vino y queso

I am posting this a bit late considering this event happened about 10 days ago, but I wanted to write about it nonetheless. I randomly had the idea about a month ago that I wanted to host a wine and cheese party here at the Grove. So, last Tuesday, I had about 15 people come over (14 of which were girls) to hang out and do something different on a typical boring week-night.

The premise of the event was that everyone who was coming had to bring one bottle of their choice, and that I would provide cheese and other snacks. Then, at the end of the night we'd vote on our favorite and the winner would get a prize. Christina ended up being my co-hostess, which I am glad about, because it was a lot more time consuming than I initially realized. After my classes that day we went to the store and stocked up on about 7 different kinds of cheeses, grapes, apples, crackers, and some candy for the prize. We also spent a long time cleaning, swiffering, and vacuuming our house. These duties had been neglected for a while, so it was definitely a good thing we did it. Old houses just seem to get dirty really quickly. We arranged some Halloween decorations and I set up my pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, and then we lit some candles too. In my opinion, it looked very nice! (though I am probably biased)

Tian and I then spent a while slicing up the cheese. We arranged it in this bowl and then I used toothpicks to make little flags labeling what was what. Somehow, (I can't imagine why!) Tian got stuck cutting the nasty smelling cheese- gorgonzola and blue cheese- because those smells repulse me and make me feel sick. I'm glad she did it because we realized that it doesn't slice very well, so she ended up molding, or "balling" the cheese up. We found this to be hilarious for some reason. Maybe because we just laugh easily in general? Not sure.

We also had fun getting dressed up for the event. I told people to wear nice clothes because I don't feel like as a college student I have too many chances to wear cute outfits around. When people started showing up I turned on some nice "sophisticated" music in the background, and then we started opening the wine. We had cups for everyone to label and then we began eating the cheese and fruit and sampling everyone's wine. Theresa drove down from Northern Kentucky for the party, and I'm glad she did! It was good to have the old group together because I don't see a lot of my friends very often anymore due to med school, people graduating and leaving town, etc. We had some good times and good conversations though, and then a few hours later the time came to vote!

Each bottle had a number, and I went around and asked people to tell me their choice. The results: 1st place- Kristine with a bottle of Riesling. (I think the most expensive bottle we had there was 8$, so this wasn't necessarily a high-class wine tasting, just a fun one. Plus since it was mainly females the voting was a bit prejudiced towards the sweet "girly" tasting wines.)
2nd place- Me! I had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I only lost by one vote. Hmph.
3rd place- Danielle- she had a bottle of pink wine called "Pink Truck"

Kristine was awarded the prize of a pumpkin bucket with candy, and since she lives with me I wasn't too upset because I'm sure I can "borrow" some of the candy... All in all the event was a success. I received a lot of compliments which was definitely appreciated. Hosting events is oftentimes an under-appreciated thankless job (which I well know) I have always been one to host way too many gatherings and events in general. So, it is nice to be recognized once in a while. If you were there, thanks for coming! Maybe we'll do it again sometime.

autumn activities

Somehow I spent the majority of my time this past weekend engaged in "autumn" activities. It wasn't intended at first, but it ended up that way and I'm not going to complain about it. I had a fun time doing a variety of fall-ish activities and eating copious amounts of candy-corn. It all started when I drove up to Northern Kentucky to see my boyfriend John on Saturday morning. He had told me we were going somewhere that morning, and he told me what kind of clothes to wear, but he wouldn't tell me the location since he wanted it to be a surprise. I had some guesses, one of them being that we were going to go to Ikea, but I was very wrong. Before we left though we stopped by this area in his neighborhood with some benches and a swing hanging on a tree branch and took some pictures with John's fancy new camera since the leaves changing is something deserving of being photographed.

