Recap

I did manage to have a little fun in October. 

First, Carrie got engaged to Andres.  I mean, who is going to miss the opportunity to celebrate one of their friends getting engaged?  Congratulations, Carrie! 
Here we are after our celebratory dinner:

The next day, Kaitlin and Ed hosted a tailgate for the Alabam vs Ole Miss game.  We had SOOO much food, including some pretty amazing chili.  Luckily, we took a break from our marathon of eating and watching football to take a picture.

After that, I ONLY came out of hiding long enough to celebrate Martha's bday.  Here are 5 things I love about Martha:

1) She is the most fun to play board games with (Dogger)

2) She's pretty much the only other one in our group who never went to Alabama

3) I have a love/hate relationship with the fact that she moves food closer to me so she wont eat it (unfortunately, I will)

4) She's always up for a fun night of dancing

5) She has a good heart

When I finished my test, I did get to enjoy a little Halloween fun. 

Farewell October...

October sped by in a blur of this

And this

I wont know if I passed my test until December, but for now, I'm glad it's finished.  Time to enjoy November (though, I did miss a few blogs in October that I wanted to share, so look for a few over the next couple of days).

PS:  If you understand any of picture #2, let me know.  I might be studying again in April :)

"The Particular Sadness of..." Finishing this Book

If you were able to get past the silly title and concept (tasting other people's thoughts in the food they made), then SURELY the lack of quotation marks bugged you.  If you were able to get past the lack of quotation marks, then it MUST have bugged you that her brother's legs were turning into a chair.  If you were able to get past the "brother/chair scene" and continued reading, then congratulations my friend...you made it through the book.  Now... put the book down and question why you allowed yourself to waste so much time when there were numerous signs that you should NOT read/finish this. 

Sorry Aimee Bender, but this is a miss...

To Kill a Mockingbird

Last month my book club read "To Kill A Mockingbird"; which was suggested because this year marks it's 50th anniversary.  I HATED reading when I was in school and didn't remember enjoying this book, so I was dreading rereading this classic AGAIN.  Man, am I glad I sucked it up and took advantage of this opportunity!  The book was easy to read and simply enjoyable. 

It's especially fun to read books like this as a "Southerner."  I live in a different time and can't quite relate to the tired old town of Maycomb, Alabama, but it's still nice to "look back" and see how much we've progressed.  It was also nice to review it with my book club.  It's refreshing to see that I have so many Finch's in my group and not one Ewell.  Especially when one of those Finch's in my group makes some impressive shrimp and grits for all of us!

If you don't remember this from high school, please give it another shot.

Side Note:  I was asked if I was reading this for school once (of course, I was wearing a high school shirt, so I couldn't blame them)...  Note to self, no high school activities while in high school clothes.  Makes it even harder to pass as a 26-year-old.

They say it's your Birthday...

I'm a little late with this, but two of my favorite people had their Birthdays on September 15.  In honor of their Birthdays, I wanted to do a "5 Things I "Love" About You"...  I know it's supposed to be "10", but I'm lazy.  Also, sorry Bree, but you know the rules, "Age before..." so we'll start with you:

5 Things I Love About Bree:
1) She knows how to keep her promises (I'll be your best friend if you go to the beach with me)
2) She always comes up with the BEST nicknames (Baloola, Flash, Jazz, Ali, Boo...hehe)
3) She tells very detailed stories (and then I peed)
4) She looks like Chelsey's sister AND Pocahontas
5) She's never afraid to embarrass herself in the name of fun

5 Things I Love About Kaitlin:
1) She is ABSOLUTELY the most fun to play PhotoHunt with
2) Her humor resembles that of a 13-year-old boy (and Mark's)
3) We have so much fun together that we are not allowed to hangout alone (especially at Baron's games)
4) She the best person to drink a glass of wine with after a hard day
5) If you give her "ranking cards" and a "pinching claw", she is the most fun EVER (Labor Day 2009)

I Love both of you.  Happy Belated Birthday!



Seattle

I had been wanting Mark to have the opportunity to spend more time with my extended family.  Since everyone lives so far away, we decided to wait until our anniversary so we could celebrate and see everyone all at once.  My Aunt Carry, Uncle Greg, and Cousins Amanda & Drew were so good to us!  We saw everything I wanted Mark to see on his first trip up there, which mostly consisted of the tourists spots.  My dad said we made a HUGE mistake by not taking the ferry up to Victoria...but there will be more trips.  Here is what we did do:

Tuesday:  We made the trip from Alabama to Washington.  Carry, Amanda, and Drew picked us up from the airport and we visited Alki Beach for a view of the city and some "fish and chips" (which was very high on my list).  We also went to Ballard to see the Locks.  Then, to top it all off, my aunt and uncle made us an amazing steak dinner.  I'd say it was a great start to the trip.

Wednesday: Space Needle, Boat tour of Lake Washington (one of my favorite things we did), Pizza Dinner in Kirkland.

Thursday: Pike Place Market, Downtown, AMAZING Salmon dinner

Friday: Amanda tricked us into going on a "3 Mile" hike.  What she didn't tell us was that the hike was 3 miles STRAIGHT up and 3 miles down.  We rewarded ourselves with a tour of the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.  Then, the Mattocks Family spoiled us with an amazing Mexican Dinner.

Saturday: Carry, Amanda, and I got pedicures.  Then Greg, Carry, Mark, and I headed to Redhook Brewery.  My old roommate Cori and her husband Mark came to meet us after our tour and we had fun visiting with them.  Last, we were lucky enough to get tickets to the Seahawks' pre-season game against the Packers. 

Sunday: We headed home :(.  A big thanks to the Mattocks Family for a wonderful trip.

One Year

Ok, you know how websites that feature books and movies have a "spoiler alert"?  Well, I'm warning all of you with a "cheesy alert".  Don't say you weren't warned...

Yesterday, Mark and I celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary.  I can't believe it's been a YEAR since this:

And this:

This year Mark and I:

1) Adopted Levon

2) Celebrated Kaitlin and Ed's Wedding

   

3) Had TOO much fun at Ole Miss...

4) Rang in the New Year with friends at B&A Warehouse

5) Celebrated Alabama's 13th National Championship

6) Watched my sister get married

7) Helped host MDA's 2nd Annual Derby for Duchenne's

8) Spent some time at the beach with friends

I feel lucky to have spent this last year married to my best friend (I told you it would get cheesy) and look forward to spending many more with him.