two conchfritters

Two

2011-03-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

We passed the test for one more year.

:)

Both Darin and I can't believe we've been married for two years. It's amazing really.

So much has happened since then, but in actually nothing too significant. Just fun memories.

I wonder what the future holds.

Hopefully everything we imagine.

<3

A Trip up North

2011-03-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas. Seattle.

And Vancouver.

Skyline. Don't you love the mountains? Sigh.

In the Farmers Market. The pastries almost made us stay forever.

So. Good.

Eating soup.

.

Drinking beer.

Great times.

GL Post Two

2011-02-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

More pretty shots:

This is what I think of when I think of Florida winters.
Sunshine and tall pine trees.

*yikes

They kind of look peaceful.

A pea-cock. Ha.

Another * yikes.

Darin's parents and my parents (and us too) all went to try something new and different. And boy did we get it. You think that this place would be a distance away from civilization, but no. It's right in the south part of town.

But it really was great. And a beautiful (though somewhat chilly for FL day). And I got to hold a tarantula. Yeah for spiders! And I didn't scream! (Was hoping for a opossum - guy thought I was nuts!)

If you come and visit, I'd go back in a heart beat. Might be fun to see what the gators do when it's not cold out. (They were pretty lazy).

GL Post One

2011-02-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Wow. Long time ago.

After Thanksgiving. Before Christmas.

We went to G@torland.

Had a great time - as you will see through pictures!

It was cold. They were in the sunshine.
Buddies.

A favorite. Classic, isn't it?

I'm gonna eat you.
But I won't move. So, you win this one.

You'd think they'd be a little scared?

Too cute. For. Words.

As close as we'll get!

Observing.

Books

2011-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

So the goal is to read more.

Why? Because I want to. Can't think of any other reason.

Been thinking about reading more 'Classic' books. Either I (1) didn't read them in high school/college or (2) I've forgotten that I've read them. Not quite sure which is correct.

I've been looking for a good list to go by. I need to make sure there are some normal books on the list else I'll go crazy.

I've found a good list from Time here, but it's in alphabetical order (yikes). Is it bad if I haven't even heard of a lot in the "A" group? Oh dear, just counted and I've read eight - which is a impressive number because they don't have normal books on that list.

Re-searching.

Found this - much better. I've read ten total on the 'Readers List'. Sigh.

Keep re-searching.

Now there is this. Much much more promising. 22 read.

This is the list I will use. Cheating, a little. But at least I won't go crazy with the list. But I have to mention that I don't think the Twilight series are really Top 100 quality - but I've read (and enjoyed) them all. And they do have newer books on the list.

Here's to reading more!

Magical Weddings

2011-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Even longer ago, my very good friend LaShan and my other very good friends Cassie and Thad came to Orlando for the marriage of their good friend. And I got to tag along and be a plus one.

It's fun being a plus one.

Especially at Disney.

Disney - can you see the carriage in the distance?

The day was a beautiful one - nice normal winter Florida weather. I was very impressed by the location, and loved the horse and carriage. Though I've never been the princess/fairytale type, it was pretty special.

Cassie, Matron of Honor
She was gorgeous!

Bride, Dina, and her Dad

Wowzers! From the ceremony, we headed inside for a quick break while the others took pictures. We had the best time being silly and eating random appetizers.

Mickey and the Castle cut-outs

Tic-Mickey-Toe

And then there was the reception. It was an Alice themed roomed. We had a nummy dinner of like five courses - including this fantastic one:

The shoe! With raspberry sorbet!

Can you tell whose crazy? Hee hee.
Me, Cassie, Mad Hatter, and LaShan

Thad being silly and trying on the giant hat.
(It probably would have fit my Mother's head. Hahahaha.)

LaShan with the bride!

It's always fun to have friends visit - and even better when you get to do something memorable with them. I was super excited about the wedding and was so happy to go. I guess that's one big positive about living in Florida; everyone always comes to visit!

FL Competition

2011-01-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

We have amazing friends. Seriously.

One day, not too long ago, we got an invite to go to the basketball game of UCF vs. UF at the Amw@y Center. Snazzy. (It's brand new in case you didn't know this.)

Wow.

First of all, we were in a box. I've never been in a box before. Ha ha, that sounds funny. Our friend Julie and Bob were going and we tagged along - Julie's work has a box and she gets tickets every once in awhile. Just so happened we got to go to this super exciting game.

Wow.

Go Knights!

UCF team

It was a great game - UCF won. (They were actually ranked - for the first time in college history - for awhile there but have recently lost four games in a row.) The food was amazing - they had these funnel cake fries with a raspberry sauce that were to die for. We had two helpings. Sigh.

And it was a lot of fun. And the game really was exciting, close, and crazy!

And I'm a fan now. And I'll have to admit I'll have a hard time choosing - maybe - who to cheer for in the future.

Yikes, Thanksgiving

2011-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

Well way back when, like over three months ago (yikes), Darin and I drove up to South Carolina to spend post-Thanksgiving with my parents, sister, the Ws, and KC.

Hurray!

It's always fun to see how many people you can cram into one large house without wanting to hunt each other down and tackle them. We were fine though. (Movies help a lot, as does more than one car...) And goes going out to eat.

Here's one of my favorite bbq places ever. Margie, Bob, and I have been meeting there for almost eight years now. (Isn't that crazy?!)

KC and Bobert

Dru and Mom

Dad by his sign.

The pulled pork there was wonderful as always. As were the sweet potatoes. I absolutely love sweet potatoes. And there was banana pudding. My father absolutely loves banana pudding. (Now I want banana pudding, but alas I have banana bread so that's probably good enough.)

***

We had a great time all together. Ended up seeing this movie. Fantastic. I was really proud of us all for waiting to go see it together! <3 style="font-style: italic;">heart people)

Thanksgiving dinner was re-done on Saturday. Darin really liked my Mother's stuffing - and I made the gravy with her help (my first time). We all got our special fixin' and it was great as always.

***

We got to also go to another crowd favorite - Creek R@ts. We ordered our favorite fried pickles (Margie and mine at least) and then Dru ordered fried okra because she's weird.

Hurray!

It was a great time up there. And a fun tradition we started. Isn't it amazing that we can come from all over the country to be with family? So simple really: I guess that's what family is all about.

Book List 2010

2011-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

Every new year I do my book list of the previous year.

I love to read, and it makes me feel great accomplishment to see how many books I've added to my list.

Here goes:

Books I've Read...
Spider Bones, Kathy Reichs
Mona Lisa Smile, Deborah Chiel
Deliver Us From Evil, David Baldacci
Mini Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella
Last Night at Chateau Marmont, Lauren Weisberger
I am the cheese, Robert Cormier
Fly Away Home, Jennifer Weiner
The Help, Kathryn Stockett
The Heritic Queen, Michelle Moran
Scarpetta Factor, Patricia Cornwell
Invisible Prey, John Sanford
Mind Prey, John Sanford
Nefertiti, Michelle Moran
Sizzling Sixteen, Janet Evanovitch
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Steig Larsson
Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier
SuperFreakanomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
The White Queen, Phillippa Gregory
The Girl who Played with Fire, Steig Larsson
I, Alex Cross, James Patterson
Storm Prey, John Sanford
Rough Country, John Sanford
Knit the Season, Kate Jacobs
Nanny Returns, Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Freakanomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
True Blue, David Baldacci
Winter Prey, John Sanford
Children of God, Mary Doria Russell
9 Dragons, Michael Connelly
Best Friends Forever, Jennifer Weiner
Sudden Prey, John Sanford
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steig Larsson

Books I've Listened To...
Dracula, Bram Stoker
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Seth Grahame-Smith
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
World Without End, Ken Follett
Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
Alex Cross' Trial, James Patterson
Silent Prey, John Sanford
Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne

Over all, I'd say my favorite this year would be Remarkable Creatures - I highly recommend it. I love books that are a bit different than the every day book. Plus I love archeology. My favorite listening books were the Ken Follett ones, though they took forever to finish. They were like 36 CDs each and took a couple of months and some trips up to South Carolina to finish. I will probably read them one day. Also, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter was a great book. Can't wait for it to become a movie. Next year!

Another 30th

2010-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Another friend turned the big 3-0. (Yikes!)

This time it was Becky:

The blond one :)

A whole group got together to celebrate with her - at this fantastic restaurant. We hadn't been there for quite some time - I love the cheesecake. So good. In fact, it was the first restaurant where I actually liked the cheesecake (and this was not too long ago) because before I wasn't too fond of it. (It's my father's favorite dessert). I ended up getting the lettuce wraps. I would like some now please. Thanks.

Her SIL and CIL got her the best gifts - a bunch of "old" people stuff: diapers, prunes, denture cream, etc. It was AWESOME.

The group was huge - maybe like 20-25 people. Some how we got seated at the kids table. Between kids. Poor Darin.

Sweet baby S.

M. in the stripes.

Jeff and little D.

It turned out to be a great evening. Always interesting when there were children involved. Found out that baby S. really really likes fresh whipped cream. Kept her busy for quite some time while her Mama got ready to go. She still was a bit afraid of Darin. She'll learn eventually that he's just terrified of her, and she can do whatever she wants to. :)

Happy Birthday Becky!

Back in October

2010-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

There was Halloween.

Remember that? Way back when?

We actually had a wonderful time. Super fun.

Darin and I decided to go as Wayne and Garth from this movie/show. I don't know why we decided to this this, all I know was that it worked for us. (In college during some sorority thing, my friend Kara and I were W and G too. I was Wayne and she was Garth. I have pictures. (So it really happened). I just have no idea why we did this. Hmm.)

Got our clothes at G00dwill. Hair at a costume shop.

Took forever to get my hat. I should have just ordered one from the Internet. Ended up getting it from here. Totally would recommend them.

***

Had two parties to go to. Yes, we're popular.

First was at Cherrah and Jeff's house.

Us. Ha.

Scotty (Mr. Woods) and Garth.

Jailbait (Alisa) and I (Wayne)

I swear the people there who didn't know me though I was a guy. Really. It was creepy.

Had lot of fun there, but were late. And we had to go to another party too so just sort of left - but had a great time. And ate way too much food. Still thinking about the bean dip. Ahh, bean dip.

Second was Mercy and Frank's bash:

Frank as Frankenstein. Clever.

Darin's brain. Haha, it's far to big to be his.
Ha ha.

Small group at their house.
Frank, Mercy, Raji, Nazelle, Chris' wife, Chris
(don't remember her name. oops.)

And we ate even more there.

Mercy had all this super creative food. Like hot dogs as fingers. Zingers as tombstones. And the Jell-0 brain. Awe. Some.

Our squirrel.

Came home to torture the dog. He doesn't particularly like Halloween. Or costumes. Or squirrels.

We went to Diana and Gus' house for the actual night - on Sunday - to help hand out candy. Yikes they get a lot of kids. The four of us and the two dogs helped celebrate the trick-or-treat tradition - and we only ate a little bit of the candy.

fun. fun.

2010-12-06T10:38:00.001-08:00

From here.

I'm in the 'Enough for most scientists' group.

Is that sad?

Or something you'd assume about me?

Book List 2007

2010-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Tucked into one of my books packed away, I found my book list of 2007. Want to keep these written down somewhere so I will remember.

Not too exciting of a post, but hey. It's really a diary of sorts.

Books Read:
- Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
- The Sleeping Doll, Jeffery Deaver
- Plum Lucky, Janet Evanovich
- A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle
- Atonement, Ian McEwan
- The Empress File, John Sanford
- The Fool's Run, John Sanford
- Double Cross, James Patterson
- Someone to Love, Jude Deveraux
- The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Kim Edwards
- Fearless Fourteen, Janet Evanovich
- Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs

Books Listened To:
- The Devil's Code, John Sanford
- 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Jules Vern
- The Hanged Man's Song, John Sanford
- Grave Secrets, Kathy Reichs
- Break No Bones, Kathy Reichs
- Cross Bones, Kathy Reichs
- Ashes to Bone, Kathy Reichs
- Bare Bones, Kathy Reichs
- Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini
- Camel Club, David Baldacci

Jake, Every Day Events

2010-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

Thought I hadn't written about Jacob Tiger lately. I was looking through some pictures the other day on my phone and decided it would be fun to share.

