A Weekend Update

This past weekend, Mr. A came home and, for once, I didn’t have to work the whole time. We hadn’t seen each other for about a week and a half, so it was nice to have him home with me, even though he moves things when he’s not the one living here…ahem.

And because I have apparently been living under a rock, we bought a webcam for my computer since Mr. A’s has one built in. We figured with him being gone for 7 weeks, it would be nice to get to see each other’s faces, even if it was just for a little bit when we talk at night.

Well, we tried it out last week.

You guys. It’s so much fun!

I had never Skyped before and never had anyone that was far enough away that it made sense to use it. Well, it’s a blast. Except I had to keep reminding myself that he could see me when I zoned out and would be tweeting or watching tv. And apparently I make funny faces and don’t realize it.

Downside? We usually talk right before which ever one of us is going to bed earlier, so I don’t look all that cute with my makeup off, hair usually in a ponytail, and my pajamas. Might need to work on being a little cuter for our video chats from now on.

But back to the weekend…

Friday, Mr. A’s boss was incredibly nice and since he knew he was coming home, let him leave early, so instead of getting here at 7, he shoed up at the door at 4:30, which was a very nice surprise. Except I was planning on cleaning up a little more, but oh well.

We headed out to dinner and had some drinks, which is always appreciated. We have also discovered that we both like flavored vodka with tonic, so as a way to save a little money on going out for drinks, we went and picked out a flavor we both like and headed home since he had a long day. My favorite bar makes their own infused vodkas, so I think I’m going to try adding some fresh fruit and letting it soak and see how that goes.

It was great to sleep in on Saturday, but I did miss having the whole bed to myself. And I think Mr. A forgot how to sleep with someone else in the bed since he kept trying to take my pillow and trying to push me out of the bed. We may have some adjustments to make when he’s back for good in August.

Our plan was to go grab some lunch and then go to one of the local wineries. They were showing the Belmont Stakes and having giveaways and such, so we thought it would make for a fun day. We had lunch and went to the store to pick up some cheese and crackers. We stopped by home to pack up and then Mr. A decided that he wanted to rest for a bit.

Well, of course, when we were finally leaving and heading to the winery, the sky turned a scary gray color and we decided that we didn’t want to get out there, get set up, and then it start pouring on our heads, so we ran by the store and bought a bottle of my favorite wine from that winery, and headed home. We made a makeshift picnic in our living room. Day drinking commenced and I may or may not have finished the entire bottle of wine on my own while Mr. A drank bourbon and diet. And I may or may not have gotten day drunk. Which may or may not be my favorite thing. 🙂

We had plans to go see the new X-Men, but after eating some dinner and our buzzes wearing off, we thought we would be struggling to stay awake and decided to save our money.

This weekend was basically me learning that we’re old and like hanging out at home. I’m hoping we can get a little more exciting this fall when we aren’t trying to still figure everything out about the town.

Today, I had to work a short shift, so Mr. A waited for me to get off and we grabbed an early dinner before he headed back to Mville.

And now that I’ve typed this all out, it really wasn’t all that exciting of a weekend, but I was so happy to have him home and for us to get to spend some time together at home. It seems like all the other weekends we have been gone to STL or somewhere and spent a good chunk of time on the road, so it was nice to just be a little more relaxed.

And I think when he’s in Other State, I will be craving a lazy night at home.

4 Days Off

This past Wednesday, when I got off work at 6, Mr. A and I headed south to Mville. I hadn’t seen his family in a long time and we were both excited to get out of town for a little while.

It started perfectly since MIL had dinner waiting for us when we arrived. Nothing fancy, but for some reason I lovelovelove her stroganoff, so it was perfect. And since it was 8:30pm, I was starving. We talked and caught up on a few things.

Even better? She knows we don’t have cable and my love of all shows on Bravo, so she recorded Bethenney, Real Housewives Orange County and Miami, Millionaire Matchmaker, and Million Dollar Listing. She spoils me that woman. So yes, I watched a lot of tv while at the house and it was glorious. And making me miss cable even more now that I’m home. One day…

We spent Thursday running around and just relaxing. We had fun seeing the town and I enjoyed laughing how excited the people in that crazy town were so damn excited about a new gas station. You would have thought they were told the South really had won the Civil War or something. Amusing.

Thursday night we went to our favorite Thai/sushi restaurant. For a small town, their sushi is some of the best we have found anywhere. And since we have NO sushi here, I was so very excited. MIL came with us and we had a fantastic dinner. Mmmm…sushi. Might have to get some in STL this weekend for my birthday.

Friday we went to this tiny BBQ place and took our food out to the lake and had a little picnic. The BBQ was amazing and I gave Mr. A a hard time for never taking me there during the 5 years I lived in that town. He claims it never crossed his mind since it is a little out of the way. The lake was beautiful that day and it was nice to get to sit outside in the sun.

