B-Balling

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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.