Turducken

I was watching the food channel with a friend recently, and they were talking about a turducken - a burger you can find in Philly. I was planning to travel to Philly soon, so I was interested in trying out this turkey, duck, and chicken burger! My sister, Amy, has lived in Philly for 6 years. She is moving to AZ soon, so this trip to Philly would be my last, and I asked if we could find this burger. I found out that Smokin' Betty's is the place to go for turducken, so we ventured out. I was picturing a run-down diner, but we arrived at a classy restaurant, and I ordered my turducken. This thing was huge! I cut it in half and took my first bite - it was like Thanksgiving on a roll, complete with cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing, and sweet potato chips - quite tasty! It was a fun experience and made for a memorable last trip to Philly to visit Amy.

After our turducken adventure, it was time to prep for a party! Amy threw herself a going away party with lots of food, friends, and a photobooth! I had met a number of her Philly friends over the years, so it was fun to see them again and celebrate the time Amy has had in Philly.

I'm driving out to Arizona with Amy when she moves in the middle of August. I should keep my eye on the food channel for other foods we can try along the way!

Meteor Shower

A few weeks ago, some friends from church headed up to Brown Mountain - our friends' home outside Binghamton. We had a bonfire in the evening, and I noticed the stars. I asked my friend, Nate, if you could usually see them well at his house. I had recently come across my list of goals, and 'watch a meteor shower' was on there. My house is not a good place to see the stars, so I needed to find a clear open place. Nate said his house would be good.

I looked online to find the next meteor shower, and a group of us headed back over to Brown Mountain last night to check out the shooting stars. It was cloudy and threatening rain, but we were hopeful! We headed out to the deck around midnight - to a sky full of clouds! We sat and talked for a while, and then a handful of stars appeared! We got excited and waited to see a star shoot across the sky. I was able to see two or three before the sky got cloudy again - it was fun to spot them!

I remember trying to watch meteor showers at camp when I was younger, but I always fell asleep before the action happened. I think this was the first meteor shower that I've watched. There's another one in August, and maybe the sky will stay clear a little longer for us then!

Our Friend Frank

I have time to kill every Wednesday night in between work and church. Tonight Christina spent time with me! After grabbing dinner, we headed over to Wegmans for something I needed and then just to browse. While wandering the aisles, we came across the pinatas! We both fell in love with this frog, and decided it would be a fun activity with our friends at church. We grabbed some candy to fill our new friend and made sure someone would bring a bat for later. We were pumped!

After our night, we hung Frank from the ceiling and all took turns whacking him! He was a sturdy frog and lasted a while, but finally gave up much of the candy that was inside. He did fly off the string a few times and even flew right into Christina's face a one point - but overall, we had a fun time with Frank!

Fun in Syracuse

I had to pick up a bridesmaid dress in Syracuse, so I decided to make a day of it! Christina, a friend from church, joined me. Our car rides gave us a chance to really talk, and we had a good time finding fun things to do in Syracuse!

After picking up my dress we headed to Dinosaur BBQ for lunch. Now, there was one in Rochester during my time at school, and people talked about how good it is all the time, but I had never been. I'm glad we changed that today! Christina's mac 'n cheese recommendation was delicious and our sandwiches were tasty - I had been missing out!

After lunch we headed to Onondaga Lake to enjoy the nice [hot] day! Our plans to attempt to ride a tandem bike were shot down due to the hot weather and the bike rental shop deciding to close early - we'll have to try for the bike another day! Instead, we rented a kayak and enjoyed some time on the water.

It was a relaxing day to explore and a good chance to get to know Christina a little better.

Have I mentioned that I love having Fridays off?!

A Lesson from Grandpa

I bought an orange gerber daisy on my way to work. An orange gerber daisy because it reminds me of the many memories I have of Grandpa. Today marks 10 years since our last memories together. I was able to visit his grave site recently and think back on the relationship I had with him.

