It has been a few seasons...

Hey Everyone!
I am sure at this point you have lost all hope of my posting on my blog ever again. If I do have any more followers out there...here goes.

My last post was July 25th, oh my! So here is a chronological series of events that have happened since then!

In August I started graduate school and started a new job as a graduate assistant. I enjoy the slow pace of things and when they have nothing to do, I can do my homework at work! It is a good gig and I highly recommend it to anyone considering graduate school.

This fall Team Boozehounds started up on the hottest day of the year with temperatures at 110 degrees. Needless to say, we prefered to drink water that day instead of beer. The season went great. We ended up winning the novice league championship and we had some of the best attendance our team has ever seen. At the end of the season, we even got a photo in Sync Magazine! To give you some background, Little Rock Kickball Association is the largest kickball association in the nation and happens to be run as a nonprofit, so we have charity events that coincide with this flashback to middle school.

In the beginning of September, Rory and I drove to Boerne for labor day weekend to see Mom and Pop! It was a long drive, that I had not done since college, but it was a blast! We went to Boerne lake, Mexican Market, and soo much more! Rory and I also encountered SPECS liquor store right outside of Austin. It was a sight to see. In Arkansas we don't have nearly as large of a selection of craft beer. So we spent about 45 minutes wondering Specs trying to find the best of the best craft brews that were available in TX and not in AR. Every day I am learning more about brewing and craft beers.

In October Rory submitted 5 beers to the Arkansas State Fair. He placed in 4 different categories. 2 first place and 2 third place! I am pretty sure one of the beers that placed was a porter that he made for me as a birthday gift in August. It was delicious. Though it has been so long since, I don't remember exactly. (Another reason I should post more often).

In October we also went to Austin for Austin City Limits. While Rory was enjoying the music, I got to meet up with Mom in Greene and then hang out with Lana and Patrick! We took a bike taxi to downtown. Though it was definitely too expensive, it was an experience worth having.

Harvest Fest at Mulberry Mountain was in October too. This was a smaller version of Wakarusa with a bluegrass twist! The weather was perfect for an outdoor music festival. I can't wait to go back next year. Either way, we traveled way too much in October, but we had a blast.

November was just as busy as October but I got to stay in town a little more. The first weekend my mom surprised my dad with MH, Margo, Matthew, Jack, James and me for his birthday. He really had no idea, we were very proud of ourselves for pulling something off that well! It was such a fun weekend to spend with the whole family together.

The following weekend there was a wedding in Little Rock, some good friends of Rory and mine, Jenna and Julian. It was a beautiful wedding and so much fun to have a lot of out of town guests in Little Rock. The next weekend after that was Rachel Floyd's (now Stevens) bachelorette party in Fayetteville. It was a smashing success and good time to be had on Dickson Street. That is about all the details I can share ;)

Then there was Thanksgiving!The best food of the year. It was my first ever Thanksgiving away from my family. The Bradney's were such great hosts and the food was absolutely delicious!

Now heading into December: My first semester of grad school was complete! Just following that was Rachel Floyd's wedding. Once again, this was an absolutely beautiful wedding! I had so much fun getting there early to help finish with the last details. There were so many familiar faces that I had not seen in such a long time and we all made the most of it!

CHRISTMAS in FLORIDA! Christmas with the family in Florida was great! MH and Matthew had me come in a little early so I could keep Jack occupied while MH worked during the day. Jack is growing up so fast. Being able to have a conversation with him was a great feeling! I felt like such a proud Aunt saying "They grow up so fast." Jack spent the better part of my time there anticipating James' visit. He is totally obsessed with his new cousin. Mom and Pop came in on the Thursday before and then Margo and Brian showed up on Christmas Day. MH did an great job on Christmas Dinner and we got our first family photo taken in a long time! I can't wait until we all get together again!

New Years 2011 was spent in Nashville, TN. Rory and I decided to take a spontaneous trip up there. He got to see camp (of course) and we went to a couple microbreweries. We also got to go to a lot of my favorite restaurants that I have been missing since my last recruiting season with Hendrix. We ran into a camp friend of mine that I hadn't seen in year - Emily Steffan. We spent the last moments of 2010 and the first few minutes with her and her friends at a country bar, it might have even had karaoke at some point. Could not have asked for a better start to a new year!

Now heading into 2011!
I laid low in January. I started back up my graduate assistant job in the middle of the month. Shortly following, I decided to take on a second job working at a local outdoors store in Little Rock. It has been a blast! I work every weekend that I don't request off. So my schedule has once again changed, but I really enjoy the interaction with random people! I also run into a lot of parents I used to work with from Hendrix and a few professors. I just have to hope I remember everyone's name...

