NYC! The Big Apple! The City that Never Sleeps!

Hello, everyone!

Last weekend, Joe and I made our way up to New York City to visit our good friends, Zach and Jess.  Zach is one of Joe's groomsmen, whom he met in college. They were roommates their senior year.  Jess is Zach's girlfriend.  Both live and work in Manhattan and we had been eager to visit!

Jess, Zach, me, and Joe!

 We took Bolt Bus out of Union Station in DC.  It was a four-hour trip ride on a coach bus straight to the heart of Manhattan.  We were dropped off, and met by Zach and Jess, right near Madison Square Garden.  It was Joe's first time in the big apple.  I have always had reservations about New York City.  I always thought, "Too big, too loud, too dirty, too overwhelming... just too 'too.'"  Know what I mean?



Then again, I hadn't seen their side of the city before!  We spent the weekend as true New Yorkers.  We crashed on the couch of Jess's five-story walk up apartment, explored the lower East Side, Soho, and Chinatown; we shopped at local markets, tried out a few bars, ate at an amazingly authentic Jamaican restaurant, and enjoyed great company.  Here are some of our highlights:

Joe at the North Tower 9/11 memorial site

1. We saw the 9/11 memorial.  We can hardly describe it.  Breathtaking, in a way.  Inspiring and humbling at the same time.  We've seen all the memorials of September 11th: Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and 9/11 in Manhattan.  All were incredible.

2. We stopped and ate at "Famous Joe's Pizza" -- the one in the Spider Man movie! It really was good pizza.  No superheroes were included in our purchase.  Bummer.

3. Jess bought us fresh-baked New York bagels for breakfast every morning.  We also had the best fresh-squeezed orange juice. Who knew you could buy the freshest produce in the middle of a city teeming with skyscrapers and hardly any green space!

Rooting for the Buckeyes!!!

 4. While we were watching the Ohio State game at a local bar, The Hair of the Dog, a band of bag-piping misters came in to celebrate St. Patty's day.  Talk about spontaneity.  We also met up with one of my old college roommates, Elsa, who now lives in Brooklyn.  The longer we stayed, the more Ohioans we met! Soon, there was a whole group of rallying around for the Buckeyes to win!




 5. Last, but certainly not least, the VIEW!  From Zach's rooftop, you could see the entire city of Manhattan.  On one side, the Chrysler and Empire State building; on the other, the new World Trade Center.  It was absolutely incredible!


We had such a fun time!  It was a great getaway for the weekend and we can't wait until our next visit.  Thank you, Zach and Jess, for being such wonderful hosts!


Love,
Blake and Joe 

BuckeyeThon 2013

 

 

The Ohio Union-- Filled with Buckeyes!

EPIC.  That's the word to describe everything about BuckeyeThon 2013.

Here's the history: It's the place where Joe and I met our freshman year of college. It's the place where Buckeyes come together to dance for a wonderful cause. It's the place where kids with cancer can come be rock stars. It's a place where miracles truly happen.

I spent most of my college career putting sweat, time, and tears into this organization. I was a dancer, then a morale captain, then a director of recruitment, and finally the vice president of the organization my senior year. Joe spent every year coming out, and bringing many others with him, to support me and all that our organization accomplished. 

VP and President Reunited!

So, on February 9, Joe and I drove back to Columbus to dance for 12 hours and raise money FOR THE KIDS at Nationwide Children's Hospital. We were part of the alumni team where we saw so many of our friends. We spent our time having fun and dancing the night away! 

   

Joe and the SigEp Team!

I feel like there's really no good way to describe BuckeyeThon.  It's an experience.  So the best way I think I can do this is pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Enjoy!

Miracle Kids Band: Two 12 year old kids rockin out!

The Fanny Pack. It's a BuckeyeThon tradition for Blake.

 Last year we raised over $454,000.  Guess what we raised this year:

 












Awesome. Just awesome. Thank you to all of our family and friends who have donated to this cause and supported us through all that we're involved in.  Just look and you'll see what miracles you've created for these kids. I'll leave you all with this:

Blake with Avalon (center) and her sister, Aurora (right).

