Fight On!

Football season is officially here, and there was no better way to celebrate the start of the Trojan's season than with my favorite high school coach and great friends :)

This past weekend we watched the USC vs. Ohio game with our friends, and it made me realize (yet again) how fortunate we are to live so close to people we love. We are blessed to have "couple" friends we can share our lives with. A couple of those friends will be moving away soon, and while it makes me sad to realize they won't just be around the corner, I am so glad we've taken advantage of countless walks, bbq's, dinners, and beach trips. We've proven that we can have a blast together even when we're doing nothing and when everything seems to go wrong (lake trip). I love these people. I just realized I don't have a picture to post of all of us together! I'll have to take care of that at our next dinner...

Island Living

This trip to Lopez Island was much different than past trips in several ways: (1) I didn't take daily naps, (2) I didn't finish a single book, (3) I didn't lazy away the day. Instead, we:

Explored the island on a kayak

hiked to watch the currents rush pass tiny islands filled with lazy seals

made friends with a deer we named Charger, since he charged at me the first day we were there

encountered wild turkeys on a walk

and spent time just me and my love :)

Thank you, Uncle Mark and Aunt Janet for letting us stay in your BEAUTIFUL home!

The Allens know how to throw a party

Allen family weddings are always a blast, and the Virginia wedding did not disappoint. The wedding weekend kicked off with the rehearsal dinner at a beautiful estate on the outskirts of Charlottesville. Immediately following dinner, we were treated to a fantastic display of weather with a thunder storm, and a light show, courtesy of lovely fireflies. While this picture's light is horrible, you can see the beautiful windows behind us.

The following day, the groom's family hosted a brunch before the wedding at the university. We spent most of the morning touring the campus and absorbing as much of the history as possible.

The wedding itself was beautiful, with white sunflowers grown especially for the occasion, in memory of loved ones who have passed. Unfortunately, I didn't get any shots of these flowers, but as soon as the ceremony was complete, I snapped a few of these handsome gentlemen -

and Barb with her girls -

and me and my love :)

SUMMER VACATION

Now that I'm done with school and entering the working world, I had pretty much accepted that I would never again have a true summer vacation. BUT, thanks to the mandatory union at VONS pharmacy, and the county's extreme inefficiency, I have THREE weeks of summer vacation! Yes, this means I QUIT VONS and am not starting at KMC until next month :) Dave and I will be taking advantage of this time by going to a family wedding back east and then heading up north for some looooong walks, ocean breezes, and plenty of yummy fresh fish. Then we'll head home for some BBQ's, bike rides, and walks with the ones we love. This will most likely be my last summer vacation, why not live it up??

Proof.

I really did graduate, see?

3 generations of pharmacists!

the fam.

graduation dinner - thanks dad and marti!

wine tasting the following day.

my love. my best friend. my biggest supporter. i wouldn't have made it through pharmacy school if it weren't for this guy!