So far in February the only super exciting activity has been brewing my first beer! That's right, I finally gave in and decided I would see what it is all about. I did a 5 gallon batch of Ocktoberfest. It's a lager, so it will be a while until I get to taste the fruits of my labor! But I am so excited to see how it turns out. Hopefully, the tasting and judging piece will have its very own blog post. 3 or 4 more weeks and then you should come over and try it!

That's it! I need to take more pictures so next time I can lure you in with pictures!

Thanks for reading the catch up post! I will do my best to be a better blogger! So stay tuned for more...

James' Baptism: July 25th, 2010

On July 25th my nephew James got Baptized! I arrived early at Margo, Brian and James' house to help them get ready for the big day. James recently took his first big step towards boyhood: he rolled over!!! Margo got him to roll over for me the first morning that I was there. He sure is good at it!

Margo and I made a grocery list and a cleaning list and got to work on Thursday. James did not get near enough attention from the two of us that day. Little did he know that he would be bombarded with people who wanted to hold him the next day! Even my other nephew Jack wanted to lend a helping hand! Here Jack is feeding James. It was too cute to see these two in action. On Friday, MH, Jack, Mom and Pop came in town mid day. That evening, the Alfords and the Routons made it. All day Saturday we sat around the Alford's (Margo, Brian and James), and hung out with the family! It was so nice to relax and not have to worry about anything all day!

On Sunday James got baptized! Here are some of the photos from the day of. He did so great during the ceremony. Margo and Brian fed him right before and no one heard a peep out of him.

A lot of Margo and Brian's friends in Huntsville came for the big day! It was soo nice to see all of them again.

Here's Jack before the ceremony. You can tell by his facial expression that he is up to no good ;)

The Alfords, Mortons and Carrs.

Brian, Margo and James before the Baptism.

The Alfords and Routons

Here is Margo feeding James right before the service. It worked like a charm to keep him quite for an hour!

I can't wait to see Brian, Margo and James sometime in October when Emily and Ryan have their baby girl!

Don't Mess with Texas

I only managed to take one picture while I was in Boerne, my apologies! I'm sure my mom has some more on her blog if you check it out. The night I arrived we went to a wine tasting at a brand new wine store/ bar in Boerne. After the tasting Mom and Pop went to a local play! Here they are with Lucy before the play!

The rest of the trip was a blast. On Friday, Mom and I roamed around Boerne and did some boutique shopping. Boerne has grown up quite a bit, it was so much fun to see all the new stores they have on Main Street. Then we met up with Pop at the Dodging Duck Microbrew. Now that I know a little bit more about beer (thanks to Rory), I was able to make a better assessment of how good the beer was!

On Saturday, I had my first experience with a push lawnmower in Mom and Pop's new back yard. That was tough work! I can definitely say that I like riding lawnmowers more than push mowers. Later that day we went to San Marcos to do some birthday shopping and then onto Gruene Hall for a beer. On our way home I decided that I would cook my favorite meal for Mom and Pop: Turkey Chili. Let me know if you want the recipe, it's delicious!

On Sunday, we started off with Church and then had plans to go to Boerne lake. Instead I took a much needed 3 hour nap. Then we headed off to the Perry's house where we saw nearly everyone I know in Texas: Perrys, Jerry McFarlen, Wilsons, Evans, Bitsy and Steve, and more. It made me miss Sunday night dinners.

Thanks Again for having me Mom and Pop! Can't wait to come see you again in September!

Florida!

Rory and I made the 10.5 hour trek to Florida. It was absolutely gorgeous. There was no oil to be found. We arrived late Wednesday night and then had 4 full days to enjoy MH, Matthew, Jack and the beach! Here is a picture of the beach from MH and Matthew's Beach Club pool!

As you can tell there was not a cloud in the sky. The first day Rory and I had some major difficulties with applying sunscreen. So on Friday we decided to go get the spray on sunscreen to try to tan away our stomachs that looked more like red and white puzzle pieces.

On Saturday we went to the beach but parked by one of the lakes. I made a hole with my feet and watched the water come into it. Jack decided this was a good place to sit. We were worried he wouldn't like being buried but he had a blast as you can tell by the photos. It amused him for at least 15 minutes!

Here he is again showing Rory how he can shut the truck's door! He went around and shut all the doors. We would try to go and open them again so we could hear some music, but Jack would go back and shut them all again. It was hilarious!

Something I did not know about 2 yr olds, they have an odd fascination with cups. He would take the cup fill it up with water and pour it into whatever vessel was nearby. In this case it was the Tonka Truck! We had soo much fun! Thanks MH and Matthew for having us! I can't wait to come for Christmas!

Last weekend before my last days of work!

The last weekend before I was done with Hendrix included a lot of Hendrix activities! We had Hendrix night at the travs on June 25th and then Katie and Kent's Wedding on the 26th! I got to see a whole lot of Hendrix folks that I hadn't seen in a long time.