Side note: We have some what thought of changing Jake's middle name from Tiger. It's mainly because of his similarities between one of our favorite current basketball players: Dwight H0ward.

Little head, super huge body.
(You can't really tell in this photo.)

But Jake's head was so big, it slipped though his collar so many times, that we had to get him a body collar. And he's super muscular too. Plus we're big fans of the real Dwight.

So Jacob Tiger Dwight L-E. JTDLE.

It's quite a name really.

Back to photos...

Found this one in my memory on my phone.
The bunny was found during packing.
And was riding Jake for some time before he realized it.
Very funny actually.

On the car trip up to visit Kucku/Anu
He's pretty sleepy in the car.
Has his bed and other pillows to sleep on.
Yes, he's spoiled.

At the house while we were painting.
He was tuckered out.
And probably enjoyed the nice cool floor.

In bath tub.
We were watching TV and noticed he was not around.
Went to find him.
He was in the bath tub.
Trying to get the soap (orange thing).
He loved the water.

100,000 Miles

2010-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

My dear Honey past 100,000 miles the other day.

She is not getting older, just wiser.

(This makes no sense whatsoever).

This is my first car that I have put all of the miles on it. Well, Darin and I. I'd say that's pretty impressive as I got her in February 2006. And I drive 15 miles to work.

Wonder how many trips up to South Carolina that was?

She is a great car though. Though I'm pretty sure I can say I won't be putting another 100,000 miles on her.

That would be scary really.

Happy Miles Birthday Honey!

White is the 'new' Blue

2010-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Couple of weekends ago, we went back to the old house to paint paint paint.

When we first decided to paint the family room blue - over three years ago, we (and by we I mean me) knew that we would eventually have to re-paint. Because well it was blue, people. Blue.

So we re-painted.

I have to admit the whole 'excitement' that was initially there at the beginning was gone. We were just painting to paint. Gone were those feelings of the new house with the pretty walls. But it wasn't bad in any way, more tedious really. But not a big deal.

And we about finished - actually ran out of paint. Impressive, I know.

Family Room Pics

Master Bedroom.
Good bye dark green.

And that was that. We still have to do another coat in both rooms - the master bedroom gets the flesh color that was on the other walls. Not too big of a deal - probably only a couple hours (we're almost professionals).

And the funny thing about this was we painted a hallway in our church this past weekend. Darin wants nothing more to do with paint. (He's the edger, I'm the taper and roller).

So we'll see. I'll just have to teach Jake to paint. He's pretty talented. You never know.

What Happened to the Peppers

2010-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we moved.

This you know.

One thing (out of many actually) we were really going to miss was our garden.

And by our garden, I mean Darin's garden.

Here are some previous posts to keep you refreshed:

(1) Start
(2) Growing
(3) Crazy Growing and Multiplying

Because we moved and don't water the garden twice every day (this was the key to a great garden - who knew you just had to water it a lot?!), we knew it would eventually die out.

And it did. But can you see what's poking through?

RED. RED Peppers!

It was actually very funny to see all this dead stuff with bright red everywhere! Those peppers - well, never really seen anything quite so bright and cheerful (not that I'd eat them by-the-way. I'm not that crazy.)

Can't wait until we garden again. Next time maybe we'll go for food we actually both eat.

Just sayin'.

It's not 'goodbye', it's 'see you next time'

2010-10-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, Jake and I took a quick trip up to Gainesville to see Kucku and Anupama. It just so happened that Anupama was going to be leaving for India in a couple of days, and Jake and I needed to visit for some friend-time.

She was leaving the US for good. Sad Del.

I have to admit that it was a hard visit for me. And even though I know she'll be reading this in India with her wonderful family, I still know that I will miss her greatly. (Why aren't you on skype right now?!)

***

We were so happy for the visit though (Jake told me on the trip home while he was passed out in the back seat). Had a great time just talking, looking at fun Internet videos, eating too much food, and just being together.

First the food (had a great breakfast too - no pictures though, sorry):

At Bonefish. Eating too much.

Ended up catching a movie, going back to Kucku's, and talking. Trying to figure out how much Anu's bags weighted (a lot!). Or whether Jake could fit in a bag to India (and whether he'd be a good Indian dog - I think he would).

Or who Jake loved more...

And that was the trip.

Good, simple, relaxing, fun, memorable weekend.

Miss you friend.
Call me!

First Game of the Season

2010-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well our first game that is.

Went to see if UCF could take on an ACC school a couple of weeks back.

(Not so much).

But they sure tried hard. And it was a good team. Sort of.

And it was a beautiful fall day in Florida.

Clear blue fluffy cloudy skies

We tail gate with a bunch of Darin's old college buddies, their friends, and their significant others. Mostly we go to see Dan and Angela (and C.) and Karen and Brad. They always have amazing food to try - love the hot dogs on the grill!

Walking to the game with C. in the cart

We got into the game actually before kickoff (we're normally about 5 minutes late because everyone has to finish their beer and walk to the stadium...), which was great!

Wow!

And it was a great game - UCF held their own. And the weather was perfect too!

Angela, Dan, and C.

Del and Darin.

We'll probably go back to another game as this was was just great - fun company and wonderful weather. If only Jake could come. He'd be super excited! It would be even funnier if he could run on the field - crazy Jake dog running away from everyone. I can just see it!

And it's Working!

2010-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Finally, my computer is connecting to the Internet at home!

Phew!

I don't know if it was because my computer is old (6 years - and runs fast and perfectly) or whether something was wrong with it's internal wireless card (but why would it work at work?), BUT it's working now.

And I can continue blogging like a champ. With blogging goals and everything!

More to come.

Weekend Wonder

2010-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Been busy here.

And the computer is still not working at home. Something to do with my wireless router on my computer being 'overwhelmed' by the amount of other wireless routers around our apartment complex. It's been a month since we could get Internet at home. Hopefully Darin can fix the problem tonight!

This last weekend, Darin and I volunteered for the Salty Dog Duathlon in Melbourne, FL. We decided to make a long weekend out of the trip and were so happy with the decision. We had a wonderful time relaxing on the beach, swimming in the pool, and not doing much of anything else.

There was this great fair in Melbourne that weekend too which we visited all three days/nights. So much fun! Had a great dinner Friday night to celebrate our birthdays and got a great bottle of wine. Saturday night we headed out to a fun Irish bar for some beer and soup. Sunday went to a great bagel place for breakfast sandwiches and headed home to our pup.

As soon as I get my computer up and running, I'll add some photos.

Enjoy your weekend!

Something Funny

2010-10-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just got this email from a service guy who came to update software two weeks ago. I had told him that I wished our company brought donuts in every Friday like his does, and here's his response:

Really Donuts! I was kind of jealous of your soda supply. We do not always get donuts. We change it up from beagles and also fruits and yogurts.

Beagles = Dog
Bagel = Bread substitute

It was very funny to me. He's such a funny guy - but he totally didn't realize this blunder. Ha ha! Made my day.

Excitement

2010-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

New things are happening.

Good things.

(On the work front people.)

My company was acquired by a much larger one. Much larger. And we're all excited to be given this great opportunity!

Here's the news!

:)

Dad's Favorite Place

2010-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Going to head over to one of my father's favorite places.

I'm not sure if it's "of all time", but I'm pretty sure it's up there. Or the concept of the place is.

I am speaking of Goodwill.

There just happens to be one five minutes from our new apartment, and I want one of the shower container things for shampoo and stuff. And I don't want to buy one full price. Or go somewhere to actually get a new one. And I think I've donated a couple myself.... so we'll see.

I also want to get a shower curtain, but not sure if they have those. Sigh. Is it gross to get a used shower curtain? I mean, I'll clean it and all. (Or at least I'll tell people I did, kidding.) Now I don't think I'd do towels, but maybe if they were new looking (had this conversation with my sister the other day). But I think I would with a comforter because I would use my old comforter, you know? But would I have used Darin's? I guess we did for some time, so probably would use a strangers as well.

Wish me luck on finding bathroom stuff. Don't want to buy new - so Goodwill here I come.

Quick Labors

2010-09-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

The family all got together on Labor Day - as well they should!

Didn't take too many pictures (busy eating), but I did manage to grab a couple of fun ones.

The men outside. Grillin' meat.

Is this what Darin would look like with some extra lbs?

We ate a nice lunch - adults at one table and kids at another... memories. Then the kids found a lizard in the kitchen and their father proceeded to show a fun trick that he, Diana, and Darin used to do when they were little.

Gross.

And that's about it. Ate, mingled, and then went back to work. For cells didn't know what 'days off' were.

Texan Visit

2010-09-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

A couple days before Labor Day Weekend, my friend LaShan came for a quick visit as she was meeting her family in Orlando to celebrate summer and all that Orlando has to offer!

I haven't seen her since she graduated and headed to Texas, so I was pretty excited to hear/see how she was doing and just spend time talkin'.

She ended up getting in semi-late on Wednesday night - we headed out for a quick dinner with Darin, and then headed home.

Thursday, I took the day off (woo hoo) so we could relax and enjoy the sunshine with her. We headed over to Cocoa Beach but I was a little afraid because we had a hurricane off our shores and the water was supposed to be crazy strong.

* Which it was! We were afraid (as was everyone else at the beach) to go in too deep.

But it was a beautiful day to spend enjoying the sunshine and breezes.

Dark water - can you see it in the photos? The water was this dark brown color - not from gross stuff in the water, but from the waves turning everything up from the ocean floor. There were also tons of fish jumping out of the water at every moment - I've never experienced anything like this before. It was cool and gross at the same time. (I'm not too fond of fish. Yak.)

Shan at our spot!

We ended up sitting right in front of Coconuts and right in front of the life guards - we didn't want to take any chances.

Where did her feet go?

As I've mentioned, the water was crazy strong - we walked a lot up and down our little stretch of sand and did go in the water to cool off a bit. While we were there, three little sea turtles washed up on shore. I guess there was a casting off of sea turtles by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society that morning and some of them got caught up my the rough seas. The life guards ended up taking them back to the preservation area.

Had a good fish lunch, drove around to see the sights, and then I dropped her off.

It was a brief yet fun (and relaxing) visit!

Darin vs. Jake's Toys

2010-09-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Beware.

While moving (yes I know I'm blogging a lot about this recently because well that's what we had been doing for the past couple weeks), we found the box of need I say 'retired' toys from Jake. They were all lovingly given to us from various people, loved by Jake for maybe 10 minutes, and then killed by Jake shortly after.

(I've kind of learned since that he can only have a stuffed animal toy for a short part of time before he starts trying to get to the squeaky).

We thought it would be fun to add some photos of them (with Darin's help).

Enjoy:

Killer upside-down duck?

Vampire lion and bear?

Ninja hedgehog?

One legged sheep

No eyed cow.

Attacking an already attacked purple monster!

He has more. Don't worry. At least I didn't show you a picture of what happened to the blue arm of the 4-armed Kong toy. It was a very scary sight.

Random Ramblings

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

This week has been busy. (It was my birthday week in case you didn't know.)

Updates?!

Darin made a wonderful meal last Monday night - chicken pomodoro. It was supposed to include angel hair pasta but upon cooking ours and then straining it, we realized there were little pepper specks all over it. Bugs. Gross. Ended up having to use the macaroni from our mac & cheese container.

We have been currently obsessed with McDon@lds cheeseburgers. I blame the Doritos chips. Guess it's alright as we eat only one of them each and do NOT share with the dog. (Almost got him one - and I think Darin would have if I wasn't in the car!)

Had a big presentation for our journal club here at work on Tuesday. This one was the second one I've done for my company, and I was much more relaxed this time around. The first presentation was on a couple of papers on an immunology subject. Giving this made me very nervous because I am not a 'trained' immunologist - and most of my coworkers are. Yikes. But I felt as though I did a good job, so was feeling pretty good about my second presentation which was on this. And in this instance I actually knew what I was talking about. Amazing?

