Post-Finals

Today is day 1 of post-final exams for the first semester of post-baccalaureate studies.  I'm not used to a weekday with "nothing" to do and no specific agenda, but I'm sure I'll keep busy throughout the day.  It's 9:00am though, and I am still in bed!  I can't believe it!  I slept in until about quarter after 8, and have since been watching my favorite news/morning show on FOX.  I'm extremely grateful for this moment of a little rest and relaxation. 

Lots more to talk about later, when my brain wakes up a bit.  :)

Writhing, livid, fuming...Pissed!

My favorite pair of $115 Dansko's, perfectly formed to my feet that I wear at least 3 times a week for class/work.

Not happy.

Guess what just got added to my list for Santa?!? >:(

Gobble Gobble

Left: Aunt Michelle and Caden;   

Below:  Maddie holding Caden, Liz holding Elle, and Ryan on the end!

Thanksgiving.  It was a looong drive and a fantastic trip overall.  Good thing I'm not much of a planner, because my original "plan" which I am almost guaranteed to deviate from at any given moment, didn't pan out as expected.  I was supposed to stay with Shellee in Knoxville at the half-way mark, but she had to drive back home to Kentucky last-minute, so instead of stopping Tuesday night for some rest and quality time with Shell, I powered up with some coffee and kept on goin'!  The drive was surprisingly great, especially through the middle of the night because there was little traffic to speak of.  (You can see below that Wendy and Carly travel well, alternating between the seat and the floorboard.)  I was definitely functioning on coffee (and a Red Bull late in the game), but also I think on adrenaline and the excitement of getting home.  I rolled into Mom's driveway right at 4am and stumbled up to bed.  My mind and body had every reason to be tired, but because of the excess caffeine consumption I stared at the ceiling of my childhood bedroom for another hour before falling asleep.  I woke up early, too - go figure - and spent a loungy, lazy morning with mom, before taking a noon-ish nap.  Later, Mark, Marie, and Caden came over for Thanksgiving on Wednesday night.  The food was terrific (Thanks, Mom!), and it was great to catch up with Mark, Marie, and of course the little guy.  What a good baby!!!

After dinner and some down-time, Mark, Marie and the baby went home and I drove to Sidney to meet Christy at...the Moose?!??  Thank the Lord for GPS because I had no idea where I was going.  At any rate, exhausted, sleep-deprived, and running on coffee, I made it there and visited with my former partner in crime for a while.  I successfully managed to discreetly pour my second Maker's and Coke in HER cup without her noticing (we were drinking the same thing), but she caught me on my 3rd drink which I had resisted in the first place.  I was driving, AND sleepy!  Regardless, the time visiting with Christy was great and grand as always, but always too short.  We've already powered up for Christmas, when there's more time to make the "rounds."

You can see a few pictures taken at Mom's, including one of the flat, vacant Ohio farmland, and the wide open yard, field, and woods behind the house.  It's so peaceful out there.  Actually, when I pulled up to the house on my 4am arrival, I sat for a minute and looked at the sky/stars - breathtaking!  I love that about growing up/living in the country.

Caden was such a good baby - almost 4 months old - being passed around to each family member.  Amanda was holding the little guy at the kitchen countertop, and at this point in the night he hadn't had much of a nap all day, and was still in good spirits.  So glad I got some quality time with the nieces and nephew!  You can see Maddie and Izzy on Thanksgiving day in their Holiday dresses, and baby Elle on the couch with her Mom and Dad (Ryan and Liz) in another picture.  After Thanksgiving "Lunch" on the extended Francis family size, Maddie and Izzy were extremely curious about my camera, so they did a little photography of their own!  (See below.)  The Francis Family Thanksgiving was HUGE, as always, and I caught up with lots of the aunts, uncles, and cousins, though there is never really enough time to talk to everyone.  I felt like I told the same blazing-fast story only to start all over again to the next family member that walked up.  Makes for lots of talking post-dinner!    Chatting, Spicy Bloody Mary's, and kids running wild, it was just another typical Francis get-together!  The exciting part was there were 4 pregnant family members there, and 4 babies under the age of 4 months.  Rapidly growing family!

More to come later, and my apologies for the disorganized photos.  My computer is...acting up?  I don't know.  Something needs fixed on the ole laptop, but I'm not about to tend to it until after finals.  Check back for more photos later, and enjoy!

Aunt Amanda and the little guy
Caden gets a little cat-nap in the car.

 

PHOTOS:

-- Maddie experimenting with photography

-- Christy and me at "The Moose"

-- Maddie, Izzy, and Aunt Michelle at the Francis Thanksgiving

-- Mom holding Caden

-- More Caden photo-op's!

-- Home sweet home.