At the Arkansas Travelers game I got to see Jan, David and Sarah Alford. I introduced Rory to a few Hendrix professors waiting in line for a beer in the beer garden. Then I got to see a few of my prospective students that came over all the way from Memphis!

Here is Lana and Rory hanging out in the beer garden after we had our fill of hot dogs, hamburgers and popcorn at the Hendrix event. Josh Wilson and Josh Johnson. Josh Wilson has once again taken to closing his eyes for every picture that is taken of him!
The newly engaged: Chris Stevens and Rachel Floyd! They met up with us after all the Hendrix festivities went down.
On Saturday night we went to Katie and Kent's wedding. They had their reception at the Arkansas Arts Center. It was gorgeous and the food was delicious. They had a potato and grits bar. I was in heaven! I definitely went back for seconds on the grits.

Here is John and Kelley! We started the Hendrix table front and center at the wedding, right near the grits bar! Patrick Ford made a trip to Arkansas just for this wedding! It was fantastic to see him.

All the Galloway Girls together again!

I even managed to get a picture of Rory and I. I took the same picture with my phone and it was a lot better. Sorry I couldn't manage to get that one up here!

Last but not least, Lana and Rachel!

It was a fantastic weekend! I can't wait for another Hendrix wedding... Just around the corner on Dec. 18th!

Wakarusa 2010

My first major music festival ever!! It was a blast. Rory and I arrived around 9 pm on Wednesday night and stayed through Sunday morning. Rory's Uncle Robert and his friends reserved and RV spot. It was in the shade, we had water and electricity hook up. We also got the luxury of showers and real restrooms. A commodity that I was very appreciative of after about 20 minutes in the heat. There were a lot of great shows there and some very interesting people!


For example, I didn't realize that hula hoops were a popular item for anyone over the age of 12.





Here is a picture of one of Rory's favorite bands - The Black Keys. This was a great show. Everyone that was staying at the RV site with us set up an umbrella and a few chairs. I felt bad about blocking a good view, but shade was hard to come by.


This Umbrella was the first one we had set up. The next few times we set up a tarp for cover so we could fit more people underneath.

One of the stages was located under a giant tent! It was the best place to be. Complete shade with a breeze and cool grass. Here we are taking a break from the heat in between shows!

Right by this tent was a ton of food, another stage and a carnival set up. We didn't go on any rides, but it looked like fun!

Spring time!

I am so excited the spring is finally here! Sadly, I really do enjoy the feeling of being suffocated by the humidity sometimes. Give me a week or two and I am sure that feeling will go away.

Rory and his friend Paul got us tickets to the first Arkansas Razorbacks baseball game in Little Rock in something like 25 years! It was completely packed, we had to arrive about an hour early for decent seats on the berm. One night we decided to go to North Little Rock for some Mexican food. It turned out to be one of the most amusing nights on record. Parker(on the left) decided he wanted to make a pride bet with Paul that he could eat his entire plate, his gigantic margarita, the remainder of his wife Kathryn's food and an additional plate of fish tacos. Paul thought it was a sure win, so he suggested that it turn into a slap bet - the winner gets to slap the loser no strings attached. In the end, despite Paul's confidence in winning, Parker came out like a champ and cleaned his plate. Here they are signing the official agreement on the back of a receipt.
The waiter was so kind to us that night, we decided to have a picture taken of this monumental occasion. Note: the slap didn't happen in the restaurant, but we had about 8 people there so we were making a fair amount of noise. From left to right - Our waiter, Parker, Paul and Kathryn.

Once we got back to Kate's house Parker took his opportunity to slap Paul no strings attached. It looked like it hurt, but Paul should have seen it coming!

I also took my last admission trip to Nashville and Chattanooga. These are a few of the folks that I hang out with when I am on the road. From left to right - Lindsey (UGA), Seaton (College of Charleston), Lori (SMU), and Ryan (Berry College). It was a great trip, it was sad to say goodbye to my friends for 2 months of the year.

Rory and I are headed to Wakarusa the first weekend in June! I will definitely post some pictures and stories after that!

Wedding Season Begins!

We have officially kicked off wedding season 2010. Since I have been lacking in pictures I decided I would make this one picture heavy instead of text heavy. So here are a few pictures from wedding related events. The first two were taken at Melissa and Chris's engagement party in North Little Rock. This one is Rory and Paul (his old roommate)

Kate and her mom.

Then this past weekend we all met up again at Melissa and Chris's wedding in NLR and reception at the Junior League Headquarters in downtown Little Rock. The wedding we was gorgeous and the food and drink were delicious. It was great to see all of Rory's friends and celebrate!

Emily and her boyfriend Robert!

