Weiner's a Winner.

          Having gotten to bed early most nights as of late, I've had the opportunity to do a lot of "bedtime reading".  Two of the books I read recently were the contents of my care package from Alex mentioned in a previous post and they both were quick and easy reads.  Jennifer Weiner's In Her Shoes, and Best Friends Forever were the books in question.  Her books each gave the points of view from each of her significant characters which I think made it interesting to see the events play out from inside their minds rather than a narrative of events.  In Her Shoes was definitely my favorite of the two.  I hadn't seen the movie before so it was nice to be surprised at how everything played out.  Best Friends Forever didn't necessarily captivate my attention to the point where I couldn't put it down, but I still finished it in a matter of a few days.  All in all, both good reads and I will definitely keep Jennifer Weiner as an option when picking out books in the future.  I recommend them both! 

Glass is underrated.

          In March, Brent finally took me to the Corning Museum of Glass after 4 long years of me begging to go.  Though a museum of glass is not primarily what Brent loves to do on his spring break, he was nice enough to oblige and watch the hot glass shows and demonstrations with me, front row!  We saw glass breaking demonstrations, where we learned which glasses are used where in life, and for what reasons. We looked through the museum of all the old pieces of glass dating back ages, and we watched a lazer demonstration using glass fibers in comparison to copper ones where we learned why High Definition televisions are so high quality!  I loved the whole day, but the hot glass show was like nothing I'd seen before. Watching them manipulate the glass into beautiful pieces is all in a day's work for the gaffers and it seriously made me re-think my profession.  Corning is a quaint little town where we enjoyed a meat free lunch at a pizza place on account of lent, and we enjoyed the long ride back with a gorgeous view of Seneca Lake, it's wineries, and all the little towns had to offer.

Florida lovin'

          Though this post is coming a little late, Brent's family and I did go directly to Florida after our trip to South Carolina.  We had an incredibly relaxing afternoon by the pool at the hotel which we followed up with watching the SU game at a local Irish pub.  The following day we made our way to Islands of Adventure, Universal where I had a life changing day! Okay, maybe it wasn't life saving/life changing but it was a very intense day for me and my deep seeded Harry Potter love.  Having been to Florida only once when I was four, and remembering absolutely nothing from the trip apart from what the photos looked like, this was like the first time for me.  Nothing could have made my Hogwarts experience better.  I was so impressed by the attention to detail that was taken inside the castle and Hogsmead that I found myself feeling real magic all day long!  My incredible cousin Jeff was nice enough to come meet us for the day since it's only a half hour trip from his school.  He served as our own personal tour guide of the park and was equipped with many interesting facts one wouldn't know without being informed.  We had a blast all day at the park and after relaxing a bit we took on the night scene in Downtown Disney.  Jeff had mentioned an Irish restaurant earlier in the day and when we found it, we all agree it was absolutely incredible.  It was a large restaurant with a beautiful bar and a stage for live music.  After all of us sat at the bar enjoying a few drinks and taking in the authentic Irish music we were seated and served meals that I'm sure they serve in heaven.  The restaurant, Raglan Road, has a band perform there 6 nights a week who are accompanied by very talented Irish step dancers who danced close enough to us that we could have tripped them. The whole ambiance of the restaurant and the band kept us there until after midnight and wanting more when the band wrapped up, but we had to settle with buying the CD to listen to on the long 24 hour car ride home. 

          After Orlando we drove to Gainsville for a day to see Brent's cousin Nora play in her freshman year for the Florida Gators woman's lacrosse team.  After countless awards and accomplishments in high school, Nora isn't slowing down in college.  She's already tied the schools record for draw controls in a single game and has been named Rookie of the week twice for her division.  It was so nice to spend the day and night with Brent's extended family and cheer on Nora and she continues on her path of greatness as another female athlete of the Ellis family that is making a name for herself.

Cheers to Charleston!

          Last week Brent and I boarded a plane (a few planes actually) headed to Columbia, South Carolina where his sister relocated to last summer.  While we were only there for a day, we were able to drive into Charleston for a quick trip which led to my absolute adoration of the quaint town.  Driving into Charleston I began to see the history of the city that lies in the architecture of the old houses and buildings.  Charleston is a particularly low-rise city where most of the noticeably taller points of the city are steeples of the many churches that lie there.  The architecture is stunning and Rainbow Road was by far the most memorable road in the city that I came across.  Rainbow Road consists of many different houses all painted different pastel colors. These houses face where the Atlantic meets the coast, where I coincidentally saw my first dolphin! It was a treat to wander around the streets in February without bracing myself against to cold.  The park that resides on the edge of the city has the most magnificent entry walk way leading up to a beautiful gazebo which looked to me like the perfect spot for photos.  Over and over again I have to thank Brent's family for always including me in their family adventures! I'm very lucky to have them as well as Brent and the fact that they let me practically live at the house on Skaneateles Lake with them all summer is enough for a girl to ever want without them taking me on vacations with them as well.  Here's Brent and me on Rainbow Road!

