New York to North Carolina...Road Trip!

It's been a long two weeks but Pat and I made it!  At the end of July (I can't even tell you what day it feels like it was so long ago) I drove over to Mom and Dad's to drop off Brutus.  He stayed with his grandma and grandpa for the trip since we couldn't take him with us.  He loves staying there.  Apparently mom dressed him up to keep him preoccupied.  Too funny.

I drove back to St. Pete and packed up for the big trip.  Pat finished his last exam of his didactic year (woo hoo!!) and after dinner we headed back to pack up the car.  We left bright and early for New York.  Our friend Erik was getting married and Pat was the best man.  We meet Erik in Gainesville a few years back.  It took us 19 hours but we finally made it to New York around 1 a.m.!  Friday we ran some errands before heading out to the rehearsal dinner which was delicious.  We headed over to Zach and Kelly's house to have a few drinks and play some cornhole before heading to the bar.  There we lost Dan, one of the groomsmen.  All that was left was a lonely can of Pabst where he was sitting.  After wrangling up the groomsmen we headed back to our hotel where we found Dan!  Apparently the allure of McDonald's and a ride home were pretty appealing.  Saturday was the wedding and the ceremony and reception were both beautiful.  Erik's family were so incredibly sweet and his friends were such a trip.  We had so much fun with them.  We had a riot at the reception playing the "pebble" game with the boys and dancing our butts off.  Unfortunately after the reception we couldn't hang out since we had to get up early and head off to North Carolina.

We were on the road by 8 the next morning and cruising down to Duck.  Pat's parents and sisters were already there.  We arrived safely by 7ish Sunday night and were happy to sit down and eat a meal with the family.  Elizabeth, Kim and Darren's daughter, has really gotten talkative and she's so inquisitive.  We spent the next few days laying out at the beach during the day, playing games at night, and eating delicious meals.  The boys went golfing on Thursday and the girls went shopping.  By Friday we couldn't believe how fast the week went.  We headed out for dinner our last night there.  After dinner we headed up to the upper most deck of the house to snap some pictures.  Early Saturday morning we headed out back to Mom and Dad's to pick up Brutus.  We spent the night hanging out with them and having a few drinks before heading to bed.  A quick but yummy breakfast at Mulligans was in order before we finally started our last leg of our journey. By Sunday afternoon we were home.

53 hours in a car total!  Don't get me wrong, I love road trips...but I love being home with my hubby and my pooch even more :)

More Pictures as Promised!

Here are some more great pictures from my weekend in Buffalo via Momma Beyer!  :)  

 If you couldn't tell, I was miserable it was so cold, but Uncle Tom made me a fire!

A Little Pomp & Circumstance...

I spent last Thursday afternoon til Sunday morning in Buffalo for David's graduation.  What a whirlwind weekend! 

Thursday - After sitting next to who may have been the most adorable and interesting 70 year old woman I was pleasantly surprised to get picked up not only by Momma Beyer but David and Hannah as well.  After a quick stop at the Archer's where I was mauled by my second favorite pooch, Sarge, we headed to....CHEF'S!   Seriously, if I had the money I'd put one in St. Petersburg...specifically on the same road I live on.  Afterward, we headed out to Antoinette's.  I could barely touch my ice cream after dinner but decided taking home some sponge candy couldn't hurt....needless to say, I finished it before I got back on the plane.

  Friday - I had a riot Friday with the rents, Uncle Bob and Lannie, and the Archer's!  We traveled up to the Finger Lakes where we made it to 8 different vineyards.  I can't remember the name of most, but I know I bought a bottle from 6 of them!  They were each so adorable and quaint.  The wine was amazing and I can't wait to pick up my bottles in July (I couldn't take them on the plane so mom and dad drove them back home with them).  The great end to the night was some of Aunt Jan's famous taco salad. Days like these makes a girl miss good ol' New York.

Saturday - David's big day.  This boy sure knows how to make a room full of his relatives cry.  Danielle, mom, and I were pretty much in tears once the speeches started.  We couldn't be prouder of him.  It feels like yesterday that he was strapped in his car and I was painting those little baby fingers of his!  We left the ceremony and headed back to the Archer’s so we could change (it was about 60 and rainy) and Uncle Tom even made a fire for me since I was freezing.  We headed out to his graduation party and had a great time with family and friends.  Side note: David’s dog is hilarious…Off for a quick visit at a friend’s birthday party and then home again.  

Sunday – Back on the plane at 8 a.m. and headed home.  What a weekend!


More pictures to come!

Someone's not to happy...

Brutus had a busy day and he's not particularly pleased at the current moment.  Today we traveled downtown to get his yearly shots.  He was the talk of the place and happier than a bird with a french fry...until they drew his blood, stuck his front forearm, stuck one in the thigh, and then one in the nose in all of about two minutes!  He was not too happy.  Then to make matters worse, a little mastiff puppy came in and he suddenly found himself ignored.  Someone wasn't too happy...

After all the drama, he spent much of the afternoon cuddling up with me while I typed up my homework.  He was as comfy as could be...until he saw me get out the suitcases.  I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Buffalo since David is graduating!!  Brutus followed me around the house aimlessly while I gathered my things to pack.  Not thinking, I had placed the suitcase on his usual spot so when I finally sat down to take a second he was pacing around the couch trying to figure out what to do.  Now he just looks miserable laying next to it and making me feel pretty guilty for leaving him tomorrow.  Someone's not to happy...