TURKEY travels: Road-trip preparation

Ah, it's that time of year again for TURKEY!  I haven't been this excited about Thanksgiving in a very long time.  The main issue now, though, is finding enough time to visit everyone!  I will be splitting time between Mom's, Dad's, the brothers/nieces/nephew, friends from home, friends from Lexington, and my beloved former co-workers!  I am going to do my best though, to not "party" too hard, drink lots of coffee, and pack in the quality time with EVERYONE!  I will begin the 12+ hour journey on the most traveled day of the year here in a few hours, drive to Knoxville, TN and stay with my best friend in the whole wide world, Shellee, hit up some MORE quality time with my girl, and then continue on tomorrow morning.  I wish I could hit the road a little sooner, but there's no way I can not attend my Anatomy/Physiology class and lab this afternoon, so my plan is to have the dogs hang in the car while I'm in class (they love it in there!) and leave straight from class.  I realize I'll be traveling through some pretty serious rush-hour traffic, but I don't want to postpone the trip longer than I already have.  I do need to run to radio-shack and get an FM transmitter for my ipod - can't go without that on a looong road-trip, and my other one went ka-put during my last 12-hour haul to the Low Country.  

Dare I explain the amount of preparation it takes for me, a SWF + 2 dogs, to get ready for this trip?!  My goodness!  Between schoolwork, laptops, techie gadgets I shan't do without, dress clothes for turkey day at grandpa's, it's fair to say my packing preparation was more on the ridiculous side.  I should probably get the pups good 'n' tired before we depart; we'll go a good 4 hours before making any pit-stop.  First stop will probably be right before the mountains.  The dogs will take turns lying in the front seat and floorboard of my car, Wendy likely in a consistent slumber, while Carly will trudge through her ADD moments with chew toys, rawhides, and her head out the window.  Oh joy.  ;)

Anyhow, I'll be sure to post pictures of this glorious weekend.  I've already planned on seeing some of the regular Vtowners at Creekdump (Creekside Bar and Grille), CrustyChristy Albers :) somewhere up north, obviously the fam in Troy and Vtown, Christine-Machine MillerTime in the 'Ville (Louisville), and Myra Allison (Allinator) in either Lex or the 'Ville, hopefully most or all of the Rupp & Associates crew in Lex, and perhaps some of the fellas I used to play basketball with in Lex.  Exciting!!  Busy!!  Can't wait!!

Don't worry, Parents.  I will be placing a little note on my dashboard telling me to SLOW DOWN, since I have a tendency to never really follow the speed limit.  "Safety first."

Alright - those of you who are reading this that I will be seeing very soon:  I am clearly very, very excited to get home and give ya'll a big, long-past-due hug.  I imagine there'll be a considerable amount of "bier trinkend" this weekend too, as they say in Deutsch!

I'll try and do a little photo-op here and there throughout the drive.  More to come later on the three T's:  Thanksgiving weekend, Turkey, and Tryptophan!

Until next time....

Palmetto Society Oyster Roast

Britt and I on our way out of the "Bus Station" where the Palmetto Society Oyster Roast was held.  It was SO CHILLY!

Britt, myself, and her co-workers.  A good mix!  (And look at those crazy RED eyes!  It never fails, and I don't know why...)

Cheese!

Late yesterday afternoon one of the girls I have become good friends with here invited me to an oyster roast downtown.  She described the location, and low and behold it was a block away from my house.  I had heard the band setting up and practicing late in the afternoon, but it didn't dawn on me that the roast was going to be so near where I live!

The roast didn't start until 7, and Britt was running a little late so I had a glass of wine with the "housemates" and reflected on the busy week and the even busier weeks to come.  Down-time spent in the house is so enjoyable!  Once Britt arrived and parked I walked down the street to meet her.  Last night was VERY chilly, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit how much my blood has "thinned."  My Ohio friends and family would likely make fun...

Above are just a few photos of the group that eventually met up at the event, including a few of Britt's co-workers.  There were a few hundred people there as the night went on, but the venue (an old bus station terminal) was not enclosed so the breeze made it even more chilly!  There were some upright heaters throughout, but not enough to feel completely comfortable.  I forgot gloves again, so I was holding a cold beer with nearly-numb fingers!  I ran into my new "co-worker" from DePuy Spine - the nice fella I'm covering spine cases for on occasion.  (Stopped in on a PLIF today at MUSC, actually...)  He's an Oyster Roast veteran, so he showed me the art of prying apart the steaming-hot shells!   I've had oysters before, of course, but not like this.  It was lots of fun and, as expected, I do like oysters!  (No real surprise there!)  Britt and I didn't stay the whole night simply because it was so darn chilly, plus I have plenty to do for school as the semester winds up.  (I cannot believe how quickly this semester, and year, has gone by.  2008 has been a wild year.  I can only wonder what 2009 will bring!)  Anyhow, apparently oyster roasts go on all through the winter until about March, so I'm sure I'll get my fill of oysters this season.  Oysters and beer... You can't go wrong!

