Dave and Haley got married!

Congrats! It was a really fun wedding. So many of our college friends that we don't get to see often were there.


It was the first backyard wedding I've been to and it was so cute! I also loved the photobooth!!

Kids writing about the ocean

Since being in grad school for elementary ed, I have heard a ton of shocking and funny stories of things kids have said and/or done in the classroom. I'm sure these are just the first of billions I will hear and (hopefully) experience in my life time.

The other day, one of my professors forwarded us a funny email titled "Children Writing About The Ocean"...

-Here is my picture of an octopus. It has eight testicles. (Kelly, age 6)

-Oysters' balls are called pearls. (Jerry, age 6)

-If you are surrounded by ocean you are an island. If you don't have ocean all round you, you
are incontinent. (Wayne , age 7)

-Sharks are ugly and mean, and have big teeth, just like Emily Richardson. She's not my friend
any more. (Kylie, age 6)

-A dolphin breaths through an asshole on the top of its head. (Billy, age 8)

-When ships had sails, they used to use the trade winds to cross the ocean. Sometimes when
the wind didn't blow the sailors would whistle to make the wind come. My brother said they
would have been better off eating beans. (William, age 7 )

-Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails,
but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really? (Helen, age 6)

-I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother is always crying, my Dad keeps
yelling at my Mom, and my big sister has just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write.
(Amy, age 6)

-Some fish are dangerous. Jellyfish can sting. Electric eels can give you a shock. They have to
live in caves under the sea where I think they have to plug themselves into chargers.
(Christopher, age 7)

-When you go swimming in the ocean, it is very cold, and it makes my willy small.
(Kevin, age 6)

-The ocean is made up of water and fish. Why the fish don't drown, I don't know..
(Bobby, age 6)

-My dad was a sailor on the ocean. He knows all about the ocean. What he doesn't know is
why he quit being a sailor and married my mom. (James, age 7)

Gotta love kids.

VT vs. Wake Forest

It was awesome fall weather for the Wake Forest homecoming game. We played well and won. We went to a fun tailgate with BMES (Bryce's department). I don't have many pictures except this one. I have to admit, it did get pretty chilly, and with the score looking good for the hokies, we left in the beginning of the 3rd quarter.



The Friday evening before the game, we celebrated our first Oktoberfest with friends. We all made tons of German food: brats, sauerkraut, German potato salad, spaetzle, schnitzle, apple strudel and apple kuchen.

I only took one picture, but I think it was one of the best captured of the night. The Boleys hosted it. They loved Oktoberfest and went all out, as you can see. They even demonstrated the Polka and we had German music playing all night.

A Weekend in San Diego

I've been busy. This Fall is getting away from me. We haven't been able to go hiking or camping yet. Hopefully soon before ALL the leaves fall.

My time lately has been full of job-work, car inspections and an oil change, research papers, final projects, readings for class, laundry, and everyday feeling like I'm trying to catch up, only to find I'm behind again the next day. We're half way through the semester as of last week-yay!

A couple weeks ago, we took a whirlwind of a short vacation:

With Brad!

Like I said earlier, Brad was in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps for an entire year. We only got emails every now and then, and we got to talk to him on the phone once for a few mintues over Christmas last year.

God brought him back safely to the USofA, and we got to welcome him back and spend the weekend with him in San Diego. Bryce's mom and dad (Connie and Roger), brother and wife (Brett and Rachel), and I all went. Sadly, Brant and Ashley couldn't come since he is in the middle of rotations for med school. We missed them!

All of us welcoming him back!



Bryce was at a conference in Austin, TX for school until Saturday night when he flew in for the last couple days to see Brad.



We had fun going out to eat, seeing Camp Pendleton and meeting some of Brad's friends, walking on the beach, checking out Balboa Park near downtown, watching movies, eating at a sweet breakfast place in Encinitas, going to Point Loma peninsula with a view of the entire city and a lighthouse, and watching surfers catch some waves in Carlsbad.



A happy mom...


Balboa Park...


It was a blessing to be able to go to San Diego and spend the weekend in a fun place with the family, but the biggest blessing by leaps and bounds was simply to have Brad back safe and sound.

And actually, they overbooked our tail end flight on Monday, so with all the incentives, we (Bryce and I) decided to stay in San Diego an extra day. A hotel on the bay, a rented car, hot tub time, free meals, exploring La Jolla, and the Gaslamp (historic) district in downtown San Diego. It wasn't so bad...







