Some Other Things That Have Happened

Since we got all preoccupied with events in Shallotte, I realized that there are some June events that have not been properly documented here, so this is going to be a bit of a potpourri post to bring you up to speed on all noteworthy events in my life. Warning: this will be long. Let us start with the most recent:

Birthday!

I share a birthday with this cutie (who was being a stinker about getting his picture taken, so this is the best one):

He's turning 5. To celebrate our mutual birthdays we went to the Zoo in the morning with some of Erin's friends and their kids. Pretty funzo, but zooing with kids was more work. My best animal shot of the day was this adorable prairie dog:

In the afternoon I had a bunch of scheduled and unscheduled apartment tours planned, so that took a bunch of time (I actually found a place that I kind of love and will be signing a lease soon! Squee!). Then I met up with some of my friends to go see Brave at the Reston Town Center. I had only invited a couple people, but it coincided with a different friends' movie going party, so it ended up being a bit of a to do! I have great friends. After the movie, we went to a cupcake shop called Red Velvet since someone had a Groupon for a dozen free cupcakes and everyone sang happy birthday and we ate yummy cupcakes and it was fun and I felt loved.

Also making me feel loved was the constant jingle of my phone as people phoned and texted and facebooked their happy birthday messages. Thanks for being awesome everyone!

Charleston, SC

Before Ames and I got into our car accident we had actually spent the morning at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston. It was a lovely plantation house with I guess, the oldest romantic gardens in the US and also something about the oldest attraction or something, because the owners had opened the gardens to the public Civil War era-ish to keep the house afloat. The house and gardens were lovely and we even were able to do a little boat tour over the rice fields from when it was a rice plantation. Some pictures:

South Carolina REALLY hated my hair. Seriously, it just frizzed even when I tried to straighten it. Boo!

Utah

So even before I was road tripping there was Part 2 of Family Reunioning that happened at the beginning of the month. Actually we all arrived in Utah a few days before the Reunioning part started so Loo and I spent some quality time together. Tuesday afternoon we went shopping and spent time with one of my friends from my early college days, and then on Wednesday, she and I went on a mini road trip up to Rexburg, ID so she could take a fun tour of the BYU-Idaho campus.

I went there back when it was still called Ricks, and holy dude, has it grown. It was fun for both of us -- both the road tripping part and the campus touring part and we did a quick driving tour of Rexburg. Super fun.

Thursday began the actually reunion activities. Thursday night we had dinner and a talent/no talent show, which was fun. I recited the current presidents of Latin American countries. There was also singing and dancing and gardening and flower arranging and guitar playing. And that's fun. Friday we played at a park, and then Saturday was the main event with my Grandma's 80th Birthday party. She doesn't actually turn 80 until December, but who really wants to go to Utah in December?

Saturday morning was a fun 5K run put on by my Aunt's stake and then there was a yummy lunch. Loo and I also snuck off to BYU for another campus tour and also to buy chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Yum! And there was dinner and memory sharing and fun times all around. And also PLENTY of Grandpa's homemade root beer:

 Happy 80th Birthday in 6 months to my Grandma!

Conclusion

So, now you can consider yourself all caught up! I will be hanging around here in Virginia for a few more days, and then to Vermont on Monday (assuming that all goes well with the car buying; I'll know tomorrow what to expect in pay out from the insurance, and that will help me determine what I'm going to buy, but I have my eye on a 2006 Chevy Equinox...). We'll see what happens from there.