Folly Beach

Typically the end of November is an unusual time to post images of the beach, but it's also a unique time on the coastal waters.  Today, pretty much at random, I drove out to Folly Beach with the dogs to let them run around to get some exercise.  Folly is a terrific little beach here, in my opinion.  I think it's more enjoyed by locals, as opposed to Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms which, to my knowledge, draw more tourists.  Folly is on James Island, which is a fantastic, low-key little area where I could definitely see myself living someday.  I just saw on "concierge.com" that Folly was rated one of the best beach towns in the country, with great little bars and restaurants much enjoyed by locals, tourists, and transplants (that's me!) alike.  I expected there to be only a few people at the beach today, and the peacefulness was certainly welcomed.  There was a dad and 3 kids flying a kite on the beach, and the occasional couple causally strolling by, and two WILD black dogs racing about.  (My wild black dogs...)

The scene was beautiful though, despite the ocean breeze and chilly air.  I wish I'd brought gloves because I was fumbling around with my camera trying to take pictures with frozen fingers!  Above are a few of the girls running about, of the beach and the pier, of yours truly, and of the dogs on the ride back home.  They got a fair amount of exercise in and are tuckered out now, which is perfect because it gives me uninterrupted time to study and watch the Buckeyes destroy Michigan!!!  Go BUCKS!

Enjoy the pictures.  :)

P.S.  I'm going to have to have Marie show me how to artfully post pictures on here.  Mine are clearly in one big clustered collage.  I'll have to toy with the different options...

Wendy and Carly

It's been a while since most of you have seen Wendy and Carly...a few of you have never seen/met them, so I've included a few pictures!  I know they aren't terribly exciting photos, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless.  They often hang out on my bed while I'm gone - I'm not exactly a huge fan of it, but it's kinda hard to monitor when I'm not present!  

Speaking of which...Funny story.  Yesterday I was rushing around getting things ready for my Chemistry lab and threw a set of car keys on the bed.  I didn't think to take them with me since I was walking to class.  Later that evening one of the neighbors in the community knocked on the door and told my "housemates" that my car lights were flashing on and off mysteriously.  Can you guess where this is going???  Laura emailed me this little fact so I could check on it once I was back at the house.  My blackberry receives all my emails, so I got the message just as I was walking home from class.  She had suggested there might be a short circuit in the security system or something going haywire inside, but my FIRST instinct was..."Did I leave my keys on the bed?!"  I had a feeling Carly might have been having some fun.  Sure enough, when I got home and ran upstairs to check on them, the remote for my car was in about 37 plastic pieces.  As she was "chewing" it apart, she was locking and unlocking my car, making the neighbors very nervous!!!  Fortunately, the computer chip is not damaged (Thanks Carly, for sparing that!) so I may be able to get just a regular plastic casing and switch out the chips instead of re-programming a whole new device.  At any rate, this is just one of many little adventures of having a puppy.  For those of you who don't quite know, Wendy will be 5 in a few days, and Carly (The curly one) will be 1 in January.  She's very much a little pup and loves to explore fun stuff that's kept lying around.  The good thing is, it forces me to keep my room picked up!!  ;)  

More Drayton Hall Photos

Here you will see the Ashley River, which was the view from the back of the house. The river is more apparent during high tide, and supposedly dolphins can be found in this brackish water from time to time! Notice the hand-carved walls, fireplace, and plastered ceilings. These details were present throughout the entire house, with the finest imported goods from Europe brought over during the construction process which began in 1742. The bricks alone, stacked horizontally and others then perpendicular, took roughly 2 years to make by hand. The brick walls were nearly 2 feet thick, and the rectangle/square/rectangle/square design was basically a status symbol, requiring almost double the amount of bricks. The brick design merely stated, "Look how much money I have!"

http://www.draytonhall.org/

Shown here is a picture of the "basement." Very typical style of many low-country homes because of the level of the water table.

Notice the very narrow stairwell that slaves used behind closed doors to transport food, laundry, etc. to various parts of the house. Remember, no electricity and a dark, winding stairwell the size of a phonebooth, literally!

If you look closely at the third photo, you will see that the Drayton family measured their children's height in the doorway just as many of us do today! My camera does a great job of zooming in on the computer, but unfortunately the saved file isn't quite as good. However, if you look close enough you might be able to make out names and dates. Note: when you see "4-10-95" or "8-13-79" that does not mean 1979...it means 1879!!! Look at the family history written in a doorway!

Pictures of Drayton Hall - Charleston, SC

Top: The back side of Drayton Hall, taken with my back to the Ashley River. Honored guests would travel by river and walk through elaborate gardens up to the plantation house. The gardens were destroyed during the Civil War, but the grand presence of the house still remains!

Above: The "turn-around" in the front of the estate. The raised terraces of grass used to adorn beautiful landscaping and possibly a fountain, creating a presence of wealth and status for whomever would step foot on the property.