A Weekend at the Beach

I spent last Thursday and Friday in Sarasota for work, so after the five-hour drives to and fro, the only natural thing to do was jump in the car Saturday and head to Miramar Beach :) Once again, Aaron's aunt and uncle generously invited us to visit their home on the beach while Aaron's parents were visiting with them. I wasn't sure I would be up for another drive, but as soon as we saw the clear turquoise water, I was refreshed. 

I've never seen jellyfish there before, but there were a ton in the surf as we walked along the beach Sunday morning. Aaron hates marine life, so he refused to get in the water as soon as we saw the gross little blobs ballooning in the shallow water. 

It was great to be able to spend some time with Aaron's mom and dad two weekends in a row, especially because we didn't get to talk to them much the weekend before in Lincoln. We are so thankful that Aaron's aunt and uncle allow us to come up and stay for a night or two; being able to see the family in the fall and winter has been so nice, especially considering how far away Florida usually feels from the people we love so much. It was fun to talk about babies and pregnancy with my mother-in-law and Aaron's aunts, too, to hear their experiences. It was a much-needed and much-appreciated weekend of relaxing and refreshing. I left feeling really encouraged about so many of the things that have been weighing on my heart, which is perhaps the biggest blessing of all. 

Parents' trip to town

This weekend was perfect. My parents visited us, and Aaron and I showed them around some of our favorite places in Tally and surrounding areas. They especially liked Thomasville and it's fantastic downtown and shops. Almost every store had a sidewalk sale, and we found some fun things. I got a rug for the kitchen for $6 and a book for $2; Mom got a necklace, a kitchen rug like mine, a present for my sister ($2—can't wait until my sister sees it), a gardening journal for $1 and some other goodies.

Aaron had to come back to town to meet up with his director of photography for his film, so when he left, Mom and I went out to get groceries for dinner and to do a little more exploring. Daddy finished painting the Alamo, and it looks great.

For dinner we grilled steaks outside because it was so beautiful and because my dad doesn't like going out to restaurants. We watched movies and talked and just enjoyed being together. We also watched Dateline and the madness surrounding Charlie Sheen. My dad does a hilarious Sheen impression, and he kept saying "winning" all weekend. We missed my sister, though, who doesn't have spring break until the following week.

Things I don't want to forget about their trip:

• I told my dad to be careful about the bed frame because it is metal and hurts if you stub your toe on it or hit it. I told him be careful moving around. He thought I meant the mattress would fall through the metal frame (or something) and the next morning he told me he tried not to move at all in the night. I was so confused. Then my mom explained us to each other and it all made sense. That has pretty much been the relationship between me, my mom and my dad since I was 12. 
• The Charlie Sheen quotes. "WINNING!"
• Mom, Dad and Aaron tried my spinach smoothie. The boys were so annoying about it because of the spinach, but at least Mom liked it. Or pretended to.
• My dad calls Toby TNT now. I can't remember why. I'll have to ask him. 
• The Lebanese conversation.

One day soon we're going to live close-by. That will be a great day.

Monday, October 25, 2010

We got back from Tyler last night. Unfortunately the Escambia Bay Bridge and I-10 through Pensacola were closed, so, along with an unfortunate incident at Raising Cane's, we were delayed for an extra hour and a half and didn't get home until 10:30 last night.


The whole weekend was a success and so fun. The downfall? I left a pint of lime sherbet from Laura's bachelorette party in my trunk from Friday morning and it melted. I didn't notice anything until this morning, when my car smelled REALLY weird. When I got home from work, I dug through the trunk where I put the leftover Sprite and sparkling water to return and saw that the sherbet melted. Any idea how to get funky smells out of my car? It actually smells fermented. I think if I got pulled over, a patrolman might think I poured Bud Light Lime all over my seats. Which is disgusting.


ANYWAY,

I got to see my sister Jillian and our family pets (this is a picture I took of Jill and Millz).

My best friend, the bride, Laura, was incredibly beautiful. But that's nothing new.

The whole Anderson/Nix crew plus a few friends.(top-bottom, l-r) My mom, sister's friend Matt, Aaron, me, my sister's friend Maggie, Jillian , sister's boyfriend Hayden, Daddy.

