Greetings from the Gateway to the Midwest!

Following the lead of trusted friends, we've decided to create a blog to keep interested friends and family posted on the new adventures of the W family! We have been in St. Louis for a month and a half and have a rare spare minute or two to catch folks up to speed. What follows is our SL TOP TEN of the best and worst the Cardinal Nation has to offer to transplanted Hawkeyes (so far):

TOP TEN BEST:
(10) Gainful employment for A
(9) Short-term lease agreements and a decent cost of living
(8) Relatively short commute from our town to A's job
(7) The free Science Museum at Forest Park
(6) The free Museum of Art at Forest Park
(5) Bartolino's Italian Restaurant on The Hill
(4) Gravois Bluffs in South County (pretty scenery and decent shopping)
(3) Fenton Olde Towne Donut Shop
(2) The free and world famous St. Louis Zoo
(1) The Global Foods Market where R can score his favourite British sweets and treats

TOP TEN WORST:
(10) The HORRIBLE HUMIDITY and 100+ degree August days (we've been told that SL has hazy, hot, and humid summers, but that this summer was particularly harsh--lucky us!)
(9) The somewhat conservative political vibe in the SL burbs--not the hippie-liberal vibe we were used to in IC
(8) Zero enthusiasm for college sports
(7) The "Cardinal Crazies" and the city's obsession with all things red-bird-related (see above)
(6) The terrible signage for navigating the downtown area--how many times can you miss the same exit?!?
(5) Getting lost in East St. Louis and not being able to ask for directions
(4) The city and county's obsession with "flashing red" intersections--fix the friggin' lights already!
(3) Super-cops who love to pull over out-of-state cars going a mere 10 miles over the speed limit; Note to future visitors: Slow to a crawl when you are driving through Palmira, MO or you will get screwed!!!
(2) Everyone's obsession with where you went to high school--it is a quick status check around here and sooooooo annoying!
(1) Missing all of our friends from IC :(

We are taking it one day at a time and trying to establish ourselves in our new environment. We are reminding ourselves that we felt a similar sense of fear and disorientation when we first pulled our U-Haul into Hawkeye country and it is going to take time to feel at home here in our new town. Until then, we will keep folks posted on interesting tidbits and use this blogspot as a forum for therapeutic ranting. Perhaps, more importantly, this site will also serve to keep folks up to date on the life of our little Miss P!!! We will post lots of pics here for your viewing pleasure :) She is, without a doubt, the light of our lives! Enjoy and please drop a note in the "message box" once in a while.