family, friends, flowers, fruit... and a med school exam

Whew, this has been a long work week.  I've battled a cold, drove up to Detroit on Wednesday, came back down Thursday, and have been ridiculously busy in the office all week.  I am ready for the weekend!  Linking up with Lauren today for five silver linings this week:

 

1. My little sister (the cutie on the right) is taking her STEP 2 medical school exam this Sunday, and a surgery rotation exam next week. Not exactly a silver lining... but the lining will be when it is all over and she can finally relax for a minute or two! My sister is such a hard worker and is going to make an incredible doctor. I am so proud of her.

2. I had such a great time seeing old swimmer friends at my friend Anna's wedding in PA last weekend.  We took a detour on our way to Anna's wedding to spend the night with my aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh - and I'm so glad that we did!  I can't wait to head back out to the 'Burgh to see them again this fall.

3.  "Thinking of you" flowers from Steve while I was feeling under the weather at work - he sure knows how to cheer me up.

4.  I love nectarines.  They are by far my favorite fruit.  And it's finally that time of summer when the grocery store seems to be stocked with perfectly ripe nectarines!  I'm in nectarine heaven over here.  Seriously - I'd eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could.  Yum.

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And lastly...
5.  I'm so thankful for this man.  He's not only handsome wedding date (to the bazillion weddings we've had this year), but also my biggest fan.  He tells me that I'm beautiful...and I know that he means it.  I'm one lucky girl.

I'm off to visit my grandmother in Chicago this weekend while Steve has a guys' weekend here in town.  They're going to a motocross race, while my grandma and I will probably spend the majority of our time shopping.  It's a win/win.  Have a great weekend!

 

trip to pa

This weekend, Steve and I hit the road to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a college friend's wedding.  We have been on a roadtrip kick this summer and decided to drive instead of fly - a total of ten hours each way or so.  I'm so glad that we drove, though, because we got to stop in Pittsburgh on the way there to see my aunt and uncle, who we hadn't seen since our wedding last year. 

 

When we first arrived in town, we all went out for a delicious seafood dinner.  I tried a chilean sea bass - it was divine.  Steve, who is still cooking up a storm in our house, was taking notes on his cedar plank salmon.  Yum!   It was so nice to share a meal with my aunt and uncle and just catch up on life.

After dinner, we headed back to their house, poured a glass (or two) of wine and relaxed in their beautiful backyard. 

My aunt and uncle's fur-babies also joined us outside.  Even the cat, Rizzo - she roams around the bakcyard on a leash.  So funny to watch!

 

My parents have always told me how much I am like my Aunt Laura, and I just cherish every moment I get to spend with her.  We have so many of those, "omgsh, you too??" moments and every since I was little, she has always been a blast to hang out with - she really is the epitome of a fun aunt.  I relate to her in so many ways and wish I could see her more.  Also, we both have the middle name Elizabeth, which clearly makes us soul sisters or something.  It's a good middle name.

We had a really great stay with them and were sad to cut our trip short! We hope to head back out to Pittsburgh sometime soon (maybe for a Steelers game this fall?!) and I can't wait.  But we had to hit the road for the remaining four hours of our trip for the wedding.  Our hotel in Lancaster was beautiful and within walking distance to the wedding ceremony, which worked out perfectly.

 

The wedding itself was beautiful and it was so fun catching up with all of my old college swimming teammates between the ceremony and the reception.  There were ten of us there in total, not counting the bride!

I was a little nervous, since I hadn't seen many of the girls in years, but everyone was wonderful and I couldn't help but remember all of the fun times that we had together at swim meets and training trips in college. 

It was so good to see my college roommate/best friend - we don't see each other very much anymore since she lives in Houston, but Rice weddings are such a great excuse to spend time together!  Love this girl.

The wedding reception was at the beautiful Lancaster Country Club.  Steve (and all of my guy friends) were very tempted to escape during cocktail hour to hit a few balls, because the golf course was immaculate.  Don't worry, they restrained themselves in the end.  We did see a ball almost hit a wedding guest though!  Guess that's one of the dangers of an outdoor cocktail hour at the end of the 18th hole.

We had a wonderful time and danced the night away before heading back to the hotel for some shuteye before the long trip back home.  The weekend was a whirlwind, but I loved every second of it.  It's always good to see my old college crew, I really enjoyed catching up with old swimmer friends, and the detour to see my aunt and uncle was the icing on the cake. 