That's it. Nothing too exciting!

The Real Deal

2010-09-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Birthday blog.

I have a lot of older pictures/fun times to talk about, but this has been on my mind this morning because my desk decorations were hard to explain to people last night as I told them about my birthday day.

Here was the story:

I walked into the office and saw streamers coming down from the ceiling. I was thinking my coworkers were going to do something for my birthday, but I wasn't thinking it would be so extravagant!

And there were balloons too. 30th Birthday Balloons!

Black streamers were everywhere!

Black tarp paper - around everything!
My whole desk was completely covered.

Glitter stars (for some much needed color)!

It was funny. And awesome. I guess overall it's a nice feeling to have people remember you on your birthday. And make it special.

I received birthday treats too. Rice crispy treats (my favorite), fantastic chocolate cake (see below), and ice cream cake too!

And poor Uncle Sam. He got it bad too. They mummified him - though we kind of think he looks like a ninja. Ninja Uncle Sam. With guitar.

With my birthday tiara (which I wore out for lunch)!

And then after all that - I got some beautiful flowers delivered from my sister! Aww!

And though she didn't pick out the exact colors, I'd say she got it right (Go Clemson!). They were gorgeous - purple, fuchsia, and bring orange. Loved them!

It was a wonderful birthday - made special my my family, friends, and coworkers!

Big 'n Black

2010-09-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

Will add more pictures, but I must say I was very impressed.

My whole desk was in black shiny stuff - everything wrapped. Computer, speakers, keyboard, mouse, stapler, paper-clip holder. Everything. Poor Uncle Sam was wrapped up too.

More pictures to follow...

The Ongoing Obsession

2010-09-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Since my car is about to reach the 100,000 mile mark, I for some strange reason have been majorly obsessing about getting a new car.

Disclaimer:
I am not getting a new car. Nothing (for the most part) is wrong with my current car and I almost have it paid off.

Anyway. It comes and goes every other month I'd say. Darin has been pretty good about it - semi-supporting my obsession but then making me see reason. He doesn't say anything to make me see reason, mind you. It's that he doesn't say anything. Which is annoying, but at least consistent. And then I realize myself it's probably not a good time to get a new car especially when you don't need one. I'm being responsible, see?

So to get on to the cars.

(1) Ford Edge

I think this is the cutest car ever. And yes, I like cars on how they look. Come on, my first car was a Saab people?! And there are a lot of them here in Florida for some reason - when I was up visiting my parents awhile ago, I tried to spot one for my Mom to see, but we never found one. I really love the eggshell color. So cute! So I see them all the time which just adds to my obsession about getting one.

(2) Ford Fusion Hybrid

Both Darin and I like this car. Could be that it was named (2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year) as best car of 2010. It's very sleek and suave. Ahh. And I think a car would be ideal for us compared to an SUV/Crossover just because of all of the driving we do. But it's such an adult car. You know?

(3) Honda Element

I know this car was made initially for men (did you know this?), but I love it anyway. I think it's because I like the strangeness of how it looks. And how very modern and simplistic it is by design. And I love the colors it comes in. This obsession is particularly bad because there is one currently for sale in front of a bank I drive by every day going/coming to work.

Make it stop.

Kidding. I have enough self control to handle this for awhile longer. Plus I really like my car - it's just not a new cute car, but a boring almost-paid-off car. There is no excitement there. Maybe I should just paint it purple?

To Celebrate

2010-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Oops. Forgot to publish the aftermath of Anu's graduation.

See below:

On Saturday night after Anu officially became a Ph.D (not sure if that was a true statement. I guess the diploma was the official part? Or was it the defense? Not sure...), we decided to celebrate at Buca di Beppo. Anu's a big fan of Italian food. And it's a great place to get together to eat!

Suz and I.

Raji and Darin

LOVE this photo. Kucku and Anu.

Buca had a family style dinner - it was actually pretty fun to decide what we all wanted to eat. Especially because we had a vegetarian in our mists (and a gluten-free eater)! We got a super tasty huge salad, spaghetti, manicotti, and a chicken dish.

But we got like the perfect amount of food. Or at least I though so. And it was all very good!

Peace from Darin.

Candid shot.
Kucku, Anu, and Dominique

Cathy, Craig, and Raji

Did I mention the two bottles of wine we also ordered? Numm. I think only 5 of us drink them. Oops.

We exchanged gifts, made Anu give a mini-speech, and just enjoyed each others' company while celebrating with Anupama.

Great idea! We all got to sign it.

My gift to her. :)

Our Group (CW):
Cathy, Craig, Raji, Darin, Suzanne, Del, Kucku, Anu, and Dominique

Once again, congrats to Anu. Your Ph.D was an amazing accomplishment!

The Obsession with Blue

2010-09-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I hate white walls.

I think it's because I lived in an apartment for too long and didn't have enough color stimulation.

Which is strange by the way because my room at the house I grew up in was all white (fact: I got to re-due the whole room style when I went into high school). I wanted white walls and white carpet. It was a fresh cool feeling in that room - also semi-country feeling. But never-the-less white.

Sigh.

I guess tastes change. Or maybe I was in color overload at the other house (I don't think was true but you never know). Or it could be college and graduate school housing over time just took it's toll.

Whatever the reason, I must have color. Must.

I could be as easy as a neutral beige or pretty light yellow. But for me, color was a must.

So the day we got our keys to our new place, even though I was super stressed and uber busy, I painted the walls blue. Or one wall blue. Whatever.

I have before and after pictures.

(Strange photo color, sorry.)

Blue. With spots.
(The spots weren't there when it dried completely).

But I'll have more after pictures when we get the paintings up!

And if you have a keen eye, you might realize that the blue was the same as our old family room. It was left-over from when we painted three years ago. Yikes. Man did I stir that paint! If you like a color, why not stick with it?

And I only really got paint on my hands. Woo hoo. I'm becoming a better painter.

Score.

Random Ramblings

2010-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to write every Friday about the daily and weekly strangeness that happens to me every week.

Some weeks might be a little more exciting than others, but I often find myself telling people the funny stories that happen to me at work and beyond regardless.

Hope you enjoy.

***

This week.

(1)

Since we have the new apartment, we have a new area to do stuff in (which we've basically already lived in before we moved out to the house), and there is a new drive to work. For some weird reason, when I turn out of my apartment complex and go right, on Tuesday and Thursdays it's super busy. But other days it's not. I though it might be the time I was leaving, but I think now it has to do with the community college further south of us on our same road. I can't figure it out, but I LIKE routine. So it is annoying me greatly. We will see how it works out.

(2)

I listen to books in my car when I drive. I think most people know this - and if you're interested in what I have listened to in the past, I have a list of the side of the blog. Right now I'm listening to "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter".

It has (so far) completely taken me by surprise - love how it's creative and historical at the same time. And now whenever I think of our 16th president, I think of vampires.

This author has another book out. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Can't wait to read/listen to it.

(3)

Most of my company eats together at lunchtime. We definitely have little cliques here, but overall we mostly get along. A lot of people walk to the grocery store and pick up food for the week - lunch meat and chips, etc. The other day they got cheeseburger Doritos.

Now I am not a chip person. Or a sandwich person for the matter. But these are the strangest things you have ever tasted. They taste exactly, and I mean exactly, like McDon@lds cheeseburgers. It's creepy. You should check them out (but get a little bag because they're kind of overwhelming).

***

The end.

To Be a Better Blogger

2010-09-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs I read (every day mind you) is The Pioneer Woman.

Ree's fantastic, don't you know.

She wrote yesterday about blogging.

And it motivated me.

(And even though I didn't blog yesterday it wasn't because I didn't try - my home computer is on the fritz - aka sick - and I haven't been able to upload photos or even turn the darn thing on. Alas, blogging from work. Don't do it that often.)

So I will try more. To write random things down - to tell you (and future me mostly because I have an awful memory) what we're up to.

Hope you don't get too sick of us. And by us, I mean me.

From Jake's Perspective

2010-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

1. For a couple of weeks now, we've been packing up the house. Spending time going though stuff - creating a lot of trash. Making sure things were organized.

2. We went through his stuff - throwing away old toys, etc. He can see them in the trash can (and would often try to rescue them).

3. Boxes upon boxes were stacking up everywhere.

4. He was tied up outside while people came (though very known people) and removed all of the boxes from his house. He wanted to help, but alas was tied up and couldn't.

5. His Aunt Diana took him with his Uncle Gus for a car ride and dropped him off at a strange place where they cut his fur and trimmed his toenails. His parents abandoned him. He was a sad dog.

6. His Darin found him again at the scary place, drove in the wrong direction from his home, and placed him in a new place where all the right smells were.

7. He found his bone and bed. But still, the carpet was new. But the bed was the same. He was a little confused.

8. He realized there were so many new smells outside - his nemesis the rottweilers were nowhere to be seen. But he did see an unknown cat.

9. The next day he went back to his old house, through his dog door, and got to talk to his buddies - the golfers. But nothing was in his old house. No dog bed outside to sit on and enjoy the sunshine. No couch to lay on.

10. And then more boxes and another trip to the place with the new smells.

11. But his Mama and (most importantly) his Darin were there. So all was well.

What have we been up to?

2010-09-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

We've been packing - because we're moving.

I guess (or assume) that most of you already know this. But we have been having a pretty hectic week (with packing/going through stuff/work/friends visiting), but we are getting very excited for this big day to happen.

And there is crap everywhere - it's amazing really how much stuff we have accumulated over the three years we've lived here (and I guess all of the other places we've lived). We decided to really try to go through everything and get rid of the "stuff". We both really don't like having all of this stuff, so I guess that's a good thing!

Jake got to join in the fun too when I found a box of his 'old' babies - I say 'old' because they are really the ones who are dead, need to be stitched-up, or thrown away. It's hard to throw away a good loved toy.

Happy Jake!

More news to follow.

Big Day for Anu

2010-08-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

After many hard hours of studying, arguing, getting frustrated, being happy, and writing her dissertation, we got to celebrate with my great friend Anupama her graduation with a PhD.

Headed over to school to get good spots and some photos.

I mean every important event needs pictures to embarrass, right?

School. Sch.ooooo.l
#1 in size. Scary thought.

Some of the photos were somewhat just taken - I was excited okay?

Kucku and Anu - both Doctors!

By the Knight.
Decided her parents would really enjoy this one.

Hurray!

Anu's other good friend Dominique also came - and brought gifts.

Awesome!

Best. Picture. Ever.

Went inside to wait (and get out of the heat) to realize we had assigned seats. Super cool. I ended up reading my book for some time until the others came. Yes I brought a book to graduation. I'm that person.

After being hooded!

Basically if you don't know, PhDs walk up to graduate with their adviser who actually gets to hood the graduate. It's very special moment because it's the defining moment of the Doctorate in Philosophy.

Was so happy to be able to celebrate this day with Anupama. It reminds me of all of my friends that have been though this experience (aka torture) and how I am happy to have gotten out faster than them.

Amen.

:)

Hair, Part Two

2010-08-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Official!

Oops, the Hair!

2010-08-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Forgot!

I got my hairs cut two weeks ago - had been growing it out first for the wedding (over 1.5 years ago now) and then to donate to Locks of Love. And it had to be ten inches long. Yikes.

I'm pretty sure my hair has never been that long. And now I can remember why. I don't like long hair. Revelation. Sigh.

I dragged Anupama along (for her second American haircut) and went to Paul Mitchell Hair School - got it cut for $17. Not too shabby. And they did a great job!

Before!

After! Hurray!

I was itching to do this for some time, but wanted to make sure I had long enough hair to not have to get too much cut off. I was honestly afraid Darin would cry. He didn't though. And likes the cut. I think he sees that it's a more "Del-ish" haircut that previous.

