouldn’t hurt, he rode his bike for hours as a kid without a problem. I think he may have figured out this evening that he is not 8 years old and riding a bike at almost 48 is a whole different ball of yarn. Allyson is determined we are riding somewhere tomorrow. I would like to walk and do PiYo as well. Now that is a little extreme in the exercise department. I have lost my mind.

I’ve really had to own this song lately. Hey God if you are reading this CR is ready to move onto better times!

Do you wonder why you have to feel the things that hurt you?
If there’s a God who loves you where is He now?
Or maybe there are things you can’t see
And all those things are happening to bring a better ending
Someday, somehow you’ll see, you’ll see

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing?
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

So hold on, you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning

My friend, you know how this all ends
And you know where you’re going
You just don’t know how you’ll get there so say a prayer

And hold on ’cause there’s good for those who love God
But life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time
But you’ll see the bigger picture

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing?
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

So hold on, you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning

Yeah, yeah, before the morning
Yeah, yeah

Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory
Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory, memory, memory, yeah

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still got a reason to sing?
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still got a reason to sing?
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming

Come on, you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
‘Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the hurt before the healing
Oh, the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning

Yeah, yeah, before the morning
Yeah, yeah, before the morning

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/josh-wilson/before-the-morning-lyrics/#TtprC1X7li0HKkMy.99

1. Forest park is really confusing. Even with GPS Allyson and I felt like we were driving in circles.

2. The corpse flower didn’t smell that bad to me. However it was so gross Allyson said it gave her a headache and smelled like dirty butt. I guess after being a nurse for 26 years, I can block anything out.

3. My friends mom wake was this evening. I was lost in forest park for so long, I had two choices go as I was in shorts and a t-shirt or skip it. I chose to go because in the long run who cares what I looked like. Mrs. Braun was an awesome lady who I loved dearly. She was always kind and funny and I will really miss her.

4. A couple of weeks ago when Allyson and I were driving to art camp someone was on the side of the road homeless. I didn’t have a dime on me. I told her if I saw that person again I would give money. Today there was a guy standing there. I had a ten and a twenty so I took the ten out yelled excuse me and handed it to him. He looked at me and said this is a ten-dollar bill. I said I know. He said are you sure. I said yes you use it. He thanked me and said he was going to get lunch. As I drove away smiling I thought even if he uses it for smokes or drugs I do not care. Addiction sucks! And if he does use it for food how awful of me to ignore him because I assumed he was a smoker, drinker or druggee!

5. My mom has decided to do a second blog and since I’m not so crabby tonight I’m going to sign in for her and see if I can’t set it up.

6. I am so thankful I am going back to work tomorrow. It will be good to be back.

7. And for all you doubting Thomas’s my car indeed passed inspection with only mirror! Rock on!

But I’m shaving it for later.

Allyson had art camp this week and loved it. She came home with a couple of things but this horse/donkey thing that she made out of what looks like crumpled up tin foil and then sprayed it blew me away. She also made a mobile out of a coat hanger. When the instructor told me she needed wire hangers it was all I could do not to reply with who do I look like mommy dearest. I had traded out wire for plastic many moons ago and since I don’t buy anything that needs to be dry cleaned, none arrive in our house.

This next week was sketch and draw which she really wanted to go to but she’s going to Big Stuf instead. When we return she has two more weeks left before school starts. One is fun with duct tape. I can’t wait to see what she creates with that!

Today I got up and decided Allyson and I needed to go find some cakes. For those of you who are out-of-town or have no clue what I am talking about, St. Louis turned 250 years old this year and St. Louis has planted cakes around various locations. So far 247 have been placed with three left. So this week at work the pharmacist was telling me about the free app they have to find them. I downloaded it and found it to be slower than snot and not helpful so I went to the website (www.stl250.org) and they have listed all the locations. This is much easier for a GPS challenged individual. So it all started with wanting to see the one next to a giant bottle of ketchup over in IL. I told Allyson she was coming with me and I mapped out ten cakes in Belleville, Cahokia and Collinsville. It was a three-hour adventure full of fun. Our second stop was a church. Now my mother had just finished her story When the Church Bells Rang yesterday. No sooner than I had snapped Allyson’s picture then the church bell rang. I felt like it was my Grandpa Miller saying hello from heaven. So I told Allyson to hold on and i posted it to my moms wall. I suggested this blog as a way for her to tell the family stories less than a month ago. I thought it would keep her busy for a year or more. Nope she has finished it, epilogue and all and now is working on making it into a book.

I have decided I will see all 250 and will drag various family members with me whether they like it or not. It’s all about quality time and someday they can write in a blog about the summer their crazy mother dragged them all over St. Louis and IL to see these stupid ass cakes in which she took a picture of every one and then turned it into a scrapbook.

And the giant bottle of ketchup brought back childhood memories. My mom use to keep stuff in a brooks ketchup or tomato box. I know her softball in which she pitched a no-hitter was kept in it. Unless of course I am off my rocker as usual. But the building and property was abandoned and for sale. That was kind of sad. I told Allyson before we got there it had 100 foot legs which she took to mean it looked like a comic bottle of ketchup with 100 foot legs. What I mean was it was sitting on top of 100 foot legs. I assumed the bottle would be square because I had forgotten they use to be round. Well worth driving around looking at cakes today. Now if I don’t finish the laundry, Allyson and I will be wearing the same outfit all week at camp. The bus pulls out at five am tomorrow morning.