That night we headed out to our favorite bar with a bunch of Mr. A’s friends. These are guys he’s known his whole life, including his best man and groomsman. They are a riot and I have missed having true, good friends around. They treat me like a sister, except with more dirty jokes and harmless flirting. G, Mr. A’s best friend had become one of my friends and while I never ever ever want to move back there, I miss him and his girlfriend and all the fun we have. Lots and lots of drinks were had. MIL had given me some “pre-birthday” money to use for the night. She spoils me people. I think she just likes having a daughter. One guy puked in the back of another guy’s car. It was funny just because of who it was. And made me miss undergrad and how carefree we all were. I wish I could go and tell myself that undergrad wasn’t that hard and I just needed to enjoy myself.

However, with all the fun that I had, I’m pretty sure I got food poisoning. Yes, I drank quite a bit, but when I went to bed Saturday morning, I no longer felt drunk and I wasn’t my usual dizzy from laying down or any of that. I was fine. But when I woke up in the middle of the night, sicker than anything, I knew something was wrong. We had some leftover pizza when we got home and since Mr. A was also not feeling so hot, we think it was the pizza. I was sicker than anything ALL day Saturday. We went for a walk around campus, just so I could get some fresh air and hoping getting out of the house would help, and while it helped some, I was still pretty miserable. We grilled at home with the parents that night and I ate as much as I could hold down. (Between my stomach issue and the BIL’s gf’s inability to chew with her mouth closed and not smacking, it was hard to keep anything down.)

This morning we got up and went to church. We have yet to find one here we like, so it was nice to go. They have gotten a new pastor in the last few months, so I was worried, but he was really great. And something just clicked with me today. Whether it was the message or the guy delivering it, not sure, but I loved it and am determined to find one here that doesn’t lead me to analyzing the stained glass and reading the bulletin a hundred times.

After church, MIL took us out to lunch and then we packed up and headed home.

It was a really great 4 days. Mr. A and I got along great. That sounds strange but sometimes going home brings out weird things in us and causes us to get short with one another. Spent a lot of great quality time with my MIL. Step FIL was being jerky, but he does that sometimes. Pretty sure he didn’t like having lots of people in his house and messing with his schedule. BIL never said a word to Mr. A or I and his girlfriend was just over the top obnoxious. Actually, he did say something, but only a smart ass remark when Mr. A was telling his mom about a big thing that happened at school. Whatever. We have both washed our hands clean of him and really have nothing to do with him, at least until he learns how to act like an adult and figures out that he can’t mooch off his parents forever.

It was such a great time and makes me even more excited to go to my hometown this upcoming weekend for my birthday. Family birthday for my brother and I on Saturday and finally getting myself some real running shoes as a gift from my dad. Then, it’s just a few more weeks of the semester, and maybe getting some answers as to where and what we will be doing for the fall!

Lots going on and hopefully a blog giveaway this week. Keep an eye out…

Weekend Recap

Well, I made it back alive.

And I actually had a pretty good time, minus the bitchy step-sister, but I pretty much just avoided her and hung out with my super cool brother.

These weekends have been legendary. My dad and his friends have been going to this place for nearly 10 years now and they look forward to it every single year. They usually book it in January for October. Yes. They are THAT dedicated.

They rent cabins or a huge house for all of them, usually 8-12 people. The main lodge has a fall and a spring concert series. Dad and everyone pick a person or band they all agree on seeing and book that weekend.

Also, for the workaholic that is my father, her didn’t touch his laptop once. Not once. Ummm….until I was 20, we took a family vacation EVERY summer and he ALWAYS would work at some point during that vacation. Usually he would wake up early and work while the rest of us slept in. He would check e-mails, make phone calls, and work on various business projects as time and internet access permitted. This weekend? The only time he got on the computer was to load everyone’s pictures from the weekend so he could make the annual picture album of the trip. It may not mean a lot to you, but for me it just shows how much this trip means to him and how much he needs the break.

Each cabin had a name. This was ours.

Living room and kitchen area.

My stepsister and I shared a bedroom. Not ideal, but whatever. Only spent a few hours there each night.

Our GIANT jacuzzi tub and bathroom. I tried the Pioneer Woman’s “hip out” trick. Not sure it did much for me.

Some of the libations.

That’s not even a fourth of the wine consumed this weekend. Not including the peach Bellini’s my stepmom made. Talk about buzzed all weekend.

It was a lot of fun.

Friday we got there and kind of got settled. Once everyone got there and settled in their cabins, they came over to ours for grilling steaks and lots of wine and a bonfire. Music was played, drinks were had, jokes were laughed at. Definitely a good start.

And we have fire.

Saturday morning, friend M and his girlfriend made omelets. HOLY COW.

  Best. Omelets. EVER.