And I cut my hair for this girl I knew, S. She was this annoying kid whom I loved to bug - she got me to dance to stupid music and made me laugh more times than I can remember. She died last year of cancer. She loved my hair when I first met her (over 3 years ago) - hers was buzzed/short because of chemo - BUT it was finally growing out. And she was so happy about it - I guess most 13 year old girls want long hair! I remember thinking how easy it would be for me to grow my hair a little bit longer to donate it. How simple! So I did. And I hope to again (this was my third time) to make someone happy.

The new Del!

Plant Fruit

2010-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Fruits of our labor.

Like fruit of the loom. Ha ha.

Cayenne peppers, green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and basil.

The green bell pepper is actually the normal size of a green bell pepper. Amazes me. And they smell so very good. Peppery and sweet and spicy.

The tomatoes are just crazy. We get about this many every 4-5 days. I tried to make sauce yesterday (turned out good I think), but haven't eaten any yet. For some reason we tend to just eat the tomatoes instead of actually cooking with them. Really though, what can you use cherry tomatoes for? Sigh.

Someone else likes them too:

He took one last week and buried it in the covers of his bed (in the second bedroom, and yes we call it his bed because he sleeps in there during the day because it's cool). Tried to get him to eat a cayenne pepper last night but wimped out because we didn't want to deal with the consequences.

Crazy farmers we are.

August Plants

2010-08-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have more pictures of the garden.

Taken this past weekend, beginning of August.

I also have decided we need to take up farming. We'd be very good farmers - like to work outside, have a crazy dog who would attack animals, like tractors, and can grow stuff.

Overtaking yard.

I guess this is what happens when you water twice a day. Yikes. The tomatoes are taking over.

Lots. Of. Tomatoes.

Baby green bell peppers.

Cayenne peppers.

Still growing, growing, growing. Now we wish we would have planted more food we actually eat. Like watermelon and bacon. Kidding. Or corn. Man I love corn.

New Camera, Take Four

2010-08-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

So I broke my camera.

Again.

I guess I got the broken-camera gene because my parents have done/do it all of the time.

The most famous was dropping the camera in a fountain during their honeymoon (or so they say) while in Europe. Maybe they were undercover agents or something else...

Yet, I still got the breaking-camera gene.

HAD to have one this weekend so I went out and just bought one. And the insurance. And a case.

So there, camera dropping fairies.

And just because I could, I took random pictures:

Fluffy cloud.

Fluffy Jake.

And I'm back people. Beware.

Trial: Wind Surfing

2010-08-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Our friend Kucku is of the adventurous sort.

I'm not sure how she became this way - maybe it's in her genes? But it's fun to have a friend to get you to try new things; go on new adventures.

She invited Darin and I to join her Adventure Club for a trip to St. Augustine to go wind surfing. This was something we never tried before, but I thought it sounded fun (compared to going up on a hot air balloon which I'm not sure Darin would do) and signed us up!

***

We headed up to St. Augustine's beach - Anastasia Park - a couple of weeks ago. It ended up being a beautiful day especially since we were supposed to get rain from a tropical storm. Got there before noon, took a class, and experimented.

Kucku and I took lots of pictures. My camera was dead (need to get a new one!) so I had to rely on her for her shots (she's a pretty snazzy photographer). And there were some great ones!

***

Darin was the first in the group (12 of us) to go. He made it look easy. Another guy went after him, had a harder time, and we all sort of felt better.

Basically, you climbed up the surf board (which was floating on the water), balance, and pull up the sail. Pretty simple concept. Balance was the key.

We all tried. It was very tiring. It was very fun.

Enjoy the pics:

And yes, you can thank my father for my monster legs. Thanks Dad. And yes I have bright red sunglasses on. I didn't care if I lost them. (I didn't.) And yes, there was like one picture of Kucku. How did this happen you ask? It's because she's sneaky (and we forgot to take pics of her).

The lagoon? Salt water lake area.

Resting!

Darin learning. That's him on the board.

He's out!

And back up again...

My turn.

Attractive, I know.

Kucku's turn.

Darin tries again. With a hat on.

Basically people tried all morning and got tired. Darin ended up taking a long board out to the other side of the pond/marsh. Kucku and I kayaked for a bit. I tried again and was pretty much getting the hang of it. Went down and back twice, tried again the third time, couldn't get back, and had to walk back in the water. Exhausting. But fun.

Definitely something we'll try again. That and seeing if Jake's a kayaking dog. I have a feeling he might be.

Thanks Kucku for the invite! And way to go adventurers!

Arr, She's 70

2010-07-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

My MIL, Carol, turned 70 on July 9th!

We decided to do something special for her this year as it's a pretty special birthday.

And what would any person want to do for their birthday celebration?

Well a Pirates Adventure, of course.

Keay, Carol, Goestov, Diana, Darin, and I headed over to the other side of Orlando to see the show and to celebrate.

This show was similar to Medieval Times, but with Pirates.

Arrr.

Waiting to be seated.
We were with the Red Pirate.

The ship - and characters

Basically, pirates had overtaken a ship along with the captain and his daughter. There was dancing, fighting, acrobats, games, and fun. Ended up having a happy ending. (I'd sure hope so.)

Happy us - beer was included!

So was birthday cake!

Dinner was actually very good. And we got seconds (I think our waiter liked us.)

The whole evening was surprisingly really fun - totally would recommend it. We've done other shows like this, and we've always had such a great time.

Can't wait to do another!

And, I think that Carol had a fantastic time as well. She really enjoyed being with her family and doing something different - plus there were pirates. How could it get any better!

The Fourth

2010-07-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Independence Day this year in the neighborhood of Darin's parents and sister/BIL.

It was the first year of their area doing something special for our nation's birthday - and we were all exited to get the chance to see what they had up their sleeved. And by they, I mean the people who were supervising the fireworks.

After a nice dinner with Darin's family and our friend Suzanne, we headed out across the street near the lake, sat down, and waiting for the activities to begin.

Pretty!
(not sure if this will work)

The problem overall about this year's celebration was the weather. It was pretty rainy outside with lots of clouds and no blue/clear skies. We had plans to do a lot more, but ended up watching a movie on the actual 4th. We also went outside and watched our neighbors light up the sky.

Afterward Jake, Uncle Sam, and I watched other cities' displays. And sang songs. And cheered! And probably scared Darin with all of our patriotism.

It was a great night - simple and sweet.

Uncle Sam and Jake

As a side note, Uncle Sam came to work with me the next day and every one was (and still is) greatly amused. He's decided to stay at work and make sure we're all playing our taxes and being honest.

Our goal now will be to dress him up for upcoming holidays. He currently has a guitar and sunglasses.

Updates to come.

Summer Trip to SC

2010-07-23T08:32:00.001-07:00

I swear we go to SC for more than just going to the beach.

We do like the beach a lot - but we live 30 minutes from Cocoa Beach, so we should be able to contain our excitement for the beach and not go every time we go up to visit.

Yet, we always end up going at least once. Whether it's with the dogs, Darin and I alone, KC and I alone, with Margie looking for turtles, or just to talk a walk. We go there.

I guess we are beach people.

This is not a bad thing.

***

KC is making the trek from up 'there' to down 'there'. If you know her, you know where she's going. On her way down 'there' she stopped for a much needed vacation at her folks. Whenever she's up in SC, I go up to see her (and her dogs. I'm realistic).

We went a couple weekends back - hadn't been to the east coast of SC since December! That's the longest amount of time since I have not visited. Crazy.

Anyway, headed up on Friday afternoon.

Jake (and Darin) were troopers as always.

After a nice dinner on Friday night, a great morning sleeping (me), and fishing (Bob, KC, and Darin) on Saturday morning, we headed 5 minutes away to the beach.

It was a beautiful hot humid day. Sunshine, here we come.

Had a terrific time up there as usual.

And got to see creepy things:

Grasshoppers. Like 4 inches long.
Yak.

Tomatoe or Tomato

2010-07-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that Darin has a green thumb.

His babies have been doing very well; we water them in the morning and afternoon, give them plant food, and make sure they get lots of sunshine. (We do live in Florida!) I never though that we'd have so much luck with our garden.

For some reason, the zucchini haven't been doing too well. I think Darin planted them too close together and they got too big too soon. They seem to be trying again though, so we'll see.

***

Have other photos of other veggies though:

(1) cherry tomatoes

(2) green bell pepper

(3) jalapeno pepper

Our neighbors were getting excited after seeing some red pop out of our mini-garden. Darin and I both think that we'll have a gazillion tomatoes. I've never seen so many before. That we have probably over 20 of the 8-rows (see picture) - incredible.

We were planning on making a pasta salad that our friend Kerry used to make. I was thinking a caprese salad as well would taste pretty good too. Numm. We will have to see how good everything grows!

Now we just need to make sure Jake doesn't learn how to eat the veggies off their stocks. That would be bad indeed.

New House Post

2010-07-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

My parents built a new house in their neighborhood. A green house!

It was funny how things turned out - because of the market crashing, short-sales taking too long, and getting to become very close with their neighbors - they built a house just down the street from their rental.

First, their view and backyard:

My Mom's garden - first years are always the hardest for gardeners.
I think they go to the nursery a lot!

Pretty tree and view of the sound.

Inside (Darin and I had been inside the house at Christmas, it was just not painted or made-up like it was now!):

Great room.

Master bedroom.

And the other pictures I took of the other rooms were very blurry so I didn't add them. There were two more bedrooms and bathrooms too. There was this great big tub in the master bathroom that my Mom picked out. Fantastic!

But mostly, there was this sweet girl:

I feel so much joy when I see how happy my family has become. It truly was a wonderful experience to see the little knick-knacks here and there around the house. It's their home now, and mine by proxy. Makes visiting all the better!

Sailboat Adventure

2010-07-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

While we were walking the dogs one day while I was visiting my parents, their neighbors came up to us and asked whether we would like to join them on their sailboat for a night cruise around the island.

Wow!

None of the three of us had ever been on a sailboat before. I feel like the giant-gene in our family somewhat prohibits us from going into tight enclosures, but we were excited to try and hoped we wouldn't drown. (We brought life vest just in case.)

We were guests of Don, his wife Doreen, and their son Scott. The boat The Flying Scotsman was in harbor to get it's belly painted. We were just lucky that it was there for us to see and travel upon!

Docks.

The boat. 30 ft sailboat.

Main sail. Very beautiful.

We arrived on the boat, sat down, and Scott and Don headed us out of the harbor and into the open sound. It was a beautiful day, though a bit chilly - especially on the water. We had our sweat shirts on, so we were fine! Doreen had brought some food for us (cheese and fruit with crackers!) which was great to snack on and just look around us.

Water, water, everywhere...

Me, Mom, and Doreen

Don at the wheel.

Baker was out and majestic.

Mom and Dad

We were out for quite some time, and then turned around and came back. Though it would have been amazing to see whales, just the water and islands were enough. For our first time sailing, I'd say we were spoiled. I can't imagine sleeping on the boat though - it's a bit cramped. Downstairs was a sleeping area, mini-kitchen, spots to sit, and a bath room. Poor Darin wouldn't have been able to stand up without hitting his head (it was about 2-3 inches above my 5'10" frame).

Side note: My Dad meet Don awhile ago (Don and Doreen were neighbors) and had started going to his rowing club with him. Twice a week they row together - such great exercise and fun!

Old Neighbors in a New Neighborhood

2010-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Monday morning, some good friends of my parents (and me too!) stopped by for a visit. They're from my old home town (Dave was a teacher with my Mom), and we've known them for a long time. Their dog Wrigley was one of Cricket's best dog friends (and still would be if he'd visit too).

They were in town to watch the Cubs play, to visit my parents, and to do an Ultra Marathon.

Yikes.

They were big walkers - they take walks in the morning, night, before dinner, before we even got up.

On Tuesday afternoon, we headed to a near by town and their brewery.

This time I tried the root beer (which had an interesting flavor) and my Mom was the lush and got the sampler. Though I have to admit I probably drank as much as she did because she doesn't really like dark beer.

Beer!

And friends!
Dave, Dad, Mom, and Nancy.

