Amazing Grace

Collegiate Keg Party

It's hard to believe that it was already a year ago that our beloved Jess took her very sip (or shall I say shot after shot after shot) of alcohol! To celebrate the one year anniversary of this momentous occasion, Jess spent the afternoon at the spa where I met her for a couples facial that was indescribable!! Then we hosted a collegiate keg party to continue the celebration started 365 days ago! What's your average house party without the consumption of bottomless Jello shots, Carly and I taking sultry self-portraits, round after round of beer pong, and reverse keg stands with the water dispenser!

Happy 22nd Birthday, Jess!

Nine ~ Eleven

I will never forget watching those towers fall (unbelievably) seven years ago. I took these pictures at my first visit to Ground Zero two summers ago. They were incredibly moving messages that brought tears to my eyes remembering those that were lost that day but that will never be forgotten. Grandma and Auntie Linda (pictured above) exchanged sweet nothings with this hunky member of FDNY at the station next to Ground Zero.

Oil Slicks and Helpful Hicks =)

Last Saturday I was driving home from a very exhausting weekend in Tallahassee when all of a sudden the beloved JEEP started shaking out of control! The little genie lamp looking thing (I was later informed is the oil pressure gauge) dropped to zero and the car came to a complete stop on I-10. Mind you it was 1:45 in the a.m. I called AAA (as I may be one their most valued customers!) and proceeded to wait 1.5 hours for a tow truck man (and his Dad). Being in the absolute middle of nowhere without hardly any cell phone service and the only thing close by was a state prison (no joke!), they dispatched a police officer (of whom I insisted take a picture with me because it was perfect Blog material and without picture proof, I didn't think anyone believe me that this was actually happening. After many attempts on my camera phone using the blue lights of the patrol car to light up the shot, the nice fella informed me that they are not allowed to have their photogs taken in uniform so I cannot post it because he since than has facebook stocked me and will find out if I do) who waited with me until almost 3:00. From there, I rode 89 miles (thank goodness because AAA only covers 100 miles) between a nice tow truck man and his Dad all the way back to the Ville. I learned their whole life stories including my favorite one about how he delivered all four of his kids at home just him and his wife and after they got the baby cleaned up, they took it to Shoney's. Currently being in my obstetrics rotation, I found this family tradition to be all sorts of wrong. I arrived home at 5:15 that morning and had to get one last shot with the JEEP [may he rest in piece(s)] and my new friends...

The Most Beautiful Girl in The World

Entrapment.

Meet Megan. Petrified of spiders and all things with eight legs, she was rather distraught when I returned home today only to find her suspended five feet above the ground screaming at "the biggest spider I've ever seen; it's the like the size of an egg!"

Meet the spider. About the size of a quarter but scary none-the-less.


Meet Kenzie; Carly's little sister's boyfriend and our friendly exterminator. Ready to save the day (and get a free meal), he immediately began carefully planning a strategy to capture the spider and allow us to sleep tonight. His method was perfectly executed and the spider was successfully trapped and is currently suffocating and starving in our living room. Now if only we could catch all the lizards and cockroaches...

EXHIBIT A: The Trap. EXHIBIT B: The spider in the trap.

A Not-So-Laborious Labor Day

Given this fabulous Monday off of school, we could hardly decide what to do with ourselves! First, we headed straight to the golf course where I was able to upgrade our cart for an air conditioned one (pictured here)! It might possibly be the greatest invention since sliced bread, as the saying goes. From there, Carly and I enjoyed an elegant pedi & mani. While sitting in our chairs, our nail ladies insisted we go to the mall and check out the shoe sale because they were 75% off. Afraid to say no, we headed to the mall where I found 4 great pairs of shoes for the price of one!! Super pumped (no pun intended) about our fantastic deal, we needed some calming so we attended a Vinyasa yoga class to balance our chi. Needless to say, it was a not-so-laborious Labor Day!

Let The Games Begin!

Nothing like starting out football season in the first row on the 10 yard line! Our view was fabulous as we watched the 2006 National Football Champions throttle the W. Kentucky Hilltoppers in the season kick-off game, 49-3 with 90,000 of our closest friends! Go Gators!!

Our new house is only two miles from the stadium. Feeling ambitious, we decided it would be a fabulous idea to walk to the game. Sunshine and excitement made the half hour walk almost unnoticeable on the way there. The torrential downpour on the way back (because what would an afternoon in Florida be without a thunderstorm?!) left us drenched and second- guessing our decision!

Butterfly Kisses

Today Kate and I had a fabulous day at the natural history museum where we visited the new shark exhibit. Kate loves to go to the museum! Her favorite part (and mine) is the Butterfly Rainforest where the prettiest butterflies flutter freely around you.

In Remembrance of the People's Princess

"Helping people in need is a good and essential part of my life, a kind of destiny."

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you."

"I think the biggest disease the world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved. I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give. I am very happy to do that, I want to do that."

Aftermath

It's hard to believe that it was already 2 years ago that Hurricane Katrina, the Category 5 hurricane that hit the Gulf Coast, wiped out New Orleans. Watching the news in total disbelief at the size of the storm and the catastrophic damages it was causing along the entire coast, I will never forget the terror in a news anchor's voice who was reporting live in the middle of the storm. A man came up to her on air hysterically crying and was looking for his wife that had been swept away in the rushing water. It instantly brought tears to my eyes witnessing their lives being helplessly destroyed. I was fortunate enough to experience the Big Easy in high school and it is such a great place. While much of the city was destroyed, no storm could wipe away the culture and eccentric vibe that makes NOLA so unique!

Happy Anniversary of Your 21st Birthday, Jordan!

Delectable Dresses & Heart-Shaped Necklaces

Over the weekend we had our first social gathering at our new home to celebrate Jordan's (Carly's brother) 22nd birthday. As the honorary hostesses of the party we got dolled up in delectable dresses and heart-shaped necklaces! =)

Capilano Bridge and Ferry Ride

We spent one afternoon hiking across the Capilano Suspension Bridge 230 feet above the Capilano River. There was a tree top boardwalk where we could hike high up in the trees 100 feet above the forest floor. K and Grams indulged in some homemade fudge after surviving the trek!

We also got the opportunity to take a ferry boat ride from Granville Island. Although it was not a "tour" and our captain "was not a tour guide", we got a neat look at the city from the water. I loved the houseboat neighborhood. While in Granville Island, we shopped in the fresh market and looked in the fun shops.