February Showers Bring May Weddings

          Last weekend was the much anticipated arrival of Alex's bridal shower and bachelorette party.  Having a best friend living life with celiac disease, it proved to be interesting trying to plan a party where everything on the menu was prepared and served gluton-free.  Despite our worries that our dear friend might get sick, everything went off without a hitch! The shower was at my house where the Bridal Party provided the makings of a fantastic day!  We had many games to play, courtesy of the Bride-to-be's future sister-in-law.  We played Bridal Scattegories using the letters B-R-I-D-E to help us come up with answers for certain questions like where Alex and Steve have traveled together, items they may need on their wedding day ect.  These were an excellent form of entertainment as well as a way to look back on the Bride and Grooms lives thus far together as they've been in item over 6 years.  With the decorations, party favors, gifts, and wonderful array of guests everything went beautifully.  I have to give a shout out to "Pinterest" for giving me the decorating idea that I used for some of the cookies which were also a hit at the shower.

           The bachelorette party was an evening filled with fantastic fun, fantastic people, and a fantastic limo.  We took our limo to down town Syracuse for the evening where the guests each gave Alex a task to complete before the evening was finished and we all had fun helping her complete them as well as celebrating the beginning of the next chapter of her life with her.  If the bridal shower and bachelorette parties were this entertaining, I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the wedding in May even more now.

My Funny Valentine

          Though this post is somewhat late, I thought I'd share a wee bit 'o my Valentine's Day with you all.  Having had a busy week preparing for Alex's bridal shower, I drove to Buffalo just for the evening where Brent and I shared a classic date night consisting of dinner and a movie.  We dined at Gordon Beirsch Brewery right in Buffalo where we both had absolutely delicious meals and Brent was able to try one of their home brew beers made right in the restaurant.  I do recommend it strongly to anyone in the area as the food and ambiance proved to be the makings of a wondering evening.  We then saw the typical Valentine's Day movie, The Vow, with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum.  Now I do love a good love story and movie that provides me with plenty of "cheese", but this movie was a wreck for me from start to finish.  I didn't find their love story to be very compelling and their chemistry was lacking for me as well. Alas, I have severe judgment for the movies I watch so do see it yourself and form your own opinion of it.
           Having decided that the iPad and flat screen TV giving between Brent and me had gotten out of hand, we toned down our gift giving this year.  I gave Brent a collection of Micro-brewed beers from Wegmans along with some wee bottles 'o liquor and cigars to make him what I called the "Man bouquet".  While on the other hand, he gave me an actual bouquet of flowers and a picture of the two of us that he painted himself using an app on his iPad.  What a talented boy he is!

       

Quila on Tour

          This past weekend I spent in Buffalo, as usual, but I was delighted to have an unusual guest with me!  Brent's sister's dog, who currently resides at his parents house, spent the weekend with Brent and me in Buffalo while his parents celebrated his brother at a Military Ball at Michigan State.  Though I've watched Quila countless weekends before, I've always done so at Brent's house where she is most comfortable.  Honestly, half the time we didn't even notice she was there since one of her favorite past times is silently cuddling up next to our legs and getting some beauty rest.
            She made an exciting trip to Wegmans with us where I patiently waited for Brent to return from inside the store, while she on the other hand, felt the need to express her serious concern for his well being by keeping watch at the window and forcefully barking at anyone who came close to the car.
           I'm always so happy to spend time with her, as is Brent, though he'll deny it til the end.  She is such a sweet puppy and loves being with her family more than anything else.  Laying in bed at night I felt so grateful to have her pressed up against my leg to share my body heat while I watched her little chest rise and fall.  How people don't see the beauty in dogs and their unyielding friendship and loyalty will always baffle me. 

           After a calm weekend, with the biggest excitement besides the presence of the puppy being a delicious home cooked meal of breaded chicken cutlets and french fries, Quila and I made our way back to good 'ol B-ville.  It was the fastest two hour car ride to date because I got to continually look over at her snuggled in my blanket, or got to drive while she slept in my lap.  There's no better feeling then coming home to a puppy who wants nothing more than to be with you.