2 year anniversary!

We celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Sunday, September 26th. We had a pretty busy (and fun) weekend, so we didn't exactly celebrate our anniversary other than taking this photo. We drove home from DC in the morning, then Bryce worked on his paper and I did laundry, then we went to a party at his advisor's house for two students that just finished their Ph.D. degrees. Maybe we'll make some special plans for next year...or just go to Olive Garden later this week...

I also came home to these beauties last night after class:

Andy and Lindsey got married!

We had SUCH a fun weekend. I love our family.

We drove from Blacksburg to DC on Friday with Amy and Aaron for Andy and Lindsey's wedding weekend. (Andy, my cousin) Friday evening, we went to the rehearsal dinner at the Towers Club at Tyson's Corner area. The food was delicious, and it was fun celebrating with Andy and Lindsey. They had a sushi chef making sushi for us, and awesome red velvet cupcakes! We got to visit with extended family from Florida, California, and North Carolina.



I can't get over how big Abby is! She is as sweet as ever.





Emily is really starting to show her pregnant belly! The baby is due in March, and they find out the gender in a few weeks!!



I don't think they could've been more excited for Andy.



On Saturday, we took the metro into DC to see the Monument and the WWII Memorial. It was HOT and to say we were rushing is an understatement. We were traveling on the very crowded metro for twice as long as we were actually walking around once we got there.



A little girl got really hot and kinda cranky. But the Italian ice that her Daddy bought for her seemed to do the trick real quick.



We rushed back, got ready, and headed to the big event. It was gorgeous. I mean, everything was gorgeous, from the place, to her dress, to the bridesmaids, to the food, decorations, and cake.



During cocktail hour, we were taking lots of pictures. I think the boys mastered the photo shoot.





It was classy. Even down to the caesar salad.



They are so cute! After the honeymoon, they will move up to Buffalo, NY. (Well, Andy already has lived there for a month or two, starting his new job)



At this point, Bryce stopped being normal in the photos. This happens when I start taking "too many" photos. I don't think you can take too many photos.



Cutting the cake...and smearing in faces...



There was a ton of dancing. At one point, the entire dance floor was full, and people were dancing on the carpet. I found out that Aunt Judy can really "get low, get low, get low!".



On their way to Hawaii...



And on our way back to school...



To see all of the pictures, go here.

GCPC Members and Baptism

Since we moved to Blacksburg, we have been going to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church (GCPC). We have come to really love the sermons, pastors, and church family. Over the summer, we went to an Inquirers Class and learned more about the church's history and the Presbyterian church as a whole.

Bryce grew up going to a Baptist church and then a Church of God. After college, he went to Fourth Presbyterian in Bethesda. Our first year of marriage, we went to Reston Bible Church in the DC area. I grew up going to mostly nondenominational churches.

We decided to become members of GCPC, and met with the elders over the summer. This past Sunday, we were welcomed into the church along with some of our friends.



AND I was baptized! When I was a baby, I was dedicated, and may have been baptized as an infant, but we were unsure. I was excited to be baptized.



It was special to be baptized by our friend and Associate Pastor, Brian, and hear the meaning of baptism again.

Baptism signifies the faithfulness of God, the washing away of sin, rebirth, putting on the fresh garment of Christ, being sealed by God's Spirit, adoption into the covenant family of the Church, resurrection in Christ. The sacrament of baptism is a sign of God's reaching out to us-it's not about what we do, but what God has done for us. All we need to do is receive the gift. Baptism is a public display of our faith in Christ and a representation of the promises of forgiveness, freedom, and new life offered in the gospel. In Baptism we are reminded especially of God’s promise: “I will be your God and you shall be my people.” Baptism is NOT what saves us and takes our sins away, but it is Jesus Christ and FAITH in Him.

VT vs. ECU

H-O-K-I-E-S Hokies!! We had a lot of fun at the ECU game this weekend. Weslie "Erin" Green was in town for work, and decided to stay with us for the weekend to go to the game. It was so fun catching up with her for a couple days!

Before the game, went to the German Club to tailgate with the newly engaged couple, Kate and Jeff, and both of their parents. I cannot wait til they get married! (AND Kate moves here!) They're great. Nice North Carolina BBQ, some corn hole, and a WIN to finish off the day!