Aaron, me, Jillian and Haydo

Hayden and Jillian

Me and Aaron

It was so fun to be home to celebrate Wes and Laura's nuptials as well as see my family and friends I hadn't seen in a while. The wedding was beautiful despite the downpour. I can't wait to see more pics! 

A Labor Day weekend trip to Orlando

For Labor Day weekend, Aaron and I drove down to Orlando to visit Aaron's brother, TJ, and his wife Tiffany, who were beginning there week-long vacation there. (sidenote- SO excited that Aaron's been able to be free on the weekends!)

We left mid-morning Saturday, stopped at the Chipotle in Gainesville for lunch, and arrived in Orlando in time to watch part of a football game with the Wichita Nixes. I knew there was a Husker watch group in Central Florida, and I thought it would be fun to see if they were meeting anywhere that we might be able to join them and watch the game, since it was on Fox Sports Net's Pay-Per-View. I'm glad I did - the Husker Alumni Association pointed me in the direction of the Pour House Bar and Grill, so I called them and asked if they were going to be showing the Husker game. The person who answered the phone answered "ABSOLUTELY! We'll be showing it on the big projection screen, too!" Aaron didn't believe me when I told he, TJ and Tiffany how enthusiastic she sounded, and despite being uncertain about what we were getting involved with, we headed to the Pour House to watch the game, expecting a small group of Huskers to be there.

Wrong.

Even before we entered the restaurant, we saw signs for the Husker watch party lining the parking lot, with arrows pointing to the pub. Cars with Florida license plates and Husker decals packed the lot, and as we neared the entrance, we saw a Central Florida Huskers sign displayed prominently. Even though it wasn't Memorial Stadium, it felt like home.



The restaurant was packed with Huskers. The organizer said he planned for about 100 people to show up, maximum, and the final count was closer to 250. People were turned away because the place was at capacity (and a family of Florida Gator fans left willingly), and it was so exciting to finally feel like we were back in in the company of people who "get us" and Husker football.



A great time was had by all, and it was fantastic to be able to watch the game. This is my first football season as a grad, and I missed Memorial terribly!

The weekend was restful and enjoyable, except for the smothering humidity. We did some shopping browsing Tiffany and I ran through the Mall at Millenia while Aaron and TJ waited for our table at dinner, we swam at the resort's pool, we played miniature golf at "The Best in Florida," and we ate lunch at the grossest place ever (which is another story for another day). We had a great time, and I wish we could have stayed longer and gone to a park or two while we were there. Thanks to TJ and Tiffany for letting us crash part of your vacation!

I was at home sick today, boo, and so I drank sparkling water and ate crackers. It was the life of luxury, let me tell you. While I was at home I had a chance to review some plans we've made for graduations, weddings and other travel in the upcoming months. I'm starting to feel like we need to plan holiday travel.

In 2009, Aaron spent Thanksgiving with my family because he had such a limited time frame to go anywhere. We went to the Big 12 Championship in Dallas with his family the first weekend in December, got married on December 20, went on our honeymoon, spent Christmas day with his family and then drove to spend time with my family. I am attempting to plot what holidays 2010 will look like as a married couple. I want to spend equal amounts of time with both sides of our family, especially. How does your family arrange its travel plans? Do you divide time spent with one holiday, or do you do Thanksgiving with one family and Christmas with the other? I'd love to know as we make our plans!

Snoozin'

{This is a lovely shot of my bouquet from my wonderful, dear, life-long friend and attendant Chelsea Harms. Thank you, Chels!}

We have spent the last week knee-deep in marital bliss.

We have been in lots of states and seen lots of family and friends.

We are exhausted.

Tomorrow we are leaving for honeymoon phase 4, which is the Texas phase. It has been absolutely wonderful to spend time with the Nixes in Nebraska. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful family, and I hope hope hope we get to spend lots of quality time with Aaron's parents, sisters, brother-in-law, brother and sister-in-law (and puppies Lily and Izzy) in the upcoming years.

I want a Bichon puppy, too...

...guess i'll have to wait until next Christmas.

family matters

No new posts for a while because my family is visiting until Saturday.
We're having an awesome time.
I love them very much.
Ciao.