Seriously? You don’t understand the mouth-watering delicious-ness that was this thing. M and gf made each of them to order so every person got what they wanted. Mine has some browned bratwurst from the night before, spinach, onions, red pepper, mozarella and cheddar cheese. Yummmmmmm. And I don’t even usually like egg dishes, but these were so delicious.

Saturday during the day was just kind do your own thing. Some people went to come art fair in town which turned out to be more of a craft fair. And by that I mean every other booth was crocheted things. Yes, we were in the middle of nowhere. (And I didn’t have cell phone service all weekend except when we went to the lodge for the weekend. Talk about roughing it…haha)

Dining area at the lodge.

Dad took me and my stepsister to see the lodge and such. I developed the new hobby of photography over the weekend, so I was able to walk around and take pictures and practice some things my dad showed me. (I’ll do another post just on the new hobby of mine.)

The lodge was built in like 1800s and is super old and cool. There is a wraparound porch that goes around 3 sides of the place and is filled with rocking chairs.

The place is surround by hills covered in changing leaves. It was gorgeous.

We weren’t actually staying at the lodge and I’m good with that. The hallways where the rooms are looked like they came straight out of The Shining. I kept expecting kids on tricycles to show up. Creeeeepy. And the bathrooms were communal. So, down the hall and shared with everyone else in your hall. No thank you. Did that in college and I have no desire to do it on vacation.

Looking down on the concert area. It was much more packed with chairs that night.

Saturday night was dinner at the lodge before the concert. Ummm…wow. It was buffet, but probably the best buffet food I’ve ever had. Best mashed potatoes ever since I didn’t have to add butter or salt to them, and that’s huge for me. A creamed spinach dish that was to die for, Caesar salad that has just the right amount of dressing, grilled trout with lemon and rosemary, and  prime-rib that you could get as rare or as done as your preferred with a horseradish sauce. And for dessert, you could pick from bread pudding with a bourbon sauce, pecan pie, or chocolate mouse. I had the pecan pie and stole a couple bites of the bread pudding and both were delicious.

The concert itself was so-so. Everyone agreed that of all the shows they’ve seen, this was probably their least favorite. I knew the music wasn’t going to be my kind of thing, but I went along and tried to look as into it as I possibly could.

That night we went to S’s cabin and had another bonfire. The only thing missing was the marshmallows, but maybe as an adult you no longer like marshmallows? I don’t see how that’s possible, but who knows.

Sunday morning S and his wife took care of breakfast. Man, my dad’s friends know how to cook. She made a breakfast casserole that blows my mom’s version out of the water and super delicious French toast. I know it seems like all we did was eat, but I promise that’s not the case. I just like food so when it’s good, I talk about it. My dad put together a quick slideshow of everyone’s pictures to close out the weekend.

My brother jamming on his guitar.

It was neat to finally be on one of these weekends since I’ve heard about them for so long. I got to hear my dad and brother playing guitar together. I sat on the front porch with a book and a beer and just relaxed in the sunlight and breeze. I played with different settings and techniques with my camera and learned that I really want to learn more and maybe even take a class. I was able to avoid killing my stepsister, which is a feat of it’s own, and I learned that my stepmom isn’t so bad. I missed my husband and was so glad to return home to open arms and a warm hug.

Hope you all had a great weekend as well!

Getaway

As of Friday afternoon, I will be here. Looks relaxing, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, Mr. A will not be going with me, but he needs to study and he is going to his hometown to see friends on Saturday, so it works out. He needs a good boys night with his friends that he’s known since grade school. Admittedly, I’m a little jealous. I love his friends and wish I was going, but oh well.

Anyways, I will be in Missouri at a place that does weekend concert series and other various events. They have a ton of different cabins and houses and it should be a lot of fun.

It will be me, my dad, my stepmom, stepsister, brother, Dad’s friend M and girlfriend, and Dad’s other friend S and wife. My dad has known M and S since he was in his twenties and these guys are great. They’re like super cool uncles. I love spending time with them.

Dad, brother, S, and M and their significant others have done this every year for about 5 years now. There may be a couple additions here and there, but that’s the main group. I wasn’t originally on the guest list for this year, but since my brother and his girlfriend broke up, he had an extra ticket, so now I’m part of the cool kids club. They are actually very selective about who they invite. It’s their weekend to get away and relax, so I feel a little honored that I’m an adult now so I can go.

Lameeeeee. Oh well.

Except, I think my stepmom invited my stepsister since I was going to be there. As if I needed someone to keep me company. Really, I would have much more fun without her. I’ve hung out with all of these people my whole life and I don’t need her attention-whoring attitude, but whatever. My brother and I will drink our C@rona, talk about our dad’s eccentricities and it will be great.

Also, my brother is riding his motorcycle down, so maybe he can give me a ride on it. I don’t normally like motorcycles, but I figure I’m safe with my brother and he won’t be trying to show off or anything.

