Join me as I attempt to document many of life's pleasures and gifts. I hope this will be a place we can look back on a smile at the photos and memories we create with every waking moment...
To set the stage for this blog post - I thought it was only fitting to feature one of my main men... Brad Paisley. I just can't get enough country music lately and this song sums up my expectations for this summer... sun, camping, fishing, spending time talking about nothing with friends and family...
Katie, so pretty!
Now that you have a little background music, basically, the title of this blog post says it all - we sure had a celebration! Our final exam in Psych was on Friday morning and shortly afterwards we gathered at my place for lunch, laughs, a few beverages and great times! I whipped up some homemade macaroni and cheese while Zim was working his magic in the kitchen with some homemade ricotta cheese. The two Wisconsinites make cheese dishes - weird?
It was so fun and relaxing to be able to get together without the stress of the next class or exam that was coming our way. Not to mention, it was an absolutely beautiful day outside which encouraged us quickly to move the feast out to my front yard on our little cement porch. We brought down speakers, a blanket, and freshly chopped watermelon!
Awkward family photo.
We fired up the country music and game of corn hole, apparently that's what they call it in these parts... I think we just call it bags back home, but either way, it was a blast. Eric and Taylor were taking names most of the afternoon and barely left their spot as reigning champions. I have terrible aim, so I played one or two games and apologized to my teammate...
Steph, Nancy and Annie!
We had an impromptu dance party, a photo shoot and a wonderful time. The outdoor gathering was complete only after Sean made a run to buy the boys cigars. Apparently that's the new thing?
Classic turd in the drink trick...
Gotta bust out the orange spandex on such and occasion...
This should freak you out... Sorry Anna!
Anna saved the day by bringing left overs from her work lunch - we all feasted for dinner! Then Paul came home after work and we greeted him like he was a celebrity! Everyone was shouting his name and shaking his hand, haha! I'm sure he expected that we would be having a good time, but he was definitely surprised by how excited we were to see him park that Hyundai! Paul helped me clean up and get organized because we were planning to shift locations from my front yard to Anna and Josiah's porch. Their porch is amazing! Perfect for summer evenings. That would allow Paul to get some sleep at least, since he had to get up bright and early for work the next morning.
Duerr on the banjo... like cat claws on a chalkboard...
Josiah brought out the Banjo at his place and Duerr and I talked about Minnesota, hunting, fishing and basically any other small town thing you can imagine. I believe we even talked about Lake Eva's own "redneck yacht club". Anna, Duerr and I finished strong and headed out to see what the rest of the city was up to on the fine Friday. A long day to say the least!
Sean strumming a few tunes...
It was a great start to the fun summer ahead - there were so many summer plans tossed around that I don't even know where to begin to schedule the greatness. Lyssa and I talked and brainstormed on how we can make this summer memorable! Should be a good one - SUMMER 2012!
Camilla sent out a invite to gather in Frick Park for a Proper Sunday Brunch - it was suggested that we all wear white and bring our best snooty snack and beverage. It was the morning of the Pittsburgh marathon and Anna and Josiah made it to Josh's place only after around 50 minutes of bypassing the marathon route - let's just say we really got to see some of the back neighborhood's of Pittsburgh!
A competitive game of Boce Ball!
Anna and I in our proper Sunday best...
Shortly after convening at Josh's for some bubbly and OJ we walked to the park to enjoy finger sandwiches, properly sliced Wisconsin smoked cheese and many other fine delicious treats. While I was wondering around taking pictures, others engaged in competitive game of Bocce Ball - careful not to soil their Sunday best...
Zimmerman & Carey
While the women were resting on freshly pressed blankets, the men clipped and lit their fragrant cigars to enjoy a smoke over scholarly conversations of politics and economics - of course. We were then approached by a few rising film makers who wanted some footage of our proper acts. We decided to set up croquet and play a game around the park, a perfect past time.
It was a blast to run around the park in white dresses and hats - we only received a few odd looks, but most thought our antics were quite comical. It was a Proper Sunday Brunch at it's finest..
Even the ladies can properly enjoy a cigar!
Now, I just can't wait until our next themed outing - Hillbilly Breakfast! (I may have to take the liberty to coordinate this wild outing - yeeeehaw!
The group on our way out of the park after a wonderful brunch!
We finished the week with a BBQ - again at Josh's who graciously allowed us to come over to his amazing porch to fire up the grill. It was fun to sit around and talk over freshly grilled meats and even peaches. The food was plentiful as always... I shared my Grandpa's infamous wisdom about the seven different varieties of farts and we did indeed indulge ourselves in some fart humor? Hey can you blame us? I remember Lyssa saying that her kids said that they can't wait to grow up and be mature enough that fart jokes are not funny... Lyssa responded that there will never be a time when farts aren't funny - and if you've reached that point - you're living life MUCH too seriously!
The BBQ with plenty of food as always - thanks Josh for hosting and Zim for grilling!
Guess what - it's my last week of the first year of medical school! I cannot believe it. That's all I'm going to say for now - wish me luck as I try to maintain stamina for the final week of studying!
Well, Paul and I have officially been together for three years which we celebrated on May 1st! Of course our anniversary fell on an exam week and Paul's first week back on the Medicine floor. So we exchanged cards and reflected on the last year which had times full of tears of happiness, and times filled with tears and sadness. We have come so far this past year and surely have grown together through life's vulnerabilities and celebrations. This is also our first anniversary we spend as an engaged couple which was another occasion we celebrated over the past year.
