Alaska in Spring

Having a good time visiting with Susan over the long, Memorial Day weekend. We've been doing some gardening, lots of chatting, and paid a visit to Mom's and Dad's graves, to place some flowers and flags.

The weather has been beautiful - long, lovely sunny days bring back lots of fond memories, but I can't say as I miss the mosquitos, though! Kathy

Madz, Mo and Me find each other in NYC

So this is what Grandma meant when she said "This house is like Grand Central Station." We had some coffee, chatted a bit and were off our separate ways again in a New York minute.

Look who made the paper!

Ambrosia was featured in Eugene's paper, the Register Guard! It's a great article about the First Wednesday Wine Tastings he's been doing for the last ten years.

Sweet Home, Chicago

As my previous post covered, our odyssey had one more adventure. Saturday morning we hopped on a flight to Chicago, and Conor and Lillie picked us up at the airport. You'll be able to read more about the weekend here.
While Andy and I had had quite the week full of delicious food (see the fajitadelphia and brisket comments), we knew it was a crime to go to Chicago and not have Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza. Conor, Carey and Lillie (Conarie, if you will) took us around their neighborhood and then to one of their favorite pizza joints. But first, Conarie, sneaky people that they are, took a detour and kicked me out of the car, took me into a Bliss Spa and said, "Happy birthday, Catie!" And it was just what I needed: a restful, relaxing, calming facial from Bliss which, after a week of constant travelling, was greatly needed and appreciated.
Next up: Chicago Pizza! We zoomed through Chicago (and I totally geeked out knowing those awesome Dark Knight scenes were filmed in those underpasses), ate some completely amazing pizza, and then waddled back out to the car. From there we headed out to Navy Pier, looked around for a little while and played in the kids shop. We made our way outside, took one look at the biggest ferris wheel I've ever seen, and turned back around. I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights, but I'm not a fan of inviting any bad karma I've accrued over 26 years to come and get me at a very inopportune moment.
After a busy day, Conarie, Andy and I were ready to go home and go to bed, since we could start to hear that hippity hoppity of the Easter Bunny coming our way.
We woke up the next morning and Carey had made the most wonderful French Toast Casserole for breakfast, and as we dove in, Lillie began searching for the eggs the Easter Bunny left for her.
Afterward, we headed to Shedd Aquarium for Lillie to run around, and to explore one of the best aquariums in the country.

Once again, our trip ended way too soon, but we were grateful for the time we did get to spend with our families and with each other.
From Houston to Crosby to SPI to Chicago and back to Anchorage, Andy and I racked up quite the mileage, but it was totally worth it. We aren't sure when or where our next voyage will lead us, but we'll definitely keep you posted!

What Happens on South Padre...Ends Up In Gramma's Deli

After the hustle and bustle of a wedding for the ages, Andy and I decided that after three years of dating it was time we took an actual vacation, beach and all. We headed down to South Padre Island, and 2 tanks of gas, 3 bathroom stops, 2 What-A-burgers, a detour to Corpus Christie and 8 hours later, there we were! SPI, a week after the Spring Breakers had made their mass exodus back to school. It was a short vacation, but Moira's travels riding horseback in Hungary inspired me, so I scheduled a horseback ride on the beach for Andy and I the first morning we were there. Andy had never been on a horse before, but he looks like a natural, no? His horse, Apache, was a get-up-and-go kinda guy, always wanting to be at the front of the pack. Mine on the other hand...she was content to hang out in the back, chatting with one of her mares. But at least we got this photo op:

One of the best things about South Padre is the consistent wind on the island, so we bought a little kite and took it out to the beach. The wind was great for kite flying, and we stayed out there for almost an hour just playing along the beach.














I'd like to take this opportunity to rave about SPI. If you manage to get there after the Spring Breakers, you will find the most quaint little island, full of, interestingly enough, Mexican families. I think SPI is a big draw for families in Mexico, as well as the MTV Spring Break '09 crowd, as evidenced by the number of Mexican license plates in the parking lot. Also, an alarming number of Canadian license plates. And Wisconsin! Apparently SPI is where Cheese Staters go to relax. Who knew? But given the chance, I'd go back to SPI in a flash, the weather was fab, the food amazing (SPI Brewing Co. has something called the Fajitadelphia, and ohmygoditissoamazingweatetheretwicein16hours). So SPI? Thumbs Up!
Lest you think Andy and I were done with our odyssey by going to SPI you have another thing coming. Friday morning we drove back to Houston for one more day with Andy's family. We woke up early Saturday morning to head to....Chicago!

Goin' to the Chapel, and We're Gonna Get Married...

Well, not quite. Andy's sister, Sarah, married her long-time boyfriend Jason Zeller in a great ceremony at the Zeller Ranch in Crosby, TX. While Andy went down to Texas in late March, I joined him 2 days before the wedding, and met up with Andy's mom Carol, Stepdad Tommy, Brother AJ, Uncle John, his wife and kids Angelisa, Caitlin and Christian, and his Aunt Micki, her husband Charlie and daughter Rebecca (meeting a "small" family like this gives me a whole new appreciation for the poor folks who have to meet our family, and remember all our names).
It was great to meet more of Andy's family, and some of them are just as colorful as members of our own. We had a great time at the wedding, Andy had the privilege to walk Sarah down the aisle, and after a short ceremony, the tent was transformed into a reception hall.
And the party began! Fueled by brisket, potato salad and not a little bit of Budweiser, that ranch rocked well into the night. And as any member of the Meekins family knows, the party doesn't start until "Billie Jean" comes on. And party we did. (Sidenote: Andy, having been around me for far too long, requested Billie Jean. They have video of my face when MJ came on, and...let's just say it's pretty priceless)
While Andy and I can cut a rug, we were both fumbling our way through the Texas Two-Step when Jessica, a bridesmaid, came to our rescue, tutoring me, then sweeping Andy off his feet. I then cornered AJ, and we trampled our way through a half dozen George Strait songs. (Little known fact: 99% of country music is, in fact, a Two-Step).
Finally the night wound down, we hopped back into the rental car and drove back to Houston. But there's no rest for the weary. Next stop? South Padre Island!