Memorable Memorial

Three day weekends are about as good as it gets as an adult. When you're in school you have breaks for all the seasons and it seems one is never too far off. I miss that. The real world is a lot less fun. We get a few three day weekends a year, a handful of vacation days, and that's about it. So when one of these weekends comes along like this past Memorial Day weekend it's nice to be able to take advantage of it. Even if that means not doing too much.

Things started off with a beautiful wedding on Friday night. One of my old college roommates was getting married - the last of the original Harrison Triple group. Now, I remember how much work we did for our wedding, and I can't even imagine how much more time this one would have taken. The reception was pretty crazy. I think they just did a Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V on all of Pinterest for this thing. It was impressive just to look at it and way more impressive knowing they did it all themselves. But beautiful decorations aside, it was great to see our friends get married. They're great for each other and we wish them the best.

Our old, unmarried college days

The next day, Saturday, one of Leslie's friends (another of our soon-to-be-married friends) came over so the two of them could talk wedding stuff and watch a girly movie. They had their fun and then we three headed over to Chipotle for dinner. We love us some Chipotle...

We'd had plans with friends for the next two days, but things fell through at the last minute. So what did we do? Enjoyed ourselves by ourselves. And it was lovely. We had our own little cookout on Sunday where I grilled up a few burgers and we tested out some sweet new loungers we picked up awhile ago. We laid out, did some reading, and soaked up some rays. Leo also had fun hanging out with us. And by that I mean running around and chasing a frisbee. Dogs are so cool.

Monday was more of Sunday - relax, watch some TV, do some reading... you get the picture. The only difference is that we did do a few things around the house. The most fun was cleaning out some of the clogged gutters. We found two tennis balls in the downspouts, which I'm pretty sure isn't a standard accessory for water management. We also cleaned up the garage a bit. It's looking pretty clean, so I think that means it's time to get a few more tools. Or maybe a motorcycle.

Oh, and our little Franklin just celebrated his first birthday! Our little guy isn't so little any more, but we love him all the same. They grow up so fast!

So that's what we've been up to this past weekend and week. Lots of relaxing, which is definitely something we both needed. I hope all of you, dear readers, had a good long weekend as well and that this coming weekend is just as pleasant. Thanks for checking in and we'll be back soon!

Spring Progress

So, as I said before, it's been pretty rainy around here. That's stopped us from getting out into the yard much, but that doesn't mean we haven't been up to stuff. It hasn't been anything too crazy recently, but stuff nonetheless.

We decided to take advantage of these Memorial Day sales and upgrade the guest room. Since we moved in we've only had Leslie's old twin bed and the futon - not exactly great for hosting people overnight, especially couples. So we went out and picked out a new bed, mattress set, sheets, etc. for the guest room. We still need a few things to complete the setup, like a nightstand, shams, and probably other things I don't understand, but it's at least ready for company!

Leslie has been on the lookout for a little dresser or something like that to put our sheet music in. Unfortunately she's still looking, but in the course of our hunt through various antique stores in the area, we happened upon this barometer/thermometer thingy. I picked it out because my grandparents have had something like this on their wall, so there's some nostalgia there. Plus it looks pretty cool. We put it up next to the backdoor and I think it adds a nice touch.

We had taken the railing in the stairwell down when we painted and hadn't gotten around to putting it back up until now. At least our house is back to being safe again.

And finally, we can start work on some of our landscaping projects (once we get some time when it isn't raining) because the trees are gone! It turned into a bit of a mess with the tree service, either because they messed up or because the weather wasn't cooperating. But they were finally able to come and get everything cleared away and we're good to go! We're pretty excited to begin and think the finished product will be pretty great. But that probably won't be done for a bit now... especially since they're talking about it raining for awhile longer.

So that's it for now. Even if we can't get outside to work on landscaping we've got a few projects we're working on. That stuff, along with another four (I think?) weddings left for the year, should keep us busy. Hope you all had a good long weekend and we'll be back again soon with another fun fun post!

No Weddings And A Baby Shower

So far we've definitely enjoyed the weddings we've gone to, but it was nice to have this past week free of them. It allowed us some more time at home, as well as some time out of the house to enjoy the nice weather (when it's been around).

Last week Leslie and I made some time to get out of the house. We went "window shopping" at a local greenhouse to pick out some stuff for our not-quite-ready flower beds and to just enjoy the sunshine. We also grabbed some dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants. We then picked up some cupcakes on the way home and watched TV while eating them. It was a pretty lovely evening.

My Lovely Wife

In her defense, they are really amazing tacos...

Then this weekend - first thing for us was a work function. But not a lame work function, this was a company outing to an Indians game. Families are invited to join too, so Leslie came along for the free food and baseball. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the best night for baseball... cool and rainy are probably the best words to describe it. But we still had a good time, even if we didn't stick around for too long.

Storm Clouds Coming and Going

But First...

Then on Saturday we had a baby shower for one of the couples in our church group. We hardly knew anyone else, but we worked through the awkward and had a lot of fun. I also learned a lot more about babies than I probably need to know right now... but I guess that isn't too bad of a thing?