After lunch and wondering around for quite some time, we ended up going to my parent's favorite nursery. It was crazy big! And everything was in bloom: roses, fuchsia, orchids. Amazing.

The barn with the traveling roses.

And behind the barn were animals - sheep and goats. Scared me to pieces with their weird noises. Guess I'm not too comfortable with baa-ing.

Dave, Mom, Nancy, and Dad

Notice their Cubs-wear. Will get to that later!

Weekend with Dad

2010-07-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Look at what greeting us upon walking into my parent's (new!) home on Saturday morning:

Mr. Grumpy (Samson)

And Ms. Sunshine (Cricket)

The puppies were visiting! My parents' neighbors Cheryl and Gary (they lived across the street - now up the road) let their dogs visit Cricket during the day while they're gone. Such a tough life those puppies have. But I love them. And even though Samson growled at me for half the day on Saturday, after I gave him some cheese he started loving me. And even licked my hand.

Okay, on with things.

My Mom had make a fantastic dinner for us: salmon and mahi on the grill. With a very tasty cranberry salad. I can't believe the four of us at so much food. It was a little embarrassing actually. But man was it good! She even made these chocolate cake things with chocolate and raspberry topping. Drool. Didn't do too much. Watched tv and read our books.

***

Sunday was Father's Day! I don't remember the last time I was with my Dad on Father's Day. Either I'm up with Bob in SC or we celebrate with Darin's Dad. But June was a strange month to visit - so it was normally just a phone call.

This year we made him dinner.

(He specified what he wanted. It was very cute actually.)

He got pork steaks, grilled with bbq sauce. Green beans. Mac and cheese. And strawberry shortcake cake.

I was in charge of dessert:

Dinner was great. Dessert was a little too sweet. We decided it needed a little less cream cheese icing - though I have to say when I got up the next day it was all gone (Mother).

After dinner we went for a walk around down the new path and near the water. Behind their house in a new neighborhood (without houses) and a road down to the water. From there, there was a new bike path and another path that took you right down to the water.

Their new driveway!
(It was COLD. Like 65. Yikes.)

Slug. Yak.
We counted over 30 on the way back up (smaller ones though).

Beautiful wildflowers!

Spanish Bluebells

Down by the water - like a 5 minute walk from the house.
Cricket, Dad, Samson, Dru, Sydney, and Mom

So sweet.

Tootles - love that Sydney

The walk was quite nice. The neighborhood over from theirs had this incredible outside seating area - made with stone and greens. Almost for something like a wedding ceremony - it was beautiful. Don't know why I didn't take pictures. Also went in one of the housed they're building. Nice.

Ended up going to look (at a near by mountain 'top') for the sunset, but it was pretty cloudy. Pretty colors though as usual!

It was a great day - and even though we didn't play softball or go bowling, we all had a wonderful time together.

Friday Night: Lauren's Birthday

2010-07-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

On my way from Sacramento, we fly basically North. Across Oregon. Very near Mt. Rainier. So majestic and beautiful. Went by other mountains too. Not 100% sure which ones they were but they were awesome.

Mt. Rainier

We landed in Seattle at 9:30 pm on Friday night.

And I was picked up from the airport by my sister and Lauren. In going-out clothes. Ready to hit the town.

Now what Lauren didn't know was that we were meeting other people out to celebrate her 30th birthday. And she was super surprised.

Got her.

We were in the Ballard area of Seattle. All we really wanted to do was go dancing, but there wasn't really much dancing around. So we celebrated and talked to random strangers. It was exciting.

Before Birthday Shot.
Dru, Lauren, Biz

Yo.

Long shot of Biz.

And then she insisted we had Rainier beers.
Fantastic.

Actually ended a great night out - where we stayed up until 2:30 pm. Ben climbed up a tree. Most people ended up in a hot tub. We ended up sleeping until 9 am or so and getting some Top Pot donuts for breakfast. It was a win-win situation.

Keeping Busy - Del in California

2010-07-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Basically, we've been busy.

And by we, I meant me. Though Darin was busy in his own way as well.

I had my first (and probably only) work trip to California two weeks ago. Was super excited because I got to learn a new piece of equipment (though we've had it for about 8 months, but alas) and be the 'expert' in my company. It made me feel appreciated in many ways - great feeling.

Headed out to Sacramento, CA on Monday after a nice normal flight from Denver. Got to the hotel and was floored by how nice it was!

I didn't really know what to do with myself.

But I noticed one of my all time favorite restaurants Chevy's was super close to the hotel so I ended up walking there for dinner. (Chevy's was (and still is I presume) a restaurant near the giant mall outside of Chicago that I would make people go to whenever we went shopping because they make their own tortillas).

*sigh*

After dinner, I went to the hotel and crashed.

My Mini-Vacation

Wow! A couch too. And I had two queens too.

***

The next week was super crazy hectic. I had to get up early (to get the free breakfast - waffles - and watch the World Cup game that was on that particular morning), get in a limo/town car, and drive to the place where I was taking my training - Auburn, CA. And then learn/work all day. Go back and exercise. And sleep. And repeat.

On Thursday (the last full day), we went to downtown Auburn and took a walking tour of the city. It was pretty fantastic!

The Courthouse

A Plaque.

Swallow nests.
Pretty awesome actually.

The Group at dinner:
Rodger, Rebecca, Me, Frank, and Keith

My dinner. There was foam. Foam.

Beets. Gorgeous (though I didn't eat it).

And there was wine. Oh, was their wine.

Friday afternoon, I decided that instead of flying back to Orlando, I'd head up (only like 2 hours by plane) to Seattle to see my family.

What a great idea! Dru and Lauren picked me up from the airport at 9:20 pm and the adventure began.

Lightning Strikes

2010-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Been meaning to blog - and actually have a few in line to go.

But, we don't have any internet at home because the house was struck twice by lightning while I was away.

Yes. Lightning.

Yes. Twice.

(Our neighbor saw it!)

The first strike (we think) hit the lightning-propellant system that the house has (basically the house is grounded) and no damage was done. Unfortunately it's only good for one strike. Oops.

The second strike came in through the cable and got the DVD players and the modem/cable.

The cable guy came out to fix the cable (right away. must. have. cable.), but the wireless was fried and we didn't know the modem was also fried until we got a new router... which didn't work last night.

So no pictures.

Sad really.

Will work hard this weekend go get everything set so I can share my trip.

And Jake/Maggie.

And the veggies!

Good thing is the garage door opener wasn't broken. Phew. Lots of the circuits in the house might still be fried - have to get an electrician in to double check.

Then we will be as good as new!

News to the Phone

2010-06-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing super exciting is happening here.

This is a good thing.

Decided to share some old phone pictures with you.

Gotta put something on the good ole blog...

Last Magic Home Game (before finals)
Second row from the top.

Jake.
So exhausted from playing with Jesse, he just fell asleep.

First trip to the beach.
I sent this to my sister to make her jealous.

Our squash blossoms!
(From last week.)
And that's basil on the left side. Not broccoli.

Dolphins sayin' hi at Sea World!

And that's all I had. I'm off to California next week for a work trip and then a quick visit up to Seattle for a cherry-pickin' good time.

Will add photos when I get/take them!

VD Picnic

2010-06-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

The company I work for had a summer celebration last Friday. I don't think it was associated with Memorial Day, but it felt like it.

We went to a near by park - and enjoyed the outdoors.

A great thing about the company I work for were the wide variety of foods we brought. We have a lot of foreigners - which meant fantastic food!

Food, table one

Food, table two

I ended up bring a nummy corn salsa (for the vegetarians), a pasta/fried chicken salad, and a dump cake with frosting my Mom had been telling me about the weekend before!

There was a lot of food!

After lunch, we had a volleyball game (see picture above). Man was that sand hot and messy. I got sand in places sand should not go.

But it cooled off and we enjoyed ourselves. I tried to get our CSO (Chief Science Officer) to bring a keg, but he wouldn't. He said he couldn't fit it on his motorcycle! Boo hoo. I guess it was a company party...

Nothing like a good picnic. Now I am craving homemade samosas. Drool.

A Proud Moment

2010-06-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Last year, we decided to plant a garden. Darin spend at least a whole weekend digging up a patch of grass next to the house (in the sunshine!) in Jake's fenced in yard. We decided he would be a good watch dog for animals and such. We got the seeds, the 1x4, and realized the wood we had gotten was treated and you weren't supposed to use it for gardening.

So we went and got untreated wood.

And it sat in the garage for over 8 months.

Oops.

When I was in California (a month or so ago), Darin actually re-dug the garden, cut the wood, and planted the seeds.

This was 100% Darin's.

Garden, Week 1

We also got some jalapeno plants from our neighbor Jeff. Those were the plants on the left front (near the wood). And then we waited for the plants to come in.

It was actually pretty exciting - mostly because Darin doesn't remember where he put what and kind of put too many seeds in.

Garden, Week 4

As far as we can tell, we have broccoli (back left), with zucchini over growing everything else (back middle) and something on the back right. Carrots maybe? In the front was the jalapenos, then the middle was another unknown, and then tomatoes (front right).

We water the garden twice a day.

And it's doing very well. Darin was very proud of his garden. We're looking forward to the zucchini coming in - probably will be pretty soon.

And then I can make zucchini bread!

I'll keep updating on the status of the garden.

Please think positive thoughts towards our garden growing, and Jake not noticing the veggies that will soon be popping up and/or lizards that might live there and/or dirt that might be fun to dig.

Another Beach Post

2010-05-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

It's a tough life living thirty minutes from the beach.

Tough.

We've been the past two weekends. Just to get a little bit of sunshine and watch the birds.

Might have seen someone catch a shark. But it was little. Or so I tell myself.

But I still will go in the water to cool off - it's the perfect time of year for Florida sunshine.

Why don't you come visit?

Clemson - Hike and Clinton

2010-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

After Friday graduation and a good night sleep, Cassie, Thadd, Jesse, Darin, Jake, and I headed out to Yellow Branch trails for a nice morning hike.

The weather was beautiful, the dogs were excited, and we were well fed on a great breakfast Cassie had made.

We let the boys get the the back - and were off.

Getting ready!

Are we there yet?

The fail safe map guide (in case we got super lost!)

I tried not to take too many photos - but alas. I did. Thankfully I only uploaded a few on here.

A tree. With my new camera.
You can tell the difference actually!

I was last so that I could run away faster if Jake/Darin ran into a bear.
Jake led the whole way. He's a hiking dog!

The waterfall! It was just beautiful!
Vastly different from the last time we were here with Bodie.

Cassie and Jesse
He turned out to be a hiking dog too -
once he got a little courage from watching Jake.

Jake digging to China.
So cute.

Jake was in his element. We let him off his leash and he explored the waterfall. Went up the rocks, swam in the water, fetched sticks, dug to China. It was amazing to watch!

Cassie and Thadd

Del and Darin

The group
One of my new favorite photos.
(look at Jake)

Hike back.

After the hike, we had a quick lunch at Schlotzskys (we were super craving it because it's like the only one around anywhere), a change of clothes, and we headed to Clinton, SC to the official graduation party for LaShan. We got a little lost on the way there (being like 45 minutes late - which was so unlike us), but got there in time to see her speech (which was super heart-felt) and eat.

Speech!

Man, was the food good! Ham and chicken, mac and cheese, green beans, rice and gravy. Super great - even took home some leftovers. And ate a couple of extra helpings of mac and cheese.

It was fun to see LaShan's family and her community. Everyone (us included) were so proud of her for her accomplishments.

Darin, Del, LaShan, and Cheryl

The two tall ones - we both had to remember not to slouch!

Afterward, we drove up to Greenville (after stopping for some fresh tasty South Carolina strawberries) to the downtown area and watched the Magic game. I love that town. Drove back to Clemson, talked again with Cassie and Thadd, and slept! Headed home early the next day to get back to Orlando for some R and R.

I just can't say how proud I was of LaShan (and my other friends who were/are in the same position). It truly was a great accomplishment and wonderful feat.

