Finally after 6 1/2 hrs in the car I am back at home with Morrie.  We left St. Joe at 8am with a stop in Columbia to drop off Evan and pick up Adam.  From there Ad and I went to Chesterfield to celebrate my cousin's graduation from pharmacy school.  I really enjoy when my extended family gets together.  It is my Dad's side of the family which includes his two brothers, his sister, my grandparents, and the 13 cousins.  This makes for a full house but you are never short of people to talk to.  Today was a party around the pool which my 4 yr old cousin Jack had a blast.  It was just as fun watching my Grandpa watch Jack as it was to watch Jack play in the pool with his lego life vest.


An accident caused by Adam, Jack, and my other cousin Jessica turned out to be one of the highlights of the afternoon.  It wasn't funny to my aunt but from a distance it was hilarious.  My aunt likes things neat, clean, and in order.  So I am not sure why she decided to serve bbq in the basement with white carpet.  That seems like an accident waiting to happen, oh wait it did.  There was a collision sending the bbq porksteaks, potato salad, beans, and more all over the carpet.  It was like a movie in slow motion with the deafening silence.  It took every part of will power that I had to not laugh right there as my aunt started yelling at her husband to get cold water and rags.  "Don't rub it in the carpet!" "Quick we only have a few minutes!"  "There has to be something else that will work to get the red out!"  If you didn't know what was going on you would have thought that someone was dying. 


Thankfully everyone was happy, healthy, and had an enjoyable afternoon...Meg

Last night I had the pleasure of attending my college roommate’s wedding.  We lived together for about 75% of my undergrad time.  It was kind of an odd matching up, I don’t even really remember how it exactly happened it just did.  We were in the same pledge class so I met her the very beginning of my time at Mizzou.  I have to admit it was great to have someone who was there with me through out college, as in actually doing a lot of the same things, knowing what I was doing, and really being a supporting friend.  Yes there were time when we didn’t get along completely but I she was always there for me.  I hope that she knows I am here for her.

The wedding was a celebration and going away party at the same time.  You see her now husband is being deployed to Iraq in October.  I still vividly remember the day when he showed up at the house when we were in college.  It was unexpected and my roommate was still at class.  He came to tell her that he was going to be deployed, either to El Paso or Iraq/Afghanistan.  At the time he didn’t know and that was in the middle of the war.  It was scary and my heart just went out to her when he told her.  They were/are really in love and cared so much for each other.  He ended up going to Texas, which made the separation a bit easier because he could still at least talk to her on the phone frequently. 

I would think that it would be incredibly hard to start off married life apart.  They won’t be living together or even in the same city for a year and a half.  How do you build your foundation of married life?  I guess you just put that on hold.  I think I would be a bit nervous going from a long distance relationship when dating and early in the marriage to physically living together.  How do you know that you will still get along with that person?  It seems that when people live on their own they develop their own routine, their own particular way they like things, and are used to being only responsible for themselves.  You throw a spouse in the mix and it makes me wonder if you adjust smoothly or it could cause the relationship to crumble.  Man,  I am being Debby Downer right now.  Don’t get me wrong I want their marriage to last and I believe it will.  Whenever you find the right person or your soul mate I guess you simple deal with everything and work through your differences.  (Obviously I am nowhere close to marrying anyone yet, lol)

Back to the wedding celebration.  The church in St. Joe was gorgeous, it didn’t need any flowers or decorations because it was so beautiful.  If I was to get married in a church that would be the kind I want.  The color pallet was cream with a pattern in a silverfish-gold color.  There was an intricate picture of Jesus with two children made out of stained class over the alter which was recessed back behind the alter.  There were traditional pews with high ceilings and a phenomenal old organ made out of copper pipes.  They didn’t play it but just simply seeing it was great. 

The woman preacher who married them was a riot, very untraditional.  She spoke from the heart and improvised.  She didn’t read monotonously from a script standing behind the alter.  She walked around, she involved the members of the wedding party, and even equated the song of songs to a romance novel.  The 300 people in attendance were actually laughing at what she was saying.  It kept everyone awake, even the woman in the pew in front of us who turned and literally grabbed the program out of Evan’s hands.    When that happened Evan and I just looked at each other and tired not to laugh.  Better yet she was sitting next to a girl who was wearing in appropriate undergarments for her dress leaving little to the imagination if you know what I mean.