During my time at Roberts, I often thought about him during my business classes. He was a State Farm Insurance agent, so it seemed like what I was learning would have been applicable to what he did there. It would have been interesting to talk to him about my experiences.

It's amazing to think about everything that has happened in 10 years. I got my first job. I learned how to drive. I graduated from high school. I traveled out of the country for two missions trips. I ran in my first organized race. I got my college degree. I started my first real job. I would have loved for Grandpa to be there for many of those milestones!

I will always remember the final words Grandpa said to me. My family had been down visiting a week or so before he died, and as we were leaving he told me, "There's so much we didn't get to do, but there's always next time." Next time never came. Relationships with family and friends are so important to me, and Grandpa's final words have encouraged me to be sure to make the most of the time I do have with the ones I love. That is why I buy an orange gerber daisy on July 18th - to remember Grandpa and the lesson he taught me all those years ago. Read my blog from last year to find out why I decided on an orange gerber daisy, and I will enjoy the smile it brings to my face today!

Experiencing Binghamton

My friend, Honna, came to visit from Rochester! She arrived Friday evening, and we had a full night and day together! She had never been to Binghamton before, so I had fun giving her the grand tour of everything I'm involved in (or have been involved in) around here. Here's a recap:

-Nirchi's - After showing her my house, we headed off to Nirchi's for some chicken spiedie pizza. I always craved this pizza when I was at school, and we both enjoyed a couple of slices while catching up on our latest news.

-Fashion Bug - I had to stop by the bank, so I showed Honna where I worked in high school.

-Chuckster's - Before mini golfing at the longest hole on the planet, we stopped by Ross Corners - where I went to school 1-12 grades. We golfed with some of my new friends from church and were amazed by the magician! Honna got three hole in ones!

-Bubble Tea - I had given Honna a gift certificate for Bubble tea at graduation, so she redeemed it and tried Bubble tea for the first time! The winner of our mini golf group, Jon, joined us here too.

-First Baptist Church - We had to take Jon's new car out for a ride, so we drove through back roads, saw so much wildlife, and ended up at church and enjoyed listening to the frogs while talking and sitting on a big rock. Then Jon took us to a spot where you can see lots of lights from the surrounding areas - very cool view!

-Binghamton - We headed out this morning for a 9 mile biking tour of Binghamton. Jon and my parents joined us for this, and it was a beautiful morning! Honna, Jon, and I grabbed lunch at Nezuntoz, a cafe my sister, Amy, used to work. Then I took them up to the church I grew up in. We swang on the fun swings on the hill - still as fun as I remembered! We stopped by the Discovery Center to find the bull from the Vestal Parkway Steakhouse, and we enjoyed the Story Garden. I also showed them my office at Life Choices Center.

-C. Fred Johnson Park - It was time to show Honna one of our carousels! We rode it twice then played in the water park and cooled off! We grabbed some blankets and dried off laying in the sun, just chatting and enjoying the day.

-356 Second Ave - After visiting the dog Jon is watching for the weekend, we headed back to my house for a great dinner with my parents!

It was fun to have Honna here and show her pieces of my life and things I enjoy about Binghamton. It was fun to spend time with Jon too - he experienced some new things in Binghamton as well!

Blast from the Past - Weekend in Rochester

This picture was from sophomore year at Roberts. Danielle, Pam, Brittany, and Heather - friends from Binghamton - came up to Rochester to visit me for a cold winter weekend! They stayed in my dorm, enjoyed food from Garlock, and froze at night on the cold floor!

I did have to go to class one day they were there, and I came back to my entire room turned in-side-out and up-side-down! That drove me nuts, and I quickly changed it back, but thinking about it now - it was pretty funny!

It was so cold, that none of them wanted to go anywhere to explore Rochester, so we spent most of the weekend on campus. We headed over to the gym for some volleyball, racquetball, and 2 minute workouts led by Heather. We had a good time!

We did run to Walmart for hair dye - a must do when this group gets together! We dyed hair that night and watched a movie. We played some games too, and made breakfast the next morning!