A Birthday in Florida

2010-05-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Before our Clemson trip in the beginning on May, I went with a group of women to Ron Jon's Resort to celebrate our great friend Suzanne's birthday.

She's getting older, you see, and decided to have a fun pool/beach get together before she gets too old to appreciate swimming and sun bathing.

:)

This place was just amazing - totally will go back there. The pool area was what made it different than other resorts. The slide was crazy and the lazy river was super fun. Even for a bunch of us old(er) people (compared to a lot of the children/kids that were there).

The slide. It was fast!

That's Suzanne!

We stayed out by the pool for most of the afternoon on Saturday (timeline - this was 1.5 hours after the Doggie Derby for me). The slide was fun but some times crowded, so we ended up going around the lazy river (which wasn't too lazy in actuality) and had a blast because you ended up getting soaked on it. They had all of these fun water spots and buckets that would dump water on you. Go there!

After we got ready for dinner (which took some time as there were 5 of us), we headed off to the Cove to one of Darin and my favorites - Fish Lips. Man the food there was good. And we got to sing Suz happy birthday. Woo hoo!

Brownie sundae.

Janice, Meghan, Del, Suzanne, and Stephanie

After the great dinner, we headed out to the ocean to walk around - what a beautiful night. It was so dark because of no moon. The ocean sounds were great regardless of the time. And thankfully we didn't see any ghost crabs. Phew.

Suz, Stephanie, Janice, Meghan, and Del

Sunday morning (Suz's actual bday) we made pancakes for breakfast and headed out to the pool for some more fun. You could totally spend a weekend at this place just enjoying the pool and sunshine. I was so glad to take a weekend out and just relax with friends.

Clemson - Graduation and Dogs

2010-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

On May 7th, my dearest friend LaShan graduated with her PhD in Bioengineering.

And we were there to celebrate with her!

Hurray!

Ended up driving up there (with Jake!) on Thursday night because we wanted to see her officially graduate. We kind of got bad seats, but could actually see her pretty well on the floor and on the screen.

Before people were there.

We waited maybe 15 minutes after she was finished (being hooded and all that jazz) before we left. We were tired. Sigh.

Afterward, she had a get together near the school at a park with bbq. Numm numm.

CU BioE Fantastic-o Women

Cassie (in the black/white sleeveless) our hostess for the weekend took us on an official tour of the new bioengineering department. It had changed so much. Crazy!

BUT wanted to share some old memories with some blog readers - you know who you are...

413. Our old hangout area.
Now a lab.

The old rig setup. Nothing changed at all.

2nd floor lab. Seriously. Same everything.

It was strange to be back there - I feel like I spent so much of my time in that building. In actuality, I probably should have spent more time there. Ha ha. Got to see some old teachers (not old in age...) and some of the new spaces that were now there. I'll always be so proud to have gotten a degree from such a fantastic place!

***

That evening Cassie, Thadd (her husband and our co-host), Darin, and I went out to Fatz for dinner. It's a true South Carolina place with great food and these delicious poppy seed rolls. Might have eaten a whole basket by myself. There was honey butter people.

Jake and Jesse became fast friends. They were quite hillarious. Jake would take a toy from Jesse's numerous toy basket area, try to get Jesse to take it (which he wouldn't), drop it, and then go get another toy. This was what their living room looked like after 20 minutes:

Before.

After.

It was funny to watch. He was just being his normal strange self. Poor Jesse didn't know what to do with this weird dog around and ended up sitting on the couch by his mama watching tv.

After tv watching and picture viewing, we went to sleep because we were exhausted! Had a terrific day though and we were so glad to have come up for such an exciting event.

BP Doggie Derby

2010-05-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Three weekends back in the beginning on May, we had the opportunity to participate in the 3rd Annual Doggie Derby. We had the honor of taking Ms. Maggie Moe because, well, Jake would probably kill/attack the other dogs there.

We picked her up, dropped Jake off, and headed out!

Basically the concept was simple - dogs pair off (in weight groups) and whoever wins, moves to the next match. Maggie was a heavy weight. (She's a gentle giant.)

We think she was either the heaviest or second heaviest dog there!

Go Maggie!

The playing field

Our competitor.

Waiting in the shade, it was hot!

Well to put it mildly, she didn't do much at the starting line. I think she was a little intimidated by the other dogs and the people around. Plus, we didn't practice.

She took a step, looked back at me, and the other dog was already finishing. Oops.

But she tried!

And then she cooled as best as she could:

We had a great time watching the other dogs - it was so cute. The smaller dogs didn't necessarily know what was happening and kind of ran in circles. Some dogs were super fast - some not so much. Everyone had a great time - we ended up leaving early because it was hot outside and Maggie seemed to be getting ready for some air conditioning.

Next year we'll have to decide whether to bring Jake because we both think he would have had a great time and would have done well. Either way, we'll definitely practice before hand!

Woo hoo!

Updates Coming

2010-05-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wanted to write something quick.

Been busy after work (and at work too for the matter) and haven't had time to upload all of the great pictures I took from the last two weekends...

BUT we have nothing (but yard work and house work) to do this weekend and I will get things up-to-date for everyone waiting for pictures.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the sunshine!

Yogurt

2010-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

We eat smoothies every morning.

Gives us energy, lots of fruits to eat, and Jake a yogurt container.

As you can see, he likes them a lot.

And we don't have to clean the container before we recycle it.

Win-Win.

Side Note: Before we ate yogurt too - Yoplait - and the containers would be all over the house after Jake would lick them clean and be done with them. It was very funny.

South Cali - Sunday

2010-05-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday.

Time to see Melissa, Kyle, Kyle's Mom Joan, and K.

We woke up to a cloudy-hazy day. Normally the haze would drift away, but it wasn't cooperating for our pool time. While we were cleaning up (with the door open mind you), we had some visitors. We had met them twice before.

They liked Pringles.

Decided to check out and head up to where Kyle and Melissa live. It was about 30 minutes north of us - hopefully by then the sun would be out.

Got to their house and there was sunshine! Had decided previously to eat lunch at this wonderful chowder place by the grocery store (why didn't I get pictures of this?) and then headed off to the beach.

Not so much luck there. Ended up staying maybe for 30 minutes then headed back to their pool.

The pool saves the day!

At about 3 pm, my sister and Mom left for their flight - I got to say later and spend time with them all. I basically got all day Sunday!

We ate dinner. Went for a walk. Talked!

And I got to spend time with this cutie:

K. @ 4 months

With her Grandma, Joan

With her favorite guy

Her cute room!

We became friends!

Finally!
(K. was fascinated by the turned on fan!)

Wished I could have spent about a week longer with them all. BUT it actually worked out well for everyone. We'll get out again soon I think - so at least this trip was successful.

South Cali - Saturday

2010-05-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning.

Searching for coffee again.

But a special day: Mom's birthday!

Casey had suggested a breakfast place in San Diego and after remembering what it was called, and getting a reservation, we were off.

This place was crazy.

C.R.A.Z.Y.

We should have split something. I don't know why we didn't. I guess our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.

Dru got biscuits and eggs:

Mom got a scramble:

And I got the biggest pancake ever:

***

Went back and headed two different places. They wanted to go to the beach (I was feeling to wimpy to deal with the FL/CA temperature change) and I went to the adult pool.

Side Note: Didn't talk about the wonderful hotel. It was a resort - huge in size and had five pools. Yikes.

They came back for some pool time (we changed to the 'kid' pool), and we enjoyed ourselves for a couple more hours.

See the pool in my glasses...

This represents my Mother 100%.

Giant Bird of Paradise

***

Then it was off to La Jolla.

Beach Patrol!

Sunset - later that evening.

I have many fond memories of La Jolla. Eating, surfing, enjoying friends, eating. As did my Mother. She remembered this restaurant - and we had to find it. It was her special birthday wish. What was once a rooftop hamburger joint was now a posh LA type rooftop bar.

So glad we went though. Excellent food. Good beer on tap. Strange pepper drinks (my sister go this). And excellent views.

Notice the glasses. We are definitely sister.s

Seal rock!

We sang her a silent happy birthday and enjoyed our time together.

And then went and found cupcakes to celebrate even further.

Walked around La Jolla for a long time - could have just stayed to watch the people and seals. I can't wait to have Darin be there to experience it.

Went back to the hotel and tried out the hot tubs! And they were hot! Drank some wine, talked to some strangers, and relaxed. Hot hot hot!

And then sleep!

South Cali - Friday

2010-05-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's always interesting how trips happen. I wanted to go to California to see my friend Melissa because she and her husband had a baby in December, and I had to go see baby K. Darin was not super interested in going because of school and other priorities (we'll get to Cali sooner enough), and I was talking to my sister about it and she said that she would go. Great idea! When we were looking at dates (Melissa and Kyle were super busy in February), we realized we could push things back and surprise my Mom with a birthday trip!

We got her tickets first. It was pretty funny because for a couple days my Mom was going to San Diego all by herself. Then Dru got her tickets, and then I got mine to match theirs as much as possible.

We waited a bit before telling my Mom because it was a surprise! My Dad, sister, and I got her good! Woo hoo!

After telling her (I think it was around mid-March), we then had to wait for a bit before the trip. Long wait, I tell you.

Then I planned our trip to Tulsa - got a bit busy there, but everything worked out fine. I don't really need that much sleep and Jake had a place to stay.

***

On Thursday I flew in to San Diego through Denver. Not a good experience. Ended up landing in Colorado Springs instead of Denver because of weather, and then the airlines completely changed our plane's plans and we were all SOL. They said it was 'weather'. I say it was 'greed'. Ended up getting in at 10:45 pm instead of 4:45 pm. Nice. Watched a movie at the airport, so things turned out alright. (Still a bit bitter.)

BUT Dru and Mom got in fine! Phew! They went to the hotel, had dinner, and picked me up at the airport. We went back to the hotel and slept.

***

Friday morning I woke up with my Mom ( 7 am) and we went outside, read our books, and enjoyed the view.

Our place! Right on the bay. (Mission Bay).

View of bridge.

With giant flower!

Dru (finally) got up, we went searching for coffee (ha!), went to Starbucks and Einstein Brothers for breakfast, went back to the hotel and sat by the pool.

Tough. Life.

After that, we decided to check out the beach near where we were staying - just south of Pacific Beach. Parked the car and walked the beach. The beaches of California were so different than in Florida. You don't really realize it until you go to both in the same week. There were so many more people around walking, sunbathing, surfing. It's incredible.

On Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, CA

Chocolate covered key lime pie and ice cream.
Num.

After awhile there exploring (and eating), we ended up going back to the hotel for a bit and then to dinner in Old Town. I really wanted to go there to get a present for my friend Suzanne's birthday the next weekend (blog to come), as well as going there to drink margaritas. We had the best happy hour ever - spent like $30. Nice.

San Diego flowers

L.U.S.H.E.S.

They were $3.00

We walked around and found this fun candle shop where Dru got to be creative.

Naked unicorn.

Beautiful unicorn!

And then we went back to the beach trying to find a sunset, but the clouds were in the way. Went 'home' and slept! Not a bad day.

Tulsa Trip: Day 3

2010-04-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

And finally, Day 3.

Got up (phew!), said good bye to Beth, Dave, and all the creatures and headed off to say a quick hello to a good college friend Maria, her husband Kevin, and son A.

So glad we did!

We loved meeting their adorable son and teaching him bad habits (it was Darin totally, we just love playing with kids and forget the whole rule concept sometimes), and seeing their house even though they were trying to sell it. Can't wait to see them again when they visit Disney in a couple of months!!

From there, we drove to Hideway Pizza to meet Kristen another good college friend - met in a British literature class and probably talked more to each other than the professor talked the whole class! We've kept in touch pretty well (totally her, she's much better at this than I was) and we HAD to see her.

Plus she has a mini-Jake.

Del, Twiggy, Kristen, and Lulu.
Isn't the resemblance scary?

Said good byes and headed east to Arkansas.

I was wrong by at bit (45 minutes) of our departure, so we ended up getting there early and watching the Magic play in the bar at the airport. And drank some great beer.