My favorite part of the game:

VT 49-ECU 27

Camping with Rae and Brett

Before we went on our California adventure (end of July), in fact just 2 days before, Bryce's brother Brett and his wife Rachel came to visit us in Blacksburg. They just bought a new tent and camping stuff, and wanted to try it out with us!

We spent ALL day at the river, laying out, swimming, and getting sun burned (unknowingly).



Every time I look at this picture, it makes me laugh.



That night, we packed up the dogs, buns, and bags and headed out to Wind Rock to go camping.



Bryce is the 2nd boy, Brett is the 3rd (out of 4). Do you think they look alike?



I don't think so. Maybe just a little.

Normally up at Wind Rock, you are bound to run into groups of people having bonfires and sometimes causing a ruckus. It was pretty quiet that Saturday night, but we did see some students we know from church that were having a bonfire.

We had a fire, hot dogs, smores, mac 'n cheese, and got to see the sun go down over the mountains.



It was a lot of fun. I hope they had a good experience camping and using their new tent for the first time! It kinda made us want a new one that's bigger and less weight.



It's so beautiful.

I can't believe we've been here for a year already. Bryce is into his 2nd year of his Ph.D.!

VT vs. JMU

Frankly, I don't want to remember this day, simply because of the outcome of the game... BUT we had a fun tailgate in good company, which I suppose makes up for the horrible loss and horrible weather throughout the whole game.


My Dad, his friend, Jill, Aunt Judy and Uncle David, my cousins Andy and Becky, friend Eric, Becky's bf Tommy, Bryce, and I all had fun getting pumped (and filling up on the typical tailgate food: hamburgers, brats, chips, dips, ...) for the hokies' first home game at Lane Stadium.

High 60s and raining the whole time, we left the game 3 hours later, freezing and dripping wet with pretty low hokie spirit.

Then we went to a nice dinner at The River Company Restaurant & Brewery with my Dad and his friend, Jill. We had delicious dishes and soon (kind of) forgot about the loss. Bryce and I particularly love their steaks, ribs, and sweet potato fries. We finally tried their "Dry aged" beef. Check out this page about the difference between wet-aged and dry-aged beef. The dry-aged rib eye that Bryce got (on the right) was awesome! And on top of my spinach salad was some dry-aged steak.


By the end of the day, we retrieved our hokie spirit back and then remembered that we don't worship football, but an awesome God!

Go hokies!!

Great movie

We just saw Invictus the other night. It was SUCH a good movie.

P.S. We love love love Netflix.

Another half marathon?

Yes. It's official. Well, not yet because we still have to register. But we will be running another half marathon (!!).

At first, I thought, okay, we don't have time for this. But we run on a regular basis anyways, so why not put the extra couple hours a week working (running) towards something?

Last year, it was my first race. Ever. Except maybe when I was around 6th grade and maybe ran (walked) the Kennett Square 5k. Does that exist? I have a faint memory of it.

We considered about running the Charlotte half again, but there are so many, and each one is a different experience, so I wanted to add variety. I researched on this website for races all over the country, thinking about the amount of weeks we have, and how far we want to drive just to run a 13.2 mile race and then turn back around to be home in time for classes on Monday.

After serious debate (not really), we chose the OBX half marathon!!! I was kind of excited to run another half. But now that the race means we get to go to the Outer Banks, NC, I am super excited!

Now about training...I'm trying to stick with this. We'll see how it goes. Hal Higdon is like the father of the marathon. He has contributed to Runner's World magazine longer than any other writer. He is the author of 34 books, including the best-selling Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. He ran 8 times in the United States Olympic Trials and won 4 World MAsters Championships. He has probably helped millions improve their race. Hopefully he can help me, too. (info from Wikipedia)

Kyle Lamy Photo

In the midst of homework in my second week of grad school, I took a break and was just looking at some incredible photography by one of our good friends, Kyle. He was in our wedding. We love him. I also love to spend hours looking at his amazing photos taken all over the world and imagining them framed on all the walls of our small house. I thought I'd share so you can enjoy it, too.

Kyle Lamy Photography

Blueberry picking

We went blueberry picking at Windrush farms the first weekend we were back in town. It was awesome! We have 8 cups of frozen blueberries in the freezer, plus we probably ate another 2 or 3 cups that day while picking and after. I would have loved to get more, but our freezer is only so big, and we need room for the ice cream.