The reception was really fun, even though I knew no one beside the bride and her family.  That was almost better than knowing just a couple people because when you don’t know anyone you aren’t worried about embarrassing yourself.  I have to admit Evan and I tore up the dance floor. He got to dance with the cougar in the green dress with black gloves and I got to dance with the guy in sunglasses.  One of the funniest things was the cougar telling us how cool it was that we were skydivers.   Note to anyone reading this (which is probably only Em) we don’t sky dive.  But I guess according to the cougar we met her at the rehearsal dinner the night before where we entertained her with our professional sky diving stories.  Evan and I didn’t feel the need to tell her anything different so we went along with it.  I think the open bar made us more believable.

Good times…Meg

I finally made it back to Columbia, MO on Thursday.  Initially I was going to come back on Tuesday morning but decided to have family time instead.  Things just kept coming up and before I knew it was Thursday.  When I got back into town it was fun to catch up with everyone.  Stac called and we went to lay out at her pool.  It was a good effort except for the clouds.  I ended up using my towel as a blanket while curled up in the fetal position trying to stay warm.  However, I did end up with a bit of a sunburn only on the left side of my chest.  I guess the UV index of 9 was accurate.  Finally once we were frozen we called it quits and went home because it was time to get ready for margaritas and girls night.


We went to the mexican restaurant up the street where they were having a special and had dinner.  It was great to simply relax and have nothing else to do.  That gave up time to chat and have fun.  Stac's friend from out of town stopped by and felt kind of bad for him.  We were all girl talking but he was able to still follow most of the conversation.  He actually did really well and just went with it.


After dinner we went down to the Artisan to watch Brady play back up for this chick who was having her CD release party.  It is always neat to see Brady play up on stage and ends up being a gathering spot for the meddies.  The only down part is that the evening is so mellow we didn't feel like going out afterwards.  We settled on a movie (Wicker Park) instead.


Yesterday the sun decided to show up and the clouds disappeared.  I went to MacKenzie's pool and tried to even out my tan.  I felt guilty at first because I there are things that need to get done, like cleaning my house, doing laundry, etc...  Then I realized those things can wait and I need to enjoy the off time while I can.  I think the concept of relaxing and doing nothing takes a little.  I am glad that I will have a few more weeks to master the concept.


After the pool I went home and leisurely did some chores.  I think that my cat was happy when I finally sat down to watch the Nightly News.  He has been pestering me and following me around since I got home.  I guess he deserves a little cuddle time after being left alone for a week and a half.  The best part about the nightly news was the nap I took after.


Since the weather was so nice the few friends who are still in town decided to meet up on the roof at Quintons.  They just built and addition which is 4 stories of patios and a bar on top.  It looks ugly from the ground but from the top it is amazing.  You can see the entire downtown and the people watching is pretty interesting, especially since the people are Columbia are very diverse.


One thing I don't get about the bar scene are the people who act like they are too good to talk to you.  I don't think that a simple handshake and introduction means that you need to become BFFs talking the night away.  Just don't be rude and talk about something for 10 sec then pretend like you have to go to the bathroom.  Don't just stare and give one word rude questions.  Better yet grow up.


Something else that I saw that I just don't get is how medical students can smoke, especially those who want to go into Critical Care.  Smoking is addicting yes and it is an outlet for people.  I guess it gives you an extra buzz when drinking too but almost every disease/condition/syndrome we have studied is either more likely to happen if you smoke or made worse by smoking.  Social smoking is this novel idea that it can't harm me because it is only when I drink.  What I don't get is why social smokers can chose not to smoke the other 6 days of the week.  I feel like the I'm addicted excuse doesn't work for social smokers and leads them down the path to becoming addicted.  I don't know if  that made sense and understand that it is a personal choice to smoke or not.  I respect the decision of people who decide to do it but it bugs me when they force their decision on me through secondhand.  It is only a matter of time before public places become smoke free and I will rejoice when that becomes reality in the near future.

It is still raining with the humidity through the roof, at least my hair is curly.  I guess the rhyme of April showers brings May flowers is running a month behind this year.  Seattle will probably never be a place that I look into moving because of the constant rain.  I like the rain once in awhile and night when sleeping but really during the day it must makes you stuck in the house. 

