Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Oh the Places You’ll Go…

I feel like I’ve been on the go for a while now, and it’s good to be back home with Brian. 

In September, my little, Caroline, posed the question, “What if we went to Niagara Falls?  Could you meet us there?”  I was so excited that I immediately looked up routes to get there from here, and found one that went right through Syracuse, NY!  Our sorority was founded at Syracuse University, so I then posed the question, “Can we meet in Syracuse and visit the Alpha Gam house?!?”  Thus, the momentous road trip was born!

So the first week of October, I drove down to the Nerber’s house near Utica, NY.  It was wonderful visiting with the kids and Nathalie and Steve.  Nathalie and I went shopping, I helped the kids with their homework, and was so excited to have a Grey’s Anatomy buddy for the night (and Steve watched too!!)!  I even had to pleasure of going to Matthew’s hockey practice!

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From the Nerbers’ home, I met up with some of my sorority sisters in Syracuse.  It was completely overwhelming and surreal to see them again after so long.  We wandered the university campus and totally creeped on the Butterfield House (the original Alpha Gamma Delta house)!

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IMG_5114 The Crest on the Butterfield House!

IMG_5117  Emily Helen Butterfield!!  Alpha Gamma Delta Founder and Architect IMG_5116

IMG_5121 In the common room

IMG_5126Three Generations of AGD

IMG_5128 Caroline and I

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We even managed to meet some of the newest baby squirrels on campus!!

From there, we headed up to Niagara Falls for the next two nights.  We had an awesome hotel suite…well, I guess if you’re there on your honeymoon, seeing as how there was a gigantic jacuzzi tub in the middle of the living room! lol

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That night we walked over to the falls for the first time, and it was beautiful!  They were even lit up pink for Breast Cancer Awareness!

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The next day, Missy, Amy, and I took the pedestrian bridge to Canada.  Because we were so close to the border, they insisted we go, and I was of course fine with that!  The views from the bridge were absolutely beautiful!

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After our about one hour trip to Canada, we met up with the other girls and went on The Maid of The Mist!

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IMG_5244 Inside Horseshoe Falls!!

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The Maid of the Mist was truly amazing.  It was unreal to be so up close to one of God’s magnificent creations. 

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That night, we went to see Terrapin Point, which is the American side of the top of Horseshoe Falls. 

IMG_5279 Absolutely beautiful, and Canada’s in the background!

And a side note, if you are ever in Niagara, you have to eat at Como Restaurant!  It’s an Italian place that’s been around since the 1920s, and loads of famous people throughout the decades have eaten there.  It’s off the beaten tourist trail, but it is hands down, the best Italian food we have ever eaten!  And pace yourself because it’s a lot of food!!

This trip showed me that even though my sisters are far away, they are always there for me, and the bonds of Epsilon Pi are absolutely incredible.

unspoken connection

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Caution: Work Zone

We have recently bought our first house, however it is a bit outdated.  The kitchen was almost completely closed off from the rest of the house…..SO, we’re fixing it!

The dining room/kitchen before:

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Ian also helped me take off all of the cabinets because we’re painting them white!

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Our dining room/kitchen NOW:

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The wall is totally gone! And we’re adding a bar between the two!  And there is also a window from the living room to the kitchen too! 

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It’s so much more open, and def not a dungeon anymore!!  I can’t wait for it to be finished!! 

A What Cake?!?

Carole’s second cousin, Elise, is having a baby boy, and some family members threw her a baby shower.  Brian and I were going out of town that weekend, so I wasn’t able to go.  However, I wanted to send a gift, so I tried my hand at making a diaper cake.  While diaper cakes are pretty common at showers down south, there are a totally foreign concept here!  Brian couldn’t wrap his brain around it!  lol 

I think it turned out pretty good, and it was apparently a hit at the shower!  A family friend also said she’d hire me to make one next time she goes to a baby shower! 

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Monday, September 13, 2010

Home Sweet Home

I can officially say that Brian and I are buying a house on Wednesday!  We have an appointment at 5:30 and should have the keys in hand by 6:00!  We are so excited!  The house is a semi-detached with 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, a finished basement, and fenced backyard.  Some of the features of the house are a little outdated, and we are planning on doing some minor renovations to make it more modern and our own.  We bought furniture last weekend and our appliances should be in by the end of the month! 

Everything seems to be falling into place, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Monday, September 6, 2010

The French-Canadian Version of NASCAR

Last week Brian and I took his brother Ian to the NASCAR Nationwide race in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.  The track is actually on a man-made island off Montreal (Montreal is an island too btw!).  It was Ian’s first race, and he loved it!

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Carl Edwards and Boris Said

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Marcos Ambrose

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View from the hairpin turn

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Thursday, September 2, 2010

Bowman’s Favorite Things

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6 quarts of fire wood = Bow’s dream come true……

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Bow’s other favorite thing….WATER.

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And check out this video of him retrieving!!  He’s gotten so good at it!!