They also have this down to a science. Everyone is assigned different dishes or meals to take care of.

Friday night, everyone brings their own meat and they grill and someone brings a salad and a potato dish. I was in charge of dessert, so I made the peaches and cream cupcakes and the chocolate chip pumpkin cupcakes for that since my stepmom has heard me talking about all of my new baking adventures. Saturday morning M and his girlfriend will make individual omelets, which are apparently to die for. During the say is just snacky foods and such. That night we’ll eat dinner at the lodge before the concert and Sunday morning, S and his wife make a breakfast casserole and I made my cinnamon swirl bread.

I’m looking forward to it. I brought a couple books for relaxing time on Saturday. Everyone kind of chills on the porches and hangs out. Apparently M naps a lot. My dad has a lot of pictures of M napping. Weird.

But I hope all of you have a great weekend. Find time to relax and do something for your self. All of you deserve it and more.

I’ll recap all the funny stories when I get back.

Relaxing Weekend and Photo Explosion

This post might be long, but I promised pictures, so I’m delivering. Hopefully you enjoy!

(Too bad I can’t post pictures of the fiance because there are some really good ones of him! haha)

We headed home late Thursday night, got in and pretty much went straight to bed.

Friday was supposed to be Zoo day, but the city I’m from is VERY Catholic, so just about everyone and their cousin had the day off. We heard on the news later that some people waited in their cars for 2 hours to get .5 miles from the highway to the zoo. So, that got pushed to Saturday.

Instead, we went to this cool place right in the middle of downtown.

My dad had told us about it, and we never had the chance to go, so I figured there was no way I was wasting the beautiful weather. I grabbed the camera and took a billion pictures.

White Easter rabbit in the city

Florists randomly put flowers around the city, and come pick them back up 3 days later. This one had made flowers look like Easter eggs and put them all over the park.

These were so neat to see. They were hidden in the trees and all over. Such a neat idea and a cool way to add color!

Kids playing in the fountains.

Fiance's footprints after playing in the water. He decided if the kids got to, he should too! haha

The World is Mine

Creepy head/statue with a water fountain streaming down. A little strange.

This is the Urban Rabbit. We were able to get really close to him. I then decided that I probably shouldn't try to pet him. Too bad.

Just some pretty flowers

Baseball season, how I missed you. I will be attending my first game this season in May. Beer, Sun, and Baseball. What could be better?

Baseball season started for my team today. The next six months will be wonderful. I don’t follow football or basketball, but baseball is another story.

Thinking of taking some wedding pictures here. Kind of a staple of weddings in this city. And, the wedding will be held only about 4 blocks away. What do you think?

So, all of this was on Friday. Yeah, it was a busy day. But, I haven’t been home in about a month and a half and I have truly missed it. Again…I currently live in a VERY small town, so I LOVE getting to go home. After law school, fiance and I are moving here. Three years is a long ways a way….

So Saturday, we finally went to the zoo.

You may think, this girl is 23 years old. Why is she so obsessed with the zoo???

I LOVE the zoo at home. It’s amazing (in my opinion). It’s free and I have always loved animals. Well, fiance and I have been going there in pretty days since we started dating four years ago. Our favorite area is the new penguin exhibit. You are close enough that you could touch them. You aren’t supposed to, but there is nothing between you and them when they are swimming by the glass.

Penguins at the zoo

Long story short, this is where the fiance proposed to me on December 26, 2008. It was a cold, but very pretty day. Not many people around and it was perfect. I wanted it to be special to us, not what everyone else would do. I loved it. Still do. And I now have a couple various penguin things as gifts from family and friends. At this zoo, you can pay and go behind the scenes and pet and feed some penguins, so we are planning in doing that this year in December. Yep. We’re a little dorky sometimes.

Orangutans must have had a rough night....

So, spent most of the weekend in the outdoors doing what we love. We were planning on a picnic in the park and get everything from Whole Foods, but it had rained and just didn’t work out. I was a little bummed.

But then it was birthday celebration time. My older brother and I are 7 years and two days apart, so the family always does joint celebrations. Also, my dad’s side likes to drink, so it’s usually pretty fun.

This year we went to a dueling piano bar. It was a BLAST!! If you haven’t been, find a nearby city that has one and go. You won’t be disappointed.

So ready to move out of a dry county and into a place like this....Happy Birthday to me!

The entertainment. They were very good!

Spent all day Sunday at my Mom’s and enjoyed a yummy Easter dinner. The weekend ended too soon and we had to come back. Oh well. Only a couple more months till we move to the city where law school will be, and it’s way better than the current town! haha

Well, this post is super long, so I’ll save the stories for later. Hope you enjoyed.

Now on to studying for my licensing test. Wish me luck!

New Teacher. New Wife.