It was such a fun weekend, and I'm glad my friends were able to visit me at Roberts. Pam, however, ended the weekend with a tumble and injured her ankle! I think Heather ended up driving Pam's car home, and from what I hear, the car rides to and from Rochester were something else!

I have recently been able to visit each of these girls - in Johnson City, Delhi, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It's so fun to travel to visit friends, and I love seeing where they live and exploring new places! Although the miles apart are getting longer, these friendships will remain important to me, and I hope there will be many more fun weekend trips to come!

3 Frisbee Championships

Last night, I played ultimate frisbee with a bunch of friends, and it was so great! I played a lot of ultimate frisbee in college - and have 3 championship shirts to prove it! It's a great team sport and a good reason to get out there and run around!

A friend asked me if I had gone for a run that day. I hadn't, but I made up for it during that hour and a half we played frisbee! If there were shirts to be won last night, we would have all gotten one - I think we ended up with a 9-9 tie! (Not that I'm competitive and was keeping score or anything...)

I'm glad I've been able to find more friends that love to play as much as I do!

6 Goals Complete

I had a lot of fun last summer working through my list of goals. Remember when I used to post about each one I completed? Here's a look at what I accomplished in 2010. I recently came across my list of goals for 2011 and realized I have kind of been slacking. My goals haven't been on my mind lately, but I was surprised at how many I had completed!

1. Graduate - Just got my official diploma in the mail today!

2. Get a full-time job - Just got my first offical set of business cards today - Laura Tischer, Communications Director - pretty fancy!

3. Visit the Canandian Falls - I went three weekends ago when I was visiting friends in Rochester.

4. Visit Heather and Andrew in Virginia - I spent the 4th of July with them this year!

5. Visit Grandpa's grave - My family and I spent time remembering Grandpa and cleaning up his grave site while we were in Maryland recently. Next week marks 10 years since our last memories with him.

6. Try a new sport/extreme activity - I drove a four wheeler for the first time yesterday, if that counts!

As I look at my list and what I still hope to accomplish, I get excited for what the future may hold!

Setting Sail

My mom grew up sailing every Sunday afternoon. She had her own sailboat in high school, and I even remember riding in that one when I was little. She hadn't sailed in years, but always talked about going again.

We headed over to Dorchester park today and rented a little sailboat for a couple of hours. It was a great day to be out in the water, and the wind was just right - I could tell Mom was having a great time!

It was a relaxing afternoon in the sun and water!

Girl Time in Delhi

My newly married friend, Pam, recently called me saying she had two weekends available. If I wanted to come visit and see her new place in Delhi, I had to claim a weekend quickly! Brittany and I drove out to Delhi last night to join Joe and Pam. It was fun to see their place and spend the evening with them. Pam is here to tell you about our relaxing day together today:

Laura, Brittany, and I are lifelong friends and what a blessing they are to me! I was so excited when one of my weekends worked for both of them to visit. We have had a very relaxing time so far, but it's been wonderful to catch up and hang out! Last night we just talked and skyped with Laura's sister, Julie! She and Joe had a 20 minute conversation about the science of what she's studying at her internship in North Dakota.

After a good night's sleep we got up and enjoyed breakfast and a good game of Mastermind in which I stumped Laura for a while! I made easy lasagna for lunch which Joe came home and enjoyed with us. After lunch we did some crafts, we took the inner cardboard wrapping paper roll, flattened it, and cut it into pieces, glued the pieces into an artful design and then painted them; they can be used as wall decorations. We made smoothies, watched part of the movie 27 Dresses, and skyped with our friend, Heather for a bit!  It was a great day with friends, and I will miss these girls immensely when I move to Indiana.

I'm so glad they made the drive to come out and visit me, even though there's not much to do in Delhi, that's never stopped us from creatively coming up with activities to enjoy!  I have so many wonderful memories, and good years to remember, and today is one more day that I will store away to remember; so much to laugh about, talk about, be serious, and silly, and just have a good time with some of the best friends this world has to offer.

