Keeping Busy!

And another month is about to pass us by... time flies! Especially when you're having as much fun as we are.

Boston Red Sox- Fenway Park!

A few weeks ago I headed out to Boston for a girls trip with Megan and her mom, Melissa.  Our last trip was on to Vegas for our 21st birthday.  This trip was much less eventful, but still fun! We hit some rain when we first arrived, but once the weather cleared up we did some sightseeing on a trolley car-- the highlight for me was seeing Fenway Park! Next trip, we'll have to see a game! Other than that, I spent a lot of time trying new things-- including raw oysters on the half shell (tastes of the sea), little neck clams, and all sorts of fun sushi.  They played a fun game with me: try first, tell later.  I ate salmon eggs without even realizing it! It was a great trip, but our next get together will be in July when we go to see Keith Urban.  We're thinking about making signs and trying to get onstage. We can dream, right?!

Accomplishment Wine: wedding day, honeymoon, and so on.

The next week was a trip to Ohio for my bridal shower and bachelorette party. Joe came down to camp with his family while I was whisked away for a whirlwind weekend. The shower was wonderful.  I felt showered, literally, with love and well-wishes. It's rare that my my mother's side of the family is able to get together; it was first for many of the Flarida's to meet them, too.  Thanks to my family and friends, it went off without a hitch! Highlights included making an ice run and almost leaving it in the car to melt, a killer Welcome Wagon punch, a Kitchen Aid mixer, cookies from my favorite bakery in North College Hill (my mother's hometown), a fun assortment of what I deem to be "accomplishment wine", and of course everyone coming together. I was, and still am, overwhelmed by the love of everyone who came. I can't thank you enough for being there for me throughout the years. I can't wait to celebrate one of the most important days of my life with everyone in just a couple more months!

The bachelorette party can be summed up by this picture:

Rum Punch. Yes, that's seven different bottles of rum.

It was a blast! We had a deck party, music, rum punch, some fun games, presents, dinner, and a great time. Highlight: the phalic-shaped cake was inedible. We'll leave it at that.

Not our raft, but please note Jul, Joe's mom, being a beast. 

Finally, this past weekend, we took a much needed relaxing break and went camping with some of Joe's family. Of course, that only lasted about a night, because the next day we found ourselves on Class 3- Class 5 rapids. That's right-- whitewater rafting! We had beautiful weather and even better company, played a few games of Mafia (classic campfire game-- if you don't know how to play it, come camping with us and we'll show you how it's done), and just had a wonderful time. I can't wait for next summer's adventures! We might make our way back to the New River Gorge for Gauley rafting this fall-- exclusive Class 4 and Class 5 rapids due to the fact that they drain their lake into the river.  Talk about an adrenaline rush!

The next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun-- we have Joe's brother Brett and his partner, Tyler, coming out to visit us for the 4th of July! After that, we might have a few weekends off to finish off finishing touches for the wedding-- which my calendar says is about 71 days from now, but who's counting?!

Until next time,
Blake and Joe :)