Data Scams

It is no secret that the economy is struggling, but unfortunately with this downward spiral we are in, there is more to be cautious of. There has been an increase in robberies, muggings, car thefts, and scams. I unfortunately have become the victim of just one of these - debit card scam. This article in USA Today shows the risks we can be in if we are not careful.

Yesterday I used my card to order pizza for my staff, then last night I went to withdraw money and it said unauthorized use. Come to find out, my bank called me and said there were 2 unauthorized charges made via internet shopping to a company in Paris. They denied the charges and closed my card. What a mess! But I am very fortunate that my bank found found the transactions suspicious and put a hold on my card until I verified the information. These were not charges I made, and am unsure who tried to do this. I wish there was a way I could find out who tried to use my card, but right now I am just thankful the bank caught it before it was too late.

I have family and friends who have unfortunately been victim to the car theft incidents a few too many times recently, it doesn't matter if you are parked on the street, valet, or park in a garage. Times are getting hard which are causing people to go to extremes. I think now more than ever it is important to be more aware of your surroundings and where and when you use your debit/credit cards.

A woman's lifetime

Thanks Chi-ch for this great article - I also wanted to steal and share! This article Chi-ch shared with us on her blog is fabulous and it really got me thinking. How many of us say we will get around to some of our goals but never do. This is something I have always been afraid of, not doing all the things I really wanted to do. As you can see, H and I do a lot of different things and we will continue to do these things as long as we can. But, individually I have a lot of goals and aspirations, which I feel if I don't accomplish, I will be disappointed in myself.

Reviewing this list - it does help prioritize what I would like to do - either in my lifetime or before 30! Through this list, this is what I have found about myself:

The ones I have already accomplished: 1, 4, 5, 7 (not always a good thing, but it is therapeutic), and 9.

The ones I would like to accomplish: 2, 8, 10

Then I went to #11 - I have started to make my own list. Stay tuned for updates with this...it is going to take a while to finalize. It is a fun activity to do and makes you look at yourself a little more and at what you really want out of life.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

Mom and Dad on their Honeymoon
Mom and Dad at Diwali '08


Today is my parent's wedding anniversary! They were married in India 32 years ago through an arrange marriage - unimaginable I know! But something worked because they have been together for 32 years.

We are very lucky to have such wonderful role models - they have taught us that life is not always easy, but with family you can get through just about anything. We love you mom and dad and hope that one day H and I will celebrate 32 years of marraige.

Downtown Schnucks

Since moving to downtown St. Louis in 2003, grocery shopping has always been a little bit of a hassle - more now than ever. For as long as I can remember I always have shopped at the Clayton Rd. Schnucks, which is convenient, but sometimes cumbersome. Now that 64/40 West is closed from Kingshighway to 170, everything is harder! Relief is finally here! They are finally opening a Schnucks downtown! The store is slated to open this summer, and will be just blocks from our condo. They are making it a new urban concept store- which essentially means it doesn't have the space to be a full store but will make it up with a grocery delivery service and valet parking - what more could you want!

The only thing which makes this new addition bittersweet is the impact it will have on City Grocers. They have been around for a few years, and it has grown in that time. I hope they are able to sustain the big grocery store coming to town and possibly change their angle and offer us something that Schnucks will not.

Legally Blonde

Last night Erica and I had a much needed girls night -we headed to dinner and to the Fox to see Legally Blonde The Musical.

We went to dinner at Gio's - a new Italian restaurant downtown in the old Dierdorf & Hart's location. We try to support the downtown restaurants and shops so that downtown St. Louis will stay vibrant and not revert back to the way it was in the 90's.

After dinner we headed to the show... all I can say is...OMG..OMG you guys! It was such a cute and fun show! I am glad H did not go with me to this show, he would not have enjoyed it as much as we did. I have been to many shows which were designed after movies, and most of them are good, but not great - kind of the same theory of if you read the book, the movie is never as good. This was an exception. They did a great job with transferring the movie into the musical, without changing too much and keeping the main parts intact. I don't remember the last time I laughed so much!

If you have a chance to see it, please go, especially with a group of girls - boys - sit this one out! It is a lighthearted, fun, and entertaining show.

Possiblities!

My friend Chi-ch had this article posted on her site this morning - it may happen - we will just have to wait and see...check it out!

Update

Well as you can see we fell behind on our blogging - it has been a busy January for us. Here are a few of the things which have kept us busy:

• Ice Skating at Steinberg Rink
• St. Louis Food & Wine Festival
• Mike's Birthday
• ALIVE - Ladies of Lumiere Party
• Tried a few new places - Sasha's Wine Bar, Tigin, El Boracho

I know there is more but my memory is not working so well! I hope everybody has had a great January so far!

We're back

After taking a few weeks off - we're back to blogging. We've had a busy January - stay tuned for updates!

Happy New Years

We wish everybody a very happy New Year and hope you rang in the New Year with much happiness and loved ones. H and I spent NYE with our friends at Lumen. It was a wonderful evening - we started off the evening at Prity's for some appetizers and cocktails, from there we stopped off at Column's, and then to Lumen. The venue is beautiful and they had a cap on attendees, which was great because there was a good amount of people, but not crowded and you could still hear each other without having to yell!

Here are some pics from the night. The rest are here.