Monday, April 27, 2015

Last Pre-Finals Fun

Winding down at OSU; final exams this week. Mark and Julia went to Milestone 229 followed by Short North fun and dessert. Columbus is a great city; we're glad Julia has taken advantage of the fun vibe and local activities. OK, yes, we missed her last radio show on Saturday...we were traveling through Pennsylvania with very spotty wireless. And, yes, the car has some wireless capability, but we need Julia to figure it out for us. Can't wait to see her Friday night!

16 Hours in Rochester RIP Grandpa

Whirlwind trip...it was nice to briefly see everyone with promises of staying in better touch. We drove by 55 Rocmar Drive, my North Glen apartment, and Grandma & Grandpa Simpson's home. 





Sunday, April 19, 2015

EPA Internship

Congratulations, Julia, on getting two interviews for internships at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)! The first panel interview (four people!) went well and they have already let her know they want her. Ms. Prudent told them she had another interview this week…so we'll see which one she chooses. Very exciting; we're so proud! The EPA is going to get one dedicated, hard-working enviro-nerd for the summer.

Julia and friends went to see Matt and Kim in concert. They also finished their big engineering project. The end is near!

The Alt Expose with Ruth and Rose show had a special guest this week, Patrick! And, it happened to be his birthday.

Here in DC, the World Bank/IMF had their spring meetings and there was a huge Earth Day Festival on the Mall. One of our new tries at Wagshal's was elk burgers. Steven loved them and we bought more today.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Clubs, Soul, and Procedure


News flash! We have converted Julia to be a lamb-eating lover! And why not? It is so good. Thankful for another productive week and many interactions with Julia. She has set her schedule for the fall and it includes a climate change course and her official delve into the major, Atmospheric Science (think, meteorology). Julia had an active weekend with her various green clubs and Green Engineering Scholars relay race. What a cutie Stephanie is. Julia also produced an entertaining computer-programmed train video. Steven and I went to a Christian Science church in Fairfax and to Holy Trinity on Saturday; feeding the soul doesn't have to be from a specific denomination. Steven tried a new procedure for his migraines. Dr. Macedo injected lidocaine up into his nasal cavities for the purpose of an extended numbing of the inflamed nerve causing pain. It was a bit uncomfortable (check out the picture!), but Steven said he will probably try it again.



Sunday, April 12, 2015

Wagshal Haul is the Bones!

New this week at Wagshal's, we had sirloin steak--amazing--corned beef, and local ice cream from Silver Spring. The steak was lean enough for Steven, and marbled enough for me. We got some of the usual favorites: chicken liver, Amish bacon, pastrami turkey, spicy Italian sausage, lamb sausage, roasted chicken, and BONES! Not only do we love Wagshal's for the exceptional quality of meats and products, but the service is always fantastic! I left the ginormous bones in the crockpot for 24 hours with some spices and apple cider vinegar. Very healthy and very delicious.
Beef and chicken bones in the crockpot ready to go!

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Holy Week and Schmidt's

This is the first Easter we have not made and hid an Easter basket for Julia--BOO! She had a busy week with exams in engineering, physics, and ethics engineering. Unfortunately, she also had more migraines and tried Zomig and Cambria. Excedrin Migraine helped. She's continuing to take the iron pills; it will be a process to figure out what exactly will abort the pain for her. The girls went to Schmidt's to celebrate Sarah's birthday. They enjoyed the yummy German Autobahn buffet (sausage, bratwurst, knockwurst, salad, etc.) and entertainment. This is definitely one of our favorite restaurants in Columbus.





We went to Immanuel Bible Church for Easter Sunday service. Meme sang in the choir; it was beautiful. It was nice to see them after their trip and get a quick update.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Birthday, Competition, and Lamb

Julia is back at school. It seems like she was barely home. They celebrated Caitlyn's birthday last weekend and were back on the air for their radio show. Julia also had a nice visit with Chris. (Hi, Chris!) He was in town for an engineering competition--3rd place--congrats! 




Another lamb roast!