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I don't have anything meaningful to say today, so I'm going to direct you to my father-in-law's blog, Logos2Go, because he had a great post yesterday.

Ohio

Last week, we went to Ohio for a family wedding, and spent some time with long-distance family. I had never been to Ohio, but found it very flat and fairly humid. We had a lovely time with Jeremy's family, eating a lot of food, chatting, and playing cornhole. :)


Here's some photo highlights.
Us at the wedding (don't mind the rain-flattened hair).
The wedding colors were green and bright pink - very bright! Here's the cake (which was wonderful) and the centerpieces.

And on our Detroit-Seattle flight home (a pretty brutally long flight, by the way) I spotted this interesting cloud formation (I'd say over the Dakotas).

Oh, PR, where art thou?

Summer TV sucks. No, really. I've always been known to be someone who maybe watches a little too much TV. But even I don't watch most of the crap that's on in the summer. ABC has such jems as "Wipeout," "Dating in the Dark," and "I survived a Japanese Game Show." NBC is currently airing "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here." HBO one-ups them all with the new show "Hung," (warning, link is PG-13) which, if you can't guess what it's about, well, that's probably okay.

Oh, but let's not forget Fox's "More to Love," which is literally "The Bachelor" for fat people. Nice.

For the last five years, the only thing I've watched in the summertime is So You Think You Can Dance, which I still LOVE, by the way. That's the only DVR timer I've got set right now.

Okay, that's not true. I've started watching this new ABC Family show, "Make it or Break it." It's about a foursome of gymnasts who train at "The Rock" in Boulder, CO., and it may be one of the worst shows ever made. Don't judge me.

Anyway, there was always one glimmer of decent TV amidst the tidal wave of crap. And that was Project Runway. It's now been over a year since season 5 of PR aired. I was thinking the other day, "Where is my beloved Project Runway?" I know you were thinking it too! Well, I'm here to answer your question. Project Runway has been dropped by Bravo, and picked up by Lifetime, and season 6 will premier on August 20th. Thank goodness! You see? They've "made it work!"

Here's a little teaser video for any fans out there!

Just got back from Ohio at midnight last night. Photos and stories to come.

Bald Eagles and pillows on the floor

So you know it's been a long time since you've posted when your three readers are giving you crap about it every time they see you. Sorry. I have been enjoying the sunshine instead of holing up in front of the computer screen. That, and I haven't had much inspiring to say, as I'm sure you'll discern after reading what's below.

It's never a complete Independence Day until you see a bald eagle at the lake, right?

Happy Birthday, America.

Well, I guess for my perfect Fourth of July, you'd need family (check), 90+ degree weather (check), the lake (check), a floatie (check), and LOTS of good food (check). So I'd say we made out pretty well.

On Sunday, I decided I was in need of new shoes for the wedding we're attending this weekend in O-H-I-O, and Jeremy decided he needed a new pillow. Where can you get both these things in one stop? Ross, of course! So head over to Moscow we did. Here is Jeremy pillow-testing in the aisles. What a goof.

By the way, I have come to accept that it is a hard-written truth that every time I wash my car (or cars), it pours down rain two hours later. Such was my Sunday.

P.S. This is what a Beagle looks like when he returns home after a long (fun) weekend, to a house that is 85 degrees.

A Sweet Ride

I guess we can check this rite of passage off our list: we bought a car this weekend. Did the whole "test-drive, negotiate term and rate, sign a million documents, have the dealer wash and 'prep' the car for you" car-buying experience. With no parents within a 200-mile radius. We have very loving, helpful parents, but I'm glad we did this on our own. It sounds strange, but this seemed like a more grown-up, scary thing to me than buying a house. I wonder why that is? Anyway, here's the car. It's a blue 2007 Hyundai Elantra. I love it.

Ah, to be remembered in a sidewalk for posterity

A few blocks from my house, the City of Pullman is paving a sidewalk. It's much needed - along a narrow, steep road where Reggie and I have nearly been sideswiped multiple times. Walking it today, I came across a little message from Emily and Geneviere:

Apparently, they were here! Now, I don't have any problem with little sidewalk "So and So was here" or even "So and so loves So and so" messages in wet concrete. I even think it's quaint and adds small-town-charm to an otherwise boring sidewalk.

Well, so much for small-town-charm. On the next square, Emily and Geneviere drew lewd pictures and wrote nasty four-letter words. Classy. This sidewalk is three blocks from an elementary school, in a family neighborhood. If I were Emily or Geneviere's parents, I'd be having a talk with my daughter. FOR REAL. I might expect this on Greek Row, or in a bigger city, but in my little corner of Pullman? Really?

I dunno, am I overreacting? They're not quite done with the corners of the sidewalk, so my hope is that when they come back to finish the concrete (after the rain), they'll pave right over E & G's little lapse in judgement. We'll see.

Taking a whack at home improvement

I'm really proud of Jeremy for renovating our shower over the weekend. He did a great job. I'm so excited for when the grout is dry and sealed, and we can actually shower in it. A note to all you aspiring home improvement junkies - when renovating a bathroom (or just a shower), it's helpful to have another one to use. A big thanks to Jessica who let us shower at her house multiple times over the weekend. :)

Here's a little photo journey. Don't expect a true "before" photo, because of the aforementioned nastiness. Here's Jeremy and his buddy Karl (without whom this project would have been a major disaster) in demolition phase 2. The plastic surround torn off, cutting through drywall to see (yikes) what's back there. And yes, they found a window... Note - see the curling iron I forgot to put away on the counter - covered in dust.

A closer look at the window. So weird. And a tubfull of debris.

Here's the grouting phase - Karl in his dress socks because he came from a wedding. Classy!

Here's the "almost after" pictures. The tile and grout are finished, but the bullnose (edge) tiles are still on order and will get here Thursday-ish. So that's why it looks so literally rough around the edges.

For anyone who might be keeping track, we haven't gotten the new car yet. Hopefully it will happen on Saturday! For now, I just hope the weather holds up so I can keep biking around town... :)