Miss and love you all!
Blake and Joe 

Little Moments

Hello everyone!

It has been far too long since we've posted anything.  I started to reflect on this quite a bit since we've moved out here.  Really, we're responsible for one thing: showing up to work 36-40 hours a week (depending on if you're talking to myself or Joe).  This time last year, we had to balance school, part-time jobs, leadership roles in student organizations, research, and social activities. We felt so much busier, but seemed to accomplish so much more.

Why does it feel that time is flying by now that we're out of college? Maybe it's because we appreciate the little moments that we have together when we're both not working or not missing each other due to rotating day/night schedules.  Maybe it's because we look forward to the times we get to spend with friends and family more than anything else.  Perhaps this time out here in DC has given us some serious insight into what's important. Sure, a dream career/profession is wonderful to have, but it's not the sole purpose of being here. It's experiencing new things, growing in each other and in our relationship, and savoring the moments spent and shared with great friends and supportive family. That's why we wanted to share some of our recent moments with you.

Scene 1: War over Cookies!

"Don't even think about it." - Joe

Back story: Once in college, Joe's mom baked us some of her famous oatmeal cookies. (There's magic in them, I swear.) I tended to eat many of these cookies when I would be over at Joe's place visiting. He took to hiding them from me and, when I found them, rationing them out to me on my visits. When Joe's mom sent us some cookies to us here in DC, we devoured them. We fought over who would get the last two. Sharing just didn't seem like an option. In fact, when I threatened to eat the last two cookies before Joe woke up the next day, it led to this:


The war ended peacefully. I left him one of the cookies so he could have one for lunch, too.  I took the crumbs when I got home. Victory is mine. Or shame. I can't tell.

Scene 2: Criminals at the Ice Rink.

Legal photo.

Illegal photo.

It was a close call. From November/December through March/April, the national mall has an outdoor ice skating rink that is open to the public.  Joe and I decided to make a day trip and do a little skating.  We were having our fun, and Joe took out his phone for a photo-op.  Little did we know that our little photo was against the rules! Safety hazard to take photos when you're skating on the ice, you see.  We were asked to take all photos off the rink.  Fair.  But when neither of us wore a watch and Joe took out his phone to check the time, we were called out again.  Rather than entice the wrath of the man-in-yellow, we took a break on the sidelines.

Scene 3: Ikea is a God-Send.
Joe and I spent the first 6 months of our time in this apartment eating bent over our coffee table while sitting on our couch or on the floor.  It's about two feet high. Yes, we know it's glamorous and everybody would do it if they could, but once our backs started to hurt we decided it might be time to hit the local Ikea.  We found this super-cute ("and very manly", says Joe) table.  It works perfectly with our space-to-furniture ratio.  Our backs (and butts!) are saved from discomfort.  Here are the before, during, and after shots. 

Side note: Joe put this together while I was at work.  When I asked why he didn't wait for me to help, he replied, "Sometimes your help does more harm than good. Especially with construction."  I can't exactly say he's wrong.

Scene 4: Roller Derby.  It's REAL! 
Did you know that Washington, DC has a roller derby league? Women-only, hard-core roller skating while simultaneously shoving/falling/grappling, with the sole purpose of racing around in circles to gain points.  Joe and I decided to go and see it for ourselves.  It's. So. Cool! They have concession stands and alcohol and merchandise and alcohol and music and alcohol and girls with names like "Lucy-fer", "Frightmare", and "Dirty Nancy".  It made for a fun day. I may have signed up for information about how to try out. Just maybe. Seriously, though, don't get your hopes up. 

 We love you and miss you all.  Parting words of wisdom from a naive, still-growing-up young lady: Always remember to enjoy those little moments and share them with those you love. They're the best.

Love,
Blake and Joe :)

Hello, Mr. President

Hello everyone!

Joe and I had a very eventful weekend!