So, we got in the car and started driving out past Cincinnati. We passed through the area where my Grandma's cottage is and for some reason I started thinking that's where we were going, even though that makes no sense since John has never been there. I am usually not very good at predicting or guessing surprises, and this was no different. Anyways, we ended up turning into a place called Turpin Farms, and I was pleasantly surprised. It had a pumpkin patch, a haunted corn maze, hay rides, apple cider, and a bonfire going (even though it was around 11am). It was very "cute" as I would say, and it was great weather too. I was really happy John took me there because all month I'd been whining to my friends about how I really love pumpkin patches and would love to go to one with John but due to his insanely busy schedule I didn't think it would work out at all. John must have paid attention to my complaints though, and I'm glad he did.

We took a short little hay ride around the corn and bean fields, and since it was so early we were the only people on the tractor. We took a bunch of photos, of course. Afterward we just walked around and explored, and I attempted to select a pumpkin for the Grove. I picked one out in the patch, but then I abandoned it when I discovered the area with a crazy amount of pumpkins already cleaned up and for sale. I ended up giving in to the moment and got a pumpkin, 4 gourds or squashes, and a mini pumpkin too. Also right before we left I discovered a farm animal area, and the little pigs there were just so precious I think I'll have a hard time ever eating bacon or ham again!

Once we left the farm, we picked up John's brother Chris and headed up to Columbus. It is around a 2 hour drive so we got to John's Mom's house around 3pm. We spent some time playing with her dog, Lieben, who really makes Pokie look bad since he is both thin and obedient, haha. Also we spent some time just chatting, and went out to dinner at a French restaurant.

After that, when it was sufficiently dark, we headed over to this place called Old Ohio Village. It has old buildings set up in the style of a town from the mid 1800's, and it had people dressed up in period costumes. You could walk around the town in the dark on walkways lit by lanterns, and go into whatever houses you want. Each one had different activities, and I learned some interesting historical things. Some of the workers were letting guests play traditional folk games where you can predict and learn things about your future. For example, I threw shoes over my back and a woman interpreted it as meaning I am strong-willed and argumentative. Maybe true, maybe not. Also I did this activity where you spin around and grab an object on a string. I picked an orange, which means I will be wealthy someday. Nice! Luckily I didn't grab the cotton because it means I'll end up an unmarried spinster! It was interesting to walk around and see what all they had, it was really cold but it added to the somewhat quiet, creepy vibe the little town had. It reminded me of the movie "The Village" a little actually, and at times I would see scenes or images that made me feel like I had truly traveled back in time. They also had an event where a man read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" out loud, and then a headless horseman ran past.
Sunday morning we got up early and Chris made everyone a delicious breakfast of puffed apple pancakes! Mmm...

We then drove back to Cincinnati, dropped off Chris, and drove down to Lexington where I had arranged to meet up with my friends Jenna and Skip for the day. We met up with them and my friend Ryan at Keeneland, for the fall horse races! We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was perfect! We had a lot of fun there just talking and making bets. We also had fun watching when the jockeys parade the horses out on the promenade for people to see before they place any bets. Nobody ended up winning anything, but it was still a good time as always. I just love the atmosphere there, and it truly is an experience unique to Kentucky. John took some good photos of the races too. Once we had our fill of gambling and horses we met up with Danielle and had dinner at Ramsey's, a southern style food place only a block away from my house in Lexington. It was nice to catch up with everyone, it made me realize how much I miss my friends who don't live in Lexington! Overall, it was an awesome weekend. Lots of time spent in transit, but it was all worth it.
(as a final note, all of the photos in this entry were taken by either myself or John, so be proud!)

appalachian adventures

This past weekend my friend Seth kindly invited me and six other select individuals to his hometown. He invited us to stay at his family's house in Knott County, Kentucky for a weekend of fun with friends, and also to meet his family and explore the place where he grew up. It was a way for his friends to get a feel for the life he has when he isn't here at UK with all of us. It was definitely a good idea because Seth has been a good friend of mine for a while and it's nice to see where he comes from. Plus it was a lot of fun!

