Noodles and Finals

Another stressful week for the kiddo as she wraps up her first semester at The Ohio State University. Wow--my girl is all grown up. Julia and Stephanie are so cute! Check out the TA's Christmas sweater. The gang went to Noodles and Company and spent a lot of time studying. Thankfully, she is over her cold, for the most part. Can't wait to see her tomorrow! xoxoxo

Blackwell Inn and OSU Victories

Since Thanksgiving, OSU has beat the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin--we're going to the Sugar Bowl (vs. Alabama). Very exciting. Steven wants to have a huge party for the Sugar Bowl. ;) Yes, we have drunk the Kool-Aid and are Buckeyes through and through. Julia returned to school and soon after was sick. She took care of herself..."Mom, I bought DayQuil and NyQuil, I'll be fine."

I sent her a rosemary plant with the stipulation that someone local take it home over the break to ensure its survival or she bring it home on the plane as a carry-on. Julia is going to ask Stephanie to take it. 

The kiddos went to The Blackwell Inn restaurant--fancy, fancy! Yay--they take meal blocks. They had a very nice meal. 

 

Sweet Thanksgiving

Although I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to pull it off... thanks to Wagshal's, we had a pretty tasty bird and darn good shrimp. Best of all, Julia was home.

We ate, went to the movies, shopped, worked on a puzzle, cut down our Christmas tree, decorated the house, and ate some more. Meme brought over gorgeous flowers and helped one-handed. It was a nice holiday--so thankful for our wonderful family and time together.

 
 
 

Japanese, Guinea Hen, and Mercutio

Tribe update: Rough week for Julia with major exams before Thanksgiving break. Hang in there, sweetie--you're in the home stretch! She attended a hockey game and really enjoyed it. They also went to Japanese Oriental Restaurant and had yummy dumplings and a Bi Bim Bap. Julia captured some great pictures from OSU's first snowfall.

Steven and I went to the last Glover Park farmers market and came home with a nice haul, including a guinea hen. The four-pound bird didn't have a ton of meat on it, but we liked the distinct flavor (definitely different than a regular chicken).

I won a leadership award at work, which equates to a nice bonus check before the holidays--planning great ways to spend already. We wrapped up the week by attending Romeo & Juliet. "A plague on both your houses!" ...followed by a great death scene. Well done, Ethan (as Mercutio).

MATLAB, Indian, and Blackout

Tribe Update
Congratulations, Julia, on your successful train MATLAB programming project! The Snapchat video was awesome.

Julia didn't have any exams this past week, but does have "midterms" this week. It was so good to see her smiling face last night via Skype. Poor thing was trying to eat a late dinner while we chatted (pizza from the Pad). They went to an Indian restaurant and--not normally a fan--Julia enjoyed it. A bunch of them attended the Lane Avenue Residence Hall (LARH) West Campus Blackout on Friday. On Sunday, LARH  had a pumpkin treat party too. They have some fun activities and options (staying up-to-date via Twitter, of course). We talked about her upcoming trip home--YAY--and her holiday schedule over the Christmas break (busy). Julia and Stephanie are talking about renting a one-bedroom apartment together off High Street. They may go look at it this Friday. Steven gave her some good advice about questions to ask (what is included, how long is the rental agreement, etc.). It looks like the majority of her friends will not be staying in LARH next year, so it is a good idea to look off-campus.

In other news, Meme broke her wrist on Monday. She had a painful week and should be getting her hard cast on this afternoon. The Georgetown ice rink is officially open; however, they had only a small section for people to skate on--so we'll wait until it is fully functional. Friday night, we celebrated Kathryn's 10th birthday. We shared pics and videos via Snapchat--but definitely missed having Julia there. 

Rocklands, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Cane's

Big news--OSU beat Michigan State! See students in Mirror Lake for just such an occasion below. Julia went to Buffalo Wild Wings to celebrate Kay's birthday. Stephanie, Matt, and Julia went to Cane's, which only serves chicken, coleslaw, Texas toast, Cane's sauce, and fries. It is so nice to see pictures of her having fun and doing well. In addition to eating out and socializing, she also went swimming again and running. Good job! No "midterms" this week, but prepping for some next week. TWO WEEKS UNTIL SHE COMES HOME!

Steven and I went to Rocklands and sat in the new (used to be Max's Ice Cream) sit-down section. I could eat here every night. I should have gotten a full rack of ribs, instead of half. We picked up our meat from Wagshals, another fave. We also went to the DC Metro Cooking Show. Guy Fieri, Todd English, and Bobby Flay were in attendance, but what stole the show for us was the samples of duck breast, pheasant pate, foie gras, cheeses, and an Elevation cheeseburger. Yum.

Engineering group