We only have one more wedding left this year (whew), but I must say it's been quite a successful wedding season thus far and this weekend was ranks pretty high on best weekends of the summer! 

call me old-fashioned, but...

...I will always prefer reading an old dusty hardback or a destroyed but beloved paperback over my Kindle or iPad. 

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...every time my husband opens a door or pulls out a chair for me, my heart skips a beat.

...I love visiting the library. 

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...I always feel prettier in heels.

...a young Robert Redford (circa The Sting) beats all of the current Hollywood men in my book.

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...I refuse to let Steve do laundry.  Even though I hate it.

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...letters are my favorite form of communication. 

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...a bouquet of flowers is the best way to cheer me up.

...my dream house is all about the wrap-around porch.

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...I have no doubt that any problem can be fixed with a cup of hot tea.

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...and I believe that when you say "I do," not until death do you ever part.

 

Call me old-fashioned, but to me these are the sweetest morsels of life. 

 

the state fair

It's the best time of the year in Indiana - State Fair time!  After early service at church this morning, we headed over the state fairgrounds.  This year is the Year of the Popcorn, which Steve was very excited about.  

We began with a tour through Pioneer Village.

Steve's grandfather used to sell these tractors back in the day. 

 No idea why the Indiana State Fair would have a wolf show, but I was very excited nonetheless.  (For those who don't know, I have been slightly obsessed with wolves since age 9 or so.)

 Next stop was the horticulture exhibits, aka the "grown-up stuff."  This is the first year that Steve and I found ourselves lingering at the gardens and examining different floral species - I blame it on being homeowners, or maybe maturation, but it was surprisingly a lot of fun!  And Steve even won a "take-home herb garden."  We're looking forward to giving it a try next year.

Next stop was the food exhibits - including the world's largest popcorn ball!  Steve was in popcorn heaven.

I was more impressed by this windmill made entirely out of cans.  

We headed to the animal exhibits next.  These were always my favorite growing up.  This year they had a llama exhibit and this guy was just too cute.

And of course, what would the state fair be without delicious fair food?   I went for the classic elephant ear, while Steve opted for fully loaded fries.

We opted out of fried oreos, snickers, twinkies, etc this year but I still managed to snap a picture and drool as we walked by.  Stupid (relatively) healthy eating lifestyle!  

Last stop was the Midway (aka where all the carnival rides are).  We didn't ride anything this time around, but strolling past the rides took me back to when I used to go to the fair as a kid.  Great memories.

It was an absolutely lovely day and we had a great time.  Besides, what kind of Hoosiers would we be if we didn't attend (and love) the State Fair?  Here's hoping 2014 is just as fun as 2013!

wedding jitters

This season has been full of weddings for us.  We have attended five so far (including this one, this one and this one), with two more to go, and couldn't make two because they coincided with other wedding weekends.  Steve told me when we first began dating that, "there are two things you don't say 'no' to - weddings and funerals."  We have done our best to stick with this motto and it's made for a fun wedding season thus far...and each wedding reminds me of our own special day.

Weddings are so fun - especially after you've had your own, I think.  I love seeing what each bride (and groom) dreamed up for the decor, selected for the ceremony and chose for her wedding gown.  Each wedding we have been to this year has been unique.  Each bride has been radiant.  Each ceremony was moving.  Each Mr. and Mrs. looked so wonderfully in love.  And it has been a blast seeing old friends and acquaintances from high school, college and law school.

The thing about weddings is that each one is like a journey back in time.  You see faces you haven't seen since college.  You reunite with old friends.  You speak with people that you haven't talked to in years.  Sometimes I can't wait for these blasts from the past and I look forward to them for months.  Other times, I get incredibly nervous about seeing people again - suffering from what I like to call "wedding jitters."  Usually the jitters hit when I was once close with that person but am no longer, or when I don't want to re-live or be reminded of difficult times in my past. 

I have one of those wedding-jitter weddings coming up.  And I know it will be absolutely fine once I am there, but I am nervous anyway.  There will be many faces there that I haven't seen in years.  It's not that I fear seeing them - they are all actually quite sweet and fun - as much as it is being reminded of a time in my life when I struggled.  That, and we just don't stay in touch anymore.

I am so thankful that Steve is coming with me.  I am so thankful that my friends will be there and that we are guaranteed to have a great time.  And I am thankful that, deep down, I know that once I see these folks, everything will be just fine.  It will be a great wedding celebration.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 4:6-7 (esv)

Do you ever get the wedding jitters?  If so, how do you handle them?