All of my roommates went on the trip (except Danielle. Why? One word. Studying) and then so did 3 other guys who live at "The Max". Our "group" as I call it, has been going strong for about 3 years now, and we are all very close. Maybe too much so... No one really holds back anything. Reservations or inhibitions are basically non-existent when we all get together. As a result, time spent with this group is always random and hilarious. This weekend trip wasn't any different. We all made the 3 hour drive to Seth's hometown of Mallie (which is in southeast KY, somewhat close to the border of Virginia). The town was continuously described by the girls as "cute", but I'd like to say it's quaint. It's sort of nestled in among the hills of the surrounding Appalachians. It's a traditional eastern Kentucky town, and it had the vibe of being "away from it all". So, we arrived at the Brashear home and after getting some hugs from his very sweet and welcoming parents we spent a pretty relaxed evening just talking, eating delicious food that the family prepared for us, and sitting around a campfire with knives whittling designs into our hiking sticks. Also some people may or may not have made a late night venture to a baseball field where they partook in a fairly daring endeavour... If that last sentence confuses you, good.

Saturday is when the weekend really kicked into gear. We all walked across the street to the house of "Granny", where we were privileged to eat the delicious southern meal his grandparents made us of cat-head biscuits with a chocolate gravy. Mmm! We were then regaled with hilarious stories from Granny, some of which included embarrassing childhood stories about Seth, followed by an impromptu fight with crab apples.

Next on our agenda? Hiking! We drove to a trail about a half hour away called Bad Branch Trail. The drive there was gorgeous, and it showed views of the state that I don't normally see. So, using our new hiking sticks, the group set out on the trail. It was a pretty short hike but it ended at this amazing waterfall. It was beautiful!! Of course Seth proceeded to take a shower in it. Literally. He had shampoo. Then everyone played around and climbed rocks. Stalbs even fell in some water and thus had soaking wet pants. I of course took many photos of this event. When we returned from the hike we all ate lunch Seth packed for us which was homegrown and locally made food from a nearby population of Mennonites. This food has apparently been in "Southern Living" magazine and has won a few awards. Mmm.
Next up, the campsite. We set up camp at this place that used to be a strip mine but has since been restored thanks to an environmental project. Apparently a really wealthy man bought the acres of property and through time it has returned to it's natural habitat. There is a lot of wildlife, and the place is huge. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm used to camping in wooded areas, but this was more like a giant field of rolling hills and grass. It reminded me of prairies from out west. It was very isolated too, we didn't see any other campers the whole time. The place is used also as an ATV course, and so off-roading is a frequent activity. Our group had 2 quads/ATVs and a Jeep Wrangler. After we set up our tents the driving around the massive property began. It was intense. There were gigantic mud puddles that we drove through and got sprayed to the point where we couldn't see out the windows of the jeep. Also we had some scary close-calls with spinning out and losing control. But, we made it out safely! When I rode the ATV with Christina there was a point where we were on the two side wheels after speeding through a mud puddle much deeper than we realized. I was a bit scared, clinging to Christina for life, similar to my experiences with ATV's at John's farm. Anyways, we got attacked with mud, but it was fun. During these hours of driving all over the place we looked down into a valley and noticed some hunters. We then heard a gunshot echo through the hills, followed by the sounds of a huge male elk crying out. We basically witnessed it get shot and die, and the next day we found it's entrails in the grass. It was pretty sad, made me realize why I am not a fan of hunting. No offense John, I know you have an affinity for elk burgers!

