*warning: picture-heavy post right he'er*
Summer twenty-thirteen was good to me. Very good to me in fact. I regaled some of my adventures along the way - the
weddings (btw: I went to two more weddings after that double-header), the
move(s) and
temporary house, my
Pennsylvanian road trip adventure. And because I am a person so generous of heart, I am back to test your patience with some more anecdotes.
Up first is a weekend pleasantly spent in Chicago in late-June. While in town for a wedding shower, I joined my sister, Rosie, for a roof-top BBQ at her beaufriend, Matt's amazing top-floor condo just north of the downtown area.
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| lovers in Chicago |
The food was delicious. The views were amazing. And Matt has the coolest fire pit I have ever seen in my entire life.
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| the coolest, prettiest fire pit I have ever seen |
In mid-July, after three rip-roaring awesome years in a first job that will go down in infamy, I peace'd out in anticipation of starting graduate school this fall.
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| my now-former office, snapped moments before I switched off the light and closed the door for the last time |
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| They are big fans of my work. I wish I were kidding... |
Because I enjoy the quiet life, and am exceedingly humble, I used the occasion of my last day of work to throw a "Last-Day-of-Work-Appalooza" party. The guest of honor was a unicorn piñata.
I had three weeks between the end of work and the start of graduate school. Two of those weeks were spent dashing around like a crazy person, packing, moving (for the second time), unpacking, and grad-school-prepping. One week was spent in the glorious state of South Carolina with my beloved family.
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| howdy-do, Dad and Dan |
Vacation was extra-great this year because all eleven of us were there (something that had not happened since 2010). To assure family bonding, we packed all eleven people into the familymobile and drove ten hours to our destination.
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| Grace and I taking life seriously in the back seat |
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| Dan kindly humored my effort to document his catnapping efforts |
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| John and Katie (SIL) |
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| artistic shot of Betsy drooling on her pillow |
While most of our time was spent lounging in the sun--some tanning nicely, others burning to a crisp, and still others perfecting our imitation of beached whales--we did throw in some excitement with a day-trip to Beaufort, SC, and a night on the town.
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| Rose is the reliable party-pooper of the family |
Rose had the brilliant idea of having a family talent show one night. Hidden talent abounds.
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| anxiously awaiting the first act |
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| Rose, the evening's MC. (the soup ladle was her "microphone") |
We had dancing:
Acting:
And singing:
The vacation ended on a bit of a dramatic note: On the last day at the beach, Mom and Helen (the youngest) were met by two sand sharks while wading in the shallow waves. Seeing two sharks between yourself and your mom and baby sister definitely ranks as one of the scariest moments of every one of our lives. My dad and brothers ran into the waters, ready to beat the crap out of the fanged fish if they got any closer to Mom and Helen. Most thankfully, shark-interactions were avoided and Mom and Helen got back to shore safely. Needless to say, I was a little too distracted to get pictures of the event...
The end of the summer was bittersweet. Okay, actually, it totally stunk: my BFFs Johnny and Holly moved 800+ miles away. You will remember that I
lived with Holly for
two years. She and Johnny are two favorites in my life. I don't know this town, or adult-life in general, without them!
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| at the going-away dinner for Johnny and Holly (far left) |
I didn't have much time to mope after John and Holly's departure. Grad school was nigh upon me. The two-week orientation flew by and then classes started! After an incredibly overwhelming first day (of orientation), I solemnly informed my older brother that I hadn't met a best friend yet, but the prospects were promising.
Things have only been looking up since then. I am thoroughly enjoying every bit of being a grad student (okay, not everything--loans are totally the pits). Classes are interesting. Course work is engaging and practical. People (i.e. new friends!) are interesting and fun. Oh, and there also is football.
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| LaSandruh is the coolest person I know |
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| surprise visitors are so much fun! |
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| old and new friends! |
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| Gabsauce had her sassy pants on |
I mention "classmates/new friends" above, yet none make appearances in this post. These pictures are of people I've known for years. To be honest, I sometimes feel a bit timid (I know, I confound myself too sometimes) about getting pictures with people I don't know so well. Also, being that all of the people pictured know that I have a blog and my new compadres don't, I would feel a bit awkward (Wait, MK, you have qualms about being awkward? --Believe it or not, my friends, I do [sometimes]) about broadcasting people's faces on the inter webs . If you are one such "new friend" reading this, be forewarned ;)
Was that disclaimer-slash-explanation necessary? I don't know, but whatever, there it is.
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| business-school-besties |
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