I wrote that last post sitting at my favorite table at my old college haunt, The Mudhouse! That's right, I'm back in Springfield for the night for my Drury Ten Year Reunion. It's actually been eleven years for me, but they grouped 2012 and '13 together, maybe due to Covid? Not sure, but anyway, most of my friends graduated in 2013 so it's more of an excuse for us to all get together.
My favorite drink, the Frozen Mudturtle, is still on the menu!
Guess what time it is! That's right, Photos From Years Past!
Here we are, almost the full No Tv Week later! Did you all survive?
I did! It was a productive week filled with cleaning, cleaning out, errands, work, reading (I started The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho), walks with Ollie, and lots of coffee. We even went out and got a clock radio so Ethan could listen to the big soccer game instead of watch it! And in eight hours, Year Eight will be complete!
(photo design by t.hunt)
Today was the start of the 8th annual No Tv Week! That's right, it was eight years ago that I had the idea, refined it with Taylor, and have completed it (without cheating) each April since.
Taylor came up with the design this year; pretty clever, if you ask me. So what do we think: can you make it to next week without tv, streaming, Instagram videos and stories, or any moving image? If the last eight years prove anything, it's that it is possible. Welcome aboard. We're on the wagon now. Or is it off the wagon?
(photo design by t.hunt)
Good morning from me and my magical unicorn sparkle computer!
This was actually from a few days ago because after the hail-tornado-wind storm we had last night, it is definitely not sunny and pleasant out today. We went down to the basement when the sky turned green, but luckily no damage was sustained by us or our house. Hopefully you all experienced the same.
Ethan was out of town at a conference for a couple days so it was a girls weekend here at the ranch, just me and the little horse-dog, Ollie!
We went to the dog park, got a new toy, played fetch in the basement, took a ride over to my parent's house, had cuddles on the couch, and went on many long walks. So many activities!
(photos by e.hunt)
Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! Hope you are celebrating with the lovely spring weather, family time, and hopefully some good food. We're heading over to my parent's later for a fresh trout feast.
And while we were away, Ollie was having the time of her life at my parent's house.
If you guessed a wedding for the big event we went to a few weeks ago, congratulations, you win! That Thursday we woke up early, packed up the car, dropped Ollie off at my parents for a big sleepover, then got on the road to Chicago. Ethan was invited to be a groomsman at his old college friend, Kyle's, wedding so we wanted to get there a day before all the festivities began to pick up his suit, get situated, and ensure time for travel snafus.
We also wanted to meet up with Andrew and Juliana, which we did that evening! They picked a cool pizza-brewery hybrid, where we ate, drank, and merrily talked for a couple hours before closing the place down.
The following day was a lazy one before getting ready for the rehearsal dinner. The venue was a short ten minute drive from the hotel. When we arrived, the overly-enthusiastic priest lined everybody up to commence the walk-through. Ethan's bridesmaid couldn't make it so I ended up standing in for her. We were the best at walking in, for sure.
Once the priest was satisfied with all things ceremony, everyone made their way downstairs to a pizza restaurant for dinner, drinks, and toasts. The Fontbonne table was quite fun, with the girls and guys telling stories and reminiscing. It's a little strange being the only one who didn't go to college with all of them, but it's also quite fun to ask all the questions and hear all the stories.
On the big wedding day I dropped Ethan and the guys off at the venue around 1, picked up some lunch on the way back, and had a leisurely afternoon to myself before starting to get dressed. Weddings are really the only time I get to go a little extra with makeup and a fancy hairdo, so I made a little cocktail, turned on some music, and had a grand old time.
The ceremony was nice. The preacher threw in most of the same jokes he said the night before, but he told the story of how Kyle and McKenna met, when they knew they wanted to marry each other, and how he proposed. Their vows were earnest and personalized, some funny and some serious, and they both looked radiantly happy. Once the I Do's were said, the entire party moved down the hall for a cocktail hour.
A delicious three course dinner was next, complete with the grand wedding party entrance to music and several champagne toasts. Once the dance floor opened up, that's all we did for the remainder of the evening. Back at the hotel, everyone met up in the lobby (pre-approved by the staff, of course) to continue celebrating. We left around 3:30am, even though the party was still raging. They must've been up 'til the sunrise!
Overall it was a lovely event filled with so much fun and happiness. Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs!
(photos by r.hunt, a.hunt, e.hunt, and collected from bellesandthistles)
Happy April, my good blog readers! I hope you all had a lovely start to this month of springtime and optimistic weather. We rang in the weekend with a rainstorm, resulting in lost power for about an hour and our neighbor's yard littered with large fallen tree limbs, but overall it wasn't near as bad as the hail and tornados they were predicting.