First, we visited Joe's best friend, Adam, in Pittsburgh.  We stayed at their place, about one street away from Carnegie Mellon's campus.  Adam and Alyssa, his girlfriend, showed us a great time! We went to Pittsburgh's Public Market-- a local farmers market built on the old shipping yard docks, drank some of the best coffee EVER, ate way too many donuts, and met their pet guinea pig, Wayne.  It was a great time spent with friends, especially in light of the fact that Adam will soon be moving to the Bay Area of California.  We'll miss you, dear friend!

We made it back from Pittsburgh in time to catch a decent night's sleep and then head out to the inauguration ceremony at the butt-crack of dawn on Monday morning.  We arrived at the line to our gate around 6, after waking up at 5, with an outstanding 4 layers of clothing-- and it still felt like it was 3 degrees outside-- only to be surrounded by way "too" many people.  But let's face it, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity (see what I did there, with the counting down?! Ah, I feel so clever!) It was totally worth it.  

Check out the pictures from the day!

The View from our Standing Seats!

Soldiers lined the streets, ready to salute the President.

Literally, a TINY portion of the President's motorcade.

Hooray for Memories!

It was amazing to be a part of this historic day.  It's moments like these that help us make the most of our time while we're here!

Missing everyone terribly! We hope to see you all soon!

Love,

Blake and Joe

Yuletide Cheer

Happy New Year, everyone!

Peppermint Patties! 

We had a great time with family and friends over the holiday.  We went back to Lima to celebrate Christmas with Joe's family and ended up being stranded for an extra day due to the snow blizzard that came through on Christmas night.  It was packed full of family fun, great food, yummy peppermint schnapps, and lots of memories.

Our adventure began on Sunday morning.  Joe picked me up from the hospital after I worked the night shift.  The car was packed full of presents, and the backseat was a makeshift bed that Joe had put together just for me to sleep off my work day in the car.  There was even a toasted bagel on my pillow for breakfast, and a lunch packed for later.  Let's just say, I was very touched.  It's lovely to be taken care of, even better when that person is your best friend and future husband.

Santa Came! 

I digress.  Joe drove through the day and we ended up in Lima just in time for dinner.  By Christmas morning, the whole Flarida brood was there-- all four kids and their significant others.   Santa had also stopped by, and the result was absolutely epic! We must have been nice this year, because we got a HUGE tent from Santa.  It sleeps up to 8 people, so that means that come springtime, we'll be looking for willing volunteers to come camping!

Later, we went over to Joe's Grandpa's house in the afternoon for Christmas celebrations with his extended family.  Cue yummy drinks and white elephant games! Joe made out with a Christmas-themed cheese plate and I got a Shaq bobble head. Winner, winner!

This Would Qualify as "Other Shenanigans".
Joe attempted to hide under the couch cushions to scare Brett.
It didn't work out exactly like he planned. 

That night there was a huge blizzard.  I was supposed to go back to work the following day (we were to leave early in the morning), but they had called level 2 snow emergencies in Columbus, Pittsburgh, and the entire route 69 and 78 was covered with snow.  Easy to say that our little Toyota Corolla, Louise, would have stood no chance.  We decided to place it safe and stay an extra day. We ended up having fun playing in the snow amongst other shenanigans.

We hope everyone else had a great holiday filled with family, friends, and fun!  We love and miss you all.

Blake and Joe :)

Christmas in the Capitol!

National Botanical Garden!

Hello everyone!

We’ve been having a very mild Christmas season.  Today, December 18^th, we had a high of 60 degrees.  It’s nuts!  The warm weather hasn’t kept the Christmas spirit at bay, though! There are Christmas lights up (even in our apartment), Christmas trees for sale are lining the streets of Eastern Market, the National Tree has been lit, trains are chug-a-lugging through the National Botanical Gardens, and they’re selling hot cocoa and hot cider everywhere you turn.  You can see us frolicking in the Botanical Gardens in the picture!

We were also lucky enough to attend the National Christmas tree lighting by the Capitol Building. There was security and everything!  It was a gorgeous sight-- take a look!

Capitol Christmas Tree from Colorado!

Joe and I spent a surprisingly stressful weekend finishing up our Christmas shopping and attending holiday parties.  The parties were fun —there was food, drinks, and friends to go around—but the shopping! Goodness gracious.  People everywhere, constant traffic.  Joe and I realized we like to shop for a solid 1.5 hours and then it just isn’t fun anymore. But, hey, we survived and I think we’re a stronger couple for it.