I was lazy yesterday.  I really didn't do a whole bunch, talked to Em, watched the Nanny, sent some emails, took a nap...you know the important things.  We did watch Jon and Kate plus 8 which was kind of sad.  I left it feeling kind of guilty for reading the trashy celebrity gossip magazines.  I don't know why but I really enjoy reading those magazines, well really I like looking at the pictures.  Rarely do I ever take enough time to read an entire article.  I have tried to quit the magazines but I am addicted.  They are nothing special probably mostly lies anyway.  However, I don't think I can believe Kate when she said she didn't sign up for this...because what did she think was going to happen?  I was actually kind of ticked off when she talked about not liking the fans in the beginning.  Kate was talking about how she is just another mom raising her kids and nothing special.  Umm hello you are on TV and people across the country are watching you.  They know your face, your family, and where you live.  Before you signed the papers you should have thought about more than just the money you were going to get.  Perhaps that was a bit harsh but come on.  It isn't like this was the first reality tv show to air or the first to have drama and problems.

Woke up early this morning to get in one last run on the boat and some water sports in.  That didn't work because it was pouring rain.  Grabbed my book, a blanket, made some coffee and snuggled down in the cozy sunroom chair with the rain as my background music.

Of course the rain returned for round two, and three, four, five, and more.  There were lots of on and off again showers that changed the plans a bit.  The nice thing about the lake though is that there aren't really set plans.  It all depends on what is going on.  Instead of an early morning ski or wakeboard trip we spent the time reading.  It was a bit chilly outside and raining so we sat in the old sunroom.  

Memorial Day weekends seem to always be a roll of the dice.  You never know what kind of weather you will get.  This weekend weather was great until mid afternoon when the storms rolled in.  We spent the morning out of the boat with the wakeboard and skis.  Ad was on the wakeboard for awhile until the water got rough.  I was going to wakeboard but skied instead because of the waves.  By the time I got in the water we were passing the ski course up the lake.  I was a bit disappointed in myself when I was unable to successfully complete the course.  

After a long day I am ready for bed.  I don't know how I can be so tired from just hanging out all day but I am.  I woke up this morning to the ring of my phone letting me know that Em had emailed me.  So I literally rolled out of bed and went to my computer to skype her.  It was about 1:30 pm in the afternoon there and 7:30 am here.  It was neat though because Dad had his first experience with talking to Em on the computer. 

After meeting the electrician, the appraiser, the heating and cooling guy, and the painter we went into Kimberling City to get some lunch.  Well actually we ended up between Kimberling City and Branson West at Dana's BBQ.  The food was good but not really satisfying if that makes any sense.  I am kind of sick of grilled chicken as the only alternative to fried food or red meat and just really not in the salad mood.  It seems like down in the Ozarks if it isn't deep fried and breaded it doesn't go on the menu.  Enough complaining, sorry. (Em I miss you.)


The journey continued as we went to the Thrift Store which is run by a Christian Charity group.  The place is like a warehouse full to tons of stuff.  There was everything you could have imagined.  They were even selling the Missouri Conservationist magazine which anyone can signup for for free!  I guess it all goes to a good cause, even the $1.25 that Adam spent on an ugly hunter orange, short sleeve, button down shirt that has palm trees and whales on it.  Very tacky but he is set on wearing it.  Everywhere else we went to people looked at him funny and he wondered why.


After the shopping, drop offs at the Thrift Store, grocery store, and waverunner batteries exchange we finally made it home in time to meet up with the insulation guys.  Adam took care of that while Mom and I read on the deck.  It was so great because it was sunny and there was a cool breeze.  I finished my genocide book today which got better in the second and third part.


Once everyone was gone we ventured down to the dock and the lake.  It was too chilly to get into the water but wonderful temperature to get the dock and boat ready for the summer.  I got excited as I uncovered the Cobalt.  It looks so much better from last summer because last summer a mink made a house in the boat and ate the leather.  Now it is replaced along with a new cover and there wasn't even any spider poop to clean up because the cover worked so well.  


Finally Dad and Brid made it to the lake and we took the boat down to Ahoy's, a restaurant on the water, for dinner.  As I sat in the back of the boat on the way back the sun was setting, the wind was blowing, and I realized that my family is all grown-up.  We have been boating since we were little kids.  Matty was tubing since he was 2 and now he is flying airplanes and Emily is off on another continent instead of tubing with me.  It is crazy for me to think about.  I feel like all the sudden I am 24 and it doesn't seem like I am suppose to be a responsible adult.  Oh well time to embrace it, enjoy it, and not take the time with my family for granite