Fresh from Ohio

Our dinner this evening was so amazing that I must comment so as not to forget...

Almost everything was purchased from the farmers' markets supplied by Ohio farms.

Grilled sweet corn
Grilled mixed veggies: zucchini, summer squash, sweet pepper, carrots, onion, potatoes
Grilled fennel seasoned with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Salad: fresh lettuce with pears, heirloom tomatoes, green pepper, and cucumber

Topped off with a chilled glass of Bota's Pinot Grigio and served on the deck on a summer evening... bon appetite!

A busy summer deserves a vacay

Since moving into our house on June 17th, we've done little other than clean, unpack, clean, unpack, paint, and clean.  We recently hosted a family housewarming party which felt like a deadline to get our house ready.  Now that it has passed (and it was a blast, no rhyming pun there), it feels like we can finally breathe a little and enjoy the rest of the summer.  I (Tiffany) still have a full class schedule to go along with work, but there is a nice break of 2 weeks in September available for a trip before the chaos of another quarter starts for us both.

Last winter we started saving towards taking a 'baby bucket' list trip to France.  This whole house business came out of the blue, and we put most of our saved money towards its purchase.  Now that the summer is passing by, I slightly regret the fact that we won't have our last big hurrah before the baby talk is more serious.  That and doesn't everyone just need to get away once in a while?  So here's the next challenge: we're now planning a trip backpacking in Smoky Mountain National Park.  I have been tent camping many times, but never 'primitive' camping.  We wanted an adventure, and well, this sounds like an interesting one.  Plenty of open space, fresh air, bears; and a huge lack of people, internet, and toilets.  Sounds like a trip equivalent to Paris!  Seriously though, I am excited to do something very different, and the two of us need some time away from everything.  This is also the kind of trip you can't really do post-baby.

I hope we do not get eaten by bears.

Update on massage therapy program: so far, so good.  I'm taking this very seriously in hopes that I might have a successful career during motherhood.  I also thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere that surrounds massage.  It is very tranquil even though it requires a decent amount of physical effort on my part.  I'm continuing to go with the flow and see what path opens up for me in this field.  For now, my test subjects (mainly James) can enjoy the benefits of my need to study/practice regularly.  In one week I'll have an entire full body swedish massage down and ready to perfect.

Tis all for now.

First Time Homebuyers now Homeowners!

We finally closed on our first house in wonderful Clintonville.  The process was extremely trying and complex, but we made it.  We feel this was a huge step towards building equity for our future, and now we have a little nest for some non-furry babies (for a change!).  Here she is in all her glory:

Needless to say, our furry babies are also excited.  (Too many boxes have blocked Zeke's view of the neighbor squirrels, so now he camps out on Eve's house.)

In addition to the excitement of closing, James got the call he had been waiting for, a job offer from the Clintonville Animal Hospital.  The clinic is only about 1/2 mile from our house, which makes for a lovely commute through town.  Oh yes, James is also excited about our awesome new garage with workshop, where he can put his new toys he finally got for his birthday:

There has been a huge gap since our last update!  We have both been very busy with school and buying our house.  Tiffany successfully completed her first quarter towards becoming a massage therapist.  James received quite a few massages while finishing the last quarter of his first year of vet school.  He is now 25% a veterinarian.  Way to go!

Hope everyone else is doing well and enjoying the hot, steamy summer that has yet to actually begin! :)