And then were off. Back home. To Jake. And sunshine (no offense Oklahoma, I know it wasn't your fault it was rainy). But, I'm already ready to return - air flight prices, go down!

Tulsa Trip: Day 2

2010-04-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

To continue our Tulsa Trip:

On Saturday, we drove around a bit and then headed back to get ready for the wedding! We were headed for the zoo, but it started sprinkling outside, so ended up going to the Hard Rock Casino. And lost $10, but had a good time.

Woo hoo!

Got back to Beth and Dave's, changed, and headed off!

The wedding was at this place called The Barn. It was in the pretty area of Tulsa (like rolling-hills-green area) and was a beautiful setting. We went inside to check things out - pretty snazzy! Carrie (and Matt too!) did a wonderful job of making the site their own - I loved all of the patterned cut-outs (see pictures below) and the fun/unique touches.

While we waited, I got some pictures. And did not eat the cupcake that was calling my name.

The handsome couple.

And then the wedding began!

Pretty Carrie!

After the ceremony, we went to our table. Ours was the Chicago theme: The 3-1-2. Sweet!

Adrienne, Darin, and I

Adrienne and Bree

Colors.

The KDs there!

We stayed and had a wonderful time. Drank some really good beer (and not 3.2), ate above said cupcake, snacked out on some brie and veggies (much needed), ate Zios, and talked and talked!

Oh, and ate M&Ms. Loved them.

And then we got back and Darin attacked Heidi.

Did we mention we loved her!

Congrats to Carrie and Matt - and here's to seeing you again soon!

Four Years of Tugging

2010-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

It will be four years today.

That we decided to actually take the plunge and pick him out.

It was a great decision all around. And we love our pup beyond measure.

Here he was on day one.

Can you see how dark his face was?

Two years later.

With his/my baby. Tanner face now.

Last year.

Happy as ever.

Can't believe it's been four years already. Time has flown by. Will we ever forget all the crazy things you did/ate? Or the funny way you crawl on the bed and howl when we sing.

I don't think we ever will. You're our pup.

Hugs to all dogs!

Tulsa Trip: Day 1

2010-04-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

It finally happened.

I returned to Tulsa.

Kidding, kidding.

I've been meaning to go back forever - should have come back for other good friends' weddings, but I could never get the price to be reasonable. But this time, I checked this airlines and found a great deal.

And so off we went - to see old friends and to celebrate with Carrie and Matt (they were getting married!)

***

Ended up flying into Bentonville, Arkansas and driving east to Tulsa. It worked out great. We decided to get some dinner in Arkansas (Darin's first time). We got us some bbq.

Gumbo. Spicy!

Ribs. Pork, baby back style.
And hush puppies.

The place was called Brightwood Grill - it was very very good. Ended up driving later that day and got into Beth and Dave's about 10 pm. Worked out really well.

***

Next day, we drove into T-town and went to campus. In case you didn't know, I went to school in Tulsa at TU. I loved every minute I was in college and picked the perfect school for me. It was exciting to show Darin my school and share with him my memories.

One BIG memory was:

My sorority house. Lived here for 3.5 years.

View of downtown from campus.

D on football field

I played flag football on this same field.
Great. Memories.

And then I made him drive around Tulsa with me. I got Bill and Ruth's for lunch. Merritt's for dessert. We saw the Golden Driller. The praying hands.

Cookies.

And then we headed off to Beth and Dave's - our wonderful hosts!

How was it that I never actually get pictures of people...

We found that their animals weren't as social/friendly/talkative as they were...

The bird.

The guinea pigs. (2 of 5)

And Heidi.
The cutest puppy ever.

Enjoyed just hanging out and playing with Heidi. She had the best personality ever - such a crazy sweetheart.

It was good to just relax that afternoon. That night we went to the rehearsal dinner (what's with me not taking pictures?!) and headed to The Bar for some drinks with friends. Nothing like smoke filled bar with 3.2 % beer. Oh Tulsa, how I missed you.

Next up. Wedding.

Birthday with Meat

2010-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, we all got together to celebrate Goestov's birthday.

Now one of his favorite things to do (other than work outside and play/torture the dogs) was to eat steak.

He's a steak eater.

We headed over to Linda's La Cantina for some fine meat.

Darin with rainbow trout.
Outstanding.

Del with manicotti.
I had to. It was calling my name...

G with his t-bone and Diana's teeny tiny fillet.

My MIL and FIL came too but the only pictures I got of them was with one of their eyes closed. Oops. I guess I could have someone pasted them unto each other... not too good at that.

Had a great meal (as always) and didn't eat too much.

And this year we didn't sing. But boy will we next year!

The Story of the Bunny

2010-04-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a bunny.

Someone got it for Easter and shared the bunny with her dog.

Within a day of receiving the bunny, the dog had already removed a leg.

And was very pleased with himself with the bunny's leg.

But it wasn't enough for him; this leg.

He had to remove all of the bunny's insides. They were the best parts of the bunny, and the bunny didn't need them.

But the bunny wasn't dead. It still smells good and can be chewed on.

And he still has his bunny. And loves it - it sleeps with him.

It is just now one leg-less, inners-less, and missing one bunny ear.

But we still love our dog because he's special.

The End.

Special Trees

2010-04-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

We have these special trees in our yard.

They are old and majestic - spreading their branches far and off. They offer shade and beauty. Are home to squirrels and protect the staghorn ferns.

And they are also monster trees.

They spread their stupid annoying spores everywhere.

They contaminate people - especially me.

Thought I'd share since I can't go outside for any amount of time.

It's bad this year - allergy season. Worst yet.

Up Close and Personal

Not too bad...

From two days.
Seriously.
I blew it clean two days before.

And for comparison, the across the street neighbor's driveway.

You see what I mean.

So let me complain, okay? I think they are almost done.

Those evil oak sperm creators.

(Can you tell I got a new camera? Yep. Broke my old one. Have never broken one before. Oops.)

Anna Maria Visit

2010-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Spring Break was a wonderful idea, especially while growing up. We'd go to Florida or Alabama, enjoy the sunshine, get the much needed break, and be with each other getting burnt and eating too much food.

Now Spring Break was when the students weren't on campus and traffic was good! (Only took 20 minutes to get to work compared to my normal 35.)

This year, I got to celebrate Spring Break with Julie and Justin AND Julie's parents. You see, Julie and Justin were teachers and get Spring Break still. Amazing concept really.

I went over to Anna Maria Island (just south of Tampa) to visit for a day and a half.

And get a mini-Spring Break.

Unfortunately the weather didn't really cooperate, but I got to spend time with the friends which was about perfect.

The first night we ended up walking the beach - it's so different then our beach at Cocoa. So many sea shells! I love sea shells.

Angry sky and ocean

Before Monster Julie

After Monster Julie

We walked around for awhile searching for shells for Justin's science class - found lots of fun little bits of shells with cool textures and shapes.

It wasn't too warm, but it was still the beach! Definitely something to celebrate.

Justin and Julie. So cute!

Spent a lot of time talking to Julie's parents (I've know them since I was in 6th grade - same as how long I've known Julie) and Julie about life and all that jazz.

I got to read my book.

And relax.

And sit outside in the sunshine the next morning (the weather was a bit better).

And enjoy my friends.

Kathy, Bob, Julie, Justin, and Del

Happy Spring Break!

Erdbeeren and Dog

2010-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's strawberry season here in Central Florida. Actually, I believe it's officially past, but we have strawberries a-plenty here in our stores. And on sale. Sweet!

It's amazing to me that we get so many of them that were so good in our regular store.

Great actually.

Normally we pick some up on our way back from Tampa in Dover, but we haven't gotten the opportunity yet to do that. Those would be the super fresh ones we eat on the way home and get red fingers.

But the ones this year from the store were pretty fantastic too. We freeze them down to use in our smoothies - and will eventually eat so many we won't want any more until next year.

If that's even possible.

Here's our favorite pup NOT eating his strawberry.

He used to not be a picky eater, but now with his older age he has become one.

Though he'll eat them fresh when we're in the car. Maybe it's because they're warm still from the summer sunshine?

We have probably have a flat of them. And I'll get more next time I'm at the store.

Must. Eat. Strawberries.

Love 'em.

Will make this soon.

The Cute Things

2010-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this cute picture I got from my sister a couple of weeks ago.

It's of my parent's new house!

Dad, Mom, and Cricket

We watched it being built - fun fun. Enjoyed talking to my mother when she freaked out over the color as well - which I have to say we all really liked. Can't wait to see it all finished and actually go inside!

Congrats to Cricket for getting her parents to get their house done!

Savannah: Day 2 - Evening

2010-03-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Back to Savannah.

After a great morning and afternoon walking around on a beautiful day, we went back to the hotel.

I took a nap. The others enjoyed the pool and hot tub!

That evening we went out to eat - at this fun restaurant called Fiddler's Crab House.

And actually did not go down to the river front, but stayed by our hotel even though there was one near the river.

I thought it was pretty awesome - they had a waterfall coming off their roof. We all kept freaking out because we'd think it would be raining and then we'd realize that it was the waterfall.

Hey, there was alcohol involved.

Party of Nine

It was a fish place. The boys had to get some oysters.

Joel and Darin (with gross oysters)

Suz and Meghan trying them for their first time.

Thankfully I didn't have to do it because I had already tried one a couple of weeks ago with our friend Russell (Maggie's Dad) in Orlando. Phew. I have to admit though that that weren't that bad - all I could really taste was cocktail sauce.

The Group:
Darin, Del, Meghan, Joel, Josh, Janice, Suzanne, Christina, and John
How'd we get to know these great people?

Afterward, we went back to the hotel, took another cab downtown (same lady actually), and went to Kevin Barry's Irish Pub.

I had me a black and blue. Guinness on top - blue moon on bottom. Tasty.

And yes, I was (and am) a Guinness drinker. One person was impressed saying I was the only girl he'd ever seen drink one. I think they're great actually. Particularly with blue moon in them.

We listened to this great Irish singer - a man in in late fifties (I'd guess) was wonderful. He even sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads" sang by John Denver. Suzanne requested it because she was born there (so was Meghan) and the whole bar sang with him. Pretty fantastic.

"Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads."

To be a country girl - I guess living in the south for 12 years now kind of transformed me. I guess that's what happens when you fall in love with the land and sunshine and water.

Loved Savannah. Not as much as Charleston, but it was right up there.

Slightly Nerve-racking

2010-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

We finally had time to spend outside on Saturday.

The bushes and trees were having growing spurts.

Yikes.

Ended up hedging like crazy and making everything look nice - except for flowers. Not sure if we'll do those this year because they tend to just die in our no-sunshine yard.

But while racking up the leaves, I found this little guy.

He/she wasn't our usual black snake - we liked him a lot and got excited to see him.

This sucker was something different. He/she was staring at me. I left it alone and went to find Darin to show him. The snake was very pretty.

Wanted to share. I'll try to get a picture of him/her next time.

(We haven't named it yet. If we see him/her again, we will give it a name and gender.)

Savannah: Day 2 - Daytime City

2010-03-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

We went to lunch on Saturday in the City Center area of Savannah.

Ate pizza. It hit the spot.

Walked around the area before.

Girls with a frilly umbrella. It just happened.

Happy John, Del, and Darin.

Savannah was very historical.

Joel fought Darin. (And won, actually.)

Suzanne was watching for the other troops.

Unknown statue.

Walked back to the cars. Took some pretty pictures.

It was gorgeous.

But went went back to the hotel, and I took a nap.

Savannah: Day 2 - Daytime Walk

2010-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Next day we did the tourist thing - parked our cars and walked. And walked.

Savannah has total country charm. It's one of those places that you should visit.

(Just like Charleston, SC).

The trees. Oh, the trees. I took a lot of pictures.

We walked around and just looked. Saw the true charm of the city in the houses and squares. It was very enjoyable and the day was perfect to just meander.

The group - with Joel (but no Darin)

Beauty!

Darin and Del.
Don't we look like tourists?

Beautiful stained glass - from this church

The streets.

