Adventures in Adventuring

Summer weekends are magical times, aren't they? When the only light you need is from the fireflies and stars.

She rarely takes good photos, but when she does, she prefers Dos Equis.

A few hidden strands of blue in her gloriously dark hair.

Jeff and Andie sneaking away to the beach for a few quick photos.

 Nothing like a walk while the sun sets in order to catch the sun bursting through the tree skylights.

Siblings are your first friends, right?

Lazy Days

Typical morning. 

I-don't-want-to-admit-this-was-my-breakfast-so-let's-ignore-that...

I was bored... so I covered my ugly lamp in lovely cream-colored burlap. Such a quick fix with instant pretty gratification.

Be Spontaneous

Monday was a low-key day with only a few people staying for the "Monday Club" as we call it. Honestly, we were even doing leftovers for dinner - that's just how low-key the day was going to be. 

But sometimes spontaneity happens. And by spontaneity, I mean your brother comes home with a 29-inch fish. And no, not one person who was at the compound that day had gutted a fish EVER before yesterday. It was definitely a life experience, but hey, how much fresher can you get? Seriously, the thing was alive not even four hours before we were grilling it!

Almost two and half feet!

And so we pulled together a meal with fresh strawberries for dessert, and everything was perfect.  Austin even ate his own fish! The fish was so incredible that it didn't need anything more than a bit of salt. It's just funny how something so unexpected can change the course of your day, but hey, sometimes life is just a series of coincidences, right? That's what makes it an adventure.

Summer!

Yes folks, it's that place I love most: Union Pier, Michigan. Oh how I've missed it so. I guess the weather was expecting my arrival since it has been nothing short of hot, sunny, and beautiful. Even my Dad made it down to the beach, and that is certainly a rare site to see (especially before 3:00 pm).

All in all, I couldn't have had a more relaxing weekend of beach, sunsets, great family and friend time. The Baldacci family and my family went to a fantastic Italian place for dinner called Tosi's. I guess when your meal lasts three hours, you know you've had a great one. I can't wait to go back and bring Kyle. And I wish I had my camera because I've finally had something that I've really wanted to try for a long time - fried zucchini flowers. It was the standout of our dinner with such a unique, delicate flavor. Truly, I know it sounds a bit bizarre, but if you ever have the opportunity to try them, go for it. The photos I do have are courtesy of Gabriela (love that girl).

Honestly, it was great to finally see everyone again. I am so blessed to be able to have a place like Union Pier.

Can you ask for a more perfect ending to a day?

<3 summer. True life.

DONE

Oh wow. The dental board exam rocked me hard. But after hours of studying and nerves, I can officially say it is over.

After waking up incredibly early, I arrived at my testing center and saw that the lovely Andrea from my class was there! It definitely helped to have each other and calm the other down.. :)

After the morning session, I had my second testing session. That one thankfully went better than the first. I was definitely not expecting the caliber of questions I encountered, but all I could do is get through it. And I did, and in a month I know if I passed! Here's hoping I did.

This was my expression after completing my exam. No joke.

So seven hours and 400 questions later, I was done. Kyle started driving to St. Louis so we could have our celebratory dinner. I was frazzled and stopped across the street for a post-exam coffee while I waited. We stopped at the Trader Joe's before dinner -  for a bottle of wine, of course!

This was well deserved.

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Moving... and Kittens!

Ok, so everyone knows moving sucks more than pulling teeth (dental joke fully intended).

And moving sucks even more when you're preparing for an eight and a half hour long exam that is this Tuesday because it is the biggest distraction in the world! I can usually sit for hours and hours and study, but the fact that my apartment needed cleaning and was in boxes was a big distraction. And now that I'm all happy and settled in the new place, there is still TONS to do. Luckily my mother came for a few days to unpack some boxes, set up my kitchen, and clean, which was a huge relief. Regardless, this move really impacted my studying ability. I think I'll pass, but I just cannot wait for 2 months of no studying and relaxation.

In any case, there are so many perks to the new place. And a real kitchen is one of them, especially a working gas oven (which means no more half raw / half burnt lopsided cupcakes and baked goods). You know what, I think electric ovens might actually be worse than moving.

And now for your viewing pleasure, my first successful muffin in over a year due to the fact that I now have a real oven:

Banana Muffins with oven-toasted walnuts, banana chips, and Nutella frosting

The muffin was a box mix, but shh, we won't tell anybody because I dolled it up nicely.

Oh, and we have some adorable visitors that are living under out next-door neighbor's porch that keep the mice at bay. Say hello to Little Gray, Runt, and Blackie as I affectionately call them.

(If I give them real names, I swear I'll want to keep them more than I already do).