So, after many exhilarating and somewhat scary moments, we all came back to the campsite and had chili for dinner (again made for us earlier by the Brashears). Everyone was sufficiently muddy, and Stalbs and Julia had to make shoes out of plastic bags since their other ones were too wet. We sat around the campfire for a while and made the traditional smores, and told the usual ghost stories. They actually really did scare me though because being out in the huge open field was a little bit creepy to begin with. The wind made strange noises against our tent that sounded identical to the sound of a person walking in the rocky ground around us, and as a result I had some trouble falling asleep... During the night the floaty I was laying on deflated, and it got crazy cold. I apologize to Kristine for snuggling up very close to her for body heat, haha. Also, the animal noises commenced around 3am. We heard the sounds of elk crying or braying or whatever you call it, and sometimes the noises were very odd. I decided elk sound like a combination of a cow, a cat, and a raptor from Jurassic Park. Around 2:30am, the three girls on the air mattress realized that it had deflated. Hilarious conversations and events followed this, and I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe at one point. I also heard some wolves howling around 5am. It was eerie, but also really awesome to hear. All in all, I didn't get very much sleep. But that is okay. It was worth it.

In the morning we feasted on banana bread and hot chocolate, and then went back out to driving around the property. We got really lucky and were able to get really close to several male elk. We got some good pictures, listened to their bizarre noises (maybe crying over their fallen friend?), and I realized that they are actually really massive when you see them up close. After all of these fun bonding events were over, we packed up camp. We said bye to Seth's family and stopped on the way home for dinner at a delicious Mexican Restaurant called "El Azul Grande", or The Big Blue! (Go Cats!) The finishing touch to a great weekend! I'll end this blog with a now classic quote coined by Christina: (in a crazy high pitched voice) I just looove my friends! I just love life! I'm so passionate about life!" PS "guys, let's deflate this %$#@!"

football time in the bluegrass!

This Saturday the University of Kentucky football team had it's fourth game of the season. Despite the fact that we lost the game.. badly.. it was still a fun time thanks to the lovely invention of TAILGATING! The game was an early one, and my parents decided to drive down to Lexington for it. Since it was soooo early though (12:30pm) we didn't have our official tailgate event until after the game. Before the game however we set up a table, ate some Busken Bakery pumpkin cookies (yes!) and took some photos with the wildcat themed tent of our tailgating neighbor. We did this also in order to show off our amazing tattoos. During this time Danielle was mauled by a wildcat. It was intense.

Once the parentals and my friends ate as much dessert as we could in a 15 minute time span, we decided to go find my brother. He is in a fraternity and so, naturally, was celebrating the pre-game time with his frat brothers and the 2 sororities assigned to share their tailgate. It is interesting to note that despite standing in muddy fields and walking far distances, the sorority girls always dress up for these events. Blue sun dresses and accessories everywhere!

So, we found my brother in the lot by GoodBarn Field, and he was extremely happy to see us- not that the kegs and drinks available had anything to do with his reaction of course! My Dad wanted a drink, and so, in true fraternity fashion my brother yelled out "pledge!" in hopes that a younger member would come do this chore for him. If only everyone had a pledge that could follow them around all the time, life would be so much simpler. UK Tailgates can get a bit crazy, but this one was fairly tame. No fights going on that I noticed, and the people weren't as drunk. However there were of course a lot of cornhole boards set up, country music blaring, and alumnae trying to start up the CATS cheer.
Eventually, the actual football game began. There aren't too many exciting things to say about that. UK got killed after several errors in the first half. Highlights included eating some pricy stadium food and having some nice chats with my parents and Christina though. So, after the game the four of us left and returned to our tailgating spot for our first ever "post-tailgate". My Dad grilled up some hotdogs for everybody, and then we threw frisbee around. Danielle and Christina kept hitting my dad's car thanks to their marvelous coordination skills, so that didn't last for too long! It was a nice time though, just hanging out and enjoying the fall weather. My friends and I had some nice chats with my parents about topics ranging from convents to the swine flu. It was just a relaxing day, and I am always happy to partake in the fine UK tradition of tailgating! The icing on the cake of this fun, chocolate-filled day was when my boyfriend John made a special appearance during the last 15 minutes of our tail-gate :) I had wanted him to come earlier to be able to fully experience a true UK event, but work situations tied him up. I am glad he got to come to part of it though, even if he was exposed to hearing awkward childhood stories courtesy of John and Maryann (my folks).

