Much Needed Reunion

A much needed college reunion happened a few weekends ago at Elizabeth Butler's kitchen shower!  It's been a while since I have been able to get together with all of the girls, so I was so excited when I found out that a shower was being thrown for Butler!  It's always fun to shower friends with wedding gifts and all have a chance to catch up.  It feels like just yesterday, we were all Juniors living in the Chi Omega house and here we are... all growing up, living in different cities, with big girl jobs.  

Emily Vanderpool opened up her home to us for the shower and a slumber party.  We opened gifts, went to eat at Salsa, a fantastic mexican place, then went to an awesome honkytonk karaoke bar.  But seriously, I think I would have fun doing anything with these girls. The night ended with us spread out all over Emily's house with 5 of us in sleeping bags on her living room floor.  

Thanks, Krystina, for the pictures!!!

Emily's sweet Doberman puppy - Penny!  

All the gals - minus Lori and Lialah

Some characters at the WindJammer.

It was so. much. fun. In honor of these girls and this week being spring break (not that I got one), I will leave you with two of my favorite spring break pictures.  Looking forward to seeing everyone again at the Chi Omega/Phi Delta 75th Anniversary in a few weeks!

Catch up!

So, it has been way too long since I last blogged.  I always say that I will be better about blogging regularly..... and then I don't.  And then I end up having HUGE posts like this one to catch up all of you.  So this is your forewarning that this post will be a long one, but hopefully a good one!  I promise I'm going to do better.   Let me catch you up on what's been going on:

 Jesse and some guys go on a camping trip every year and they let a girl go for the first time this year...  Maggie!  This was her very first camping trip.  She is getting a doggie pack for her 1st birthday and then hopefully we will be able to take her on more trips once our schedules slow down! She had another doggie buddy there, Martin, John Windham's boxer.  From the stories I heard, these two pups didn't stop the entire weekend.  

Next, Anna and John Clemmer and their dog, Huck, came to Starkville for a visit!  We rarely get visitors in the spring, so this was really special!  The fall is when the English Bed and Breakfast is in high gear due to football season, so it's always great to have friends in town during the spring.  The weather was absolutely beautiful!  Lindsay Sistrunk and Clay Warden joined us with their dog, Eli, and we went to the dog park.  Lindsay and Clay are getting married in June and will live in Starkville and I'm so excited for them to stick around!  Anna, thanks for not stealing my kitties!

(JP stopped by for a visit before he leaves for Japan!  More on this to come in another post.)

Now for some food...  here's a fun little light salad recipe.  We added Craisins to the salad for a sweet and colorful addition.

Followed by a bath.  Maggie is pretty chill during bath time, but LOVES playing with her towel afterwards... and I won't lie.. we love that part of it too!

Final update:  the garden!  I mentioned a little bit ago that Jesse, Alex, and some other guys from the Landscape Architecture department have started a garden at Alex's apartment.  We have tons of things planted and spent all afternoon this past Saturday working in the garden.  It's so awesome to help be a part of growing food, harvesting it, and then making a great meal out of it! 

 I spy Maggie...

 Here's Alex's sweet dog, Zoe!

I will leave you with this awesome meal and kick-a salad that we made from the garden!  Spinach, Feta, and Rosemary Lamb Burgers with Provolone cheese, Roasted Potatoes and Kohl Rabi with Rosemary, Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper, and finally the salad- lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, broccoli flowers, red bud flowers (all from the garden) and feta cheese, beets, radishes, carrots, walnuts, and balsamic vinegarette.

Yum!