In addition to our anniversary, Paul's Birthday came quickly after on May 4th, and we decided to do something special to celebrate. We wanted to go to a restaurant for dinner, however, as medicine will have it, we had to reschedule to a time when we could eat and relax. But that evening we did celebrate with homemade salad, and a freshly cooked Salmon burger. You also can imagine that I wasn't going to let Paul get away without me singing to him in my tone deaf voice over lighted candles!
Happy 27th Birthday Paul!
It was nice to have our own little birthday celebration! We decided to go to Salt of the Earth on the night before Paul's day off which meant we could try one of their famous cocktails! We headed over and realized just how close the restaurant was to our house! Paul ordered the duck and I had Seitan - yeah, I didn't know what it was either, but apparently it's basically concentrated wheat gluten concentrated together and cooked?? That is the definition I snagged from the internet anyway while I was frantically looking up what the ingredients on the menu meant before taking the plunge to order! The food was good and we enjoyed spending time at the restaurant. We finished off the night watching "Live Free or Die Hard" and laughing a lot how how hilarious and fake the action scenes in the movie were! Overall a wonderful anniversary and birthday...
This vacation started like most of the others - a wild idea that came true! My dad had talked about going down to visit Uncle Tom's Cabin - no not the book - in Panama City Beach. I wasn't sure how far it was from Jay's house, but after giving him a quick call we realized he was the perfect distance away from the beach - how fortunate! It was going to work! I decided to fly into Georgia first to see their place and spend a night at Jay and Perry's new home! I few into Albany and Jay met me at the airport by jumping out from behind a wall to greet/scare me. We made the short trip back to their place!
Dinner out with friends at Wisconsin Bar!
Their house was beautiful! Perry is doing an amazing job picking out the colors and all of the decor, man I wish I had a knack for things like that. It's like their real people with jobs and a house and stuff?!? I didn't think that was going to ever happen to us! After getting settled we head to town for dinner at a bar that was owned by a Wisconsinite! The food was great, however they didn't have Diet Mountain Dew, so their roots didn't run as deep as Mt. Dew! We went to bed far too late after getting pulled into a tense movie and woke up early so we could hit the road early to get to FLORIDA!
Curty with raw Oysters!
The drive wasn't bad at all! We were there in no time, just in time to beat the rain to the restaurant. We shopped around and then got some snacks during the downpour! We watched as the fisherman came in from the pier with a look of defeat - they were absolutely soaked! After the rain calmed down we went over to Dusty's Oyster Bar for some of the best raw oysters in the area. They were absolutely delicious and just as good as the last time I was there in high school! We slurped them back and made our way back home to relax for the evening.
Seafood special - a mix of everything tasty!
Raw oysters at Dusty's Oyster Bar!
On Sunday we convinced Jay and Perry to stay another day so they could relax and enjoy the sun with us. It turned out to be a warm and windy day! We let the boys sit in the sun as we dashed away from the wind to get some refreshers... when we came back George, Curty and Jay were covered from head to toe in towels and clothing in order to spare any last inch of skin that hadn't burned to a crisp! We quick gathered our things from the windstorm and went back to base camp to avoid the elements. That afternoon was filled with stories, laughter, and some fine grilled foods. We had such a fun time spending the afternoon together! We walked down to catch the sunset and take pictures on the beach. Jay and Perry are pretty photogenic!
Curty taking pictures of the sunset and burnt to a crisp!
Amazing sunset over the gulf...
Monday Jay and Perry had to head out early to get back to work and we took a trip down to the shopping center to get some more crocs! We had a great time walking around, and mom and I stumbled upon some perfect signs for Joel's cabin - one actually read "Buck Stories Told Here" - it can't get any more perfect than that! I also bought Paul a sign that said, "Good Morning, Let the Stress Begin" which he enjoyed and now is hanging in our kitchen. Later that day we stopped by a place that Uncle Tom recommended to try their red shrimp. Excellent choice, the shrimp were amazing and tasted of small lobsters! That evening George and Kay took us out to dinner at an Italian restaurant and we were all stuffed to the brim!
Wisconsinites on the beach in the cold!
Tuesday came all too quickly and I got up early in the morning to pack my clothes so I could spend every last minute in the sun. I also had to get a new suitcase because my trusty pink suitcase finally busted after much abuse and travel around the nation. That morning, mom, dad and I went down to the beach with a Starbucks (to stay warm) and catch the last bit of sun! It was too soon before I was sitting in the Beaches International Airport working feverishly on an assignment and trying to catch up before meeting the neuroanatomy course that was waiting for me upon my return to Pittsburgh.
This is the life...
I had an amazing time meeting up with close family and friends in Georgia and Florida. Joel and I are blessed to have some of the truest friends I have ever known - and we feel even more honored to consider all of our close friends an extension of our family. I cannot wait until our next adventure - thank you so much to Uncle Tom for having us at his wonderful home. Also thank you to Mom, Dad, George and Kay who ventured down in the minivan and to Jay and Perry for letting me stay! What a blast!
Me, Dad and Mom before I head home to Pittsburgh - thanks for the Vacation!
It was so fun and relaxing to be able to get together without the stress of the next class or exam that was coming our way. Not to mention, it was an absolutely beautiful day outside which encouraged us quickly to move the feast out to my front yard on our little cement porch. We brought down speakers, a blanket, and freshly chopped watermelon!
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