Opening Gifts

Play-Doh Baby Games

We also were glad to be home for most of the weekend because Leo had surgery on Friday. Yep, we reached that point in a boy puppy's life that a couple of... things... need to be removed. So we were able to spend a lot of the weekend cuddled up with the little fellow and help him in his recovery. He doesn't like not being able to run around and especially doesn't like having to wear the cone of shame. But he'll be better soon enough and back to running around the house like he usually does.

Cone Head

Puppy Pills in Peanut Butter

Still Thinks He's King of the Hill

And, not to be outdone, here are a few cute pictures of the kitties - our little princess Ellie and old man Frank.

Cupboard Cats

The Princess

Window Patrol

Snuggles with Mom

So that's all for now. Progress is being made on the house, so we'll update on that this Friday. Thanks for reading and have  good week!

Rain Rain Go Away (Or Stick Around For A Bit...)

It's been a pretty wet week for us here in the Indy area. I think they said on the news this morning (Thursday morning) that we've gotten about 2-1/2" of rain since Sunday and we have a few more days of showers coming up. It's kind of annoying since we wanted to have those tress removed last week, but with the weather (and some poor planning on the tree service's part) that has yet to happen. The good news is that the rain is wonderful for our newly planted trees and flowers! They're greening up and seem healthy (photos from about a week ago). So, I guess we can't complain about the rain too much.

Sorry for the short post today! We're still busy running around a lot and the weather has prevented us from getting much done around the house. There is, however, are some things that we'll hopefully be making progress on this weekend... so check in on Tuesday for something a little more exciting.

Wedding Train Kept A-Rollin'

Two weekends - two weddings. These were our third and fourth weddings of the year, so we're just about half way through! Each was a lot of fun and allowed us to catch up with a lot of old friends (and even make some new ones). In the interest of time (aka, me going to bed soon), I'll try to keep this brief and let some pictures do the talking for me.

The first was for one of Leslie's girlfriends. I don't really know either the bride or groom very well (the wedding was my third time ever seeing the groom, so...), but from what I do know of them they seem like a great couple. The wedding itself was beautiful and we had loads of fun partying until late into the night with them. And hopefully, since they'll be living in Indianapolis, we'll have lots more fun hanging out with them again soon.

Cocktail Hour Selfie

That's Us!

Excited

Wedding weekend two was for some of our good friends, the groom being one of the lucky guys to have me at his bachelor party a little while ago. Leslie and I, along with seemingly all of our college friends, were so happy to be there to celebrate with them. It was a beautiful ceremony, the reception was a blast, and their cake was so good! Plus I got to have a lot of fun hanging out with the other groomsmen the day before the wedding at the rehearsal and after (for what was basically bachelor party round two). It was a great weekend and, since I know they'll be reading this: Congrats again, you guys! You two are the best and we are so happy for you.

Rehearsal Lunch Fun

Bachelor Party - Round Two

The Happy Couple

Reception Dance-Off

(Most of) the Handsome Groomsmen with the Groom

Not Yo Mamma's Pasta Salad

Unless yo mamma is pretty hip, in which case I suppose it's possible. And to all you moms out there - happy Mother's Day! Yeah, this is a few days early... but close enough.

Some friends from our church group recently had a baby, so we took part in the tradition of bringing them a meal, seeing the baby, remarking on how cute he is, and then leaving as soon as he starts crying and/or poops his diaper. Because that's what friends are for. (He really is super cute, though.)

We brought them a lot of good food, but we're going focus on the thing we were most excited about - pasta salad! In fact, we were so looking forward to this recipe that we made enough for us to have plenty left, even after sharing. Normally I wouldn't be so thrilled about pasta salad, but with the near summer weather it's hard not to crave picnic food. Plus this one has bacon in it. Yep, bacon. Awesome. This is our seventh new recipe for the year and the original is found here on Doughmesstic.

The Recipe

Summer Pasta Broccoli Salad

1 Box Spiral Pasta (Rotini, Fusilli, etc)

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup Sugar

3 Cups Broccoli

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese

1/2 Cup Bacon

1/4 Cup Red Onion

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until done. While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing by whisking together the mayo, vinegar, and sugar. You can prep everything else now too - cut the broccoli into 1" pieces; dice the onion; chop, cook, and drain the bacon. Once the pasta is done, rinse it with cool water and combine it with the broccoli, cheese, bacon, and onion. Add in the dressing and stir to coat. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour to allow flavors to combine and let the salad stand at room temperature for about 15 mins before serving.

End Results and Final Thoughts

This salad had a lovely summer feel to it and I think we'll have to bring some of this along next time we hit up Symphony on the Prairie. It's light and refreshing, but also has some substance. Leslie did a great job making this recipe and we enjoyed it with a great dinner - spicy chicken tenders and some fresh fruit. One thing I think we might change for next time is to make more dressing. There was just a little too little for the whole dish. We also cooked and added a whole pound of bacon. By the time it's all cooked down it ends up being not much more than the called for 1/2 cup. Plus you can never have too much bacon. So, final decision on this one is that it's a keeper. It's perfect for summer cookouts and is so easy that I don't think we'll have much trouble finding reasons to make it a few times this year.