Mini-Moon ... Big Fun

When unforeseen circumstances caused us to cancel our fancy schamncy European honeymoon earlier this year, I was crushed.  To be completely honest, I doubted that anything would truly be able to make up for the Super Moon we had planned.  We still haven't booked a Replacement Moon, and won't until all the proverbial ducks are aligned with a permanent job offer for me (I'm still working on a contract basis, ergo, nothing is set in stone).  But we little campers bucked up, found the silver lining, and took a Plan B Mini Moon the weekend following the wedding.  And to be completely honest, it was amazing.  Was it Italy?  Well no, but it was still a fantastic weekend.

We spent the weekend at the Four Seasons in downtown St Louis, which was a first for both of us.  It was the perfect getaway - far enough away from home (we live in the 'burbs in the County) to be reclusive, yet still convenient and easy.

My husband packed his A-game for the weekend.

My favorite wine and champagne waiting for me on ice in the room when I arrived after work, not to mention an assortment of some of my favorite things to snack on before we went to dinner. He even had chocolate-covered strawberries.  Because he is romantic and awesome.
 

 

 Chocolate and cheese - my two other loves.

Since we were on the 17th floor, we also had an amazing view of the Arch, downtown, and the hotel pool.  I got to enjoy my favorite recreational sport to my heart's content: traffic-and-people watching.  Prime seats!

Dinner on Friday night was laidback and fun.  We went to the Burger Bar inside the Lumiere Casino.  Usually a hardcore saver, Spendy Hubby made a rare appearance for the weekend, thus starting a "Get whatever you want" mini-spree.  It was scary, but fun. Who is this stranger I married?  Why, one who wants to order an appetizer!  And drinks!

His n Hers.  Few things make us happier than an icy cold dirty vodka martini and a Black Castle (Guiness/Newcastle blend).  That and burgers.  We loooove a good burger. (Food was a major theme of the weekend, can you tell?  Whatever, no more White Dress Pressure = BURGERS!)

I had mine with bacon, guacamole, and a fried egg.

Mr Cheesefries loaded his with bacon, cucumber, sprouts, and avocado ... rabbit food, basically.  Oh and those dippers in the middle?  Those were paired with our Fried Trio appetizer: fried pickles, zucchini sticks, and onion rings.  Served with BBQ, chipotle mayo, garlicky aioli, classic ranch, and sweet ginger sauce.  I just went up a pant size. 

Where there are burgers and fries, there is happiness.  I am pretty sure that meal was on the path to true enlightenment.  Overpriced and artery-clogging, but zen nonetheless.

Saturday was lazy and restful and awesome.  First off, there were hotel robes.  Who doesn't love hotel robes?  We ordered room service so I could fulfill an eggs-benedict-in-bed fantasy, and perused the spa menu.  The Four Seasons, after all is known to have one of the best spas in the city.

Buuuuuuut then we realized that it could cost more than the what we spent on the room.  Spendy Hubby couldn't even go that far.  We decided to save the couple's massage for the real Replacement Moon, and just be lazy in the room all day instead.

But first, breakfast arrived.  And it was gooood.

It tasted better because we ate in our hotel robes.  Hotel robes make everything better.

That and mimosas.

The day was spent watching a marathon of Friday Night Lights and just hanging out.  After nearly two years of wedding planning (especially the last few weeks of Mad Dash to the Finish), it was utterly blissful just to be locked in a room with my husband and be quiet.  It felt like we were in a bubble - a fantastic Four Seasons Bubble.

A bubble filled with hotel robes.

By the time we started getting ready for our dinner reservation, it felt like we had been there for a week.  I put on my new, ruffly H&M dress and my old stand by red heels, still loving my freshly chopped haircut.  Mr Cheesefries, like he always does, coordinated his tie with my outfit.  We shared a champagne toast, telling each other all sorts of mushy gross romantic stuff, and headed downstairs.

Cielo, the Four Season's restaurant, was unreal.  How can you go wrong with gourmet Italian food, though?  We dined outside with a gorgeous view of the Arch, and we had an amazing meal.  Better than the burgers and fries, but only barely.

I ordered a to die for caprese bread salad and grilled lamb shank with lamb ravioli.  Mr Cheesefries had a watermelon prosciutto salad and lobster risotto.  We were both wildly impressed.  It was truly food worthy of the special occasion we were celebrating.

Finished off with a chocolate peanut butter mousse cake, topped with candied banana wafer.  Not only that, but they delivered candied ginger and vodka-infused chocolate truffles with the bill.  I died of happy.

We toyed with the idea of going out for a drink, but ultimately decided to head back to the room, where we had good things waiting - chilled white wine and (you guessed it) hotel robes.

Sunday came too soon.  It felt so much longer than just a weekend away, and Mr Cheesefries and I were both reluctant to leave our Four Seasons Bubble.  As a consolation prize, we decided to enjoy one more St Louis landmark for lunch, my first time eating there.  Crown Candy is an old-fashioned soda shop on the north side of the city that serves amazing milkshakes and sandwiches.  Some of you may know it from Man vs Food, when their milkshake challenge defeated Adam Richman.  After barely drinking two-thirds of my (huge) chocolate shake, I still cannot fathom how anyone can drink more than one, much less a dozen.  I'm still full.

All in all, our Mini Moon experience was truly memorable.  I still wish that we could have spent the weekend flying to Rome and kicking off our Italian Super Moon, but in the end it all worked out.  I got a romantic weekend in isolation with my new husband.  We already know what we'll be doing for our first anniversary.  
What more could a girl ask for?

Cheers from the Newlyweds!