Stairs to the riverfront.

We walked forever and then so more. Ended up just having the best time though. Visit.

Savannah: Day 1

2010-03-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Josh had this fantastic idea to take a group trip up to Savannah.

He's a smart guy, that Josh.

A bunch of us headed up last Friday to enjoy a beautiful city and a wonderful spring day.

Ended up staying in the Southside (whatever that meant) in a very nice hotel right in the middle of everything. Worked out great!

That evening we went to a brewery for dinner - the Moon River Brewery. Right on the river.

Heaven in Savannah.

The group:
John, Darin, Del, Janice, Josh, Meghan, Suzanne, and Cristina

The stars of the show. Seven types. Yikes.

It was a really nice place - great reasonable food and good beer. A lot of beer that was. Darin and I both got flights. I guess it was a good idea to get a cab to drive us down to the restaurant?

Perfect.

One year. One week.

After dinner, we wondered around the area and found this older bar with beautiful distressed wooden floors. The Bayou Cafe - cute in a rustic way.

The boys played manly pool. And the girls talked.

Foxy Josh and Darin

Suzanne, Cristina, and I

And we took a cab home. All eight of us in one minivan cab. Scary actually.

Suz, Meghan, Josh, and Janice.

But we made it back - and after a quick dip in the hot tub, we were sleeping like little lambs.

FIRST Competition

2010-03-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

In case people didn't know, I was involved in robotics in college - we started the first ever women's robotics team at my school and at this event. It was pretty important to me my last year of school, and I really got excited about building metal things (compared to wooden ones) and working with others.

In graduate school, I became a mentor for Team #281 in FIRST - a robotics competition for high school students. I really had a great time working with the crazy high schoolers (yak) and participating in FIRST. It's a great organization for students interested in building/engineering/programing robots. And it's fun.

But it was a huge time commitment. Huge. During the season, I'd drive up to Greenville (like 45 minutes) every day after school to help machine the robot. Every night for like two weeks. Overall, I loved the experience, but ended up not joining a team here in Florida. Though the whole thing basically started here...

Anyway, five years ago I started volunteering for the Regional here in Orlando. Not only do I get to experience this great event, but I have also met some fantastic friends.

Fantastic ones!

So this year I helped again - as my evil role as Lead Querer (getting the robots in order and ready to go on the field).

I'm evil. I'm efficient. Some of the kids like me, others not so much. Oops. But I am fair, and I feel that I lead a good example to these kids by being strict, but friendly. Ha.

This event allows for my evilness to come out for a weekend. It works out well for everyone involved.

Anyway. Here are some photos.

The field.

Maggi and Steve (her Dad)

The event was on March 11th-13th. For some, ahh, reason I missed it last year. And my wonderful husband let me go this year instead of a fun, relaxing cruise we were thinking about going on.

I enjoy myself every year and look forward to the next. The people who volunteer were amazing as ever, and I couldn't have been more evil.

Bowling P.R.O.

2010-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here trying to think of something clever for P.R.O. to stand for.

Pretty Random O.

What the heck are some nouns that begin with the letter O? Orphan. Oreo (I think it's because I want chocolate). Oklahoma. Orange.

I am left at a blank.

***

We went bowling with some friends a week or so ago, it was fun. This post is not about that. This post was/is 100% about my bowling score.

I got a turkey.

In the last frame. (Which I have done before, I do believe).

I called to tell my Dad what I did (you have to share bowling scores with fathers, it's what you do) and he was interested in my final score. Sigh. If you look above it was 95. Oops.

I told him and he laughed at me. Mean father. :)

We were bad bowlers. Darin was even bad (he's freakishly good at bowling with his own ball). And I came in second. Go Del.

B-Balling

2010-03-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to a UCF basketball game - it's sad really how I used to go to all of the Tulsa basketball and Clemson football games, yet can't really get to the UCF ones at all.

But we went.

Met some friends (Malita and Matt) out for dinner at H@ulihans - woo hoo, Ladies Night on Thursdays and I got free all you could drink Long Islands (which was only two, thank you) - and then went to the game. They had season tickets so we scalped ours (oh yeah!) and got front row on the same side as them but different corner.

UCF ended up losing. But that's okay. It was fun and we were right in the action.

They played ECU.

Yikes. Super clear photo. How'd I do that?

I decided to share the bad pic of the two of us.

I kept forgetting my beloved camera at home and was forced to us my phone camera (which was actually pretty good - 3MP, better than my first digital in 2001!). And I have to stick my hand out to take the picture, and I'm shaky, so the photos tend to not be very good. Darin took this one.

I was meaning that I look awful in the photo. Maybe it was the two LIITs. Oops.

New Bookshelf

2010-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Got this little beauty a while ago.

Yep. It's pretty awesome.

It was hanging out in the garage for awhile, but we finally brought it in and put some cute stuff in it! What do you think?

In the family room.

Close up.

I love shelving because I can put all of the special things we have on it!

St. Patty's Day - Green Beer Negative

2010-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

By now, everybody knows I volunteer every week. I used to be a Thursday person, but have recently switched to Wednesday because someone else couldn't do that day.

I was actually pretty excited to go in on St. Patrick's Day because the meal providers (it's called Share-A-Meal) are very good about bringing holiday appropriate dinners - so I was expecting corned beef and cabbage (of which I would have maybe eaten the corned beef and hopefully some potatoes if they would have brought them too) and at least some cute green shamrock cupcakes.

For example:

But the people who were supposed to come didn't (bad people), and we had leftovers (which is normally fine actually), but were afraid there wouldn't be enough for everyone in the house...

So we went to McDonalds. It's Irish, right?

And I got a Shamrock Shake. And a Big Mac. Bad Del.

But it was good. Much better than the corned beef and potatoes I would have had. Though the cupcake would have made up for it. SO maybe a close draw.

And it was a great night, as usual.

And Suzanne and I found some fun knitted things (we have a knitting club donate things all the time) which we enjoyed making fun of.

You can sometimes be a little evil - it's okay.

So no green beer, but a green shake! That makes for a great St. Patty's day in my eyes.

One Year

2010-03-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yikes.

Does the title say enough? Neither Darin nor I could believe that we have been married for one year - but we have. And we succeeded.

A. Whole. Year.

Many thanks to all of you who wished us a happy anniversary. You all mean so much to us!

Re-Visit: Gainesville Part II

2010-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Finally, the second party of our Gainesville trip.

(Been a little busy...)

On Sunday morning we awoke to happy faces - I think all but Anu slept very well - and went to breakfast where Kucku and I had gone before: 43rd Street Deli and Breakfast. So good. I got strawberry pancakes. Love pancakes. Love 'em.

Then Kucku took us to Lake Alice in Gainesville - which is right off of campus. They have a walkway and we spent our time searching out alligators.

No luck. Damn things were probably sleeping. Sigh.

Lake Alice on a beautiful fall day. Ahh summer day.

Del, Anu, Suz, and Kucku

And we went also on a tour of Kucku's new building - I had previously seen her old building. This new one was new! Crazy new. With orange floors. Orange people - very Clemson. Yet Florida too.

And then we went to search for the Gainesville Ronald McDonald House. Though it took awhile and we had to ask for directions, we eventually found it. To me, it's amazing how different the houses are from each other. That and the different activities they do within the house. Strange. But this house was big and spacious. They had a great playground - which we wish we had, and two kitchens. Crazy.

With Donald.

And then we drove the long way home (it's only 1.5 hours people). And slept because we were all tired from such a fantastic weekend. It's fun to visit with friends who live a little bit away because it feels like a real trip!!

Just something cute...

2010-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had some work friends over. Mainly to get Charlotte (not pictured - but a new person at my work) to take as much as our 'stuff' that we could possible get her to get!

We were pretty successful!

Anyways, Ayesha had never met Jake in his own setting - just at work where he's a crazy dog.

And they bonded.

She kept saying how calm and well mannered he was.

He was puttin' on a front.

Re-Visit: Gainesville Part I

2010-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well we went up to Gainesville again to see Kucku.

But for special reasons this time (not that last time wasn't special):

(1) to celebrate her 30th birthday!

(2) to have a girls' weekend (because it was sorely needed)

(3) to get away from the boys (kidding, really!)

Anupama, Suzanne, and I traveled up North to the land of the trees and non-Florida plants (it totally seemed like a completely different state, I swear) a couple Saturdays ago.

We got there and headed off for lunch at this restaurant across the stadium called The Swamp. Those guys up in Gainesville were creative with names.

While waiting for a table, we sat down in the grass to relax - and 'cause it was a beautiful day - and a cut dog came by and sat down right between Suzanne and I. So funny! His name was Rafe, and Suzanne instantly fell in love - he was half Border Collie, half Boxer.

Cute cute.

After a good lunch (and cold beer), we went to this state park: Devil's Millhopper.

Now don't ask me anything about it because I don't really know. And I've added a link for your educational benefit. All I know was that it was a sink hole.

Suzanne, Del, and Kucku.

Steps leading down.

Suzanne thinking about Rafe.

Walking along the perimeter: Anupama and Suzanne

Action shot!

After walking up one thousand steps (not really, but it sure felt like it), we walked around the sink hole too. It was very pretty. Definitely a must see - but nothing you have to drive 100 miles to see.

We were pretty tired after that (or at least I was), so we went back to Kucku's for a nice relaxing game of Scrabble that Anu killed us all.

But I did get the word testes.

Then we got ready to go out for dinner - it was much later in the afternoon. I don't want you to think that we ate lunch and like an hour later we had dinner. As much as I like to eat, I can't eat that close together. Sigh. Okay, I can. But I'm not sure the others could.

We headed out to Harry's.

A New Orleans restaurant.

Which meant, there were:

Hurricanes!

And fish in drinks!

Kucku and Del

Anu and Suz

Shrimp creole. Great.

Kucku's sampler.

And we got chocolate bread pudding. Which we all tried to eat. And the sauce was so good - it was like a white chocolate sauce. So good.

And we were stuffed full.

Ended up walking around and people watching. It was spectacular. The girls and what the were wearing. Wow. I gotta get me some high heals to fit in with the hip crowd.

And the lines to get into places. Crazy.

But we went home and went to sleep.

Benefits of Living in WA State

2010-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

I am just a little teeny tiny bit jealous.

A little bit.

My sister and parents went up to Vancouver on Sunday to check out the Olympics.

How cool is that?

Games and Cuban Food

2010-02-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

The next day of that weekend (we had a busy weekend with Super Bowl on Sunday too), Saturday night, we were invited to Frank and Mercedes' place for dinner with some friends.

Frank and Mercy were recently married (hurray) and it was fun to celebrate with them again and eat fantastic food.

(I don't know why I didn't get a picture of the food, but it was very good. Mercy is Cuban and made this wonderful traditional meal!)

Darin loved his food and Frank.

Mercy and Frank have all of these shakers/drum things around their apartment.

People kind of went crazy:

Nazelle, Raji, and Darin

Me.

And then we started playing games. Started off with a game we got for Christmas from my SIL/BIL - called Smart Ass Trivia Game. It was pretty awesome. For some reason we all got very excited when a blue card was read. Don't really know why.

And I won. *yep*

Then we played Quelf.

The board. I was the purple bat thing.
Darin was the tall skinny guy.
Not really.

And you could tell, we enjoyed this one too:

Frank and Mercy.

Bonnie and Sergio.
(Only pic I took of them - other than dinner ones!)

And that's that. Ha.

Try the games, they were very fun! Thanks so much to Frank and Mercedes for hosting us and giving us fantastic food!

What I hold in my Heart

2010-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

In church today, the childrens' sermon was about what you hold in your heart.

It made me think of all of the wonderful people who bless my life, Darin's life, and our families lives.

And it made me realize how truly blessed we all are.

Here is what I hold in my heart:

We love our families, friends, and puppies very much.

Happy V Day.

P.S. Sorry if you aren't in the picture, it doesn't mean we don't love you. It means I got lazy about 20 minutes in creating the picture and couldn't do it any more and gave up...