We got home the next day and drove from the Charlotte airport straight to my class (she takes attendance) and I made it in time for the second half (1 1/2 hrs) and turned in my homework. Phew! Then it was back to normal life.

Cows

When we go on our runs, we almost always run on the Huckleberry Trail that goes from Blacksburg to Christiansburg. It's a great paved trail that goes through fields and wooded areas without crossing more than a couple roads. I think it's a total of almost 6 miles one way.

Along the trail, we always pass this field. Over the last month, there's been a small group of young cows. Sometimes we catch them while they're out grazing and get to see them as we run by.





We first saw them in late August and they were pretty little. They are A-DOR-A-BLE. These pictures are from about a week ago. As I was taking pictures, they were all looking at me like, "What do you think you're doing?" But they were all trying to get a good look at me. They were even reaching their heads up over one another to see me (see picture below!)



I want a brown one. The brown ones just really catch my eye with their long eyelashes and rusty color.



If we ever have a house with enough land, I have already received permission from Bryce to get a brown cow.



Doesn't it just look like he's crying for me to take him home?!



Did you know that when cows lay down and huddle together, it usually means it's going to rain?

Welcome home, Brad!

We just got an email from Brad on Monday saying that he left Afghanistan and was waiting to get on a flight back to the States!! Praise the Lord!

He will be flying home to the States (San Diego area-Camp Pendleton) TODAY!


We are super excited to see him. We are actually flying out to San Diego this weekend to welcome him back and see him for the first time in a year!

This is a picture of him while he was there.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

We love you!!! Thanks for being an awesome Dad to all of us!

Lindsay and Jeff

One of our friends from college, Lindsay Cooper, got married this past weekend, and we had a blast at the wedding. Because we were in DC just last weekend for Andy's wedding, we decided to drive up FOR THE DAY on Saturday for Lindsay's wedding.

We woke up bright and early at 5am, took showers, and were out the door by 6am. The wedding was at 11:30am. We got there just in time to get ready at Seth and Jess' place, have a cup of tea, and head to the ceremony at The Falls Church.

The church is beautiful. It is an Anglican parish that actually dates back 277 years to the founding of the United States (1769!). The wedding was held in the old building.

(images from here and here)

We haven't been to many morning weddings, so we weren't sure what to expect. It was so fun! There was coffee, tea, mimosas, a full brunch, and donuts! The reception was held in DC at James Monroe's (the 5th president) house. The location was so unique, the huge old historic home and a pretty brick courtyard out back.




I miss these girls!



I loved her dress!


We had a great time. On the way home, we listened to most of the VT vs. NC State game. What a game!! Bryce was convinced that our offense wouldn't pull through, but we made it! We were yelling and screaming and pumping our fists for each touchdown. On I-81, there were other hokies that saw us, and pulled up next to us cheering after the last touchdown. Go hokies!

Blue Grass at The Cellar

We went out to eat at The Cellar last Thursday night (I guess a late anniversary date), and saw a great bluegrass band: The Jugbusters!

We took a video with Bryce's phone, but it is not very clear.



They were really fun. We actually only stayed for like one song, because I was tired and Bryce had to stop by the lab. We need to go again to see the whole show. I guess they play at The Cellar quite often.


Jugbusters my space

Gum on car seat

Ok, a) this is random, and b) this is not a paid advertisement, I have to show you this.

We had a long car ride home from DC in our Accord, with Amy, Aaron, and Becky in the back seat. Somehow along the ride, a piece of gum (chewed already) ended up between Aaron and the seat, getting all over the place.



Later, I looked up online different remedies for gum in carpet/fabric. Some people said use ice to freeze it and then scrape it off. Didn't work well. It hardly got anything off. Then we used compressed air (a "Dust Off" spray can, turned upside down) to really freeze the gum until brittle and scrape off. It didn't work that well because the gum was so spread out. Finally, I just thought, I'll try Goo Gone, but it probably won't work and it will leave a huge stain on the fabric. I just dabbed it on a wash cloth and then scrubbed into the fabric. Worked like a charm and it's good as new. (The picture is after I had already cleaned up some of it-it was worse...I saw how well it was working and wanted to take a before/after)

It's my new favorite household product.

Any amazing stories of Goo Gone? Does it work on clothes?