Happy Anniversary Round Two

And we even remembered the picture!

Oh what a beautiful day!

Last Saturday we had a perfect day. I mean perfect. One of those days where you want to grab your sunglasses and do yardwork barefoot. Instead, we all ran down to Barr Street in Geneva and went for a nice long walk in the woods with the pups.

The boys couldn't help but climb the trees. From left to right: Will Renneker, Taylor, and Josh Weinraub. Will is Taylor's friend from back in South Carolina, and Josh is my brother's old roommate who since lives with us.

We went on a different path than usual which took us down this old access road towards a path along the river.

Zeus loved getting to romp around in the mud, and drink from the river.

Have you ever seen a happier looking pup?

Demolition Derby!

I've long seen the giant painted school buses parked outside of Orlando Speedworld, announcing an upcoming Figure-Eight Bus Race. After living in the area for so long, I figured we might as well experience Bithlo at it's best.

The stands were packed, except the small section that we were seated in. We couldn't figure out why. Maybe that's where cars have flipped over the fence before? They had just replaced a lot of the wooden planks....

Our new room-mate, Dante, went with us to the grand event. His friends were very concerned for his safety.

And look! Red-neck Stone Henge!

Yes. Yes that is a man riding on top of a pick up being driven on two wheels flying an American flag.

Not sure what's going on here, but it smelled awful!

I'm sure cleanup was a blast--- this bulldozer was stacking cars into piles before carrying them off to the infield.

We can't wait for the next Crasharama this fall!

A Visit to Virginia

Last July, two of our very close friends moved to Virginia to try their hand at farming. They moved into an old renovated bank in the small town of Newport, and have since been raising sheep, goats, and cattle on some land shared by local farmers. We finally made the ten hour drive up to visit, and had a great time.

The area is very quaint and rural. Everything had this unmistakable small-town feel, and the scenery was just beautiful. It had snowed just a few days before our visit, so there were still little piles collected and melting on the ground.

The first day, Cole and Stephanie just showed us around, and brought us to the outdoor store where Stephanie works to rent skis. Taylor and I had tried our hand at skiing in January, but failed miserably.

This time was much better! The visibility was great, there were some more beginner-oriented slopes, and we had a slight idea about what we were supposed to do. I absolutely loved skiing, and can't wait to head back to Snowshoe next year. 

On our last day in Virginia, we went on an awesome hike along a short portion of the Appalachian Trail. Midway through the hike, we found ourselves at this awesome overlook where we ate lunch. The view was just gorgeous.

We warmed up on our hike, but it was chilly up at the top--- windy, and just look at those little piles of snow.

Our last stop was a visit to the farm. Cole and Stephanie had tons of baby goats wandering around. I kept teasing that I was going to smuggle one home under my jacket.

There were literally dozens of them just wandering around, and they were pretty cool with being picked up and held.

Taylor almost got this one to fall asleep in his arms.

They're currently keeping the goats and sheep in this clear-cut pasture until the grass starts really growing elsewhere on the farm. It looked kind of nasty, but after a few years of rotational grazing, it should turn into beautiful, green pasture.

We had a wonderful trip, and hopefully we can stay longer next time.

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday was was our first anniversary. I have no idea where this past year has gone. We lived in South Carolina when we first got married, and now we have our own house in Oviedo, two new jobs, and have been on lots of fun adventures since March 24th of last year.

Taylor and I didn't do much to celebrate. We went out and bought some nice cheeses, some fancy breads, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's (Taylor and I must have split a hundred pints of the stuff when we first started dating, and had to use my meal-plan money at the New College cafeteria). We've decided take a picture of ourselves each year on our anniversary wearing jeans and a white shirt, to see how we change over the years--- Love you, Sweetie!

Color Run

Soon after getting back from our Austria/Germany trip, my mom and I ran the Color Run together. We had one ticket for a while, but they were sold out before we could get a second. We spent hours scouring Craigslist before we finally found another--- turns out we really didn't have to. Will managed to sneak in with a fake number that he printed on our computer!

My mom bought a bunch of gear before the race. She really rocked that tutu and sunglasses combo!

We caught a glimpse of the Color Run  mascot riding around in a golf cart.

Sneaky Will--- running along side us without paying the $50 entry fee!

Got to love the grafitti! What an appropriately colorful spot for a photoshoot!

A tree was stained totally blue from the chalk near the last color zone.

Will and a rainbow-colored narwhal.

Even my spit was colored by the end of it all.

What a blast, and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Christmas 2012

This year Taylor and I spent Christmas in Florence, SC with the Jamrok clan. Our puppies stayed home, but Atom was able to make the trip with us. She loved camping out under the Christmas tree, and was a big hit during the Christmas Eve party.

Santa must have to make two trips down the Jamrok chimney. I have never in my life seen so many presents under one tree. Opening gifts is an all-day affair!

A picture of one of my favorite gifts we gave KJ. He refuses to move down to Florida, but maybe this key chain will trick his subconscious until he decides Orlando is the place to be!

Even Atom helped open some presents! Silly bunny.