Rory, Ann and Parker

Besties!

Chris Mi and me

Rory and me!

Jenna and Julian (note, 2 days after the wedding they got engaged)

Rick, me and Parker

Emily and Kate.

Easter Weekend

Second blog post in a row with no pictures! But I felt that it was necessary to tell you about Easter Weekend in Little Rock!

Most everyone made the trip to Little Rock for Easter and Margo's Baby Shower.

On Thursday night I got to see Margo, Brian, Julie and Steve at the Purple Cow! (In case anyone was wondering, I had a mint chocolate chip shake). We parted ways until 10:30am the next morning when everyone came to visit Hendrix and see the new building. I then spent most of my remaining dining dollars and treated everyone to lunch in the new and improved cafeteria! It was chicken strips and mac and cheese as always!

When I headed to the airport to pick up Mom and Pop. Rory, Brian and Ryan were headed to the races in Hot Springs! Mom and Pop had met some very nice young man for Kristen Catalani on the airplane. We then dashed off to Whole Foods for a quick bite before we got ready to meet up with Margo. While Pop napped, we headed to the mall and did some shopping!

That evening we went to the Oyster Bar for some high quality fried food! It was delicious. Then Margo called it an early night and headed back to the Routon's house. Mom, Pop, Rory and I met up with some of my friends at a wine bar in North Little Rock. It was a blast. Mom and Pop were introduced to the best iphone application - Words with Friends. They kept playing all weekend, it was a blast. I found out that Words with Friends considers "sexts" to be a real word. I was shocked but it got Mom 24 points for playing it!

On Saturday morning I cooked breakfast for mom and pop at my house and then we watch some Final Four highlights. Then Pop met up with Mickey and Lauren and Mom and I headed to hillcrest to do some shopping!

At 2pm all the ladies headed to Margo's Baby Shower. Julie, Jan and Sarah did a great job decorating! The cake was confetti cake... which was amazing. Baby Alford was definitely throwing a party in Margo's belly :)

That evening we all cooked out at Julie's house and watched the West Virginia coach have a love session with his hurt player. (http://www.nesn.com/2010/04/dasean-butlers-injury-brings-painful-ending-to-west-virginias-season.html)

The next day we went to church and then had a great brunch at Boscos with the Alfords and the Routons!

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

2010 Bluebonnet Brew Off

Working for a college has its perks: I still get spring break! On Wednesday and Thursday I tooled around Little Rock getting chores done that no one with a 8 to 5 job could possibly do. On Thursday afternoon Rory and I set off on an adventure to Dallas for the Bluebonnet Brew Off!
http://www.bluebonnetbrewoff.com/

It is one of the largest home brew competitions out there. Rory had never been to one of these conventions/competitions. We had no idea what to expect. We arrived in Dallas on Thursday night and grilled out with his friend Rick. The next day before we headed to the competition, I made Rory try a bean and cheese taco. He now understands what all the talk is about. Thank goodness for Taco Cabana. They pleasantly surprised me with a new dip: half ranch, half their dark salsa!

We then went to the Westin to register for the competition, where we received our tasting glass. Rory didn't submit any beers this go around, but he plans to next year. We met up with some of the other Central Arkansas Fermenters and headed to the Hospitality Suite. This was the start to a long beer tasting adventure!

The hospitality suite was open from 2-6:30pm both Saturday and Sunday. This was where they had at least 3 or 4 different home or local commercial brews on tap. We almost got a chance to judge some of the entries but the spots were already filled once we got there.

Rory and I headed for a bite to eat before the next event. From 8pm to 10pm the Commercial Brewers from around the globe were there to hand out tasters. The glass came in handy for this portion and the next. At 10pm we switched to the other half of the conference room and got to taste the home brews. Each different home brew organization had their own station. Rory is a member of the Central Arkansas Fermenters. For a while, they even let me hand out and talk about their beer. I knew VERY LITTLE about it, but they invited me to help out again in October for Octoberfest!

The next day Rory woke up bright and early to go to the Beer Tech talks. Rick and I ended up at Denny's for a good hearty breakfast! Then we went to hang out in the Hot Tub and swimming pool on the roof of the hotel that overlooked the DFW airport. Rick informed me that the DFW Airport is larger than Manhattan! I was blown away by this fact.

Once Rory was out of his tech talks we headed to an amazing sandwich shop!

Then we laid low watching movies and eating dinner until the Awards Ceremony at 8pm. Rory won a ton of hops during the raffle. He was pretty excited about it. The awards were over and then we all hung around to try the remaining beers.

Oh and I almost forgot...It snowed starting at 2pm on Saturday and was snowing for an hour of our drive back to Arkansas.

Overall, it was a phenomenal weekend. Hopefully Rory and I will be able to go back next year.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, all convention centers look the same.