In any case, we got a great stack of presents and it was even more fun wrapping them up. Joe had to teach me a trick or two, traditions handed down by his late Grandma Ruth. We’ve reached that point in life where giving is way more fun than receiving.  Hopefully we’ll make a lot of people happy with our gifts!

Impressive or what?!

With that, we wish everyone the happiest of holidays! We’re headed back to Lima to visit Joe’s family for a couple of days. Stay tuned—I’m sure we’ll have stories to go around!  Safe travels and Merry Christmas!

Love to you all!  

Blake's Books: Holiday Picks!

Hey everyone!

For those who know me well, you know I like to read.  Young Adult (YA) novels, mostly.  I'm constantly looking for new books to read and many ask for my recommendations. In light of the holiday season, here are my top picks! They make a great read by a cozy fire or a wonderful gift.  

1. "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. 
This is an ongoing triology.  I don't know about you, but I love to beat the bandwagon.  This is a series that is about to be big.  The first book is already in the pre-production process in becoming Hollywood's next Hunger Games, which I also recommend reading. Currently, two of three books have been published. This is a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel in which a futuristic Chicago is divided in five factions; at sixteen, one must choose which faction to spend the rest of their life serving, and it is not necessarily the faction in which they grew up.  You follow young Tris on the journey of her decision and what becomes of the bigger picture.  This book was so good that it made me want to get a tattoo. (You'll understand when you read it.)  This book also made me think about the role that politics, community, responsibility, and identity plays in our lives.  It's awesome.  Worth the read. Also, it has some great, classic romance.  None of this love-triangle crap that is permeating everything these days. Don't people know that those kind of relationships are just unhealthy and unsustainable?!

I digress. Back to the point, I like this book for a multitude of reasons.  I've read it six times and counting.

Quotes from the critic (aka Joe) sent via text message: "LOVED EVERY SINGLE PAGE!" When's the next book come out?!

2. "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor. 
 This is another ongoing triology. This is a bit of a fantasy novel, and it's absolutely fantastic.  If you're into realistic fiction or even non-fiction, just try it anyway. Please.  It's beautifully written and expertly crafted to keep you always asking questions.  The story is original. I was absolutely lost in this book.  I've read it 3 times thus far; I started it again tonight when I was thinking about my recommendations.  Yes, it's that good.
 
Here's a taste:
"Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.  
In a dark and dusty shop, a devils's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.  
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war."

If you like it, you're in luck because the second book just came out, "Days of Blood and Starlight".  The third and final installment is due out November 2013.


3. "Unwind" by Neal Shusterman. 
This book is wee bit controversial, but that's part of why I like it so much.  This is actually a futuristic novel after the settlement of a pro-life vs. pro-choice war.  Children cannot be aborted before birth, but can be legally "unwound" by their parents once they turn thirteen.  The story follows three kids who are sent to be unwound by their circumstances.  It's a heavy read, I'll give you that.  It makes you think about things that you might be uncomfortable talking about: religion, science, politics, ethics.  That's what I love about these books, they make me stop and think about my ideas and values.  Books shape me to be a better person, or at least I'd like to think so.

4. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer
Yes, this is the same woman who wrote the Twilight series.  Don't. Judge.  This book is Meyer's first adult novel and it surpasses Twilight in every sense.  I'm allowed to say this because I'm a huge Twi-head and I'm not judging based on prejudice.  It's just a better book. Yes, singular, only one book. That hasn't kept me from reading it about four times, though.

I can sum up my review by quoting one of my literature professors: "This book makes me think about my soul."  What is a soul? What does it mean to me? to others? What is it's importance? If you're not looking to do a personal inventory on your personal beliefs, you can just sit back and enjoy the romance and alien invasions.  Be sure to beat the bandwagon! The movie is due out in March!



That's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed these recommendations at some point in time.  If you have any suggestions for me, leave a comment and I'll put it on my to-read list!

Lots of love!
Blake and Joe