I Can See Clearly Now!

I have been fighting an eye infection for the past month. This means I haven't been able to wear my contacts, but have had to resort to wearing my glasses from high school - with a very old prescription! I have been hesitant to drive at night because my vision was not excellent. Well, that has all changed! I am now viewing the world in high definition! My eyes have healed enough to test for an updated prescription, and I ordered new lenses for my frames - what a difference they make! I read 20/20 on the chart at my appointment today - the best I've done in a while.

I have been spending lots of time at my eye doctor's this past month. I think I've been in there 6 times for follow up appointments and frame adjustments. They are getting to know me pretty well!

So I got this eye infection and had to put drops in my eyes four times a day. We tapered off recently, but they got worse! I went back up to four, but now we are tapering again - much slower this time! It will be another month before we even talk about wearing my contacts again. Thankfully, these new lenses have significantly improved my vision!

4th of July Sweet Tooth

I celebrated the 4th with my friend, Heather. This seems to be becoming a tradition! We have gone to a number of parades and fireworks over the years - and don't forget the patriotic pancakes! We added a few more sweet treats to this year's menu, and had a fun holiday together!

I was in Maryland visiting family for the long weekend and was able to drive over to Virginia to visit Heather for two days. Her husband, Andrew, wasn't feeling too festive, so her new baby, Colston, and I brought some holiday fun to the house! I'm getting ahead of myself though - my first day there was Sunday, the 3rd of July. I met Heather and Andrew at their church, then we went out for lunch. As Andrew headed off to work, Heather, Colston, and I ventured off to find some delicious cupcakes! After taking a tour through DC and an additional scenic route, we made it to Georgetown, home to Georgetown Cupcake, know on TLC's show DC Cupcakes. Must be other people heard about these yummy cupcakes too, because we had to wait in line about an hour to get our cupcakes! We ended up with 6 different flavors - the strawberry was my favorite! This was just the beginning of our sweet tooth treats!

We got home and made chocolate covered strawberries - with blue sprinkles, of course! We used the leftover chocolate to made chocolate covered pretzels - with red and blue sprinkles! Heather and I ordered pizza for dinner and watched a chick flick. It was fun to spend time with her again and see her place in Virginia.

Monday morning, we made patriotic pancakes - red, white, and blue American flags, stars, fireworks, and even one that looked like the Washington Monument! Complete with a chocolate covered strawberry, it was a yummy breakfast! Our relaxing morning included starting to make some patriotic cake balls!

We grilled out for lunch and probably ate another cupcake, although I'm losing track of all these sweets! Heather and I went shopping in the afternoon - IKEA and an Old Navy Outlet! Very Fun! We also had to stop and get more chocolate for our cake balls. We finished making those after several attempts at melting chocolate, and the finished product got great reviews!

Colston was in a great mood Monday night - who wouldn't be? It's the Fourth of July! Heather and I played with him and got him laughing! He joined us for fireworks down by the river, and he was content the whole time! I think Heather and I split one more cupcake before I hit the road - and we're both aiming for more exercise in the weeks to come!

It was fun to spend another 4th with Heather! One of these years, we'll venture into DC for the parade or fireworks!

Hiking with the President

My family is visiting relatives in Maryland for 4th of July weekend. After feasting on crabs yesterday and just hanging out with cousins, we went hiking all day today.

We went to a state park in Maryland that offered a few strenuous hikes to choose from. One trail, however, was closed to the public. After questioning the park rangers, we found out that Camp David is located in this state park. Camp David - where the President goes for a little R&R! The Hog Rock trail, closest to Camp David, was closed, so we conquered Chimney Rock and Wolf Rock instead. The view above is Chimney Rock, where we stopped for lunch. We ended our adventures by hiking to a waterfall. We walked over 18,000 steps today, and we're all going to sleep good tonight!