Since John W. missed out on one UK tradition, I decided to make him partake in another one later that night for dinner. We went to Pazzo's Pizza Pub, and enjoyed a great collegiate combination: Pizza and Beer. Can't go wrong there. Overall it was a good day for football, let's just hope we win the next game for a change!

a stroll in the park

It's finally autumn! I am very happy about this because honestly, I was getting tired of my summer wardrobe choices. Plus the fall colors are really just much more flattering for my hair color. But that is not the point. The point is it feels awesome outside because I am not basking in my own sweat. To celebrate this momentous occassion of it looking like summer (the leaves aren't fun colors yet) but feeling like fall, Christina (a.k.a. "Tian") and I decided to take a little trip to this park by our house. It's called Woodland Park, and we are a bit obsessed with it.

It has all the best amenities such as a swing-set, playground for kids 12 and under (we may or may not break that rule) skate park, tennis courts, a pool, and grassy areas where you can lay on a blanket and have intense life discussions about boys- or maybe get preached to and told you are going to hell by a local minister who insults the Catholic church and tells you that when you go to mass all you do is recite Latin and get "sprinkled". Maybe that doesn't happen to everyone when they relax at the park, but that is just my personal experience... Tian and I frequently walk around this park and admire all the old Victorian homes, but that day I decided to use my "good camera" for a photo-shoot. It was like senior pictures, only better. We used to do this all the time back when I was in photo class, so it was a return to those good old days of awkwardly photographing someone in public and getting odd looks. I decided to take one of Tian's portraits in front of this very awesome blue painted house, and while doing so we got to enjoy the sounds of a random homeless man reading a book out loud at a very high volume. The quote: "she looked exquisite. Exquisite I say!" is probably the excerpt that stands out to me the most. Also I decided that wherever I live in the future, it MUST have a balcony with the following design (upper right hand corner)->

So, all in all, that was a fun little trip. We went back to the park today and the same man was there, in a different location, reading again. Maybe next time we should sit down and listen because now I am curious as to what was so "exquisite".

On a different note, last night I stayed up until 3:30am with my roommates Kristine and Sarah because of a scary incident that went down. Sarah's room is on the first floor and faces our back porch. She heard footsteps on the porch and someone moving around our lounge chair. It unnerved her a bit I'm guessing, so she called Kristine into her room. They heard more movement underneath Sarah's window, and so they guessed it was probably a local homeless man who wanted to sleep on our lounge chair but, upon realizing it was too cold, decided to try for our cellar. He was probably trying to kick through the window on the ground to get in, but was unsuccessful. The noises stopped for a while but then started up again. I heard the words "man/backyard" and so came downstairs to see what the deal was. We were a little freaked out, and since you never know if the creeper on your back porch is normal or deranged, violent, and on acid, we decided to call the non-emergency number of the UK Police Department. We went into the foyer to wait for the officer, and during this point I heard a weird scraping sound and then a knock or something on our front family room window. The three of us were freaked out and all ducked down because we were paranoid there was a person on our front porch. It was a scary moment, I think I was shaking a little bit. Probably just my imagination running wild, but still. The cops arrived about 2 minutes later. It still is confusing to me what that was on our front porch if not the creeper though... Anyways, the cops "scanned the perimeter" and told us all was clear. We then double bolted all our doors. Then we ate some chocolate chip cookies to feel better, and it worked. Also we watched a youtube video about a puppy: (click this to watch it, it is both hilarious and sad at the same time) and went to bed. Also today I discovered that when the 3 roommates who slept through this ordeal heard that cops came to our house, 2/3 of them instantly asked "were they hot?" before asking any other possibly more important questions. Wow. I will keep my readers updated about any more back porch creepin!

PS, Sarah a.k.a. Stalbs gets to have a picture in this blog because she is the hero of the week for noticing the porch creeper's presence. And for living in the room that the other roommates would be unable to handle due to their low tolerance of scary-ness versus Stalbs' high tolerance and bat wielding skills: